Hearty Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Stew

This delicious recipe and Food For Thought are excerpted from my Weekly Meal Plan–you can learn more about it here.

Food For Thought: Healthy Comforts!

Cold weather and the start of the holiday season get me thinking a lot about comfort foods. The word comfort has changed for me over the years.  Through my many years of dieting, I “comforted” myself with foods, but they weren’t usually the kind that nourished me physically.  If I had a bad day, I would “break my diet” and go to town on warm bread with butter. I have since come to the place where true comfort means both eating delicious foods and taking care of my physical health.  Healthy and tasty—now that is the winning recipe for real comfort.

My number one comfort food these days is Soups and Stews.  This week, I have included a recipe for a Black Eyed Pea Stew that is made with tempeh bacon so it has a smoky hearty taste and is super nutritious!

Hearty Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Stew

Did you know?  When cooking with dry beans, be sure to add salt at the end of cooking.  It slows down the cooking time

Note: If you have a problem digesting beans, try cooking them with Kombu.  A Sea Vegetable sold in the Asian Section, kombu adds minerals to the cooking broth which can reduce the gas-producing qualities of beans.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  60+ minutes

2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight**
1 Tablespoon  olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces tempeh bacon
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 strip kombu (sea vegetable)
1 Tablespoon  apple cider vinegar
1  (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
1 bunch collard greens, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

**Sort and wash peas; place in a bowl, cover with water and soak overnight. The next day, drain water and rinse with fresh water.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and tempeh to pan and cook 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Stir in broth; bring to a simmer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in soaked black-eyed peas, pepper flakes, bay leaves and kombu. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until peas begin to soften. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or until liquid begins to thicken.

Stir in vinegar, tomatoes, and collard greens; simmer 10 more minutes (uncovered) or until peas and collards are tender, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, discard bay leaves and kombu and serve.

Enjoy and until next time, Eat Well, Be Well and LOVE Every Bite!
~Jenny

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