Black-Eyed Peas With Spinach And Tomatoes

My friend Elizabeth wanted to meet Dorrie, our new baby. She also loves to come over and cook with me as well, so we did both. We made a North African/Southern Mediterranean meal. I saw this delicious recipe for black-eyed peas with spinach and tomatoes and I centered our meal around this dish. Elizabeth is fun to cook with. She is always such an eager student and loves to make just about everything. We have been cooking together for years, and so far, I can’t recall anything she hasn’t enjoyed making. 🙂

Black-eyes peas have been around since the prehistoric times. They were first cultivated in West Africa, most like from Nigeria or Cameroon, then spread to China and Asia. From China and Asia, they made their way across the Mediterranean. They came to the New World and to the United States when Africans were brought over as slaves. The Africans planted the black-eyed peas as a reminder of the foods they ate back home. They became very popular throughout the South and wherever there were large populations of blacks. They are all the time, but particularly eaten on New Year’s Day as a symbol of prosperity and good luck for the upcoming new year. My mother grew up in Southeast Texas, and eating black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day was a tradition I grew up with as well.

Black-eyed peas, also known as Hoppin’ John’s or Texas Caviar or humble peas, are part of the legume family and are very healthy. Black-eyed peas are rich in nutrients, including vitamin A, folate, manganese, and fiber. These nutrients may help lower blood pressure, support digestion, maintain skin health, and much, much more.

Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach and Tomatoes

To make my black-eyed peas with spinach and tomatoes, first I soaked the peas for about 24 hours, then rinsed them with fresh water and boiled them for about 30 minutes before mixing them with the spinach and tomatoes.

1 1-lb bag of dried black-eyed peas

1 onion, diced

1 lb fresh baby spinach, stems removed and chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP garlic

1 -2 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional

olive oil

feta cheese crumbles

Preheat the oven to 350* F.

Spray cooking spray in a 9×13 baking dish.

While the black-eyed peas are boiling, cook the onions, spinach, garlic, lemon zest, salt & pepper in a hot skillet with the olive oil and a little lemon olive oil too, if using. The lemon is always a good compliment to tomatoes and fresh vegetables. It makes the flavors really stand out and come to life. Cook for about 5 minutes, or just until the onions start to soften and the spinach starts to wilt, stirring constantly

When the black-eyed peas are ready, add the spinach mixture in with the drained black-eyed peas and toss together well.

Spread everything out into the prepared pan, then add a layer of crumbled feta cheese on top. Add the tomatoes on top of the cheese. Drizzle some more lemon and/or olive oil top and bake for about 35-45 minutes.

As I mentioned above, I made a Southern Mediterranean/North African meal around this dish. I served it along side some chili-lime chicken and Greek potato wedges, with banana-pineapple rolls for dessert. As usual, I made enough for a small army. Mike and Lauren came over to help us enjoy the meal and the evening.

After dinner and dessert, we finished off with a couple of rounds of Farkle. 🙂 It was yet another fun evening spent with good friends, good food and fun. What more could I ask for, right?! Life is very good indeed. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe, stay cool and stay well. ‘Til next time.