Recipe: New Year's Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Green Soup

Looking for an interesting soup to cook on New Year's Day? From our friends over at Whole Foods Market comes this New Year's Day special soup that tradition believes brings good luck in the new year to us!

Serves 6

This hearty soup combines two lucky foods, black-eyed peas and collard greens, with vegetables and smoky ham. Enjoy on New Year's Day, or any day, for a satisfying, warming meal. Serve with thick slices of toasted crusty bread. When reheating the soup, add additional broth if needed to obtain desired consistency.

Ingredients

2 cups dried black-eyed peas

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (you could use canola oil)

1 large onion, chopped (give me a sweet onion any day!)

2 cloves minced fresh garlic (more is always better!)

1/2 pound slab cooked all-natural Black Forest ham or smoked turkey breast, diced (try using Richard's Turkey sausage, it's awesome!)

2 stalks celery, chopped (I like 4 stalks celery as celery is a digestive that keeps down the gas.)

6 cups gluten-free chicken broth

Sea salt and black pepper

Cayenne pepper, to taste (try 1/4 teaspoon at first, especially if you use Louisiana sausage as it already has spicy heat!)

4 cups packed thinly sliced collard greens, leaves only, stems discarded

4 medium carrots, chopped (you can always get a package of those small sweet baby carrots, easier and tastier)

Method

Soak black-eyed peas in water for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion, garlic, ham and celery.

Cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent.

Add drained peas, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne. Simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes or until peas are tender. For a thicker consistency, smash some of the cooked peas against the side of the pan and blend them into the broth.

Add greens and carrots. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until collard greens are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Nutrition

Per serving (18oz/532g-wt.): 310 calories (150 from fat), 16g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 17g protein, 27g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 20mg cholesterol, 760mg sodium

Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog –
Romancing The Chocolate

Recipe: Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

Those of us who LOVE chocolate know one thing: keeping sugar around is a must to combine with chocolate in a recipe. What to do when you go to your pantry only to find there is too little of white granulated sugar? Well, you can switch over to light or dark brown sugar which actually gives cookies a great flavor. (Might be too heavy a sugar for some cakes.)

Then your hopes are dashed when you realize there isn't even any brown sugar available. You pull down the box or large bag of powdered (confectioner's) sugar. What can you do with this sugar? Most times it's used for icing but in this case you can use it to make pinwheel cookies! Yay!

So, here you find your pantry a bit depleted from the holiday cooking and baking. You really don't feel like yet another trip to the grocery store. Make these lovely cookies from Betty Crocker.

After spending for the holidays these inexpensive cookies are easy on the wallet AND you get a chocolate fix. Doesn't get any better than that! Bake up a few to enjoy right now and freeze the cookie dough for later when someone shows up at your house hungry for a little sweet.

Chocolate Pinwheels

Prep time: 50 minutes
Total time: overnight in the refrigerator, about 10 hours
Makes: about 4 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups butter

1 egg

3 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsweetened Hershey's baking cocoa

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chocolate sprinkles, if desired


In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter and egg. Stir in flour and salt.

Divide dough in half. Stir the cocoa into one half. Stir chocolate sprinkles into the other half, if desired.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll half of plain dough into 9 x 8-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Repeat with half of chocolate dough; place on top of plain dough. Roll doughs up together tightly, beginning at long side. repeat with remaining plain and chocolate doughs. Wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours. (The butter can make the dough like a little brick if it chills too long.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Nutrition: 1 cookie is 90 calories of which 45 calories are from fat. Nothing like a little reality check! :) Guilt advisor: Remember your New Year's resolution about losing a few pounds. That's why this cookie is so great. Temptation can be relegated to the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to 6 months! Enjoy!


Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog:
Comfort Food From Louisiana

Photo from BettyCrocker.com

Recipe: Cajun Spice Mix

Cajun Spice Mix

Sometimes you run out of your favorite store blend. Why not try your hand at making your own blend? Start with this basic one and start creating from there!


*** Takes about 10 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup chili powder (here's where you can get inventive)

1/4 cup Hungarian paprika

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper (could choose other varieties like green peppercorns)

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Preparation:

Combine salt, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, basil, oregano, coriander, cayenne pepper, thyme, cumin and white pepper until well mixed.

Place the spice mix in a glass jar and seal tightly. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.

This can be used for blackened fish, chicken, soups, sauces, ribs, blackened steaks, blackened chicken, even blackened pastas! Wow!

Yield: about 1 1/4 cups

Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog –
Romancing The Chocolate

Quote

"What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway."

- Mother Theresa

Photo of chocolate souffle by epicurious.com

Quote

"Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway." - Mother Theresa

Photo of chocolate collie by foxypar4 @ flickr