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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Black-Eyed Peas with Kale and Sweet Potatoes

Do you ever walk around the kitchen.  Craving something.  Yet you just don't know what it is that you're craving.  You check the cupboards.  You check the fridge.  You check the freezer.  Then you check the cupboards again.  And you check the fridge again...and so on.  When this happens to me, it seems my body needs either citrus (think sweet, juicy orange or fat, puckery grapefruit) or dark, colorful food (like deep, orange sweet potatoes and bitter, peppery greens).

The past few days...maybe even a week now...I've felt this way.  I went for a tangelo (aka mineola) first.  Nothin'.  A few more days and a bit more wear to the linoleum (ssshhhh...I tell myself it's tile, but really it is linoleum) and I knew I had to hit the market in a bad way.  I miss being able to run over the the community garden and come home with a big basket of kale.  Hurry up summer!  Fortunately the market had some good looking kale and a decent bin of sweet potatoes.  I found a recipe that I could not get out of my head in one of my Moosewood books, so that was on the docket for today.  Although the original recipe calls for pigeon peas, I used black-eyed peas because that's what I had in the house.  And to be truthful, I've never seen pigeon peas around here.  So that is for another day.  Subbing in some deep purpley-red onions for regular and olive oil for vegetable oil, the meal came together in a quick and ultra-crave-satisfying manner!
Black-Eyed Peas w/ Kale & Sweet Potatoes
adapted from a recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home
serves: ~4

1 large sweet potato (~2 c.), peeled & diced into ½" cubes
1 medium red onion (~1 c.), chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
~~
~1 lb. kale (a huge handful)
~3 c. black-eyed peas, drained if in liquid
salt
freshly ground black pepper
~~
tabasco, pepper vinegar, &/or cider vinegar, to serve
Bring a couple cups of water to boil in a pot, salt it and then add the sweet potato cubes.  Cook for ~10 minutes or until barely tender.  While potatoes cook, sauté red onion in olive oil in a large skillet until it is translucent.  

Remove the tough bottom parts of the stem from the kale, then slice lengthwise through the leaves and chop them pretty small.  Add kale to onions and sauté for a couple of minutes, or until the kale is bright green.  

Scoop about 3 Tbs. of sweet potato cooking water into the pan to help the kale steam and cook.  Drain the sweet potatoes and then add them to the skillet along with the black-eyed peas.  Toss everything and stir, cooking for a couple more minutes, or until everything is heated through.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  

Serve immediately, offering Tabasco or vinegars at the table...for a little somethin' extra.
I liked the combo of pepper vinegar and the green pepper Tabasco on mine.  Tangy with a slight, lingering heat.  And I don't feel like I'm lost anymore.  Craving officially satisfied.

MoosewoodMondays Hey What's For Dinner MMMM VeganMondays
*MLLA is being hosted at Ammalu's Kitchen this month.

Would you like to comment?

  1. This has color, heartiness and health. Cravings don't get much better than this.

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  2. you know I go through that a lot .. craving for something and yet don't know what ! I will take a bite of a cookie or a chocolate .. nah .. then I eat some chips .. nah .. even a bite of cheese .. and so on !!

    I bought Kale for the first time last evening .. and I am yet to taste it .. never had kale before!

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  3. I love that you crave kale... I crave potato chips! But I do love kale, and I love the color in this dish. Yum!

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  4. Very healthy and love all those fabulous colors! I am a Tabasco girl too - gotta love spicy:)

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  5. What a fabulous meal! I love stuff like this and I'm going to make it this week, thanks! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

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  6. wonderful healthy meal and I hear you on the cravings he he

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  7. Yummmy.....love this! Great combination.

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  8. This is a healthy meal..so colourful and rich with healthy ingredients.

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  9. Oh yes. I've been craving some kale and potatoes too! Don't you just love Moosewood? So many great recipes. Thank you for sharing! I hope you have a happy week. Your posts bring me joy...thank you for being you!

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  10. That looks clean, healthy n flavorful all at the same time. I could eat it for dinner all by itself :)


    US Masala

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  11. Colorful, healthy and delicious--all of my favorite things. ;-) This looks like another great kale recipe to add to my list.

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  12. Delicioso plato, se ve estupendo.

    Saludos

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  13. Very catchy,healthy and yummy dish..

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  14. I know exactly what you mean about craving something, but you don't know what! And I must say, this recipe looks like a fantastic solution - so healthy and colourful, and the flavours sound just wonderful.

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  15. I miss sweet potatoes...this with kale and black eyed peas is simple delish!

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  16. Not a fan of sweet potatoes but this looks delicious!

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  17. I'd be thoroughly pleased with myself if I craved something so healthy and colorful!

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  18. This makes a rich salad! colorful n lovely clicks

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  19. The colors say it all. It's great how you listen to your body - it's true - so often, it's that one something you really want and hope to find before you eat that entire bag of chips before you realize it wasn't chips! Or maybe that's just me....

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  20. I don't think I've ever craved kale, but I did just yesterday buy some so I could get some v. K. What a timely and healthy and delicious bowl of goodness this is.

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  21. someone actually just dropped off a lovely bunch of kale yesterday (random, but nice!). i now know what i'm going to do with it!

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  22. Oooh, yum. I've never actually tried BEPs, and living in the South I think that shocks people!

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  23. Our linoleum totally has imprints in it right in front of the fridge as well. All me.

    As it turns out, I'm almost always craving sweet potatoes as well. This sounds like a great dish!

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  24. i never had kale before but i know exactly what you mean by craving-something-i-don't-know-what-it-is state of mind...

    thank you for stopping by my site Heather. I truly appreciate it.

    I hope you are having a wonderful day.
    xo,
    Malou

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  25. This recipe just made my grocery list for the week. I can't wait to try it!

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  26. Oh baby cakes, this is such sooooouuuullll food! Love love love it! Anything with kale is right up my alley! hugs! Alex

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  27. Well, here's a first. I've actually made this recipe or one like it before. I may have even gotten it from that book. Just one thing though, I used pigeon peas, which I don't ever crave. Seems I should have used black-eyed peas instead. They certainly makes the dish look a bit more dramatic:)

    The only green I ever crave is spinach and that's only if it is in a spinach salad with the works!!!

    Thanks for sharing Heather. I'm off to see what else I've missed...

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  28. I can so relate to you, even I do that, meaning check everything, but have no idea, what I am craving for :)

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  29. I had a hankering for kale last week too, so I went to my brother's this weekend and found some in his field of greens- they're just starting to come out now and I picked a huge bag. I can't wait to cook them! This dish of yours looks like the kind of food I'm craving right now. :)

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  30. This is one of my favorite combinations! So healthy too!

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  31. What a great powerhouse of a dish! You are rocking the healthy, girli! ♥

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  32. Wow!!! delicious, colorful and healthy dinner...

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  33. Yum! This not only looks delicious but it's totally packed with nutritious ingredients.

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  34. That looks like a healthy bowl of veggies with loads of flavors! Love it.

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  35. This sounds good and looks beautiful, all that color! I've seen you linked in different parties and have been meaning to come check out your blog.

    Would love to know what your most popular recipe so far has been and for you to link it in our Star Recipes Collection.

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  36. What a great combination...I want this now for lunch :)

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  37. I can really go for some sweet potatoes right now.

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  38. my friend made this for me last night, i am an avid meat eater but this was amazing, i even asked for some to take home and had it for lunch today!

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