Recipe by: Ingrid Hill
Yields: 8 servings- 1.5 cup per serving
Cooking time: 45 min

In the South, Hoppin’ John is a simple side dish consisting of black-eyed peas and rice. It is a tradition in the South that eating Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day will bring a prosperous new year filled with good luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins. Collard greens are supposed to add to wealth because they are the color of money. The recipe I have created combines all of these “good luck” ingredients with the addition of a spicy vegan chorizo to make a soup that is flavorful, healthy, economical, and super easy to make. The recipe is vegan and the ingredients were all found at Whole Foods and my local Kroger grocery store. I made the soup for the first time this past January and I have had many good things happen this year, so it really works!

Ingredients

• 1 – 12 oz package Yves Veggie Cuisine™ Veggie Chorizo
• 8 cups Water, divided
• 2 Tbsp Vogue Cuisine® Instant Vegebase
• 1 – 6 oz package Uncle Ben’s® long grain and wild rice mix with seasoning pkt, uncooked
• 24 ounces Black-eyed peas, frozen
• 2 – 14.5 oz cans Diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 3 cups Collard greens, bagged, shredded, prewashed

Directions

1. In a non-stick skillet, brown the veggie chorizo on high heat until crispy edges form about 4-5 minutes.
2. While chorizo is browning bring 6 cups of water to boil in large stockpot.
3. Add Vegebase and seasoning packet from rice to boiling water and stir until dissolved.
4. Add remaining ingredients, including browned veggie chorizo and remaining 2 cups of water.
5. Bring back to a boil, cover and simmer on medium heat for 30-40 min or until black-eyed peas reach desired tenderness.

Nutritionals (per serving)

Calories: 296; Total fat: 4g, Saturated fat: 0g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 583mg, Carbohydrates: 50g, Dietary fiber: 9g, Sugars: 4 g; Protein 16g, Vitamin A 44% DV, Vitamin C 34% DV, Calcium 13% DV, and Iron 21% DV.