Sweet Potato Kale Black Eyed Pea Soup(Slow Cooker)

Want good luck this New Year? This black eyed pea soup is a healthy vegan version of a southern tradition. With added sweet potatoes, kale, and the use of a slow cooker for a creamy soup.

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 Editor’s Note:  This recipe has been updated. Old pictures of original post are below.

Did you know that there is magic in your food? Eating black eyed pea soup for the New Year is good for the following reasons:

• Dried beans in general expands in volume which symbolizes expanding wealth for the upcoming new year. 
• Black eyed peas loosely resemble coins.
• When served with greens it represents good luck (four leaf clover), U.S. paper currency, and your higher heart chakra.
• When served with cornbread it symbolizes gold because of it’s yellow color.

See I told you? It’s magic. 

In addition to the good luck this black eyed pea soup brings, the use of a slow cooker makes the recipe come alive.  I did include a way to make this soup without a slow cooker. But I highly recommend investing in a Crock-Pot (relative cheap investment I only spent $25 for mine.) A slow cooker helps gives this soup a creamy texture and allows the flavors to fully infuse together.

Vegan Curve Building Ingredients 

• Liquid Smoke.  I use liquid smoke to replace that smokiness you would get from smoked meat. 
• Cajun Seasoning Mix. This is a homemade version easy and simple and really gives this recipe a kick. You can find the recipe HERE.
• Kale. Traditionally black eyed pea soup is served with either mustard greens, turnip greens, or collard greens but in this recipe I use kale because of it’s amazing benefits. The article article 26 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Kale lays out the wealth of benefits kale has including it being high in fiber, rich in vitamin K and a great source of iron.
• Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are curvy carbohydrates and should be in every curvy vegan pantry. Sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate, high in Vitamin A (Beta Carotene), and contain about 26 grams of carbs per serving. Because a slow cooker is used the sweetness of the potatoes really come out. Originally I used a German turnip called Kohlrabi. If you prefer a more savory taste, you can substitute with Kohlrabis stems or regular turnips roots instead. Russet potatoes can work with this as well.

Alright lets get started cooking this vegan version of southern black eyed pea soup. First, you want to remove stems and bad beans from your bowl and then soak for 8 hours or overnight.

Next, you want to saute your onions and garlic along with adding Cajun Seasoning Mix .

Third, add stock, water, liquid smoke, and beans to your Crock-Pot. Cook for about 6 hours on high.

Last, add sweet potatoes and kale and cook for about additional 1.5 – 2 hours. Serve your black eyed peas with rice, tortilla chips, or cornbread. Oh don’t forget the hot sauce!

While you may or may not believe in this old southern tradition,the idea of giving your food intention before you consume it is always a bonus in my book. Happy New Year!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tell me how it turned out for you! Was it a hit or miss? Do you eat black eyed peas for New Year’s? Tell me about it. Leave a comment below, rate it, and PIN IT! Also tag a photo @_VeganWithCurves and hashtag #VeganWithCurves on Instagram so I can see it!

Appliances used in this recipe:

• Crock-Pot 6-Quart Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker

For more of my recommended cooking tools, visit the resource page at CURVY VEGAN KITCHEN.

5 from 6 votes

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Sweet Potato Kale Black Eyed Pea Soup (Slow Cooker)

Want good luck this New Year? This black eyed pea soup is a healthy vegan version of a southern tradition. With added sweet potatoes, kale, and the use of a slow cooker for a creamy soup. A good luck charm in a bowl. Perfect recipe to eat during the cold winter months.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine crockpot, Gluten Free, Slow Cooker, Southern, Soy Free, Vegan

Prep Time 8 hours

Cook Time 6 hours 7 minutes

Total Time 14 hours 7 minutes

Servings 5 (2 cups per serving)

Author Gina Marie

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried black eyed peas
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 fresh garlic cloves minced and chopped
• 1 teaspoon Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning Mix (or store bought)
• 32 ounces unsalted (or low sodium) vegetable stock (broth will work too)
• 4 +1 cups water, divided
• 1 + 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, divided
• 2-3 dried (or fresh) bay leaves (OPTIONAL)
• 6 cups kale
• 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning Mix (additional)
• 1 tablespoon Himalayan pink sea salt

Instructions

1. Pick over black eyed peas removing any bad beans and debris. Soak beans in cold water enough to fully cover beans for 8 hours or overnight. 

2. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add onions to  skillet and cook until softened for 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Stir in fresh garlic and 1 teaspoon Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning Mix and fully coat onions and garlic for about 60 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer cooked onions and garlic into slow cooker.

4. Next, pour in vegetable stock, 4 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke, and black eyed peas into your slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 6  hours until peas are tender. (9  hours on low).

5. After 6 hours, stir in kale, sweet potatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoon of Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning Mix, 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, and 1 tablespoon of Himalayan pink sea salt.  Cover and cook on high for an additional 1 1/2 - 2 hours. (That may seem like a lot of salt but keep in mind we are talking about an entire pot of beans. You don't want bland soup. You can add both salt and seasoning mix little by little and taste as you go to adjust seasonings to your liking.)

6. Turn off slow cooker. Let soup cool, pull out bay leaves, and serve. You can add hot sauce or more salt and pepper for extra taste. Serve with rice, tortilla chips, or vegan cornbread. 
   

Recipe Notes

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Nutritional Information Per Serving 

• Calories 391
• Fat 3 g
• Carbohydrates 70 g
• Fiber 11 g
• Sugar 9 g
• Protein 24 g

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Substitutes and Additions:

• You can use turnips or Kolharbi instead of sweet potatoes.
• Pinto beans would work with this as well.
• Turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens can be used instead of kale or a combo of mixed greens

To make without a slow cooker:

If you are not using slow cooker I recommend having your black eyed peas already pre cooked. Sort 1 pound (about 2 cups or 16 ounces) of beans and soak for 8 hours in a large bowl as normal. Drain peas and add 6 -8 cups of water to a large pot. Cook on low heat with tilted over pot for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until beans are tender. Or you can use 2 BPA free organic black eyed peas in a can. Proceed with recipe as follows:

1. Heat butter in large stock pot over medium-high heat until melted. Add onions to  skillet and cook until softened for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in fresh garlic and Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning Mix and fully coat onions and garlic for about 60 seconds.
3. Next add broth, water, liquid smoke, kale, sweet potatoes, and peas to pot. Turn down low and simmer for about 30 minutes covered.
4. Optional: After 30 minutes take a cup of the bean mixture and pour in a blender. Blend for a few seconds and add back to the pot and simmer for 10 more minutes. This makes it more creamy.
5. Turn off and let cool. Serve

Original photos of recipe.

Equipment use to improve photos:

• Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
• Lowel EGO Digital Imaging, Tabletop Fluorescent Light Unit

For more tips on improving your food photography check out the Food Photography Tools Page.

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