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Want good luck this New Year? This black eyed pea soup is a vegan version of a southern tradition. With added sweet potatoes, kale, and the use of a slow cooker for a comforting 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.
This black eyed pea soup is a vegan version of a southern tradition. With added sweet potatoes, kale, and the use of a slow cooker for a comforting soup!Why use a Slow Cooker?
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.
Why this recipe works?
- Liquid Smoke. The use of liquid smoke gives this meal smokiness you would normally get from smoked meat.
- Cajun Seasoning Mix. This is a homemade version easy and simple and really gives this recipe a kick PLUS it brings a more homemade touch to it. 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.
Here’s how to make them: (READ FULL RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR FULL INSTRUCTIONS)
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!
Vegan With Curves Star Ingredient
Sweet Potatoes are the Vegan With Curves star of this dish! 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.
How to make this Waste/Weight Release (Weight Loss) Friendly?
This soup is not very high in calories but to especially if you are serving lower portions but if you want to lower them even further you can do 1 or all 3 of the following:
- Swap out the sweet potatoes for butternut squash.
- Serve 1 1/2 cups to lower the portion size.
- Serve with large raw salad instead of vegan cornbread or tortilla chips.
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. Enjoy!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tell me how it turned out for you! Was it a hit or miss? 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!
Black Eyed Pea Soup (Slow Cooker, Vegan)
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 sea salt
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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 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.)
- 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. For weight gain I would serve with rice, tortilla chips, or vegan cornbread. For weight loss I would served with a large green salad.
Video
Notes
- 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
- If you are on a waste release (weight loss) diet swamp squash for sweet potatoes as they have lower calories and a lower carbohydrate count. Serve 1 1/2 cup with large raw salad instead of with cornbread.
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:
- 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.
- Stir in fresh garlic and Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning Mix and fully coat onions and garlic for about 60 seconds.
- Next add broth, water, liquid smoke, kale, sweet potatoes, and peas to pot. Turn down low and simmer for about 30 minutes covered.
- 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.
- Turn off and let cool. Serve
Nutrition
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
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