Now this is a Southern dish if I’ve ever seen one! I’m an Oklahoma native and born-and-bred southerner (although I know “the south” in Oklahoma City is much different than “the south” in, say, Charleston or Savannah), so this dish is right up my alley. I actually meal-prepped it on a Sunday to eat off of throughout the week, and boy did I look forward to lunch each day!

I love recipes like this that become even more delicious and flavorful as they simmer. This is such a well-rounded dish, too—calcium-rich collard greens, plant-based protein from the black-eyed peas and whole grains + fiber from the brown rice. Everything you need in one big bowl!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 - 14.5 oz. cans of black-eyed peas, drained

• 1 T. olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced

• 3 celery ribs, chopped

• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced

• 6 c. vegetable broth

• 2 t. oregano

• 2 t. smoked paprika

• 1/2 t. cayenne

• 1 t. Cajun-style seasoning

• 2 large bunches of collard greens, sliced into strips

• 1 c. brown rice, cooked according to package directions

• 2 T. nutritional yeast & hot sauce (optional)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

STEPS

1) Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for seven minutes.

2) Add the vegetable broth, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne and Cajun-style seasoning and bring the mixture to a boil.

3) Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the collard greens a bit at a time, stirring them into the hot liquid so they wilt. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4) Add the black-eyed peas, stir to combine and simmer for another 30 minutes.

5) Cook the rice according to package directions and stir into the pot with the greens and peas.

6) This final part is optional, but I think it seriously makes the dish! When you’re incorporating the rice, stir in about two tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The yeast will melt into the hot rice/liquid and make the whole dish super, duper creamy. Finally, gotta top that bad boy off with your hot sauce of choice!