Leftovers!

Quick post today. Clean Out Refrigerator Day.

I know that not everyone is at home practicing cooking grains and beans, as well as their knife skills, but I found myself today with a fridge full of random items. Therefore, I stuck them all together and called it lunch-a good lunch actually! Here's what I made (and yes, all of the items were found in my fridge or pantry):

Creole Black Eyed Pea Stew: Serves 4
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, small diced
1 bell pepper, small diced
1 stalk celery, small diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp creole seasoning
1 cup dried black eyed peas, cooked and drained (will yield about 2 cups)
1 24 oz can diced tomatoes
2 collard green leaves, chiffonaded
salt and pepper, to taste
long grain brown rice, to serve
chopped parsley or scallions to garnish, optional

Start by heating oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, celery (the trinity) and jalapeno and saute for about 5 minutes, or until translucent and fragrant. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Add black eyed peas, tomatoes and collard greens, along with a splash of water or stock (of you have it). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until collards are tender and flavors have developed. Readjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over warm brown rice and garnish with parsley or scallions, if desired.


The recipe had a bit of a kick, which warmed me up on this cold winter day. It also had the added benefit of using up all of the random things in my fridge! It's a pretty simple recipe, so check it out. You could also use a 14 oz can of tomatoes if you want the stew to be less tomatoey, just add a bit more water or stock to cook the collards.

Cook Tech test tonight. Good luck class!