cooking · Dinner

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

I got the idea for this recipe from Food Network Magazine, in the dinners section. I changed it a bit, the original called for Kale or Swiss Chard. I had a bag of spinach on hand and am always looking for ways to boost my iron intake (I have chronic anemia). It would work with either and would have tasted just as good without any greens added. The brown rice is my version of Alton Brown’s baked brown rice recipe. I use a ¼ of the salt and swap in olive oil for butter, leaving it heart healthy (and vegan).

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup frozen bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped (about 4 stalks)
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • ¾ tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp lower sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 cups lower-sodium vegetable broth
  • 20-ounce package frozen black-eyed peas
  • 9-ounce package spinach

Baked brown rice –

  • 1½ cups long grain brown rice
  • 2½ cups boiling water
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°. Add the rice, boiling water, oil and salt to a 8×8″ glass oven-proof dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Fluff up with a fork.

For the gumbo – heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high. Add in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, water, garlic and pepper, turn down to medium. Cover and let cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the soy sauce and paprika and cook for a minute. Stir in the broth and cover, bring to a boil. Add in the black-eyed peas, return to a boil, cover again and then turn down the heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring periodically.

Chop up the spinach and add in, letting wilt. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve over the rice in bowls.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

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