True Wealth is Good Health. Real food, cooked at home is your best investment in good health.  If you ask me, if there is one New Year’s resolution worth making, it would be to to eat more food from your own kitchen!

Eating Hoppin’ John on New Year’s day is a tradition that is said to bring you prosperity and luck for the year ahead.  It makes sense to me that eating this sort of food would make you wealthy.

Hoppin’ John is a dish made basically of beans and rice. Black eyed peas are traditionally used in the southern US, but you could also use other beans if you like.

Last year, I made a risotto version of Hoppin John, click here for that recipe. This year, I plan to simply saute some onions & celery, add the black eyed peas, some rice, some chicken stock and a few strips of cooked crumbled bacon. Cook it on down until the rice is finished. I will serve it with some green leafy like collards, kale or spinach.  It’s really that easy. For those of you who need a recipe here’s one:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked brown rice
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Saute onions, celery and garlic in oil about 3 minutes, until just softened. Add beans, rice, bay leaf, thyme, wine and stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan, lower heat to a low simmer and cook until rice is tender. Garnish with bacon pieces and  a splash of some pepper sauce if you like some heat.