Hoppin' John

Funny name for a dish. And no, it's not named after a guy named John who hopped all over the place. It's actually a corruption of the Creole term for black-eyed peas, "pois pigeons". It's real good, and also served on New Year's Day traditionally, because it is thought to bring good luck. But eat it anytime, y'all! Serves 4.

1 cup long grained rice (white or brown, your choice)
3 cups water
1 can black eyed peas, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 turkey bacon slices, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black pepper
red pepper flakes, to taste

Spray a pot with nonstick spray and throw in your turkey bacon, saute for a couple minutes. Add your onions and celery, saute for another couple minutes then add your water, bay leaf, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes covered on low-medium heat. Add now your black-eyed peas and rice, stir well and simmer another 20 minutes or so, till rice is cooked. Add more water if rice is still hard. Give it another good stir and DONE!

4 points a serving!

Serve with your favorite dish! Yowza!

Hoppin' John served with Southern Oven Fried Chicken and Fried Cabbage