Easy Vegan Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas

What do you do when you go vegan but want the soul food flavors you enjoyed before the switch? You veganize it. That’s what I’m sharing today. I had a taste for good ole vegan collard greens, black eyed peas and jiffy cornbread (judge ya mama). The only issue was figuring out how to make this traditional meal without meat. Check it out below.

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Something Tasty: Collard Greens & Black Eyed Peas

As the holidays approach, we are all getting ready to eat the classics. As a child of southern grandparents, I had these staples of soul food at any major holiday or special occasion. My great great grandfather had a garden every year and we had the benefit of organic collard greens (along with the best watermelons and other produce). Oh yeah, Papa was still gardening with a walker at 95+ years old. It’s through him and my great grandmother that I got introduced to organic produce. Maybe I’ll try my hand at growing some next year. And who doesn’t love black eyed peas with greens? It’s the perfect pair.

When I thought about our menu, I wondered how I could make my favorites without using smoked turkey necks or ham hocks. IYKYK. So after some research, I was able to find a product that claimed to give that same taste. You can check out the vegan ham broth base on Amazon. It did not disappoint.

On To Ingredients…

I know some people prefer to have tomatoes or pieces of meat in their greens and black eyed peas, but since these are vegan, we had to improvise to add flavor. One of the best inventions is liquid smoke. Combined with the vegan ham broth base, you can mimic the flavor of having smoked meat in your greens.

The star of any vegan dish (in my opinion) is the flavors that are brought to the table by the auxiliary (aromatic) vegetables. I love bell peppers, onions and garlic. You’ll see them a lot here. These are the base of most of my meals. If you’re not using aromatics, you are missing out.

Lastly, for liquid, you can always use water, but a good vegetable stock or broth is best in my opinion. There is so much flavor in broths and it can only enhance the flavors. Greens and black eyed peas have unique flavors on their own that will shine through, but having this supporting cast will ensure great dupes for your soul food favorites.

Assembly Required: Preparing Vegan Collard Greens & Black Eyed Peas

I’m a fan of easy recipes. While I love to cook, I do not want to be in the kitchen forever nor do I want a lot of dishes. So here are the steps for preparing the vegan greens and black eyed peas.

Preparing the Vegan Collard Greens

 

Before you get to the cooking of the greens, you HAVE to clean the greens and remove the stems (trust the process). I prefer to use the whole leaf version of the greens as opposed to the pre-chopped version. It seems like it’s a convenience until you realize they need to be cleaned and all those giblets are annoying to work through (I speak from recent experience). Once the greens are cleaned, sit them to the side to be made it to the soul food staple that they are.

1. In a large stock pot, heat about 2 tsp of oil (I prefer avocado) and sauté the chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper until onions are translucent.
2. To the same pot, add in 4 tsp of the vegan ham broth base and 1 tsp of granulated garlic (or garlic powder) and allow the broth base to absorb any liquid in the pot. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent burning.
3. Once the liquid is absorbed, add 4 cups (one 32 oz container) of vegetable broth, 1.5 cups of water and 2 tsp of liquid smoke (I prefer hickory) to pot. Bring to a simmer. At this point, you add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add greens to simmering broth mixture and allow to simmer for at least an hour covered, stirring occasionally.

Preparing the Vegan Black Eyed Peas

Black eyed peas are great because they can be prepared easily whether you choose to use fresh or frozen. The best part is that these can be made in a crock pot after you prep the broth base. If you are using fresh or dry peas, you may have to cook them for longer for them to be tender.

1. In a skillet, heat 1 – 2 tsp of oil, then sauté chopped onion, garlic and red bell pepper.
2. To the mixture add 5 tsp of Better than Buillion Vegetable Base, 1 tsp of liquid smoke, 2 tsp of vegan ham broth base and 1/2 cup of water. Stir mixture until all broth components dissolve.
3. Add broth mixture into a slow cooker with 24 oz of uncooked black-eyed peas, then add in additional 4.5 cups of water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Allow peas to cook over night on low or on high for 4 hours or until peas are very soft.

Plan To Make It: Vegan Soul Food

I know some of you all are skeptical about these recipes because they aren’t prepared traditionally, but I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed. If you want to make this a full meal, consider making a vegan cornbread. This will definitely give you the feeling of eating your favorite soul food, just vegan! Let me know if you’ve tried these and if you enjoyed them as much as I did.