According to tradition, the consumption of black eyed peas on New Year's Day will imbue the diner with good fortune, all year long. I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the occult, and for the life of me, I'm not sure just how the hell that's supposed to work. Is it some kind of Theurgy? Is there like Spirit of Legumes somewhere in the Aether, having a confab with the other spirits of edibles and saying, "Behold! This one is feeding on the legumes of prosperity! Bless him with prosperity until this day next year, according to the Gregorian calendar." Maybe it's thaumaturgy, I dunno. What I do know is, I am not actually a fan of black eyed peas in general, but if I’m being honest, this recipe has altered my perspective.

I’d like to say it’s because I’m just such a wonderful cook, but honestly, I think it was the leftover Christmas ham and plenty of it that did the trick.

This was formulated to keep the calories down and I think I did a fairly decent job with it, but if you love yourself and aren’t trying to make up for over indulging on a regular basis, serve it over rice with a side of cornbread.

Click here for the recipe! It's made with dried black eyed peas, leftover ham, onions, thyme, carrots, garlic, celery, and most of the other usual suspects.

Happy cooking!