Spicy Black-eyed Pea Soup

Living in the Southwest definitely changes ones taste buds towards the love of all things spicy. The food I enjoy the most is usually so spicy it makes me a bit weepy. Tim on the other hand doesn't like the spice quite as much as I do so we compromised on this spicy black-eyed pea soup that was hot, but not too hot. Timmy liked it so much he had two bowls! I am not really a soup person, but our friends gave us a whole cache of vegetables and I had to use them quickly and the best thing I could think of was to make a hearty soup dish. I hope you try it and tell me what you think, as I enjoyed it very much.

Now, when it comes to soup I am not really one to measure, so I hope when listing these ingredients I list them as accurately as possible.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas
4 cups water or veggie broth (I used water and added Bragg's Liquid Aminos, about 2 T. )
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
3 jalapenos (you can use less if you are afraid of heat)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 medium tomatoes (I used heirlooms)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

4 strips vegan bacon, cooked until crispy and cut into small pieces.

we get our bacon from Loving Hut

Soak your beans overnight and begin making soup in the morning and let it cook all day to get the best flavor.

Put 1 T. olive oil in the bottom of soup pot and saute onion for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for two more minutes. Add in carrots, celery and jalapenos and cook for one minute more. Add water (or broth) beans and seasonings and turn to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling turn soup down to low and add tomatoes. Allow to cook for at least 4 hours. Trust me the longer it cooks, the better the flavor, we actually allowed ours to cook for 24 hours. When ready to serve top with vegan bacon of your choice, and enjoy!



after about 12 hours, doesn't look like much...yet.


ready to enjoy

This would also be tasty with some southern greens added in. Yum!