In this delicious Vegan Hoppin’ John recipe, a traditional New Year’s black eyed pea stew gets a vegan makeover. This smoky, healthy, and satisfying meatless recipe is a lighter version of the Southern classic. It’s the perfect recipe to celebrate the New Year or Rosh Hashanah.
Black-eyed peas are culturally and historically significant during the celebration of the New Year for both Sephardic Jews and those living in the American South.
The Jewish tradition is more ancient with roots in the Babylonian Talmud, which lists nine foods that should be eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Each food listed is representative of a wish to come in the New Year; the black-eyed peas are said to be a symbol of good fortune. In Hebrew and Aramaic they are called “rubiyah” and in Arabic “lubiya,” both related to Hebrew words “l’harabot” and “harbeh” meaning “to increase” and “many.” When you eat black-eyed peas at the Rosh Hashanah Seder, you are inviting wealth and good fortune in the coming year.
In the South, black-eyed peas have been seen as a symbol of good fortune since the Civil War. They were originally planted for livestock consumption and later became a common source of nutrition for slaves. When General William Sherman’s troops swept in, destroying the majority of Southern crops, the black-eyed peas were left behind. They proved to be an important source of nutrition for the starving Confederate soldiers. In the South black-eyed peas are often eaten with other foods that symbolize abundance, like golden cornbread and greens that swell when they are cooked, representing paper money and growing wealth.
It is possible that these two traditions, Jewish and Southern, melded during the 18th century, when many Jewish homes in the South had African American cooks. Black-eyed peas are now enjoyed for both the secular New Year’s Day celebration on January 1 as well as during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
Recently I cooked dinner for my new friend John Salley, a former NBA star who happens to be vegan. I’d been developing this Vegan Hoppin’ John recipe, so I included it on the menu. It was a huge hit. So many black-eyed pea preparations I’ve tried in the past have been bland and flavorless. Not this one! The smoked paprika gives it that smoky, ham-like flavor; turmeric gives it depth and adds a healthy anti-inflammatory boost. Seared mushrooms provide a savory meatiness. The traditional combination of black-eyed peas and rice make this a complete protein. It’s a tasty and filling side dish or entree.
Who knows? Maybe it will bring us some luck as we ring in the new year!
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Vegan Hoppin' John
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black eyed peas
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 whole carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 1 whole onion roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 15 ounces diced fire roasted tomatoes 1 can
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups vegetable stock low sodium ok
- Salt to taste
- Chopped scallions garnish - optional
- 6 cups steamed white or brown rice for serving prepared
NOTES
Instructions
- Soak black eyed peas overnight, then drain, rinse and set aside. In a medium saucepot or large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high until it just begins to smoke (keep a close eye on it-- you don't want the oil to darken in color, but you do want it to get very hot). Add the mushrooms in a single layer and let them sear undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until they begin to turn golden on the searing side. Stir continuously for another 1-2 minutes until the mushrooms are golden throughout. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add carrots, celery and onion along with the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cook until vegetables are soft and translucent (about 7-10 minutes), then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Add fire roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, turmeric, cayenne, chili powder, vegetable stock and soaked black eyed peas to the pan, stir to blend. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and cook for 25 -30 minutes until the beans are just tender - don't overcook them or they will get mushy. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Season with salt to taste. I usually add about 1 tsp. if using a low sodium broth. Salt really makes the other flavors pop!
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Mary V says
I made this for my family for New Year’s day. I lost the recipe I created a few years ago so I was desperate to find another great vegetarian Hoppin’ John recipe. Wow was this good! Even better than mine.
Aimee says
Absolutely wonderful for our New Years dinner! Made it according to the recipe, although I did add a couple of dashes of all natural liquid smoke. The peas were cooked to perfection and it was super-flavorful. We served this with rice (per the main dish version of the recipe) and with Sunny’s Vegetarian Greens from foodnetwork.com. A great way to start the New Year!
Sita says
YUMMY!! My fiancé is from the South and he made the traditional version with ham hock. But I made this delicious vegan recipe. I just added chopped collards to the mix. Thank you very much!
barb says
I followed the recipe and it was delicious. But I forgot the rice! I added some squash to mellow it out. I had left over cooked black eyed peas so I made it today. Didn’t have mushrooms so I used dried that I soaked in some wine I had in fridge for awhile. Delicious. Had the rice this time but also added butternut squash. Your recipes are always delicious!
Tori Avey says
So happy you liked it Barb!
C says
I am definitely going to make this recipe…
Kathleen says
I made this for New Year’s Day dinner. I really love the smokiness of the paprika compared to liquid smoke and the step to sear the mushrooms made for a delicious addition to the broth. Thanks for this recipe!
Tori Avey says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Appolonia's Accessories says
~ It’s always good to see vegan recipes!
amy says
Hi Tori-
This is a great recipe for me being vegan. Is there a link on your site to more vegan recipes?
Thanks,
amy
P.S. I am planning to make this ASAP :o)
Tori Avey says
Hi Amy– yes! Here is the vegan category: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/recipes/recipes-vegan/
Barbara Issak says
My Grandmother said it was lucky to eat Chickpeas (also called “Arbus” or “Garbanzo beans”) for New Years, not Black-Eyed Peas. Is this because we are “Ashkenazi” not “Sephardic”? Grandma was a superstitious Hungarian woman and a wonderful cook. Tori, she would have liked your recipes and website if she were here today!
Tori Avey says
Barbara, I’ve never heard of the chickpea tradition for New Year’s… interesting! Not sure if that’s an Ashkenazi or a Polish thing. I typically associate chickpeas with Sephardic cuisine. Go figure! Wish I could have met your Grandma 🙂
Abigail Sable Roberts says
Sharing!
Seasaídh Brown says
Dear Tori Avey: is there a Kosher Paleo section in the works for your website, to help those of us trying our hardest to do both? Thanks so much for all of your excellent recipes.
Tori Avey says
Seasaídh I will work on this soon! I considered it before but there seem to be so many differing opinions about what is considered “paleo” and what is not. Some are much stricter than others. Is there a particular standard that you adhere to?
Reb Lee says
My brother who has stroke and he and the wife now on 99 % veggetarian diet and both are very healthy as they eat lots of grains, beans, nuts and fruits. I just saw a health program asked us to eat more Black-eyed peas and soy beans but not from US as they are Genetically
modified soybean and corn. That do more harm than good to us.
Sally Bulgier says
Good luck to eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day!
Bek Cramp says
Yum!
Donald Hecht says
One of the first things I made when I started to cook seriously.
Analida's Ethnic Spoon says
I need to lighten up in 2015!!!
Sherry Mohr says
& wild rice
Colleen Wolfe says
love when you post vegan recipes Tori! keep ’em coming!
Susan Beaulieu says
looks amazing!
Paul McCool says
I LOVE Hoppin’ John. But it needs a side of Collard Greens to really be good.
Steve Coney says
With ham hocks
Paul McCool says
Amen, Steve, but since Tori is Jewish, I might suggest smoked turkey legs, instead…
matt613 says
Perhaps Liquid smoke to keep the vegan thing going?
Tori Avey says
Matt I prefer the flavor of smoked paprika to liquid smoke, plus it seems a bit less chemical-y. The paprika adds a lot of smokiness here, but if you crave more feel free to add some liquid smoke to the mix.