Black-eyed Peas with Collard Greens

You can make this kinda vegetarian friendly by swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth and skipping the bacon. Add some liquid smoke, maybe a little brown sugar and some soy sauce at the end. Thanks to Gracie for this makeover. This is a good candidate for New Year's Day. 

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, Farmland thick cut if you've got it

1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper 

14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, canned, with juice

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 pound collard greens, stemmed, rolled, cut once lenthwise the into 3/4 inch ribbons

31 ounces blackeyed peas, canned, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

NOTE: If you cook a whole package of bacon in the oven, you can reserve the bacon grease and use 2 tbsp in this recipe with 6 of the cooked slices. Put remaining slices in ziplock bag in freezer and refrigerate the leftover bacon fat for cornbread.

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined palte and set aside.

Remove all but 2 tbsp bacon fat from pot. Add onion and salt and cook stiring frequently until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes and their juice. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add greens, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until green are just tender, about 15 minutes

Add black-eyed peas to pot and cook covered stirring gently occasionally until greens are silky and tender, about 15 more minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is reduced by one-fourth, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar. Serve topping with reserved bacon.

Migas

These are kinda like the migas at Trudy's Texas Star Cafe. 

Serves 2. 

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp margarine, or butter, or bacon grease, or combination
1/2 med to smallish onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons drained Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
2-3 handfulls of bagged tortilla chips, crushed in your hand when adding to skillet
Some cheese: velveeta, mexican blend grated, or leftover chile con queso
Serranos or Jalapeños finely diced
Flour tortillas

Wrap 4 tortillas flat in foil and put into a oven set at about 250 degrees. 

Put two plates into the microwave so you can heat them later. If melting Velveeta, put the cheese and a little milk into a small bowl and put that on the plates. 

Sautè the onions in the margarine. While onions cook, beat eggs with milk. 

Once onions soften, add the drained Rotel tomatoes. Heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and tomatoes are heated through. 

Add the beaten eggs and crumble the tortilla chips onto the eggs. 

Cook as you would scrambled eggs. Lowered heat and moving eggs spatula to get the curd size you like. Turn on the microwave for about a minute watching cheese doesn't overflow if melting cheese. 

Plate the eggs, drizzle with the melted cheese or sprinkle with grated cheese. 

Sprinkle some diced serranos or jalapeños. Don't forget the tortillas in the oven. 

Freshly brewed coffee is a great beverage choice.

Egg Confidential

I hated eggs my whole life growing up. Would not eat them no matter how they were prepared. When I got to University of Texas, a roommate suggested we go to Trudy's for migas. I protested. He said there was hardly any egg in them and I should try them. I complied and am forever grateful to Jim Speedy for getting me to try these.