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Wishing You A New Year Filled With Good Eating, Green Living

black eyed pea salad on a plate

black eyed pea salad

Photo: Andrew Olanoff/WFIU




In the podcast this week, we have two recipes to help you start your new year off right – a black eyed pea salad to bring you good luck and a tofu sour cream that will come in handy if one of your new year's resolutions is to become vegetarian or vegan.

New Year's Resolutions: Going Green



Before we get to the food, we've been making a list of our new year's resolutions. Many people are thinking about steps they can take to live a greener, more sustainable lifestyle in the new year and Earth Eats' Emily Shelton has a list of 10 Ways You Can Go Green In The New Year.

On our list: Eating more organic and local foods, dining in instead of going out, and reducing portion sizes. View the complete list »

New Year's Luck Black Eyed Pea Salad



Now on to the food, this salad is the perfect dish to whip up or bring to New Years festivities. Why? Well, black eyed peas are a traditional symbol of good luck, a great way to start your new year off right.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (plus a teaspoon of the grated zest)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
  • 1 14-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
  • 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup slivered red onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped black olives
  • ¼ cup toasted walnuts
  • A big handful of herbs such as mint, cilantro, parsley and scallions - roughly chopped


Preparation:

  1. Whisk oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic and pepper in a large bowl until combined.
  2. Add cucumber, black-eyed peas, bell pepper, feta, onion and olives.
  3. Toss to coat.
  4. Just before serving add the herbs.
  5. Serve at room temperature or chilled


Tofu Sour Cream



This tofu sour cream goes great on all your Superbowl favorites like nachos, chili, etc., but is just as yummy at home on pancakes, French toast, or in dips, spreads and dressings. It's also a nice recipe to have in your arsenal if going vegan is among your new year's resolutions.

tofu sour cream

Photo: Andrew Olanoff/WFIU







Ingredients:

  • ½ pound Silken tofu - drained
  • ½ pound extra firm tofu - Pressed and drained of extra liquid
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 10 drops hot sauce or chili vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive or salad oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and white pepper to taste


Preparation:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and pulse to combine.
  2. Scrape down bowl of blender with a rubber spatula and puree until very smooth.
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  4. Remover "sour cream" from blender into a storage container and refrigerate until needed.
  5. Keeps 3-5 days in the refrigerator


Also On This Episode:



Wasting Food, Overeating, and...Vinegar?

Recent studies have shown that American's waste 40% of the food we produce, and much of that waste happens at home.

And using vinegar in carb-heavy meals can not only increase the feeling of satisfaction and fullness but also help keep blood sugar levels low. Read more »

Happy New Year!



That's all for this week...if you give these recipes a shot, let us know how they turned out! drop us a line at eartheats @ gmail.com

From all of us here at Earth Eats, have a safe and happy holidays and we'll see you next year!

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