Southern Style Crowder Peas and Cornbread

It's that time of the year in the south where we love eating our peas, okra, and tomatoes out of the garden! In the past, I always added lots of bacon and sometimes ham hock to peas just like my grandmother taught me. No more bacon or ham for our family! Today, I cooked up a pot of animal free peas, vegan cornbread, and vegan fried green tomatoes. Yummy!

Ingredients (organic if possible)
32 oz. fresh crowder or purple hull peas (frozen work fine if you don't grow them and can't find them at a farmer's market)
2 med. tomatoes - chopped (preferably home grown)
1 small green bell pepper - chopped
1/3 of a white, yellow, or purple onion - chopped
5 okra pods, sliced thin (or about a half cup of frozen sliced okra)
salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a few red pepper flakes to taste
32 fl. oz. organic vegetable broth
seasoning mixture such as Mrs. Dash

Directions:
In a large pot, add vegetable broth, peas, and enough water to cover peas about an inch above them. I add the vegetables directly to the pot instead of sauteing them first, but you can saute the okra, tomatoes, and onions first in a little olive oil if you prefer. (I think most people like to eat their okra, onions, and tomatoes separate from their peas, but I just throw a little directly into our peas.) Season with salt, garlic powder, black and red pepper, and seasoning blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med/low, and simmer 40-45 minutes or until peas are tender. This is excellent served over vegan cornbread with vegan fried green tomatoes (recipe coming soon.)

I tweaked this cornbread recipe found on the Post Punk Kitchen Blog. I used rice flour instead of white flour, almond milk instead of soy, safflower oil instead of canola, and added an extra tablespoon of maple syrup. It's certainly not my grandma's cornbread, but it was still good.

Cornbread Ingredients:
2 cups organic cornmeal
1 cup organic brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup safflower oil
3 T maple syrup
2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Coat a large iron skillet with an oil that safe in high temperatures such as safflower oil. Preheat your skillet in a 350 degree F. oven while your mixing the cornbread. In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together: almond milk,vinegar, syrup, oil and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cornmeal, rice flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix. Carefully, take preheated skillet out of the oven, and pour batter into it. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Slice and serve with peas spooned on top.