Vegan MoFo: Southern-Style Supper

Alright. This recipe was EASY. It took me no time to make. Okay, well, it took some time because brown rice tends to take about 35 minutes to cook, same with the collards, but you basically just walk away after that. Simple.

This recipe is basically a version of Hoppin' John, the only difference is that I used butter beans instead of black-eyed peas because that's what I had hanging around. I LOVE butter beans. They're so creamy and tasty. I can never get over how different one kind of bean tastes from another. Don't get me wrong, I like black-eyed peas, but they're, well, beany. Lol.

Also, keep in mind I've never had authentic Hoppin' John (made with a ham hock), so I used vegetable broth to give it some flavor. 

When I cook collards, I cook them slow. At least a half an hour. Otherwise, I find that they seem to be a little bitter (I seriously can't imagine eating a raw collard wrap!). When I cook them for myself I usually just remove the hard stems and chop them up, put them in a large, covered pot with about 1/4 inch of vegetable broth covering the bottom, and allow them to steam/cook for at least 30 minutes. For this recipe I started them at the same time I started the rice.

Hoppin' John:
For the bean part:
1 Tb. olive oil
3/4 c. green pepper, diced
3/4 c. yellow onion, diced
1/2 c. celery, diced
1/2 Tb. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 can of butter beans or black-eyed peas, drained
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

For the rice part:
1/2 c. brown rice
1 c. vegetable broth + 1/4 c.
1/4 c. water
1 bay leaf

1. Rinse the rice well. Add the vegetable broth, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.
2. When the rice is almost done cooking, saute the green pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in oil about 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add the thyme and saute until fragrant.
3. Add the butter beans and 1/4 c. vegetable broth. Allow the broth to heat the beans through over medium heat and let it cook until pretty much evaporated, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir together the rice and the bean mixture. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste (a few dashes for flavor to 1/4 tsp. for mucho heat). Enjoy!

To give this meal that Southern flair, I served it along with some cooked collard greens, also covered in some hot sauce.

I was eating this as I was typing this (cause that's how I roll), and I put habenero hot sauce all over this plate and my mouth is pretty much on fire. Haha. I love it!