Low-Point Hoppin' John

Ok, who has heard of Hoppin' John? I can honestly say, I hadn't, until a friend of mine posted something on Facebook about making this. Intrigued, I had to find out more about it. Lucky for me, it's a recipe in which I already loved all the ingredients, so deciding on what we were having for supper tonight was easy. To my surprise, even our children loved it, but in reading more about the custom of this recipe, I'm now praying I didn't just jinx myself by eating this two days early. (Throughout the coastal South, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls.) Since we all loved it so much, maybe I will make it again on New Year's Day. Who knows, maybe we'll have twice the good luck. :)


Low-Point Hoppin' John
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped small
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder)
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2, 15 oz. cans Black Eye Peas, drained and rinsed
- 3 oz. ham (cut into small pieces) OR 3 slices of bacon (cooked crispy and broken up into pieces)
- Adobo seasoning (optional - but I recommend it) :)
In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute' garlic, onion, celery, and green pepper for 3 minutes. Add water, chicken broth, and rice, stirring occasionally for a few minutes (until rice just starts to absorb water). Add black eye peas, ham or bacon, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Total servings = 8
Serving size = 1/2 cup
Points per serving = 3

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