Luck for 2012

When we first moved to the south east we learned about eating black eyed peas and collards on January 1st for good luck.  I've tried to incorporate the tradition for years but never really succeeded in following through.  My family would much rather eat Mexican or Asian or Indian food than traditional southern food so I decided I'd have to skip Hoppin' John and collards and spice things up if this was going to work.

Pioneer Woman's site had a recipe that looked much more appealing than most. I wanted to streamline it a bit but definitely used the recipe for inspiration. A bean dip is always a hit here and this was no exception which made me feel pretty lucky.  From start to finish this recipe took ten minutes - most of which was heating the ingredients.  Even with the greens in the dip everyone liked it. In fact, someone here ate it with a spoon rather than chips.

Spicy Black Eyed Peas & Greens Dip

In a medium saucepan put:

2 cans Black Eyed Peas, drained

4 ounces Pepper Jack Cheese, cubed or shredded

1/2 cup frozen chopped Kale or Collards

1 teaspoon Hot Sauce of your choice - make sure it's gluten free

While heating over medium heat mash some of the black eyed peas while mixing all ingredients. Heat through until cheese is melted and everything is steaming hot.

Serve with chips or crackers.

Enjoy!