Potluck Side Dish Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas & Rice

Although I’m obsessed with cooking (and food in general), I always struggle when deciding what to bring to a potluck. I don’t remember it being so tricky in the old days, but recently it seems all of my friends have intolerances or dietary restrictions. I do my very best to source nut-free, gluten-free and vegetarian recipes, but finding a dish that can feed everyone often proves to be a challenge! Having received a potluck invite to my friend Lena’s house, I was faced with the same dilemma. Determined to find a quick, easy and affordable side dish recipe, I went on a hunt and found one for black-eyed peas & rice — something I’d never made before…

I’m so glad I found a recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to pull together because my schedule has been INSANE lately as I wrap up projects and get ready for bebe. I quickly zipped over to Walmart, picked up some beautiful, fresh produce (I’m totally going to use their Walmart.ca Grocery Pick-Up service next time) and got to chopping, washing and boiling. I’m always excited to try out a new recipe and potlucks give me a panel of taste testers to determine whether it’s a keeper…

I’m happy to report that my dish passed the group litmus test. Yippee – I’ll get invited to another potluck! All jokes aside, I loved how colourful the side dish turned out. Bonus: it adds nutrients and variety to any meal (vegetarian protein, a healthy dose of fibre, potassium etc.) Here’s how you can whip it up:

Side Dish Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas & Rice

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Link to original recipe by Walmart Live Better

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, mixed
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt — I doubled this in my recipe
• 1 540-mL can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• I also added 1/2 tsp of paprika to my dish

Directions

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion, garlic and peppers, and stir often until slightly softened, about 4 min. Stir in rice, broth, allspice, paprika and salt. Increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, until rice is tender, 17 to 20 min. Stir in black-eyed peas. Garnish with green onions.
• Tip: Prefer to use dried black-eyed peas instead of canned? To prepare, cook 3/4 cup peas in 1-1/2 cups water for 1 hour 15 min. drain and rinse until cool. Makes 2 cups.
• Serve hot or cold — I tried both and loved the side dish both ways!

This post is sponsored by Walmart Canada. In exchange for this review, I have received special perks in the form of products and/or compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own. For more inspiring dishes from our potluck, check out #FreshPotluck on social and visit Listen to Lena, Toronto Teacher Mom, Amidst the Chaos and Renee M LeBlanc to drool over their creations.