Hoppin John

Another quick go-to meal. I made this Jan 2, after I had black eyed peas for good luck on Jan 1st! :) 


Hoppin' John


1 can black eyed peas- drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper diced
1 jalepeno diced(you can easily leave this out, but if you use it........take the seeds and ribs out! that is where ALL the heat is in a pepper)
1/2 cup rice(uncooked) I used white or brown depending on my mood. Brown takes a bit longer
1 Kielbasa sausage link-cut into quarters( I use Oscar Meyer turkey sausage)
EVOO


Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add salt and 1/2 cup rice. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook 30 min. Meanwhile, heat skillet to medium heat and add 1-2Tbs EVOO. Add jalapeno and red pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add sausage and cook until browned. Once sausage is browned, add black eyed peas. Cook another 5 minutes to heat peas through. Once rice is cooked, stir together with black eyed pea mixture. Serve! 
Come on, how EASY is that?


Serves 1 with leftovers for the next night OR serves two!


Cooks Tips:


You can dice/chop your red bell pepper ahead of time and keep in the freezer. Same goes for fresh jalapeno.
You can also freeze kielbasa. 
With these 2 tips, this recipe is even better because it is all ingredients you can keep on hand! :) 
If you care to make your black eyed peas from scratch feel free. I am just trying to keep it simple. 

Fried Rice

Wow I have been quite a slacker. It has been almost 4 months since my last post. As many of you may see, my blog name has changed. If you haven't already noticed, most if not all of my recipes are for 1-2 people. Being a single girl, it is my mission to cook less food and not be stuck with leftovers for days! Obviously you can tweak each recipe to make more or less. 
In order to have great fried rice, one important ingredient is day old cooked rice. I usually make fried rice the night after I have another dinner with rice. Just double your rice recipe the night before so that you have leftovers. 


Fried Rice:


1 cup cooked rice- I like Jasmine, but white is fine too. You are welcome to use brown, but it will most definitely change the taste and texture. 
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs honey
1 Tbs ginger
splash of chicken stock(this can be left out)
a handful of any veggies you like
 I use:
-carrots
-snow peas
-corn
-onion
-baby bella mushrooms
-scallions
-broccoli
-1 garlic clove, smashed
EVOO


In small bowl or measuring cup: combine soy sauce, ginger, honey, and chicken stock. Set aside.
Heat skillet to medium heat and add about a tablespoon of EVOO. Pour in egg quickly, scramble, and remove from skillet. Add another 1-2 Tbs EVOO to skillet and add onion and garlic. (for this recipe I just add a whole garlic clove and pick it out at the end) Continue to add your veggies, if you use broccoli, add it last. After cooking your veggies, add your rice, egg, scallions and soy sauce mixture. Stir to combine. Enjoy!! 


Cook's Notes: 


Think of this recipe as a guideline. You don't have to follow it exactly as far as vegetables are concerned. Put what you like in it! If you wanted to up the protein you could use 2 eggs. Totally up to you. 
I do not add any salt to this. The rice is already salted, and you are adding a 1/4 cup of soy sauce. 
This recipe is a super quick and easy dinner for those long work days.