slow cooker stew – BIG EATS tiny kitchen

This Black Eyed Pea stew provides all the good luck that you’ll need for the new year. Well, don’t quote me on that. You may need some other luck besides this stew. So cross your toes and buy a rabbit foot.

Southern tradition is to eat black eyed peas for luck and greens for wealth. This Slow Cooker Black Eyed Pea, Wild Rice, and Kale Stew has both, plus it is cooked in a slow cooker so you’ll free up plenty of time to do other things, like catch up on some light readings or past episodes of New Girl or really nothing at all.

In fact, I barely put pants on today. *yaaawn* Best. day. ever.

I feel extremely lucky to be able to laze around with my favorite person and my favorite dog while this delicious stew cooked away in the background. It is the perfect bowl of lucky and hearty goodness on a super sleepy and chilly day.

Cheers to everyone. I hope 2015 brings warmth and love to everyone! I’m truly lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life. Now I’ve gotta go serve me up a big bowl of stew!

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Pea, Wild Rice, and Kale Stew (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

Servings: 6
Time: 8 hours (not including overnight soaking for dried peas)
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

1 pound dried black eyed peas
1 large ham hock
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 cup dried wild rice mix
1 quart low sodium chicken stock
2 cups of chopped kale leaves, stems removed
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Soak dried black eyed peas overnight by placing them in a large stockpot and filling with 6 to 8 cups of water. Pick out any bad black eyed peas that look shriveled and float up to the top. After soaking overnight, drain and rinse the black eyed peas.
Add soaked black eyed peas and remaining ingredients (except kale) to large slow cooker (crockpot). Stir to combine. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
Remove the bay leaves and the ham hock from slow cooker. Carefully use two forks to shred off the cooked ham from the bone. Return shredded ham and kale to slow cooker. Stir to combine and allow the kale to wilt, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I have been in an alternate universe, my friends. A universe where people never sleep, the air smells like strawberry perfume, puke, and alcohol and no one seems to care that a burger costs $22. Ya….I speak of Vegas.

One of my oldest friends was getting hitched last weekend there. It was great to see him and his new wife as well as many old friends from college. It’s funny getting back together with friends that you don’t see that often, but when you do see them, it is as if no time has passed. But then the problem is that I feel like I have to cram so much fun into a condensed time span.

So what do you get when you concentrate fun in Vegas? Drinks that should never be THAT big, beer pong rallies (be sure close to your eyes when the ball hits the floor so that you don’t vom in your mouth), mechanical bull riding that felt like it lasted 10 minutes (I pulled a groin muscle doing this because I’m OLD), no sleep no sleep no sleep. It took only 12 hours for me and my husband to quickly realize that we were in our mid 30s, not early 20s. Ouch.

As a result, mama is in major decompression mode. No bright lights, no floral smells, no alcohol, no loud noises. All I need right now is to be wrapped up in a blanket like a human burrito while I listen to soul music on the record player. Put it on repeat please.

I also need a massive helping of this warm comfy soup to combat the outside temps that are in the teens!

Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stew (Gluten Free and Paleo-Friendly)

Servings: 4 to 6
Time: 8 hours
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

2 lbs beef stew meat (seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 onions, sliced in 1/4-inch slivers
10 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1 large carrot, sliced
2 cups diced potatoes
1 Tablespoon thyme
6 cups beef stock
1/2 cup dry sherry (optional)
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place first six ingredients (stew through beef stock) in a crockpot. Cook on low for at least 8 hours.
In a small bowl, stir arrowroot powder into sherry until a smooth paste is formed. Add sherry mixture to the crockpot and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper as needed.