Black-eyed peas & Spinach stew with Wild rice and Green salad (REAL GOOD FOOD)

This is a crazy delicious dish that I am used to eating as a Kurd. However I have tweaked the recipe to make it healthier. A black-eyed pea stew is a popular Kurdish winter dish. You can just imagine how wonderful it is to slurp this delicious rich gravy while the winter winds are howling outside.

The classic Kurdish version consists of tomato puree, pieces of lamb cubes and salt. Since I don’t eat meat I thought I’d find a way to make the stew a little richer and healthier so I added one of my favourite sources of iron, spinach! Growing up we used to have this dish with white rice and salad, but since I have made a decision to be healthier I replaced the white rice with wild rice! The salad is a regular green salad with tomatoes (well it is a regular salad for me at least). Right, on to the measurements.

For two full grown humans you need:

• 320 g black-eyed peas (leave them to soak in a bowl of water over night)
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 240 g fresh (or frozen) spinach
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 45ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200 g wild rice
• 3 table spoons tomato puree
• 3ml of water

Right. Put the black-eyed peas in a pot and cover them with water. Boil until the peas are soft and yummy. Drain the peas and put them aside for now. Chop up the onion and the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a pan and throw in the onion and garlic. Fry them and then add the spinach. Sort of like this:

When the spinach has “deflated” add the drained black-eyed peas and mix everything up. Add some salt, but not too much. Open the can of tomatoes and pour it over the mix. Add the tomato puree and the water. Stir around and add more salt until it tastes good to you. Let the stew boil for a very short time then turn down the heat to let it simmer.

On to the rice.

Wash the rice in water to get all the starch out. Drain the rice and put it in a bowl. Cover the rice with cold water and turn up the heat. Let the rice boil, then add salt, turn down the heat and let the rice simmer for about 15-18 minutes. Drain well.

The salad is easy:

You need about 7 cherry tomatoes, about half an iceberg lettuce, one avocado, 100 ml lemon juice (or the juice of one lemon) and salt. Cut the tomatoes in half, dice the avocado and chop the lettuce. Add lemons and salt and mix well. I LOVE citrusy salads and that is the only way I eat salads!

Your wonderful meal is ready to serve on the plate!