2379 Three foodie events

Several weeks ago, someone who reads this blog suggested that I buy Trader Joe's frozen brown rice when I mentioned I couldn't cook a decent rice dish. I tried it; I loved it. Then over at Gekko's blog I saw an item that people who eat beans weigh less than people who don't. Then Tuesday at Meijer's I saw a product I'd never noticed before--canned purple hull peas--which I purchased after reading the nutrition content (high in fiber and protein).

After checking the internet, I learned that purple hull peas are really not peas, but beans. They are one of the versatile cowpea family and are also called black eyed peas, or pink eyed-purple hull peas. I think I can see why the label might say purple hull rather than pink-eye, since that is the name of a disease. They are more common in the south and may have come to this country from Africa with the slave ships and probably originated in India. They have their own promotion board and festival.

I opened the can, heated a small portion, and had some for lunch one day. I liked the flavor and texture better than any beans or peas. Then I decided to add them to the brown rice, which I'd been fixing in the microwave (3 minutes) and then refrigerating and using about 1/3 of a package mixed with fresh broccoli and a little butter for lunch. I've never cared much for red beans and rice, partly (my southern friends say) because you just can't get a decent canned red bean up north. I really don't care for the texture of kidney beans, pinto beans, red beans, navy beans, butter beans, etc. But purple hull peas. Now there's a bean a northerner can enjoy!

Ham and fresh purple hull peas