Happy New Year!

I read somewhere that it's good luck to eat black-eyed peas on January 1st.

A New Year's tradition requiring beans - count me in.

Black-eyed peas cook quickly. I put them in water to soak in the morning, and then cooked them for 45 minutes at dinner time. I served them with brown rice for a vegetarian version of Hoppin' John (Mike's Firehouse Smoked Cheddar from Spring Hill Dairy provided the bacon-y flavor).

Side dishes were corn bread and collard greens. And what collard greens they were. Usually I serve them with peanut sauce, but last night I decided to riff off their cabbage-y connection and serve them with mustard sauce. Lip-smacking good.

The greens are cooked to break down the cell walls and make the nutrients more available to the body. Then they're turned in fat which helps the body absorb more of the antioxidants. So while butter and cream might not sound like health food, they actually help the body get maximum nutrition from the greens. And boy, do they make the greens go down easy. (As always, make sure you use organic dairy products.)

Collards in Mustard Sauce
1 bunch collards
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tbsp mustard

Wash the leaves and strip the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems in 3/4" lengths. Tear the leaves in halves or quarters.

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Throw in the stems and 1 tsp salt. Cook 3 minutes. Add the leaves and cook another 3-5 minutes until they're tender. Drain well and squeeze out the excess water.

Put the cooked greens on a chopping board and roughly chop them with a big knife.

Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped greens and toss to coat with the butter, separating the clumps of leaves as best as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk together the cream and mustard. Pour over the greens, stir it in, and cook 3-4 minutes until the collards absorb most of the sauce.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2.