Hoppin' John-Vegetarian

Among the handful of foods I refuse to eat are black eyed peas. I hate them. I hate the way they look, the way they smell, and the way they taste. Unfortunately, Danny and Mr. ETB adore them. Once a year I indulge them by making Hoppin' John. Then, I leave the table.

I'm going to post the recipe so years from now Danny will know how to make it, but I'm sure you can find more traditional versions than my meatless variety.

You Will Need:

2 cups cooked black eyed peas (I used the fresh ones this year which only need 10 minutes of cooking)
Cooked white rice for serving
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 scallion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt/Pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon imitation bacon bits (or crumbled fakin' bacon strips)

In a large frying pan heat the oil over medium heat and cook the celery, pepper, onion, scallion, spices and fakin' bacon until softened-about 10 minutes. Drain black eyed peas well and mix into vegetables. Cook another few minutes for flavours to combine. Serve hot over rice.