Hoppin’ Juan Salad

Recipe

Ingredients

• ⅓ lb. Bacon, cut into small strips 
• 1 Celery stalk, sliced thinly
• 1 Onion, small dice
• 1 green Bell Pepper, small dice
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ tbsp. Cumin powder
• 1 tsp. dried Thyme
• 2 cups Black Eyed Peas

For the rice:

• 2 cups white Rice
• 1 bunch Scallion

For the cilantro crema:

• ½ cup Mexican Crema
• ½ cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 2 Limes
• 4 cups Water plus 3 cups Water

Directions

1. Render bacon in pot large enough to boil black eyed peas on medium heat. Once crispy add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Reduce to medium-low heat and sweat out veggies.
2. Add cumin, bay leaf, and  thyme to veggies, cook for another 3 minutes. Once  you smell aromatics (don’t let burn) add 4 cups of water and black eyes peas. Cook on a low simmer for about 45 minutes checking every 20 mins. or so to check when peas become tender. Once fully cooked remove bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
3. For the rice: place rice, 3 cups water, 2 teaspoons of salt and half of the bunch of scallion in a pot and turn on heat to med high. Once boiling reduce to low and cover for 25 minutes, until rice becomes perfectly tender. Fluff rice one fully cooked.
4. For cilantro crema: place crema, ½ cup cilantro and juice from one lime in food processor and blend til combined.
5. On a plate put rice followed by a nice spoonful of black eyed peas to almost cover rice. Garnish with lime squeezers, cilantro crema, and fresh cut scallion over the top.

Pro Tips

Add a few adobo chipotles to the crema for an added spicy touch.