Vegan Classic Hoppin' John w/ Carolina Gold Rice, Black Eyed Peas, and Rice Paper Bacon
Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Classic Hoppin' John
Living in Atlanta, I know Southern cooking is one of the treasures of the USA, but it is not vegan-friendly. Hoppin John is a crazy delicious Southern cuisine dish that is made with ham hock or bacon, black eyed peas, rice, celery, and classic southern vegetables + spices. Not exactly a vegan treat! Let's change that.
I want to push Southern food to be more vegan! This dish - you'll love. It is a classic rice + beans dish. The key is a rice called Carolina gold rice, which is grown in South Carolina, and it is amazingly tasty. Obviously, if you don't have access to this a high-quality brown rice, golden rice, or even purple/jasmine rice will be nice. White rice has no flavor, so I wouldn't recommend it.
Additionally, we include black eyed peas, celery, leeks, peppers, and rice paper bacon. It creates a tasty, easy-to-make hearty, protein-packed dish that you will absolutely love! Southern flavors bring rice + beans to another level. Mm mmm mmmm. It's like magiccccc!
To take this dish to the next level, we include my world-famous (okay not yet) rice paper bacon to add an additionally delicious element to this amazing dish.
Let's get into it!
Ingredients:
Hoppin' John
- 1.5 cups Carolina gold rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1.5 tbl olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 leek, diced
- 1 small poblano pepper, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced small
- 15oz of black eyed peas, canned, drained + rinsed + dryed
- Spices: 2 tbl fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp bay leaf powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Rice Paper Bacon
- 5 pieces of rice paper (spring roll sheets)
- 1 tbl olive oil
- 1 tbl nutritional yeast
- 1 tbl liquid aminos
- 1/4 tbl garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/4 tbl maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch or two of black pepper
Other
- green onions, diced
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Medium Pot . Castiron Pan . Pastry Brush . Oven Pan . Silpat or Parchment Paper . Large Serving Bowl
Before You Cook:
- Bring rice + broth to boil in medium pot
- Wash + chop fresh ingredients
1. Once rice + broth is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 35-45 minutes until the liquid is cooked off and rice is fluffy.
2. While rice cooks, add shallots + garlic to a castiron or large frying pan with poblano pepper or orange bell pepper (pictured above). Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until onion starts to soften. Add in leeks + celery and cook another 5-6 minutes.
3. While those ingredients cook, let's get working on the bacon. place spring roll on cutting board, and slice each sheet into 5 equal width pieces. I use a very sharp knife. If the sheet is cracking on the edges flip it over...usually one side is easier to cut. Apply a good amount of pressure and use a very sharp knife.
4. Stack two equal sized sheets together and dip into bowl of water to wet the entire strip. Run your fingers down the strip to squeeze out excess water and stack on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Line your bacon pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment. They'll be damp. Leave a bit of room between each sheet.
6. Next, whisk together the marinade for the bacon - olive oil through maple syrup on the ingredients. Using a pastry brush (if you dont have one can use a spoon), paint on the marinade to each piece of bacon. Flip them and paint the other side. I use roughly one dip into the marinade worth for each two sides. Place into oven and bake for 8-9 minutes on the top rack. Watch closely.
7. While the bacon is in the oven, add in black eyed peas to the onion hoppin john mixture with the spices and cook another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
8. Once the rice is done, mix into the hoppin john mixture. Chop up the bacon into bite size chunks and sprinkle on top. Finally, add some chopped green onion.
9. Dig in + enjoy!
