Lucky Black Eyed Peas

I am not from the South, but I am in LOVE with the food and people of the South (I just listened to Paula Deen's It Ain't All About the Cookin' and her love affair with plantation cuisine on cd while working out...talk about conflict of interests!).  I've also always wanted to come up with a way to get those really soft, flavor-inflused slow-cooked beans, and THIS IS IT!

Yes, this recipe calls for 1 (washed) American dime, and Southern legend has it that whoever gets the dime on their plate, will have luck for an entire year! My husband has a problem with metal and the potential of damage to teeth, but I'm in favor of the good luck, so I put it in anyway (and maybe that's the secret to the really soft beans).

1 (1 lb.) package of dried black eyed peas
2 cups of white rice cooked
1 package of smoked sausage (I used a low-fat chicken sausage, but use what you want)
1/2 yellow onion
1 jalapeno, seeds/veins removed, finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 TBS. sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1 U.S. Dime (washed)

Soak your peas overnight in cold water then drain. Dice your onion and cut your sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute the onion and sausage for a few minutes. To a slow cooker add the sausage, onion, dime, and peas. Fill the water in the slow cooker until the water is level with the peas. Let cook on high for 5-6 hours or until the peas are soft to the bite. Follow the instructions for the rice. Serve the black eyed peas over the rice.

Serve with a side of pan-cooked carrots, onions and cabbage.