Hoppin’ John is a fabulous Southern rice and beans dish that is traditionally served on New Year’s Day.  Hoppin’ John is so ubiquitous to the South that there are as many recipes, traditions and legends surrounding the dish as there are cooks who serve it.  Traditionally, Hoppin’ John is a stew of black-eyed peas, onions and smoked pork (bacon or ham) that is served over white rice. Some cooks add celery, hot peppers, and seasonings such as thyme, bay leaf or cajun spices. Others leave Hoppin’ John plain. The oldest surviving printed recipe dates back to 1847, although there are references to the stew in letters and literature  before this.

Serving Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring prosperity and good luck in the New Year.  Most southern cooks serve it with turnip, mustard or collard greens, which are also supposed to bring wealth in the New Year.  Some cooks add a coin to the dish and whoever gets the coin is supposed to have the most luck of all. Other cooks put a coin under each plate before serving Hoppin’ John.

Most of the traditional ingredients in Hoppin’ John are low oxalate, so I didn’t do much to my version to tweak the oxalate content.  Many modern cooks use celery and green pepper in Hoppin’ John, which you can use in moderation if you wish. I choose to substitute chopped kohlrabi or broccoli stems and red bell pepper to keep the oxalate down. I also prefer to make Hoppin’ John with a smoked ham hock or bacon, but it’s also a fabulous way to use up the left-over ham from Christmas.  These meats are pretty interchangeable without changing the final result too much.

Enjoy your Hoppin’ John and good luck in the New Year.

Hoppin’ John

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large ham hock (or 1/2 pound bacon or smoked ham)
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup kohlrabi, chopped (or peeled broccoli stems, chopped)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3-5 cloves)
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart low oxalate chicken broth (or more if you like a soupier stew)
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1 teaspoon white pepper (UK readers click here)
salt to taste (I usually let people salt at the table since the pork is usually already salty)
1/8 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion (optional)
3 cups long-grained white rice, cooked

Heat the oil in a large soup pot, then add the ham hock and sear on all sides for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, kohlrabi, red pepper, and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent (about 4 minutes). Add the black-eyed peas, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring the Hoppin’ John to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes to an hour, or until the peas are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or chicken broth. Pull the ham off the bone if using ham hocks. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and garnish with green onions if using.  Serve over the long-grain rice.

Makes 10 servings.

Menu Planning: New Year’s Dinner in the picture above is a Southern soul food feast with Hoppin’ John, corn bread, collard greens and creamed corn. I like to add fried catfish (in corn meal batter), and Wow! Southern low oxalate cooking at it’s best (although do go easy on the corn bread).

Low Oxalate Info: All ingredients in Hoppin’ John are low oxalate. One serving of Hoppin’ John has about 4.6 mg. oxalate per hearty serving (1/10 of the above recipe).

Other Diet Info: Hoppin’ John may also be appropriate for gluten-free, dairy-free, and GFCF diets.

Photo credits go to Sleepneko for New Year’s Dinner and January 1, 2011.

One skill you’ll want to learn on the low oxalate diet is how to modify recipes to reduce their oxalate content.   In this series I will take you through the steps I follow when I modify recipes for my family.  If you missed the first installment, please read Modifying Recipes for the Low Oxalate Diet:  Is this a Low Oxalate Recipe?  Then get ready for today’s lesson: simple low oxalate substitutions.

Grilled chicken, Spanish rice and Santa Fe black bean salad -- Perfect . . . except for those really high oxalate black beans! It's time for some good low oxalate substitutions.

The big question of course is “When is it okay to directly substitute a low oxalate ingredient for a high oxalate ingredient, and when will it mess up my recipe?”  To answer this question you first need to ask yourself some other more basic questions.

Before using low oxalate substitutions, ask:

1.) What role does the high oxalate ingredient play in this recipe?  In other words, does this ingredient mostly offer flavor (such as a spice)? Does it act as a binder?  Does it act as a catalyst for an important chemical reaction in baking?  Does it offer bulk? Is it the main ingredient? Does it offer color or crunch? Does it offer superior nutrition?  Does it add authenticity to a cultural recipe?  If you want your  low oxalate substitution to work, the substitute must fulfill the most important roles the original high oxalate ingredient plays in the recipe (and hopefully a few of the minor roles, too).

2.) Would the recipe still work if I omitted the high oxalate ingredient?  In other words, how important is the high oxalate ingredient in the recipe?  Sometimes it’s better to omit high oxalate ingredients instead of using low oxalate substitutions.  Other times it’s better to use low oxalate substitutions, but in reduced amounts.  If an ingredient isn’t that important, I often leave it out instead of trying to find a substitute.

Shredded carrots, right? Wrong! This is shredded butternut squash -- a fabulous low oxalate substitute that can be used in any recipe that calls for shredded carrots. It's even orange, and it gets squishy and sweet when cooked--perfect!.

3.) Are there any good medium or low oxalate substitutions available for this ingredient?  To be a good substitute, the low oxalate ingredient must fulfill all of the important roles the original ingredient plays in the recipe, and hopefully some of the less important roles. Some high oxalate ingredients have plenty of good low oxalate substitutes. Depending on the role carrots play in a recipe, butternut squash, pumpkin, acorn squash, zucchini, cauliflower and even chopped broccoli stalks may be a good substitute.  For other high oxalate ingredients, your low oxalate substitutions may be limited or don’t exist.  Whole wheat flour in a whole wheat bread recipe doesn’t have a good substitute, although white flour in gravies does (corn starch).  If you aren’t sure what might make a good substitute, check out the last column in your low oxalate food list from the Trying Low Oxalate Yahoo Group (If you don’t have a list yet, please see How to get an Accurate Low Oxalate Food List). Karla, chef extraordinaire and keeper of the master list, has included some good low oxalate substitutions for common high oxalate ingredients in the last column of the list.  Also, stay tuned to Low Oxalate Info — I’ll slowly be introducing you to my favorite low oxalate substitutes along with some sample recipes over the next few months.  I sure love finding a new, good low oxalate substitute!

4.) Is your new recipe low oxalate or lower medium oxalate?  Just because you substitute a low oxalate or medium oxalate ingredient for a high oxalate ingredient, doesn’t mean your new recipe will automatically be low oxalate.  Sometimes even the best substitutions won’t do enough to lower the oxalate content of a recipe.  Other times, you may have to chose the lowest oxalate substitute available, not necessarily the best substitute.

5.) Does the low oxalate substitute require special low oxalate cooking techniques that will mess up your recipe?  For example, you can substitute dino kale and turnip greens directly for spinach in almost any cooked recipe, but in most cases these ingredients should be boiled before using (and the boiling water thrown out).  Some recipes can easily accommodate this change.  If you are planning to add dino kale to your lentil soup instead spinach, it’s easy to boil the kale first before adding it to the soup pot even if the soup recipe doesn’t call for the “spinach” to be boiled.  On the other hand, it’s not as easy to use turnip greens in a spinach meatball recipe where the chopped “spinach” is supposed to cook inside the meatballs.  You could boil the turnip greens first of course, but then do you let them cool? How do you mix the cooked turnip greens into the raw meat with out making a bunch of green, meaty mush?  Will it change the taste or texture of the finished product?  These questions aren’t simple to answer, and might take some experimentation.

Low Oxalate Substitutions in Action:

Next, we’re going to work through a recipe together so you can see  how low oxalate substitutions work.  Today’s lesson is the simple substitution, so this one may seem . . . well, simple.  But don’t worry.  I’ll tackle more complicated substitutions in further installments of the series.

Today’s featured recipe is Santa Fe Black Bean Salad.  It was a favorite from my pre-low oxalate diet and vegetarian days (although I admit I usually made it with pinto beans instead of black beans!).  I’ve listed the ingredients below with the total oxalate value for each ingredient in parenthesis next to it.  (Note: all oxalate values in this recipe were tested by the Autism Oxalate Project or the Vulvar Pain Foundation).

Our problem ingredient: high oxalate black beans!

Santa Fe Black Bean Salad

1 red pepper (about 1 cup) (3.6 mg.)
2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed (248 mg.! Holy Guacamole!)
1/2 cup fresh corn, cut off the cob (0.7 mg.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (1.4 mg.)
3 cloves garlic (about 0.9 mg.)
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (o.8 mg.)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (1.8 mg.)
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons) (about 0.5 mg.)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1.5 mg.)

As you can see, this salad has an obscene amount of oxalate.  There was actually no need to calculate the oxalate values.  By using the guesstimation method that I discussed in the first installment of this series, we know this salad isn’t low oxalate just by the presence of black beans in the ingredient list. Many low oxalate dieters might immediately dismiss a recipe like this, but if you look carefully, every other ingredient is low oxalate or very low oxalate.  There’s really only one problem with this otherwise perfect recipe — those dang high oxalate black beans!

So, let’s ask ourselves the five questions above.

1.) What role do black beans play in this salad? — This one’s pretty easy.  They’re the main ingredient.  They also add bulk, protein, fiber, flavor, texture and a dark color that complements the bright hues of the vegetables and herbs.  Plus, black beans are culturally important in Tex Mex and Mexican foods.

2.) Can the black beans be left out?  — No way!  We wouldn’t have anything left to eat but some over-dressed corn.  And whoever heard of bean salad without beans?

Are black-eyed peas a good low oxalate substitute for black beans?

3.) Are there any good low oxalate substitutes for black beans? — The first thing that pops into my mind are the medium and low oxalate beans, like kidney beans, chick peas, lima beans or black-eyed peas.  Getting a little more creative, we could also use extra corn, extra red pepper or some other low oxalate vegetable like cauliflower or broccoli.  It’s possible we could also use lentils or split peas if we could keep them from cooking into mush.   The question is — which of these are actually good substitutions for black beans in this particular recipe (i.e.they fulfill the important roles black beans played in the original recipe and hopefully some of the minor roles, too)?  The veggies might make a tasty salad, but it’s hardly a bean salad anymore, so those don’t qualify as good substitutions (although they may be worth exploring as a totally new recipe.)  The lima beans seem more like a vegetable than a bean to me (and a mushy one at that), so I personally will veto those, although I admit they could work.  Lentils, split peas and mung beans would probably be too mushy no matter how you cook them, and they don’t really have a “bean” feel to them, although again, I admit they might work.  Kidney beans, black-eyed peas and chick peas definitely  give you the bulk, protein, fiber, flavor and texture of a “real bean” without the mush factor.  Dark red kidney beans get a bonus point because they would probably look pretty and appetizing in this salad.  And black-eyed peas get a bonus point, too,  because they most closely resemble black beans in size, texture and shape.

4.) Will the new recipe be low oxalate or lower medium oxalate? Here’s the kicker — kidney beans would probably taste great and look great in this salad, but at 11.1 mg. per half cup, they have too much oxalate to be the featured ingredient in any salad.  You could double the corn, double the red pepper and halve the kidney beans, and it would work as far as oxalate is concerned, but this isn’t a simple substitution anymore (just something to think about if you want to get creative!).  Chick peas are also too high in oxalate for this recipe, but black-eyed peas definitely aren’t.  In fact, black-eyed peas are quite low in oxalate, and they fulfill every role that black beans play in the original recipe except they don’t look as pretty.  They also aren’t as authentic for a Tex Mex or Mexican-inspired salad, although some Mexican cooks use them, as do many Tex Mex cooks, so I’ll give them a pass for cultural authenticity.

5.) Do they require special low oxalate cooking techniques that will mess up your recipe?  No, black-eyed peas and black beans are prepared the same way — You soak them overnight (at least 12 hours), toss out the soak water, then cook the beans in water to cover for about 1.5 – 2 hours until they are soft.  Cool your beans and they are ready to use in your salad.

So, we have a winner!  Black-eyed peas!  Here’s the full recipe with our changes – Enjoy!

Santa Fe Black Bean Salad

Santa Fe Bean Salad with chunks of avocado and some green pepper to add a little bit more color (this is still a low oxalate version with only a slightly higher oxalate content).

1 red pepper (about 1 cup) (3.6 mg.)
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, rinsed (12 mg.)
3/4 cup fresh corn, cut off the cob (about 1.1 mg.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (1.4 mg.)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 0.9 mg.)
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (o.8 mg.)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (1.8 mg.)
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons) (about 0.5 mg.)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1.5 mg.)

Combine the red pepper, black beans black-eyed peas, corn and cilantro in a large salad bowl and set aside.  Combine the garlic, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl (or mortar) and smash it with a pestle or the back of a spoon until the garlic’s juices are well mixed with the olive oil and salt.  Add the lime juice and cayenne pepper and mix well.  Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss gently.

Makes about 8 servings (one half cup each).

Variations:  Try roasting the red pepper first and cutting it into strips.  YUMMY!  See Low Oxalate Hummus for instructions on how to roast a red pepper.  You might also want to add some chunks of avocado, green onions or a bit of green pepper to give the salad a bit more color (see the picture above).

Low Oxalate Info:  Our newly modified Santa Fe Bean Salad has about 3.0 mg. oxalate per half cup serving.  Not bad! (To get the oxalate value per serving, add up all the oxalate values in parenthesis to get the total oxalate.  Then divide by the total number of servings (8), which in this case gives me 2.95 mg. oxalate per half cup).

Menu Planner:  Serve Santa Fe Bean Salad with corn tortillas, Cilantro Lime Slaw, and sliced avocado for a yummy, Tex-Mex, vegan, low oxalate feast.  One cup Santa Fe bean salad, one and a half cups cilantro lime slaw, one corn tortilla and half an avocado has about 14.2 mg. oxalate.

Other Diets:  Santa Fe Bean Salad may also be appropriate for gluten-free, dairy-free, GFCF, sugar-free, vegan and vegetarian diets.

Photo credits go to Chip Harlan for Smoky Grilled Chicken and Black Bean and Corn Salad, to d06021stric for Black-Eyed Peas, to cookbookman17 for Black Beans, and to Eliza Adam for Black-eyed Peas and Corn Salad.

I admit I never liked black-eyed peas until I bought the Low Oxalate Cookbook 2 and discovered they were the only low oxalate "bean." Now I substitute them for black beans and cannellini beans in many recipes, like this white chicken chili, and actually like them better!

As the weather cools down outside, I’ve pulled out my soup pot and am ready for another season of yummy soups.  Low oxalate white chicken chili is a simple, satisfying soup with a mild and comforting flavor.  Perfect for cool fall evenings.  I usually make it with 2 cups water, 1 cup black-eyed peas and 1 cup sweet corn for kid appeal (see variations below).  Lately, my boys have been getting picky about “yucky things” in their soup (like onions), so I’ve also started to puree my basic soup veges before simmering my soups (see tips for picky eaters).  I prefer it chunky, but if the boys will eat it pureed, I’m willing to compromise.

Low Oxalate White Chicken Chili

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about one cup)
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can chopped green chiles (4 ounces) (or use 2-3 fresh)
2 – 4 cups LO chicken broth  (I use homemade or Swansons 100% Natural)
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano (use only 1/2 teaspoon if ground)
juice of a half lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1-2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
4 ounces shredded cheese for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or other large soup pot.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken starts to brown.  Add the onions, garlic and green chiles and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the chicken is lightly browned.  Add the chicken broth, cayenne pepper, oregano, lime juice and peas (with cooking juices if you like).  Simmer the soup over medium low heat until it reduces about 1/5 to 1/4 (about 45 minutes to an hour should work).  Pour into bowls and top with cilantro and cheese if desired.

Low Oxalate White Chicken Chili

Makes 8 main dish servings (or 12 – 16 smaller side-dish servings).

Oxalate Note:  Be sure to check the ingredients if you use commercial chicken broth.  Some only contain chicken and salt and have no oxalate (Swanson’s 100% Natural Chicken Broth is oxalate free) .  Many others contain higher oxalate ingredients like tumeric which may increase the oxalate content to an unacceptable level for you.  I love Pacific brand organic chicken broth but even at 4.8 mg. oxalate per cup, I believe this adds too much oxalate to the recipe for my needs.  If you make the recipe with 1.5 cups beans, 4 cups Swanson’s 100% natural chicken broth, and all optional ingredients, then each large serving has about 7 mg. oxalate, while each side-dish serving has about 3.5 mg. oxalate (based on 8 large servings per recipe or 16 small servings).   The oxalate  values for all ingredients are as follows: chicken (trace), olive oil (0.9 mg. per tablespoon), onion (3.3 per half cup), garlic (0.3 per clove) green chiles (4.4 mg. per 2 tablespoons), Swanson’s chicken broth  (none), cayenne pepper (1.3 mg. per fourth teaspoon), oregano (7.3 mg. per teaspoon for ground oregano), lime juice (about 0.3 mg. per tablespoon), black-eyed peas (3 mg. per half cup), fresh cilantro (1.4 per fourth cup), cheese (most cheeses are about 2.0 mg. per half cup).

Variations: 

1.) Add a can of corn for kid appeal–this is the only way I got my kids to try this.

2.) If you want more heat, increase the cayenne pepper to 1/2 – 1 teaspoon.

3.) The easiest way to significantly decrease the oxalate content of this soup is to leave out the green chiles and increase the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon (makes it about 5 mg. per large serving).  However, the soup loses the subtle, authentic flavor of the chiles.  After all, what is chili without chiles?

Picky Eater Pleaser:  If your kids don’t like “yucky” vegetables in their soup, you might try pureeing the onions, garlic and chile (and cilantro if desired).  I put the vegetables in a small saucepan with a little chicken broth and boil them until they are soft.  Then I puree them with my magic soup wand (ahem . . . stick blender. . . or you can use a blender or food processor) and add them to the soup after the chicken is browned.

Other diets:  Low Oxalate White Chicken Chile may be appropriate for gluten-free , dairy-free (leave out the cheese garnish), and controlled carb diets.  You could also easily modify this recipe for GAPs by using fresh chilies instead of canned (wear gloves!) and using an allowed cheese for the garnish.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below!  What are your favorite black-eyed peas dishes?

Photo credit for Black Eye Peas goes to d06021stric.

My boys have a new favorite low oxalate recipe–Jamaican Rice and Peas!  This is a staple from my vegetarian days that I haven’t made in years, but I had one of those crazy cravings and gave in.  It also seemed like a good learning opportunity for the boys.  What better way to introduce new cultures than through their food?

Get in the mood for Caribbean food!

Rice and peas is an everyday staple in Jamaica.  Its subtle coconut flavor and creamy texture are a perfect complement to Jamaican Jerk Chicken and other spicy island treats, but it also makes a filling vegetarian main-dish.  It’s traditionally made with pigeon peas, but black-eyed peas or kidney beans can be substituted.  I sometimes use the  habanero pepper and sometimes don’t.  Since you use a whole pepper and remove it before cooking, it doesn’t make the rice hot, but adds a nice, subtle pepper flavor.

The night I introduced Jamaican Rice and Peas to my boys, I talked with them about Jamaica and tropical islands.  They were fascinated and asked lots of questions and repeated the things I was telling them over and over.  I think it was the first time it started to make sense to them that people live in many different places, and that people in different places eat different foods than we do.  It was fun watching them learn, and  it was a very pleasant way to make dinner conversation with soon-t0-be-three-year-olds.  I plan to buy a good map to keep in the kitchen, so as we cook and learn together I can point out where the different foods we eat come from.  I hope this will also make cooking and eating together as a family more fun.  It sure was fun last week.  And it was even more fun when Aidan requested “Island rice and beans” again for dinner a few nights later.

Aidan loves his Jamaican Rice and Peas (made here with kidney beans)

Jamaican Rice and Peas

2 cups cooked pigeon peas, black-eyed peas or kidney beans
1 can unsweetened Coconut Milk  (13.5 ounces)
1 cup water
2 cups  long grain white rice (not instant!)
1 habanero pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon)

Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan, including the cooking liquid from the beans if possible (should be about 3/4 cup liquid — adjust by adding extra water if necessary).  Bring to a boil, then simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (about 30 minutes).  Remove the habanero pepper and serve.

Makes 4 main dish or 8 side dish servings.

Note:  Most Jamaican chefs start by cooking raw pigeon peas (which are soupy like non-drained canned beans), then add the other ingredients to the bean pot.  This is why I use the cooking liquid in my recipe. It keeps things easy and more authentic tasting.  You may like the texture of this dish better, however, if you drain and rinse the beans first, then add an extra 3/4 cup water.

Low Oxalate Info:   Pigeon peas and kidney beans are medium oxalate ingredients.  All other ingredients are low or very low oxalate, so this is a low to “lower medium” oxalate dish depending on what type of pea/bean you use. Actual oxalate values are: black-eyed peas (3 mg. oxalate per half cup, uncooked), pigeon peas*(7 mg. per 1/2 cup, canned), kidney beans* (11.7 mg. axalate per half cup, uncooked), coconut milk (0.0 mg. per 1/2 cup if using a brand without guar gum, such as Chaokoh or Natural Value), Uncle Ben’s long grain white rice (trace) OR “boiled” white rice (0.9 mg. per half cup), habenero pepper (0.4 mg. per sauteed pepper), thyme(2.5 mg. per teaspoon), garlic (0.3 mg. per clove), Celtic sea salt (about 0.2 mg. oxalate per teaspoon).  Jamaican Rice and Peas has about 2.4 mg. oxalate per main dish serving or 1.2 mg. oxalate per side dish serving IF you use black-eyed peas.

Picky Eater Pleaser:  Try leaving out the pepper, thyme, garlic and beans at first, so you just have coconut rice (you will have to add 1/2-3/4 cup water).  If your picky eater likes this, try adding back in the beans/peas first, then add each “spice” one at a time each time you make the dish.  Alternately, make “coconut rice” and let family members add their own beans at the table.  You can also use 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs instead of the dried thyme and remove them before serving if “green specks” in the rice is unacceptable to your picky eater.

Menu Planner:  Try Jamaican Rice and Peas as a side dish with baked chicken and pineapple, or as a main dish with a tropical fruit salad on the side (mango, banana and pineapple with coconut sprinkles-yum!).

Other Diets:  Jamaican Rice and Peas may also be suitable for gluten-free, dairy-free, GFCF, vegan and vegetarian diets.

Photo credit goes to Loren Sztajer for Beach Chairs and Umbrella in Jamaica.