Full Plate Meal: Southern Black-Eyed Peas with Greens

Get ready to treat yourself to a deeply satisfying, Powered Up plate that brings the absolute best of Southern comfort food straight to your table! This vibrant meal beautifully balances our smoky, flavorful Cajun Black-Eyed Peas with bright, zesty sautéed collard greens and hearty, warm whole-grain grits. (Side note: Cooked cornmeal goes by different names like grits and polenta. The key to having this in your 75% zone of your plate is to make sure you are cooking with a whole grain, course-ground cornmeal.) 

This meal is a nutritional powerhouse boasting 13 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein, proving that eating well can feel incredibly indulgent, filling, and comforting. Rounded out with a delightful, sweet touch of oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert, this perfectly balanced plate is as nourishing for your body as it is exciting for your taste buds.

Achieving a healthier life should be delicious and doable—and this meal is the perfect, easy way to prove it. This simple-to-create meal allows you to Power Up your plate for better well-being with the Full Plate Approach.

75% Zone Water-Fiber Foods

• ½ cup portion of Cajun Black-Eyed Peas
• 1 cup sauteed collard greens
• ½ cup cooked whole-grain coarse-ground cornmeal

25% Zone Foods

• 2 small oatmeal raisin cookies of your choice

Full Plate Meal Idea – Put It Together!

To make a single plate, follow these instructions. For a larger batch to serve more people or to provide leftovers, multiply the ingredient amounts as needed. 

1. Prepare Cajun Black-Eyed Peas as directed. 
2. Sauté 1/2 bunch of collard greens in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice, pinch salt, and pinch black pepper until wilted yet bright green.
3. Prepare 1 serving of whole-grain or stone-ground cornmeal, according to package directions.
4. Select 2 store-bought small oatmeal raisin cookies, or bake them according to your favorite recipe.
5. Assemble by serving ½ cup Cajun Black-Eyed Peas, 1 cup sautéed collard greens, ½ cup cooked cornmeal, and 2 small oatmeal-raisin cookies on your plate.

Nutrition Analysis of Meal

502 calories · 15g total fat · 430mg sodium · 79g carbohydrate · 13g fiber · 14g protein

More Meal Ideas

Not only are these Cajun Black-Eyed Peas delicious in this meal, but you can also use them in the Caribbean Black-Eyed Peas with Fish and Rice and Greek Black-Eyed Peas with Cucumber Salad and Pita meals.

Cook 1 recipe to include in 3 meals. That's a win-win-win for one recipe!

Brought to you in partnership with our friends at Food + Planet.