Hopping John

I prepare this dish most new years days, and its always so well received by my kids that it enters rapid rotation for a couple months. We affectionately refer to it as "poor people food" and discuss that even if you are poor, and eat dried beans, they still can taste great.

What I really like about this recipe is that it is simple - black eyed peas, some vegetables, and some meat for flavor (it calls for ham hocks, but can anyone find ham hocks any more? Not here in Utah, so I used bacon).
The smokiness of the bacon/hocks, with the silky texture of the cooked beans, and generous vegetable addition makes for good hearty eating. This year, we accompanied it with pre-cooked short-grain brown rice.

I modified this recipe by adding celery and carrots.