Vegan Hoppin John

What you need:

1 large onion, chopped
1 green or red pepper, diced, or 2 roasted red peppers, diced
2 or 3 celery ribs, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 cups water (3 with rice)
2 veggie broth bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1 (5 ounce) package vegan bacon or 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup brown rice or other grain (quinoa is good here), optional
salt and pepper, to taste
2 pounds black eyed peas, cooked or 2 (15 ounce) cans black eyed peas
15 pods okra, sliced

What you do:

1. Saute the vegetables (except the okra) in the bottom of a soup pot until the onions are translucent. Add the water, along with the bouillon cubes, bay leaf, and liquid smoke if you aren't using vegan bacon.
2. Prepare the bacon on the side, according to the package directions. Some call for it to be sauteed, others are prepared and ready to put straight into the pot. Add it to the pot when it's ready, along with the rice, salt, pepper, and black eyed peas.
3. Cook for 45 minutes or so, adding more water as needed. Stir occasionally. Add the okra for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Source of recipe: I used proportions from an existing recipe from http://www.real-restaurant-recipes.com/hoppin-john.html, omitted some ingredients, added others, and changed the proportions of some others.

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