Southern Specialties: New Year Soup and "Buttermilk" Skillet Cornbread

New Year Soup
This soup is traditionally eaten on New Year's Day here in the South, and is believed to give one good luck in the coming year. I don't believe in luck, but I do believe eating greens and black-eyed peas any time of year will give you good health! You can use any green you wish in this soup, and you can also use dry black-eyed peas instead of canned; just increase the simmer time before you add the pasta.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp all purpose seasoning
8 oz. of dark leafy greens, cut into 2-inch pieces (kale, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, etc)
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can black-eyed peas, drained, OR 3/4 cup dry black eyed peas, soaked for 1 hour and rinsed
5 cups water
1 Tbsp chicken-style seasoning
1/2 tsp sage
3/4 cup pasta of your choice (I prefer brown rice fussili)
Salt to taste

Saute onion in a hot dutch oven over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and all purpose seasoning, and saute one minute more. Stir in greens, and cook until greens are wilted, stirring occasionally. Add diced tomatoes, black-eyed peas, water, chicken-style seasoning, and sage. If using dry black-eyed peas, simmer until peas are almost ready before adding pasta. If using canned, add pasta and simmer until pasta is al dente.

"Buttermilk" Skillet Cornbread
Sweet cornbread is a part of many traditional Southern meals, and no look at Southern cuisine would be complete without it. It is served with everything from chili  to soups and stews, from home style beans to black-eyed peas and mashed potatoes, and and topped with anything from butter to sorghum syrup (or both!). It is unfortunately packed with fat, cholesterol, sugar, and calories. All that changes with this gluten free vegan version of the Southern staple. A cast iron skillet seasoned with extra virgin coconut oil is highly recommended.

1 1/2 tsp baking yeast
1/2 tsp organic cane sugar, brown sugar, etc (this is food for the yeast and will be broken down by the time it gets eaten)
1 cup almond milk (or your choice of dairy free milk) whisked with 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cup stone ground organic cornmeal, such as Arrowhead Mills
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1/4-1/2 cup xylitol, molasses, or sorghum syrup (depends on how sweet you want it, I recommend tasting it before you put in the yeast to see if its sweet enough for your taste)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a cast iron skillet in the oven to heat. Combine yeast and sugar in a bowl with just enough warm water to cover. Let sit until it begins to foam and bubble. Meanwhile, add lemon juice to almond milk and set aside.  Add cornmeal, salt, flax, and honey or xylitol to yeast mixture and  combine with wooden spoon. Add almond milk to mixture and stir until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. You may add more milk if the mixture seems dry. Remove skillet from oven and immediately pour the batter in the skillet. Return to oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until top dries and starts to crack and takes on a golden look.