Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas and Ham

This is a great recipe if you need something quick and easy. This is another Skinny Taste recipe; I have yet to try anything from this site that I didn't like.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz smoked lean ham steak, diced (or a ham bone would be perfect)
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp olive oil or butter
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (I used chipotle)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Soak peas overnight in 6 cups of water. The next morning, drain peas and add to slow cooker.
2. Add 4 cups of water, bay leaves and ham.
   
3. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until the beans are tender.
4. After 6 hours, in a large frying pan, add oil and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and tomato until soft, about 6 minutes.
5. Add to the slow cooker and season black eyed peas generously with salt, cumin, chili powder and black pepper.
6. Cover and cook on high 1 to 1 1/2 more hours.
7. Discard bay leaves and serve with rice, quinoa, cous cous, etc..