Optional: 2 cups chopped cooked ham or your favorite sausage, sliced (pork, not chicken! Folklore holds that eating chicken on New Years means you'll only work backwards! the rest of the year, eating chicken with this is just fine!), or ¼ lb salt pork
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
I lb chopped collard greens, kale or chard (fresh is always preferred, but frozen will work fine)
1 chopped yellow onion

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 chopped poblano pepper (or green bell pepper, serrano or even habanero, depending on your personal preferences)

1 chopped celery rib

1 diced carrot
1 teaspoon Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Sugar*
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 lb dried black eyed peas, picked over, rinsed, and soaked until soft (or 16 oz canned, drained)

Sauté ham in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add broth, greens, peppers, celery, carrot, sugar and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas, and cook 10 minutes more.

Serve with warm corn bread, butter and honey.

Yield:  Makes 6 to 8 servings