I love being in my kitchen when it's stormy outside!

I especially love cooking with warming Indian spices when it's cold.

I just got through making this recipe. Please try it - you won't regret it.

The flavors were dancing in my mouth - this dish literally made me smile.

Spiced Black-eyed peas

1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil

½ tsp. whole cumin seeds

2 ½ cups black eyed peas, cooked ( See note at the bottom)

1 tsp. coriander powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. turmeric powder

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp. garam masala

½ cup red onion, diced

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

· Heat oil in a heavy skillet

· When oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds, stirring occasionally

· Stir in black-eyed peas

· Add coriander, salt, turmeric and chili powder along with ½ cup of water

· Bring to a boil

· Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed

· Stir in lemon juice and garam masala

· Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with onion and cilantro

· Serve immediately

This dish is great as a side dish along with brown rice and baked winter squash. It also works well as an appetizer.

How to make black-eyed peas from scratch

You can use canned black-eyed peas but there's a noticeable difference between canned and freshly cooked beans. There was a time when I was shy about cooking my own beans but once I started doing it, there was no going back.

To make black-eyed peas from scratch, place 1 1/2 cup of beans in a large bowl and cover the beans with fresh water. Add enough water so that the beans are covered by several inches.

Soak for 8 hours. Soaking black-eyed peas isn't entirely necessary but they will cook faster and I find the final product to be more tender after they've been soaked.

After beans have soaked, rinse them a few times with fresh water.

Place beans in a large pot along with a two inch strip of Kombu (this sea vegetable makes beans easier to digest) and cover with 2 1/2 quarts of fresh, cold water and place burner or flame on high.

Bring water to a boil and bring heat down to medium.

Let beans cook for 40-50 minutes, stirring once or twice. Beans should be tender but not falling apart when they are done.

Eat happy, be happy

Molly