There is a tradition down here in the south of eating black-eyed peas on January 1st for “good luck.”  Practically everyone I know does it, and I do it, too, though I don’t really believe in luck.  🙂

It’s a good thing I like black-eyed peas. I like purple-hull peas from the garden even more, but they don’t work on New Years Day, apparently.

So I made black-eyed pea soup. It is a healthy soup to kick off the New Year, as we  begin to rethink all of the not-so-healthy choices we’ve made over the weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

To be honest, though, even if you’re not thinking in terms of eating lighter and healthier,  I believe you’ll really enjoy this spicy soup. It has great sausage flavor, and the garlic and red pepper flakes give it a nice kick.  Who wants bland soup?

Here’s how I made it…