Mind your peas: Black-eyes and purple hulls are in season now

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
•  1/2 white onion (about  1/3 cup), diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 pound fresh purple hulls or black-eyed peas, rinsed
• 4 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: ham bone, chopped ham or bacon

1. Put the olive oil, onion and garlic in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook until you can smell the onion and it begins to become translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the peas, water, salt and pepper to taste and ham bone, ham, or bacon, if using, and cook on medium-low for 1 to 1  1/2 hours, or until the peas are tender but still slightly firm.

Nutritional analysis per  1/2-cup serving: 139 calories, 2 grams fat, 23 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams protein, no cholesterol, 6 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber, 10 percent of calories from fat.

Makes 1 dozen enchiladas

• 1 recipe Basic black-eyed peas
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or canola oil plus more for frying
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch collard greens, stems removed, chopped and rinsed
•  1/2 jalapeño, finely chopped
•  1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 corn tortillas
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 recipe Salsa verde, recipe follows

1. Put 1 tablespoon of grapeseed or canola oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let the garlic cook for a minute or two, then add the collard greens, jalapeño, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let cook only until the greens begin to wilt, another 2 minutes or so. Remove from the skillet and put them in a bowl to cool slightly.

2. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

3. To assemble the enchiladas, clean out the skillet you cooked the greens in, add 1 tablespoon of oil, and turn the heat to medium-high. When it’s hot, add 1 corn tortilla and fry until the tortilla starts to puff (it’ll take less than 1 minute). Turn the tortilla to the other side and cook only until it softens. Remove the tortilla to a plate, and working quickly, in a line down the center of the tortilla add: 1 tablespoon cooked greens, 1 tablespoon black-eyed peas, 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up as tightly as possible without tearing the tortilla and place it seam-side down in a glass dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas, adding more oil as you need to. Spoon a few tablespoonfuls of Salsa verde on top, and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve right away.

Nutritional analysis per enchilada: 283 calories, 8 grams fat, 39 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, 17 milligrams cholesterol, 127 milligrams sodium, 6 grams dietary fiber, 26 percent of calories from fat.

• 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
•  1/2 medium white onion, sliced into quarters
• 2 small fresh jalapeños
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 corn tortilla
• 1 handful cilantro

1. Roast the tomatillos, garlic, onions, and jalapeños on a comal or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, turning every so often to make sure all sides are browned. This’ll take about 15 minutes and you may need to do this in batches — the tomatillos first, because they’ll take the longest, then the rest.

2. While the veggies are roasting, on top of another burner or under the broiler, toast the corn tortilla on both sides.

3. Peel the garlic and put everything but the jalapeños in the blender.

4. Cut the stems off of the jalapeños, slice them open, and take out the seeds and membranes if you want a milder salsa; don’t mess with them if you like it hot. Toss 1 jalapeño into your blender. Taste. If it’s too mild after I’ve blended everything, I’ll toss in the second one.

5. Add a big handful of cilantro to the blender and pulse until blended — not too much, because you’ll want this to be chunky. Add salt to taste. I love this salsa with everything, and like it especially warmed up — chips, over eggs, on tacos — you name it. Keep this in the fridge. If you want to warm it up the next day, you’ll need to add just a little bit of water (it thickens up) and slowly heat it up over the stovetop.

Nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 10 calories, trace fat, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 18 percent of calories from fat.

• 2 ears corn
• 2 large handfuls arugula
• 2 large handfuls baby spinach
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup black-eyed peas, drained
• 2 cups cornbread croutons (see Note)
• Jalapeño buttermilk dressing, recipe follows

1. Roast the corn by putting the ears in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Turn them occasionally, so all sides are lightly browned. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes, so don’t try to rush the corn — or you’ll have popcorn. Really — it’ll pop if the heat’s too high. When the corn has roasted, let it cool, then remove the kernels with a sharp knife. Time saver: Do this ahead of time and keep in the fridge.

2. Put the arugula, spinach, corn, cherry tomatoes, black-eyed peas and cornbread croutons in a large salad bowl or distribute between 2 large or 4 small plates. Pass the Jalapeño buttermilk dressing.

Note: To make cornbread croutons: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Tear your leftover cornbread into bite-size pieces and put them on a baking sheet. Cook until crispy on both sides, turning once, for about 5 minutes.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 2: 335 calories, 4 grams fat, 64 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, no cholesterol, 624 milligrams sodium, 11 grams dietary fiber, 11 percent of calories from fat.

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup whole yogurt (steer clear of nonfat and low-fat)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
•  1/2 jalapeño, minced (you can use more if you like it super-hot)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together everything in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before using.

Nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 9 calories, trace fat, 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 milligram cholesterol, 12 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 33 percent of calories from fat.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 pounds or 3 (14-ounce) cans cooked black-eyed peas
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
•  1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups sweet potatoes, cubed and roasted (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
•  1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped cilantro, for serving
• Finely chopped jalapeño, for serving
• Chopped avocado, for serving
• Sour cream, for serving
• Tortilla chips, for serving

1. Put the olive oil, onion, and garlic in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook until you start to smell the onions and they become translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sweet potatoes, and spices. Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Taste for seasonings. Serve with chopped cilantro, avocado, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Note: To roast sweet potatoes: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and chop 1 to 2 pounds of sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Toss on a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until browned on both sides, about 40 minutes total, turning once.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 6: 275 calories, 4 grams fat, 50 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, no cholesterol, 361 milligrams sodium, 11 grams dietary fiber, 13 percent of calories from fat.