West Indies Black eyed Peas with Pasta

Today I went to the library and got myself a vegetarian cookbook. I wanted to try making some fancy new dishes that were healthy as well.I brought home "The complete Vegetarian cookbook" by Chris Hardistry. In this book I found a spicy black eyed peas recipe that I was drawn to for two reasons. One, it said spicy and being Indian that draws me to it right away. Secondly it said black eyed peas and I had a can on hand. I read the recipe and knew I might have to change the spice proportions a bit and also add an extra kick to it. So here is my modified version of the recipe served with healthy high fiber pasta (I prefer Smart Taste pasta as it tastes a lot better than whole wheat pasta). This is a delicious, simple and super easy recipe.

Ingredients

Smart taste Rotini
Water and salt to cook pasta.

1 small can black eyed peas, drained and washed. Reserve drained liquid.
1 tblsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground pepper
salt to taste
2 tbslp tomato paste
2/3 cup drained bean liquid plus added water
1 tblsp soy sauce
chopped parsley

Method

Fill a large pot 3/4 with water. Season water with salt. This is the only chance you can actually season the pasta so add salt to the water. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. I use 3/4 package of the pasta. Meanwhile heat oil in a non stick pot. Add onions and garlic and saute till onion turn transparent. Add all seasonings and black eyed peas. Saute. Add tomatoes, soy sauce and tomato paste. Stir and heat through.Then add liquids and cook till sauce thickens up. Add chopped parsley. When pasta is cooked, drain the pasta. Add pasta to a large bowl. Pour a generous helping of the sauce onto it and serve immediately.