How To Get Protein As a Vegetarian — The Dish That Fuego Has Claimed Four Times and Still We Make It

New Year's Eve. Black-eyed peas. Thompson's bowl. Fuego's annual theft (fourth consecutive year — the dog's commitment to stealing black-eyed peas is the most reliable tradition in the Rivera household). The midnight toast. The reflection. The numbers.

Jessica's year-end report: Rivera's served approximately 88,000 customers in year four (the full expanded year, two smokers, fifty-two seats). Revenue up 29% from year three. Profit margins at 20%. The Chandler location will add an estimated 40,000 customers annually when it opens. The combined enterprise — two locations, twenty-five staff, three smokers — will serve over 125,000 people per year. One hundred and twenty-five thousand. The number is staggering. The number started at 212 on opening day. The fire from 212 to 125,000 in four years. The multiplication of fire. The franchise of love.

Goals for 2027: open Chandler (March 15, 2028 — fourteen months away), complete the Project Fire manuscript (the book is being written, nights and weekends, in the quiet spaces between the fire), enter Sofia in the National Teen Chef Championship (Las Vegas, June — the girl is ready, the fire is ready, the spreadsheet is ready), and the personal goal: Roberto. Keep Roberto. The stage 3 kidney numbers are stable. Stable at stage 3 is not improving. Stable at stage 3 is holding a line that the body has already crossed once. But stable is stable. And stable means Roberto is here. And here is the only place I need him to be.

The secret plan is no longer secret. I told Jessica about the book on New Year's Day — showed her the outline, the chapter summaries, the recipe list. She read it at the kitchen table while I stood in the backyard pretending to clean the grill (the same thing I did when I showed her the restaurant business plan years ago — the man presents the plan and then hides at the grill because the vulnerability of showing your dream to the person whose opinion matters most is harder than any fire). She came out to the grill and said, "This is the best thing you have ever planned." Not the best thing I have ever cooked. The best thing I have planned. The distinction matters. The restaurant was a dream that became a plan. The book is a plan that will become a dream for everyone who reads it. Jessica understands the distinction. Jessica understands everything.

Happy New Year. The fire burns into 2027. The book is being written. The second location is being built. The father sits in his recliner. The son tends the fire. The family eats. Just show up.

Every year I say I’m going to put the black-eyed peas somewhere Fuego can’t reach them, and every year I don’t, because on some level the theft has become part of the ritual — proof that the tradition is alive, that the house is full, that another year turned over with the right people in it. Black-eyed peas are the unsung engine of this holiday: cheap, filling, deeply Southern, and — as it turns out — one of the best plant-based protein sources you can put on a New Year’s table. Whether you’re cooking for fifty-two seats or just the family, this is the recipe we come back to every December 31st, bowl set firmly out of reach (in theory).

How To Get Protein As a Vegetarian: Smoky New Year’s Black-Eyed Peas

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 oz each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
• Cooked white or brown rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7—8 minutes.
2. Add aromatics. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, thyme, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes and broth. Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the peas. Stir in the drained black-eyed peas. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the broth thickens slightly and the flavors meld.
5. Finish and season. Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust salt, black pepper, and cayenne as needed. The vinegar brightens the whole pot — don’t skip it.
6. Serve. Ladle over rice and top with fresh parsley. Place the bowl somewhere the dog cannot reach it. Results may vary.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 340mg