That looks delicious "as is". My folks quit eating pork about a decade before they passed away and my mom started using beef to flavor beans and other dishes that usually called for bacon or other pork for flavor. They even started making their own beef breakfast sausage.

Personally, being a bachelor and deciding that dish needed more color or "something" else, I'd go the easy route and put in some jalapenos (prob. pickled and canned) or if that was too spicy, a can of Hatch green chilies. Then again, you said "sides", but what you described would suit the heck outta me. I have loads of faults, but being a picky eater ain't one of 'em.

That sure made me hungry and I'm thinking I will do something similar for supper tonight, only using some black-eyed peas and some sausage I bought yesterday that was on sale.