Corn PuddingPeople around the world have been eating “lucky” foods on New Year’s Day for eons. This annual tradition and superstitious ritual of eating specific foods is believed to confer health, wealth and longevity.
I come from a family of Louisiana southerners and was brought up eating black-eyed peas, cornbread and greens in a variety of dishes on New Year’s Day. Roasted Salmon Stuffed with Spinach Feta and Ricotta, Paprika Chicken with Smashed Black Eyed Peas and Corn Pudding are perfect examples of lucky meals my family would enjoy. Here are more “lucky food” ideas you may want to add to your menu on January 1.
Leafy greens symbolize cash. Lucky for us, they’re also nutrient dense! I love them sautéed and served with cornbread, a yellow-colored lucky food that symbolizes gold. Here are more great ideas:
Easy Mushroom Kale Hand Pies are delicious, easy-to-make savory pastries.
Cranberry Kale is great all season long.
Winter Greens with Roasted Citrus Vinaigrette can be garnished with pomegranate seeds for extra luck!
Spinach Salad with Aduki Beans and Satsuma VinaigretteLentils and other legumes represent coins and are symbols of wealth and prosperity — and great sources of plant proteins. Try these tasty recipes:
Chicken Toscana with White Beans will keep you warm and lucky in cold weather.
Spinach Salad with Aduki Beans and Satsuma Vinaigrette is a triple-lucky winter salad.
Black Beans with Canadian Bacon over Rice, Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans, and Spicy Tortilla Soup with Black Beans are lucky favorites year-in and year-out.
Black Eyed Peas and Tomatoes with Bananas is a unique dish that will surprise you; it’s so good!
A whole fish is considered very lucky in China. In fact, the Chinese word for abundance sounds a lot like the Chinese word for fish. Fortunately cooking a whole fish is not as difficult as you might think.
Hearty Lentil and Sausage Soup
In Italy, it’s customary to eat sausages with lentils after midnight to welcome in the New Year. In Brazil, lentils and rice, or lentil soup is the first meal of the New Year. In Germany, pork and lentils are a common good-luck meal. Here are a few for you to try:
Chinese Style Longevity NoodlesLong noodles are an important staple food in China, Japan, and other Asian countries. They are considered very lucky because of their length; so welcoming the New Year with a steaming bowl of long noodles represents longevity. Try these noodle dishes:
Wakame, Mushroom and Broccoli Sauté (serve over soba, udon or angel hair pasta noodles)
What’s your favorite good luck food that you always eat on New Year’s Day? I’d love to know.
