Tag Archives: black-eyed peas

5 Lucky Foods for a Nourishing New Year!

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At NOURISH Evolution, we love the power of fad-free, sound nutrition strategies that have stood the test of time and nourished generations of people around the world. And we couldn’t help noticing that many foods traditionally eaten for good luck and prosperity in the new year will also get your year off to a healthy start.

Ring in the year with grapes. In Spain and parts of Latin America, revelers gobble 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to ensure a sweet year ahead. According to Epicurious, this practice was started in the early 20th century by Spanish grape growers to encourage people to consume surplus fruit. Nonetheless, it’s a nourishing start–and it would give Lia and me a head start on our resolution to eat more fruit in 2011.

Legumes for prosperity. These swell as they cook and are thought to represent coins–and therefore good fortune in the new year–so they’re a classic new year’s food from Japan to Europe to the American South. Make a pot of our Southern-style Nourishing Hoppin’ John for a down-home celebration or our All-Purpose French Lentils (lentils being traditional in Italy, Germany and Brazil). Split Pea Soup with Spanish Chorizo and Sherry Vinegar is another option.

Greens–show me the money. Could the prosperity connection be any more obvious? Around the globe, people will be gobbling greens tomorrow, from collards in the South to kale in Denmark to sauerkraut in Germany. Try our Quick Collards or our White Bean and Kale Ragout with Turnips and Sausage, which also features lucky legumes.

Progress with pork. Pigs move ever forward as they forage for their food, so they represent progress in cultures all over the world. It’s also rich in fat, which signifies wealth. You’ll find it in many forms in New Year’s dishes–sausage, bacon, roasts. Since pork is so flavorful, we like to enjoy it in smaller portions surrounded by sumptuous veggies. Serve it up in our Super Succulent Five-Spice Pork Shoulder, Carnitas de Lia or Spiced Pork Roast.

Move forward with fish. Like pigs, fish are always moving ahead, and eating fish will help you get ahead in the new year. Cod is traditional in Europe, so try our Pan Seared Harissa-Rubbed White Cod. Or make a batch of our Hot-Smoked Sablefish to add to a Scandinavian-style new year’s smorgasbord.

Whatever combination of these foods you choose will begin your year on an auspicious–and nourishing–note. Happy (and Nourishing) New Year!

Nourishing Hoppin John

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Making a big ole pot of hoppin John is New Year’s Day tradition in the South and features two good-luck foods to start the new year: pork and legumes. Our version calls for brown basmati rice so you’ll start the year with a healthy whole grain (and because the rice swells as it cooks, it’s also thought to boost prosperity). This time of year, you can find containers of presoaked black-eyed peas in the produce section of many supermarkets. You also can substitute 2 cups cooked peas or thawed frozen peas. Serve with our Quick Collards (due to their color, greens are thought to bring money in the new year) and Skillet Corn Bread with Tomatoes and Sage.

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Favorite Quick Summer Dishes

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Summer always seems to imply a certain amount of leisureliness. Multicourse dinners that linger as twilight shimmers its way into dusk. Weekend picnics that morph from lunch right into supper.

But it doesn’t always turn out that way.

Sometimes work keeps you until well after the sun sets. Sometimes kiddos babble or fuss until you can barely pull together your thoughts, much less a full-blown meal. It just so happens that both of those scenarios came into play the other day, which prompted me to pull together a list of my lickety-split, go-to dishes.

Here are eight of our favorites that come together in 20 minutes or less.

Grilled Fish in Parchment with Cherry Tomatoes and Corn
Flaky white fish are tough to grill, but that doesn’t mean they need to be left out of the summer repertoire. Here’s how …

Open-Faced Tomato Avocado Sandwich
This sandwich embodies all sorts of nutritional virtues: whole grains, healthy fats and fresh vegetables. But really it does even more than that . . . it exemplifies how enjoyable even the simplest fresh food can be.

Obscenely Good Eggplant-Ricotta Tartine
This sandwich should come with a rating–and not because it’s topless (tartine is the French word for open-faced sandwich), but because it’s that good.

Honey-Roasted Fig Tartine with Prosciutto
Drizzling figs with honey and popping them under the broiler gives them an impromptu jammy quality; especially good paired with gooey cheese and crisp prosciutto.

Alberto’s Grilled Marinated Asparagus

Use this asparagus–easy and addictive–as part of an antipasto dish, tossed with pasta, or simply for snacking on out of hand.

Mississippi Caviar with Black-Eyed Peas & Cider Vinaigrette
This zesty, summery dish comes together in a flash when you use steamed, ready-to-eat black-eyed peas and precooked brown rice. A perfect summer salad or side.

Big City Souvlaki
When I lived on Corfu, souvlaki meant skewered cubes of grilled, marinated pork. But on a trip through Athens seeking out the best street food and mezedhes, we found this lamb version to be utterly addictive; moist and tender with just the right amount of spice.

Asian Pesto
I first developed this recipe out of desperation with an abundance of end-of-the-season Asian basil (it freezes wonderfully). Now it’s one of our summer staples … especially now that Noemi loves being in on the action.

What’s your go-to summertime supper that helps you unwind at the end of a hot, crazy day? Let us know!

Mississippi Caviar with Black-Eyed Peas & Cider Vinaigrette

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I learned about Mississippi caviar, in which black-eyed peas stand in for fish roe, when I lived in the South. Sometimes it’s called Texas caviar, but I’ll leave it to those states to duke it out for naming rights. This zesty, summery side dish comes together in a flash when you use steamed, ready-to-eat blacked-eyed peas, and I’ve added precooked brown rice to introduce a little whole grain to the mix. You can use other beans or legumes, or even canned beans, in place of the peas. Mississippi caviar works as a light supper or as a side dish with grilled fare. Leftovers are even tastier, since the flavors continue to develop with time.

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