It’s Time To Start Prepping Your New Year’s Meal

You can say "New Year/New You" all you want but we all know someone who will be making collard greens and black-eyed peas for New Year's dinner! And I will be one of them! It's been a Southern American staple for more than three centuries. My mom and my grandmother before her, made them every New Year and I plan on keeping the tradition alive.

Some say it's a silly superstition that somehow eating greens and black-eyed peas and rice for the New Year will bring good luck and will ensure a prosperous year. My son makes fun of the practice since after all the years of partaking in the tradition we haven't won the lottery, but to be honest, I just really like collards and black-eyed peas so it's a win either way for me!

Collard greens are the oldest leafy green within the cabbage family dating back 2000 years, originally grown by ancient Greeks and Romans but most of us got our first taste of collards at grandmas house. And while collard greens can be purchased all year round it's not your imagination that they are tastier in the cold months. They're even more nutritious this time of year especially January through April. They've been associated with cancer prevention, you'll find them in detox support, they have anti-inflammatory properties, and they support heart health and digestive ease. Collard greens were even named the state vegetable for South Carolina in 2011.  I'm not too sure about the nutritious value of adding a ham hock to your pot of collards but it sure is tasty!

For me the collards are not complete without the black-eyed peas and rice. The sticky rice is the perfect compliment to the peas and adds a nice filling element to the meal. If you serve black eyed peas with cornbread it is said to represent gold and if they are stewed with tomatoes, it represents wealth and health.

Whether you're making collards by themselves or going all out with some Hoppin' John, enjoy your New Year's dinner!  Superstitious or not, it's delicious!