Cooking Up Some Good Fortune

New Year's Day Meal

Collard Greens seasoned with Ham

Black-Eyed Pea & Corn Salad

Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon

Cornbread

Around our house growing up as in most Southern homes, you ate two things on New Year's Day - collard greens for an increase in wealth ($$$) and black-eyed peas for good luck. It's a tradition that I now carry on in my own home.

This year, I'm leaving the collard green cooking to my Momma. She's an expert in the matter and knows how to season them just right. Organic collard greens from Whole Foods, get ready to met nitrate-laden ham meat pieces from Kroger!

I'm handling the rest including the black-eyed peas. Black-eyed peas are so not my favorite! I probably only eat them one day of the year and that 's New Years. But I've found a way to fix them that makes them palatable. I basically use a recipe for corn salad (based on a recipe from the Williams - Sonoma Complete Entertaining Cookbook) and just add black-eyed peas. It's light and fresh (no thick, heavy bean juice) and helps to fulfill my New Years requirement.

Black-Eyed Pea & Corn Salad

Organic black eyed-peas - soaked overnight, drained and cooked. (If using canned, rinse thoroughly)

1 box of Green Giant boxed frozen corn with no sauce - prepared according to package directions

1-2 diced green peppers (the original recipe calls for one red, one green but we prefer green)

1-1/2 cups diced organic tomatoes

1 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a saute pan over medium heat, warm 1/4 cup of the oil and add onions. Saute a few minutes then add chili powder and cumin. Continue cooking for a minute longer.

2. In a large bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, corn, green peppers, tomatoes and cooked onions. Toss to mix. Add the cilantro, the remaining oil and vinegar. Toss well to combine.