A lucky start: eating for health, wealth and prosperity in the New Year

Need a visit from Lady Luck this year? Start 2006 with a fortune-filled meal. People all over the world welcome the New Year with foods thought to bring health, wealth and prosperity. As the clock strikes midnight in Japan, long soba noodles are slurped up to ensure a long life. On January 1 in the Netherlands, the Dutch eat oliebollen, a doughnut-shaped fritter that symbolizes "coming full circle"--good luck in Holland.

In the American South, black-eyed peas are served on New Year's Day to bring prosperity for the coming year. (Some cooks even hide dimes in the peas; diners who discover the coins get an extra boost of luck.) And the peas are often eaten with cooked greens--Southern symbols of folding money--for good measure. While these foods are nutritious as well as auspicious, they're usually made with salt pork or bacon.

This menu turns traditional black-eyed peas and greens into healthy new dishes. Fresh herbs, garlic and peppers keep the flavor high; cornbread and roasted veggies round out the meal; and crunchy maple pecans provide a sweet send-off ... so you can start 2006 on a healthy as well as a prosperous note.

DOUBLE-CORN CORNBREAD

Serves 8 * Vegan

Cream-style corn makes this
cornbread amazingly moist and
almost buttery. If you have any
leftovers, it's great for breakfast.

  1 cup soymilk
  2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  1 cup cream-style corn
1/2 cup shredded soy
    Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup canola oil
  4 green onions, finely chopped
  1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  2 Tbs. maple sugar or light
    brown sugar
  1 Tbs. salt
  2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat
8x8-inch square baking dish with
cooking spray.

2. Combine soymilk and vinegar.
Let stand 5 minutes to develop
a buttermilk-like consistency.
Whisk in corn, soy Cheddar, oil
and onions; set aside.

3. Combine all dry ingredients,
and make a well in the middle.
Pour wet mixture into well,
and stir until mixed. Pour batter
into prepared baking dish, and
bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until
a toothpick inserted in the
middle comes out clean.

PER SERVING 151 CAL; 3G PROT 7.5G TOTAL FAT (0.5G SAT. FAT) 18G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 799MG SOD; 1.5G FIBER; 1.5G SUGARS

PROSPEROUS BLACK-EYED
PEAS WITH
HERBS AND VEGETABLES

Serves 6 * Vegan

If you like, add some slices of
browned soy "sausage" to the
mixture at the end--and a dime!
(See box.)

1 1/2 cups black-eyed peas,
      sorted and rinsed
    4 cloves garlic, crushed (4 tsp.)
    6 sprigs fresh thyme
    2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. salt
    4 medium carrots, peeled and
      cut into 1/2-inch dice
  1/2 lb. rutabaga, peeled and cut
      into 1/2-inch dice
  1/2 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut
      into 1/2-inch dice
    2 Tbs. olive oil
    1 medium red onion, diced
    2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Combine
peas with 6 cups water, garlic,
thyme and rosemary in saucepan.
Cover, bring to a boil and add
1 tsp. salt. Reduce heat, and
simmer, partially covered, until
peas are tender, about 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss carrots,
rutabaga and parsnips with 1 Tbs.
oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper
to taste. Spread vegetables on
foil-lined baking sheet, and roast
about 40 minutes, or until tender,
stirring every 15 minutes.

3. Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in
skillet over medium heat. Add
onion, and cook, stirring often,
about 8 minutes, or until softened.
Add onions to peas. Stir in roasted
vegetables, and simmer, partially
covered, 10 minutes. Remove herb
sprigs. Stir in lemon juice; season
with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.

PER SERVING: 251 CAL; 12G PROT; 5G TOTAL FAT (0.5G SAT. FAT); 42G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 616MG SOD; 9G FIBER; 4G SUGARS

GOOD-LUCK GREENS

Serves 6 * Vegan

They may be lucky symbols of
folding money on New Year's,
but greens--collard, turnip,
mustard, beet and more--are
a year-round staple in Southern
cooking. Escarole, the least bitter
member of the chicory family,
turns sweet when cooked.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper,
  diced (1 cup)
1 small jalapeno pepper,
  stemmed, seeded, and
  minced
1 medium head escarole (3/4 lb.),
  leaves rinsed and chopped
1 medium head kale (3/4 lb.),
  leaves rinsed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1. Heat oil in large, deep skillet
over medium-high heat. Add bell
pepper and jalapeno, and cook,
stirring often, 5 minutes, or until
softened. Add escarole, kale and
garlic, and cook, tossing often,
over medium heat until wilted,
about 4 minutes.

2. Add 1/2 cup water, and cook
5 to 10 minutes, or until almost
dry. Stir in another 72 cup water,
and cook 5 to 10 minutes, or
until almost dry. Add another
1/2 cup water, and simmer
5 minutes more. (Greens should
be tender and moist, but not
soupy. If not tender, cook a bit
longer in a little more liquid.)
Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 74 CAL; 2G PROT; 50 TOTAL FAT (0.5G SAT. FAT); 7G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 122MG SOD; 3G FIBER; <1G SUGARS