Nothing is more exciting than trying out new a health recipe every time you cook for your family and friends. There are numerous nutritious recipes to suit your style and for all seasons, occasions, and even health conditions. Whether you are trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight, you can add these amazing recipes to your diet plan. Check out these highly nutritious and delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes including top quality grocery items to use.
Breakfast Recipe
Egg Hearts on Multi-grain toast with Avocado &Tomato Salsa
Ingredients;
- 2 thick slices multigrain bread
- 2 large eggs
- Finely grated parmesan
- Olive oil spray
- Butter(optional)
Tomato salsa
Ingredients;
- 2 large roma tomatoes
- 1 small ripe avocado, peeled, and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- I tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cooking Instructions
- To make the tomato salsa, mix avocado, tomato, chives, and lemon juice in a bowl
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil. Also spray two heart cutters with oil. Place cutters in the prepared pan. Break eggs into each cutter. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until ready
- Meanwhile, toast bread until golden brown. If desired, spread a little butter on toast
- Lift the cutters away from the eggs using tongs. Top each toast with eggs
- Spoon over the salsa and then sprinkle with parmesan
Lunch Recipe
Ingredients
- 200g butternut, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
- 2 sheets ready-rolled short crust pastry
- 1 medium leek, sliced
- ¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 eggs
- 424g tuna, drained, and flaked
- cup reduced-fat sour cream
Cooking Instructions
- Place large baking tray in the oven. Preheat oven to 200 degrees fan-forced
- Line the base of a loose-based and sides with pastry. Place the tin in a freezer for 20 minutes until frozen
- Place the tin on preheated baking tray. Bake for 10-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven. Reduce temperature to about 180 fan-forced
- Mix pumpkin and half the oil on the baking tray. Bake for about 20 minutes until tenders. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Throw in leeks and cook for 5 minutes or until tender
- Arrange the pumpkin, tuna, leek, and peas over pastry. Beat the eggs, sour cream, salt, and pepper using a fork in a jug. Pour the mixture over vegetables and bake for around 45-50 minutes. Serve
Dinner
Lamb, Spinach, and Tomato Rissoles
Ingredients
- 500 g lean lamb mince
- 50g baby spinach, finely shredded
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 small tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Tomato sauce, steamed rice, vegetable to serve
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 c fan-forced
- Mix mince, spinach, tomato, herbs, onion, and basil in a bowl. Season with salt.
- Using a ¼ cup mixture per rissole, roll into about 12 rissoles. Place them on a large plate.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Cook the rissoles in batches, 2 minutes for each side or until well browned. Transfer cooked rissoles into prepared tray
- Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked.
- Serve with rice, vegetables, and sauce
Not everyone loves to go to coffee shops and spend time waiting for a cup of coffee. In fact, more and more people are taking their love for coffee home. Thanks to home espresso machines, handheld milk frothers and other coffee making tools available on the market, making delicious cups of coffee at home is easier than ever. These next few tips we are about to discuss in this article will help you make even better cups of coffee from the comfort of your kitchen.
Add Layers
There is no need to settle for a less-than-stellar cup of coffee just because you are making one at home. You too can make a cup of coffee that’s as beautiful as it is tasty. Want to create those layered look the next time you make a cup of latte? This next tip will help you get started right away.
Whether you’re adding frothed milk or cream milk to the coffee, place a spoon on top of the coffee and pour the milk onto the spoon. Be as gentle as you can be and you will start seeing the milk gathering in a separate layer.
The spoon acts as a barrier and the milk will gently float on top of your coffee without hassle. Lift the spoon up as you fill the glass too. Once you’re done, you will end up with that beautiful, layered look that you normally get when buying coffee at coffee shops.
Experiment with Flavours
You should never hesitate to experiment with flavours. Coffee has such a distinct natural flavour that it can work really well when combined with other flavours. Browse through catalogues of coffee flavouring syrups and pick up a few bottles you like the most.
Vanilla and caramel are great flavours to begin with. These two flavours work great with hot and iced coffee. They can also be added to anything from an Americano to a cup of cappuccino.
Hazelnut and almond offer a nuttier take to coffee flavours. They are also among the most popular flavours among DIY baristas, simply because they are easy to manage. There are also plenty of recipes to try with these two flavours.
The Right Tools for the Job
At a certain point, your existing coffee making tools will no longer be enough. Don’t worry, because top manufacturers and brands are making home versions of their professional coffee machines and brewing tools available at great prices.
Home coffee making is turning into a hobby for a lot of people, which is why it is now easier to find the right tools for the job. Machines such as Nespresso and Dolce Gusto may work really well when you just want a quick cup of coffee, but more advanced options are available if you’re thinking about stepping up your coffee game.
It is not difficult to make delicious, coffee shop-grade cups of coffee at home. These tips we just discussed in this article will help you go that much further. You’ll love the different coffee recipes you can try with these tips too.
Vegan choices abound when it comes to desserts. Knowing a bit about a few key ingredients used in many vegan dessert recipes can help you figure out what will bring the most satisfaction to your sweet tooth. Here’s the scoop on coconut milk, chocolate, and dates and coconut, followed by some fancier options.
Coconut milk: a simple staple
Coconut milk, long a staple ingredient in curry recipes, is now recognized for its lactose-free status. It also delivers many vitamins and minerals. Like traditional dairy milk during its processing, coconut milk produces cream. This makes it a natural choice for smoothies, like this blueberry pie smoothie.
Recipe
And how about pumpkin coconut milk ice cream?
Recipe
Chocolate is choice
For some people, chocolate is simply the only choice for dessert. The benefits of dark chocolate is getting a lot of well-deserved attention these days. Traditional chocolate treats, like brownies, benefit when vegan ingredients are added. For example, these brownies make use of baking chocolate and cocoa powder. But they also feature sweet potatoes as the surprise ingredient to bring a fudge-like texture.
Recipe
Cacao is the raw form of chocolate. It is considered to have a higher concentration of phenols and antioxidants. Many people feel it also has a deeper rich flavor. For a new take on the irresistible combination with peanut butter, try these chocolate covered peanut butter bites.
Recipe
Truffles can be the ultimate chocolate treat. These feel good chocolate truffles make use of both cacao and cocoa.
Dates and coconut: a dynamic duo
Dates have a natural sweetness reminiscent of brown sugar, but with more depth. When combined with coconut, the result is the quintessential chewiness of an excellent cookie bar.
The natural sweetness of dates and coconuts combine with the richness of cashews and almonds in an unforgettable way in these coconut cream bars.
Recipe
For a slightly different take on dates, coconuts and nuts with the added attraction of cacao, try these chocolate coconut cream bars.
Recipe
Getting fancy
Vegan dessert recipes cover many standard fancy dessert forms while at the same time bringing healthy benefits from their natural ingredients. Doilies are optional.
Chocolate peanut butter pots de creme are satisfying yet elegant.
Recipe
Lime avocado tart makes use of the creamy richness of avocados.
Recipe
Even red velvet cupcakes are a delectable option, thanks to a vegetable with a rich red color.
Recipe
Of course fruit is a logical sweet choice in vegan desserts, and this peach sorbet delivers sweetness with a delicate touch.
Recipe
From hearty to heavenly, eclectic to sinful, these recipes will meet your diet’s requirements as well as bring a sweet ending to any meal.
This article was written by Hannah Whittenly with help from Simple Dish, a website stocked with all kinds of easy vegan recipes.
Muffins – A Snack
One such snack is the muffins which is a quick bread product. It can be sweet or savory. It is similar to the American cupcakes both in size and method of cooking.
Muffins are taken for breakfast while other baked products like cake are eaten as dessert. Muffins are now made with different flavors such as apple muffins, chocolate muffins etc.
There are American muffins and English muffins. American muffins are leavened with baking powder of baking soda and are small in size. The English muffins require yeast but the texture is very soft.
What are muffin pans?
To make a muffin one would first require a muffin pan which has specially designed cups to hold the muffin batter. Mostly the muffin pan contains 6- 12 cups and are 2 ½ inches in diameter. Giant muffin pans and miniature muffin pans are also available in the market. The muffin pans are mostly made of aluminum.
How to make and bake muffins?
The main ingredients to make muffins are oil, egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. The dry ingredients are mixed together and egg is beaten uniformly with oil and milk and is added to the dry ingredient. Then the batter is added to the greased muffin cups and baked.
Paper liners are used for easy clean up of muffin cups.
There are tips to bake muffins in dianadesserts.com which is very helpful for a beginner. One could also understand the difference between cupcakes and muffins and the various types of muffins from this website.
One could do many variations with the recipe according to their taste. The flavors could be changed and you can add toppings to get a colorful and crunchy bite.
Chocolate muffins are a favorite among kids. A writer on her weelicios.com explains how her chocolate muffins got sold even before the kids knew what it was. Chocolate in any form plays wonders with kids. It could solve their fight; keep them high on their spirits.
Ingredients for making chocolate muffins
11/2 cup all purpose flour
½ cup sweetened cocoa powder
½ cup granulated white sugar
11/2 cup baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg beaten (can be made with egg too)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 deg F
Grease 12 regular cups of muffin pan
In a bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt
In another bowl beat the egg, milk, oil and then add the dry ingredients and stir till it mixes properly (don’t over stir)
Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full
Bake to 20 mins or until a tooth pick inserted into comes out clean
Muffins are becoming popular because it is very easy to bake a muffin and it could be had with breakfast, lunch or dinner. Kids will enjoy it as a tea time snack too.
The best part is kids will finish it if given in their Tiffin box and it is easy for the mummy to pack it for school.
Featured images:
Chocolate muffins are made in different style and can be made eggless too for non egg eaters. Author V K Rajagopalan gives a simple idea on making and baking a chocolate muffin.
There is much about turmeric that is worthy of raves – not just for health, but in the kitchen as well. In fact, Marco Polo recorded notes about this spice on his diary while he was in China in 1280 AD, saying “There is also a vegetable which has all the properties of true saffron, as well as the smell and the color, and yet it is not really saffron.” For over 700 years now, turmeric has been substituting saffron, the world’s most expensive spice.
Perhaps the most noteworthy component of turmeric is curcumin, a curcuminoid that is responsible for giving the spice its yellow color.
Like other important herbs and spices (such as tulsi), turmeric is a principal herb in Ayurveda, Indian’s ancient holistic health system.
Today you can find turmeric in the spice aisle of most supermarkets, but know that turmeric powder bought from the grocery does not necessarily come from high-quality organic herbs or manufactured through certified organic methods.
However, a pure, organic turmeric source would be very easy to use in the kitchen and household, with a handful of recipes shared around on the Web to celebrate the taste and effects of this ingredient. Here are three of them.
Broken Thermostat Curry
From AllRecipes.com
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, chopped,
- 5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium yam, peeled and diced
- 7 small red potatoes, cubed
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Procedure:
- Puree the onion and carrots in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic until fragrant and lightly browned. Pour in the carrot puree, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in diced tomatoes, water, yam, red potatoes, and cauliflower. Season with turmeric, curry powder, cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and red pepper flakes.
- Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
Authentic Saag Paneer
From AllRecipes.com
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch fenugreek leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ pound paneer, cubed
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon, grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Salt to taste
Procedure:
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spinach and fenugreek in the boiling water until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Puree until finely chopped, about 5 pulses.
- Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry paneer cubes, stirring constantly until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in the skillet and fry the cumin seeds until lightly toasted and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add onion, and then cook and stir until onion begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in ginger, garlic, tomato, garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until tomatoes break down and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in spinach and fenugreek, cream, paneer cubes, and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Easy Chicken Korma
From AllRecipes.com
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 6 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mango chutney
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, chopped
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 1 two-quart baking dish.
- Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions in oil until soft.
- Place onion, yogurt, mango chutney, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala into the bowl of a food processor. Process into a smooth sauce. Achieve the consistency of thick cream. Add a bit of water or yogurt to thin it if needed.
- Spread chicken into prepared baking dish, and pour the onion sauce over the chicken.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top, and serve.
Sonya Rashad is a food blogger who is also a health and fitness enthusiast. She loves cooking with spices like turmeric not only for their much-celebrated taste, but also their health value.
The paleo diet involves a lifestyle of food that matches similar items eaten during the early existence of humans. These foods include items that can be hunted or found like meats, fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds. This diet also removes agricultural items like grains. However, just because pasta’s not on the menu, doesn’t mean you can’t eat great tasting meals while on the plan.
Breakfast
Cut an avocado in half and remove the seed. Scrape out just a small amount of the avocado flesh (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) enough to fit one egg. Crack an egg directly into the avocado bowl. Place in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until egg white sets. Sprinkle with your favorite herbs like chives or cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.
Lunch
For an easy lunch with a Mediterranean food from Boston flare, make Greek-style wraps using turkey and paleo-friendly Greek dressing. Lay down a collard greens leaf as your bread. Layer with turkey, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, fresh oregano and any other vegetables you personally like. Drizzle on the Greek dressing and fold into a portable healthy lunch.
Dinner
Wings are king, and buffalo chicken wings are easily made paleo. Roast plain chicken wings with salt and pepper in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour. Place on a baking rack in the roasting pan for crispness. Once done simply toss with your favorite paleo friendly wing sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot sauce) mixed with two tablespoons melted butter.
Snack
For a simple paleo snack sprinkle raw pepitas with curry powder and garlic salt and roast in the oven at 325 for 12 to 15 minutes. Stir the seeds partway through for even browning and to prevent burning.
Dessert
Desserts can be made paleo with the right ingredients. For chocolate mousse, place a can of coconut milk in the fridge until the cream separates from the water. Use a spoon to remove the cream from the coconut milk and place in a food processor with 1 cup of dates. Strain the mixture through a sieve and set aside. Melt on low heat 5 ounces of your favorite paleo-friendly chocolate. Fold the melted chocolate along with 1 teaspoon vanilla to the coconut-date mixture. Place in fridge until mixture firms.
Add these paleo ideas into your weekly meal plan to elevate your eating plan, as well as feel free to make changes to customize each meal to your own tastes.
Turkey can be a wonderful star of any meal; however, the traditional turkey dinner is rather labor intensive and the traditional options for serving up turkey can get a bit tiresome. If you seem to have fallen into a routine with how you serve turkey, it may be time to mix things up.
Omelets
When people think of turkey, they generally have a vision of it as a dinnertime food. However, it can be easy to start off the day with turkey incorporated into breakfast in the form of an omelet.
Turkey-stuffed omelets can kick off your day with a healthy dose of protein while delivering great flavor. Add shitake mushrooms, spinach, cheddar cheese to round things out for a delicious and healthy omelet. If you are feeling like adding a little extra crunch to your turkey omelet, try adding a little bit of bacon.
Macaroni and Cheese
When people think of macaroni and cheese, most view it as a side dish. However, adding turkey to it can take it from being an accompaniment to the star of any meal.
Whether you are preparing macaroni and cheese from scratch or getting a little help from a prepackaged mac ‘n’ cheese, turkey can boost the dish. Make it spicy by adding a bit of crushed red pepper. Create a rather healthy version by loading up the dish with turkey, broccoli, carrots and a variety of other vegetables. Or you can even move it toward a more gourmet dish by adding truffles along with the turkey.
Burritos
Kid-friendly and fun, burritos often are made with red meat. However, turkey can provide a healthy twist on this family favorite.
Serve up with refried beans, and you have an easy and delicious meal that should please even the pickiest of eaters.
Manicotti
Often, ground meat such as beef, pork or veal are used in manicotti. However, turkey or a combination of turkey and spinach can transform this traditional dish into a fresh new favorite.
For a decadent version, try utilizing three cheeses rather than simply the traditional ricotta cheese. This will create a rich-tasting version of the dish.
For a healthier version, swap out the regular ricotta for a lower fat version. This will provide the flavor with less guilt.
Tomato Soup
While it is not uncommon to incorporate turkey into a variety of soups, less common is the turkey-tomato soup. Chunks of turkey can add a richness of depth. To make it even heartier, add elbow macaroni.
While turkey may not normally be considered the most exciting ingredient, venders such as Harvestland can offer you turkey options that can really alter your family and friends’ opinions of this sometimes bland white meat.
Now that we’ve enjoyed Thanksgiving, we are down to the last holiday (and last month) of the year – Christmas! If you didn’t eat too much during November you will still have space to enjoy more holiday treats for the coming season.
Going back to basics, there is nothing like homemade Sugar Cookies – one of my personal favorites – to put you in the mood for a good book and a glass of milk. Below is my secret recipe for making a batch of the best sugar cookies ever!
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of organic sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¼ cup of skim milk
2 teaspoons of baking powder
¼ cup of light corn syrup
Turbinado sugar (for sprinkling)
Organic powdered sugar (for dusting cutting board)
Take the butter out of the refrigerator and place it on the counter to soften to room temperature. If you don’t want to wait, place it in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds on defrost. While waiting for the butter to soften, measure out the three cups of flour and sift into the bowl. Add salt and baking powder; mix until these ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Place the butter in the mixer bowl and add the sugar, corn syrup, skim milk and vanilla. Mix until the batter is smooth and creamy and there are no lumps. Add the flour mixture to this in thirds until the batter is firm but still soft. Remove the bowl with the batter and place in the refrigerator. Allow the dough to chill for an hour.
Now for the fun part! While the dough is chilling you can use your creativity to make some very interesting cookies with unusual cookie cutters (if you want plain round ones, you may simply go along with that). You can choose cookie cutters in the form of gingerbread men, seasonal, holiday shapes or anything you wish.
For a real treat, you can make 3-D animal cookies with special cookie cutters. The packs come with a choice of several animals; all with three to four cutters for the legs, head and body of the animal. They are very simple to assemble and you can purchase them at any art supply store.
When the dough is chilled remove it from the refrigerator and roll it out on a cutting board lightly dusted with organic powdered sugar. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter. If you aren’t the rolling pin type (and I’m not!) form the dough in one inch balls in your hand and place on the cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand so that the cookies don’t rise too high. This is a faster method than using a rolling pin.
Place the cookies in a preheated oven at 375° and bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until slightly brown around the edges. This yields 4 ½ dozen cookies.
This recipe omits eggs all together and is good for people on a low cholesterol diet. Adding milk and corn syrup make the cookies chewy and soft.
+Paul Reichman is the founder of BedBathStore. Using decades of experience in home fashion, Paul offers quality bed, bath and home furnishings through www.bedbathstore.com.
Food poisoning can be a very serious issue, it brings with it major health concerns and can even cause death in some cases. If you think you have food poisoning it can be helpful to make sure you get the proper medical treatment. The last thing you want is to have to treat your sickness all by yourself, getting the proper medical treatment is extremely crucial.
Some of the easiest ways to limit your chances of getting food poisoning are to eat more organic foods, and be aware of where your food is coming from. When you eat higher quality foods these foods will naturally have less exposure to harmful chemicals and other bacterias that are given a chance to pollute less quality foods.
In this article we’re going to cover the reasons you should eat organic food to reduce your chances of getting food poisoning, and the steps you should take if you happen to get food poisoning.
Why do organic foods do better at preventing food poisoning?
Over 40 million people get some form of food poisoning every single year, and that’s just the number of cases that are reported. If you attempt to include unreported cases of food poisoning that number would be much higher. Some of the largest contributors to this number are meats such as chicken and beef. Aside, from meats other greens such as spinach and salad mixes also contribute to that high number.
Foods that are organic have stricter requirements for their growth, production and manufacturing. These regulations end up making it harder for food borne illnesses and bacteria to spread. Also, food that is grown in an organic manner tends to be healthier, due to those same standards.
How can I reduce my risk of food poisoning?
There are a few different ways you can minimize your risk of getting food poisoning. For instance, when you prepare your food always ensure that you wash your hands before and after handling any meat, or even any food whatsoever. Also, make sure that you always wash all fruits and vegetables before you eat or cook them.
Ensure that you always cook your meats to the recommended temperature, undercooked meat is a big contributor to food poisoning. Bacteria’s that cause illness cannot survive past a certain temperature, so cooking your meat past that point will go a long way towards making your food safer.
What steps should I take if food poisoning does occur?
I hope this article has been helpful and you have a better idea of why you need to eat more organic foods in your life. Besides the health reasons of eating more organic foods, they can also lower you and your families chances of contracting a food borne illness, or food poisoning. Remember, if you do get food poisoning seek medical treatment as soon as possible, this will increase your chances of having a smooth recovery.
The biggest contributor to food poisoning is obviously the treatment of your food, so do whatever is in your power to minimize your risk. This includes buying healthier foods, and utilizing safe and effective preparation and cooking procedures.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/08/health/foodborne-illness-101/
Zane Schwarzlose is a writer at The McMinn Law Firm, a personal injury law firm in Austin, Texas. Zane did not enjoy the last time he got food poisoning at a restaurant.
Every country and culture has its own traditions about what to eat on New Year’s Day in order to bring them luck. We have gathered the top ten International food dishes that are considered both delicious and lucky!
1) Hoppin’ John. This traditional New Year’s dish of the American South consists of black eyed peas cooked with bacon and served over white rice. No self-respecting Southerner would dream of starting out the New Year without a heaping plate of this for breakfast. Just have the Beano ready . . .
2) Mango with sticky rice. In Thailand the New Year doesn’t actually begin until April, when the farmers traditionally begin flooding their rice fields to plant their first crop of the year. Mangoes ripen the same month, and there are vendors everywhere selling sliced mango with a lump of sticky rice on the side, all covered by sweet coconut syrup – the whole thing served on a fresh banana leaf. If you share the dish with your boyfriend/girlfriend it is guaranteed you’ll be married before the year is out.
3) Fried chicken feet. In southern China the New Year is feted with fireworks, rice wine, and fried chicken feet. The Chinese eat the whole foot, bone and cartilage and all, and will tell you it tastes delicious and is very good luck. Reports from foreigners who try it vary – some say it tastes like burnt toast but otherwise is harmless; others have had to go to the local ER to have their stomachs pumped due to the bone fragments. Apparently, it’s all a matter of mastication.
4) Ha’penny pudding. In Great Britain they make a sort of mincemeat pie without the crust, and hide a coin inside it. Everyone is served a portion of the pudding on New Year’s Day and whoever gets the piece with the coin will be blessed with good luck all year. In Scotland the thrifty people have replaced the coin with a small gherkin.
5) Raw calf liver with citrus chutney. Argentina is a meat-eating country, since they produce more beef and export more beef than any other country in the Western Hemisphere. So it makes sense they would celebrate New Year with plenty of good red meat. But exactly why you have to eat your liver raw is unclear – most Argentines say it is a native custom that the Spaniards kept on. The citrus chutney, made of grated lemons, oranges, grapefruit, and imported bergamot from Italy, mixed with fiery chili peppers, is said to discourage the flu bug; children are often given it as a cold medication when they come down with the sniffles.
6) Beery chicken. Take one whole chicken, drown it in a gallon of Foster’s overnight, and then stew it and serve with parsnips – that’s the way to woo Lady Luck in Australia. Australian sheep shearers, who pretty much live on a diet of mutton and Foster’s Ale all year long, have been known to go on strike if they don’t get their beery chicken on New Year’s Day.
7) Poutine. This Canadian staple is not exactly touted as a good luck charm on New Year’s Day. Instead, it is prepared for all those unfortunates who overindulged the night before and are now suffering from a hangover; it is purported to cure hangovers in a trice. Poutine is made of French fries covered with melted cheese curds and brown gravy. If you can stomach such a disgusting mess on New Year’s Day you probably deserve some good luck.
8) Palm grubs. Now this one is on shaky ground. Expats who live in Cambodia swear that the native population chop down dead palm trunks on New Year’s Day to extract the large, pasty white, beetle grubs that infest it, and eat them raw, with relish. This may be a holdover from the famine times Cambodia experienced during the 70’s and 80’s, but the Khmer natives we have spoken with disavow any such disgusting tradition. This is probably a case of expats pulling some travel writer’s leg.
9) Reindeer steak. Norwegians celebrate the New Year with a large, juicy steak provided by their northern neighbors, the Laplanders. It’s extremely expensive, and so only the well-off can afford to have it. Still, those Norwegians in humbler circumstances manage to get ahold of some ground up reindeer meat to make “kjottebolle”, or meatballs, for their New Year’s Day supper. Eaten with boiled potatoes and lingonberry relish.
10) Devil pasties. In South Africa housewives pride themselves on making the spiciest devil pasty in the neighborhood. A holdover from the days when Cornish miners worked the gold and diamond mines, the pasty is a fried pie with a filling inspired by spices brought over by Indian indentured servants during the 19th century. If it doesn’t coat your tongue with ash, goes the South African saying, you won’t be getting any good luck for the New Year.
