May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night. – Irish Blessing

I did not give more than a passing thought to the next seven years when I dropped and broke a mirror. A ladder blocking my way? Not a problem. Stepping on cracks in the sidewalk never once broke my Mother's back. Our black cats brought us only joy, not misfortune. Maybe I am able to safely flout the laws of luck because every New Year’s Day I eat a sufficiently large portion of my lucky black-eyed peas. Hey, if you are going to have a superstition, it may as well be delicious!

Texans must have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. A large bowl makes your bank balance to plump up just like the little pea does while cooking. A friend from Louisiana warned me that unless I add “greens” to the dish, my good fortune will be limited, so Collard Greens are now on my shopping list. The peas alone may be working so far, but why push my luck.

Pigs signify good fortune and wealth in many cultures. The logic behind this delicious food superstition is well thought out. First, owning a pig means your family will not be hungry. More importantly though, pigs move forward as they root for food and never eat while moving backwards. Thus, adding pork to your New Year's Day meal will move your life forward towards prosperity.

In many Asian cultures, wholeness in life is vitally important. So it only makes sense that to fully realize the many kinds of luck awaiting you in the upcoming year, you must serve an entree such as whole fish, chicken, or duck. Supplement your meal of whole fish with Long Noodles and whole Chinese Broccoli and you will lengthen the lives and further the fortune of your whole family.

Associating luck with food makes more sense to me than connecting it to sidewalks and ladders. Here are a few lucky New Year’s Day recipes for you to try.

Black-Eyed Peas

Eating black-eyed peas with collard greens on New Year’s Day is a Southern United States tradition for luck. Each region adds its own variations to enhance the luck - such as adding greens. Soup is always a good choice for a calorie counter which makes this Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Soup from Whole Foods very lucky for your weight goals too.

My Fast Hoppin’ John is my simple yet traditional way to get some good ole Southern luck! Serve over brown rice...with sauteed collard greens! This version is vegetarian, but it is easy to add the luck of pork with a bit of lean bacon.

Cabbage

Cabbage is lucky in Ireland and elsewhere because, like money, it's green and comes in leaves. Why wait til St. Patrick’s Day for your Irish luck? With this amazingly low cal and super healthy Cabbage and Potato Soup from My Recipes, luck will be with you the entire year.

Suchit’s Thai Cabbage Slaw is guaranteed to bring you a long life, good nutrition, and great fortune - along with a lot of compliments and requests for your recipe.

Fish

If you are seeking "wholeness", My Thai friend Suchit says that this Baked Whole Fish recipe from About.com is most excellent indeed.

Lentils

Benny the Chef tells me that in Rome it is lucky to eat lentils with pork sausages and tomato. He says it is important to count the lentils - as that tells you how many Euros you will receive over the coming year! Lentils are great for your health, and your pocket book will benefit from their low cost. Combine your favorite tomato sauce with cooked pork sausage, and serve over prepared lentils.

You don’t have to eat lentils with Italian style to get maximum luck. Crazypotato98 mixes up three kinds of delicious luck with lentils, pork sausage, and collard greens in her Lentil and Sausage Stew. 

Celebrate this New Year's Day with food guaranteed to maximize your good fortune in the coming year!

Your thoughts…

Do you eat certain food for luck on New Year’s Day? What is considered lucky to eat in your part of the world? Did you ever count your lentils and compare that to how much money you received in the New Year? Share your luck guaranteed recipe with all of us here at Calorie Count! If you would like your recipe to be considered for the CC Palate, pm it to me here.