What’s your New Year’s Resolution?
It always seems to take at least 2 months before I stop writing the wrong date. Although I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions, I do like to have fun with New Year traditions, such as eating lucky foods. Lucky foods such as a bowl of Candy Cane Cream:
I don’t like candy canes, but I do like cream… and peppermint.
What’s so lucky about this bowl? It’s not the cream, and it’s not the peppermint. It’s not even the chocolate (although anyone who has chocolate is pretty lucky in my book). No, the lucky food is the pomegranate. According to New Year lore, pomegranate is revered as a symbol of fertility, regeneration, and prosperity. It’s commonly eaten on New Year’s Eve in Greece and Turkey… and now at CCK’s house too.
Candy Cane “Whipped Cream” Pudding
(Makes 1 1/2 cups: one Katie-sized serving!)
- sweetener of choice
- 1/16th tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp water (20g)
- 1/2 serving agar base (linked below)
- 5 drops pure peppermint extract
- optional: cocoa or fruit (for flavored cream)
Instructions: First, make up the agar base. When it’s cooled, put half of it in a blender (or Magic Bullet) with all the other ingredients and blend away. Whip very well. I like to put it in the freezer for a few minutes prior to eating, so it’s super-cold. Optional: add fruit, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, or other add-ins.
Nutritional Info: (for the entire bowl) Calories: 60, Fat: 3g, Protein: 2g, Carbohydrates: 3g
Other Lucky New Year’s Foods:
- In Spain and parts of South America, they eat twelve grapes—one to symbolize each month of the coming year. Sweet grapes stand for good months, and sour grapes foreshadow bad months.
- In Japan, they eat soba. The long noodles symbolize a long life.
- Sauerkraut is eaten in Germany, and in Brazil and Italy, lentils are considered lucky.
- In the southern US, they eat cooked greens (green = money) and black-eyed peas, which stand for coins.
Aside from eating pomegranates on New Year’s, I’m also planning to fill the menu with other lucky foods, such as my southern CCK Collard Greens as well as this black-eyed pea dish:
What’re your New Year’s resolutions?
And are you going to eat any lucky foods?
Fi says
That cream looks nice! id have to leave out the peppermint tho, i have a weird version to ANYTHING mint flavoured, i just cant do it! i plan on getting healthier and happier in 2011, its about time. xx
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin says
Yum that looks delish! My new years resolutions include running my second half (March 26th!) faster than my first, and becoming Lifetime with Weight Watchers!
Erika @ FoodFitnessFun says
Okay, I never knew you made vegan cream! I must try it!
PS – Pork (although not vegan) symbolizes luck for the New Year too! 🙂
Issa says
Woo! How gorgeous are those photos? I want to dive right in :).
Gina says
Oh my goodness, that whipped cream looks so delicious!
I need to get some pom in for New Year’s 🙂
Christin@purplebirdblog says
Even though my family is all from the North, growing up in the South I have definitely partook (partaken?) in the black eyed peas and greens reality!
Sarahishealthy says
That looks so delicious, Katie. I am a HUGE fan of peppermint ANYTHING, so I’ll be writing this recipe down!
Gloria says
I haven’t touched my Twitter account in months but I followed you 🙂 Maybe I’ll actually log on more now!
I put crushed vegan, organic (much more flavor and less sweet than conventional) candy cane on top of a batch of brownies before I baked them for Christmas and they came out wonderfully! I don’t usually like candy canes but the slightly melty peppermint and bits of crunch were awesome.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Also, candy canes make everything SO colorful. Even photos hehe :). (Plus, they make chocolate-mint candy canes. I didn’t have any this year, but a few years ago I tried one. Much better than the regular version.)
lindsay says
OH i heard about that. Good thing I love pomegranate! I also have black eyed peas on New Years. They are suppose to be lucky too! Happy New year friend.
LC
Brandie says
HAHahahahah… when I saw the post title for today I thought “But Katie doesn’t even LIKE candy canes?” lol… Ah but I see, you DO like peppermint! So, um, what’s the difference then? Just don’t like the sugar in the cane? I hate candy canes too but I also hate all other things peppermint 🙂
Without adding the peppermint oil, though, that looks REALLY good! I didn’t know we were supposed to eat a lucky food for New Years either… I don’t think I’ll try the grapes thing – I couldn’t handle it if they turned out to be all sour! Ack! 🙂
Brandie says
OH! And I already know where you are on Twitter, so I’m lookin foward to the coupon AND to this hearltfelt tweet that’s coming…!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I think I like mint, but not peppermint? Dunno, really… I’ve always loved mint cc ice cream, but hated yorks and Andes mints. And Wild bars are my favorite things in the whole world. Go figure :-?.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I don’t know what the difference is… it’s strange!
Becki @ Hike, Bike, Eat says
That gumbo looks painful and delicious! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such huge chunks of jalapeno with the seeds still in – YUM!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hehe it’s actually okra 🙂
Roselie says
Oooh I love this idea! But, you know,in Greece we don’t really eat pomegranates in new year’s eve, though we do use them for decoration sometimes. I think we ought to start a new tradition this year,Katie’s whipped cream!! 😉
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
LOL really? I found my info here: http://livingingreece.gr/2007/12/31/new-years-greece/
But I’ve only been to Greece once, and that was in the summer. I’d love to go back! 🙂
Healthy Chocoholic says
That cream looks tasty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A blogroll would be cool, I think! =D
Alexandra (Veggin' Out in the Kitchen) says
I’ve never made any resolutions before, but I might try. I just don’t know what I would do them on – I like my life how it is (most days anyway 😉 ).
For the lucky foods, I might have to try the grape thing – that sounds like fun! And I might make some black-eyed peas. I’ve never had black-eyed peas before and New Year’s seems to be the perfect excuse! 🙂
Kat says
I always put the wrong year for a few months too!
One of my new year resolutions is to eat a vegan diet one day a week. Hopefully your blog can help me do that.
I think you should do a blogroll because I enjoy seeing what other blogs people read
Now that I know pomegranate seeds are eaten on New Year’s, I’ll be sure to eat them!
Blog is the New Black says
I always do the wrong year, too! 😉
Ilana says
Before I read this post I was thinking about making black eyed pea croquettes and greens. Now I know I have to.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oooh sounds so fancy-schmancy!
Rach says
So I love your website. I just spent some time looking through your recipes and I am SO excited to try a couple of them! I’m thinking that some Chocolate Butter sounds way fabulous… and maybe for breakfast tomorrow some chocolate chip oatmeal… oh yesh. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aw Rach, thanks for such a sweet comment!! Now I might have to have chocolate oatmeal tomorrow, too. Can’t let you indulge alone, now can I? 😉
Rach says
Haha! Most definitely!
melissa @ the delicate place says
i love pom! i made a spicy date/orange/ginger relish for christmas and mixed pom arils in. yum! i am so behind on blog reading! i’m catching up on everyone’s holiday!
Lili says
on new years my family always has chocolate fondue. YUMM!
Claire says
I’ll probably make a resolution to get back into my blog, I make and photograph all the meals I want to blog about but always forget to type them all up. I’m also thinking about trying something new each week, could be a sport, cycling route, food, genre of book or film etc. Have you ever made a New Years resolution and stuck to it? I came up with a really good one last year when I was half awake one night but didn’t write it down, in the morning I woke up unable to work out what it was but new it was something really appropriate (to this day I have no idea). 😛
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Usually, if I make any at all, it’s just for fun… lol I don’t even remember a single one I’ve ever made in the past! But I love your idea to try something new. I did that about a year ago, trying a new food every week. I found some good ones (and I highlighted the challenge on my blog). But I also unfortunately found kumquats and starfruit, neither of which I was very happy to discover hehe. Oh well, not every food can live up to chocolate after all!
Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a Day says
We always do a big black eyed pea and collard something or other for the New Year!
Katherine: Unemployed says
My grandmom always served greens and black-eyed peas on new year’s day. I love gumbo! So glad to see a version that I can eat sans-sausage etc
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
I always put the wrong date on things too….for QUITE some time. And sometimes in say June, I have to catch myself and be like is it really 2010, or is it 2011 or is it 2009. I admit, sometimes I am like what year is it again?! haha!
The vegan whipped cream gets me everytime…i want that!
Later today I am doing a whole post on 2011 goals 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
It was so much easier when we were in grade school and had to write the date on all our papers lol.
Jess says
Peppermint cream sounds LOVELY!
Liz says
I, like many, never stick to my new years resolutions. : / The cream looks amazing though! I’m not a huge fan of candy canes either, but I love peppermint!
whitney says
I heard eating lentils on New Year’s Day bring good fortune! 🙂
Whitney
bitt says
I’ve been known to be a few years behind…my students used to laugh at me when I’d put 2005 on the board in 2008. Oops.
I haven’t had a pom in so long. New Years is a good excuse to get one. I have heard of the noodles and the black eyed pea traditions but not the others, thanks for sharing!
BroccoliHut says
Just picked up a bag of black-eyed peas intended for some lucky Texas Caviar:)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh wow, I forgot about Texas caviar. I might have to make some too. Then we can be twins… not like we aren’t already! 😉
Cynthia K says
What a fantastic-looking gumbo, Katie!
I’m a southern girl from way WAY back and we always had black-eyed peas on New Year’s day, although collards weren’t a must-have in our house. I’ve never heard them referred to as ‘coins’, but rather, you’re supposed to have one day of good luck for every pea you eat. I think I need to start doing that again! My guy is from NY and thinks black-eyed peas are terrible so I stopped making them a few years ago…maybe that’s why things have been so difficult for us! It’s not the economy, it’s the lack of peas!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Haha oh gosh, don’t you wish the world’s problems could be solved simply by eating more black-eyed peas?! 🙂
Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) says
Well I’ve been thinking its 2011 all year, and am slightly disappointed to find out it’s not 2012 coming up! I wanna see the Olympics already! 😛
Ooh I wonder what this cause is…? I’ll be watching you on Twitter verrry closely, so watch out for your Emma stalker! 😉
Embodying Freedom says
I’m going to try to start just DOING more things instead of being afraid to fail. I know, it’s very “Yes Man” of me. But I find when I just dive into things without worry, I end up with an amazing experience!
Kristen says
Happy New Year! I love that you mentioned the grapes in Spain! I moved to Spain this past September. It has been quite the adjustment. I am vegan living in pork country! As for the grapes… I tried to eat all 12… it’s harder than you think. You have to eat them with the 12 chimes of the clock!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh Kristen, I feel your pain. I’m vegan living in “Cattle Country” (what they call Texas). Hugs to you :). Happy New Year!
Hazyy says
Apart from the grapes, we do eat lentils too! 12 tablespoons of cooked, warm, delicious lentils. Which is not completely great in my country because New Year’s eve is in summer o_O
I think I’m scanning your whole blog in these days <3 checkin' recipes to cook tummy desserts for my goddaughter who's coming over on friday! excited! 😀