Lucky Food Recipes for New Years

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So you’ve read our New Year’s Lucky Foods post, and are ready to plan your menu. Don’t know where to start? We have lots of suggestions on this post of Lucky Foods recipes for new years & plenty of Lucky Food menu ideas. Some you can even eat on New Year’s Eve when the clock strikes midnight.

Lucky Food Menu Ideas – New Year’s Eve Appetizers:

No chicken wings or mini meatballs on this menu!  Remember that chickens scratch backwards and cows stay still, so avoid both New Year’s Eve or New Year’s day.  Plan appetizers with eggs, veggies, pork, fish, shrimp or cheese.  Figs, grapes and pomegranate are also good options. Add in some Avocados as they are said to represent prosperity and good fortune.

So just think of your favorite appetizers that include at least one of these lucky foods.

New Year's Lucky Foods

Here are some popular appetizer options that include 1 or more New Years lucky foods:

Lucky Foods Menu Ideas – Vegetarian Appetizer:

New Years Lucky Lentil Bean Soup

Lucky Foods Menu – Main Dish Ideas:

In our house you typically get a bowl of white rice with black eyed peas (made with ham hocks,) along with a side of greens and corn bread. Remember anything made with corn meal is believed to represent good fortune because of it’s golden color.

Hoppin’ John (black eyed peas) is a popular choice because you can mix in rice, pork, greens and beans – all on the approved lucky foods list. In a Spanish household, another dish would be Congri which is white rice, black beans and pork. If you don’t like black eyed peas, lentils are also popular due to their green color. Any rice, including risotto are all good options as well, since they swell when you cook them, which represents abundance in the New Year.

Don’t forget about noodles. There are tons of recipes that call for noodles – just don’t cut the noodles – boil and serve them whole which represents long life.

Fish…all fish are a good main course except for catfish since they are bottom dwellers. Remember that the fish scales represent silver and fish swim forward good symbols for the new year. If you are only cooking for 1 or 2 people, fish tacos are quick and easy. Remember no turkey, chicken, steak, lamb, lobster or crab. The Japanese also have fish to bring prosperity and wealth, as well as shrimp for a long life.

collage of mixed traditional christmas food

So to recap, here are some Traditional New Years dinner and side dish ideas:

Soups: In the mood for soup? Make a fish stew, seafood boullabaisse or minestrone soup with lots of beans and veggies in it. You can also include Italian or Andouille sausage. Ribollita is a popular bean and veggie stew in Tuscany or try an Italian Fish soup.  Another excellent soup to try is a Caribbean Pepper Pot Soup.  Try a tomato bisque or a pumpkin soup.  Perhaps a meatless chili with several types of beans or a hearty mushroom soup. In Romania, they make a cabbage soup called Ciroba de Varza.

Want to order out? For Chinese order a pork fried rice or pork lo mein. BBQ – have ribs or pulled pork. Italian – have pasta with sausage, cheese lasagna or a pepperoni and sausage pizza. Of course cheese pizza works too, I just try to keep sneaking that pig in there, since so many cultures believe it brings good luck both because it roots forward, which we all want to progress in the New Year, and also because their fatty meat is said to be symbolic for a fat wallet.

Lucky Foods – Desserts:

Round cakes, cookies, donuts and pies all work. If you want to impress, make some chocolate truffles. Try Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano cake, Raspberry creme brulee, Looking for more healthy, try Almond Butter Balls.

Lucky Foods – Breakfast:

If you didn’t eat enough at the stroke of midnight and are in the mood for breakfast, stay away from omelets and go for round shaped items like quiche lorraine, donuts, crepes, pancakes or bagels. (round representing coins again.) Of course smoked salmon or white fish on your bagels combines the good luck from fish along with your round bagel.

We hope you enjoy these fun ideas, and wish you good fortune in the new year!

Other New Year’s posts that may interest you:

New Years Traditions and Superstitions

New Years Lucky Food Recipes (on Pinterest)

Foods That Bring Good Luck in the New Year
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