A Compassionate Eater's Guide to New Year's Day
A short blog to start the new year off right, with essential history, unrivaled recipes, and bookclub!
Happy (almost) New Year :) I’m posting an extra blog this week because I’m enthused by the momentum of the year to come.
An Important Dose of History
I love holidays which involve specific food traditions, and lucky for me, New Years is one of them. I love this aspect of certain holidays because the link between celebration and food is so transparent. Further, when there are traditional foods which are consumed, it’s a fun opportunity to understand why and feel connected with folks before who and ate these recipes or versions of them.
For as long as I can remember, my mom always ensured that black-eyed peas and collard greens were on the table at the start of the year. It’s safe to say the holiday food-theme loving has been natured/nurtured in me. I was told the dishes signify good luck and prosperity for the year to come, and unsurprisingly, there’s more depth to the story. So, if you’re eating black-eyed peas and collard greens, here’s why from America’s preeminent food historians:
Tracing the Origin of a Black American New Year’s Ritual
Recipes
Black-Eyed Peas
Black-eyed Peas by Mashama Bailey
Berbere-Spiced Black-Eyed Pea Sliders from Bryant Terry’s Afro-Vegan
Collards
Coconut-Braised Collard Greens by Von Diaz and Julia Moskin
Collard Greens from Christopher Carter’s The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice
Cornbread1
Cranberry Cornbread by Vallery Lomas
Cornbread from Ghetto Gastro’s Black Power Kitchen
Getting Creative
I paired Bryant Terry’s black-eyed pea sliders with Vallery Lomas’ cranberry cornbread, and added cranberry pear jam (homemade by my mom), vegan honey mustard, mixed greens, and Cuban-spiced caramelized onions. It did not disappoint, so long as you’re willing to opt for a fork.
Intereating Bookclub
For the past four years, my new year’s resolution has been to read 52 books/ one book a week. To give you an idea of how that’s going, in 2022 I read approximately twelve. Therefore, in 2023 I’m opting to meet myself in the middle and resolving to read 24 books…and I’m soliciting your help with half of them. I thoroughly love bookclubs, so let’s get one started! The best part is that if you choose to participate, I’ll mail you a free copy of our first book :) So, if you’re interested, please fill out this form so we can determine the date of our monthly, hour-long Zoom meeting. Yay! For ease, I’ve selected January’s title (we will collaboratively determine our future readings).
Drumroll for our first book:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
I selected this book for three reasons:
A wonderful friend who I unequivocally admire has recommended it.
I received it for Christmas.
For following a year long food journey, the beginning of the year seems the perfect time to read this book.
That’s all I have for now; happy New year my friends, and hope to see you at bookclub <3
I substitute milk and butter for non-dairy alternatives, and each egg for a tablespoon of flax-meal with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water.