^{by Sharon Quercioli}

Happy New Year! A lot of people are looking for a new start and a bright future. When it comes to starting the new year, every country has their own customs. Today I wanted to talk about a few of those customs. Maybe you can try out some of these traditions in your home. After all, who does not love trying out new things and coming up with our own holiday traditions!

Filipino Traditions
Three common Filipino traditions are to clean your home on the 31st of December, put coins on your windowsills and another tradition which I will talk about later. I love the idea of starting off the year with a clean slate. That is the idea behind the winter cleaning tradition in the Philippines. The coins on the windowsill are to help entice good fortune into your home. 

French Traditions
In France, they have a huge feast called le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. It is full of traditional French cuisine including oysters, foie gras, lobster, and escargot. To accompany this decadent feast is champagne, of course.

Danish Traditions
In Denmark, the tradition is to have a tower of marzipan doughnuts. They call this a “wreath cake” or a kransekage. It is also served during weddings and birthdays as a way of celebrating a joyous occasion! 

Turkish Traditions
In Turkey, sprinkling salt on your doorstep can give you good luck. It is said to promote prosperity in your home and life as well as peace. 

Round Fruit
There are quite a few countries which have the tradition of eating round fruit on New Year’s Day. In Spain, the tradition is to eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight to bring a year of good fortune and prosperity. In the Philippines, the tradition is to have a bowl full of twelve different types of round fruit. The round shape of the fruit is supposed to represent coins and prosperity.

American Traditions
There are two American New Year’s traditions I want to focus on: black-eyed peas, and goal setting. 

All the other customs I covered had to do with food, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas during your New Year’s dinner. It is thought to bring prosperity in the new year, after all.

For the New Years, I love being able to focus on self-improvement and goal setting. Most New Year’s resolutions involve being healthy or making healthier decisions and I think that is great. However, when we make these goals in January, it is best if we focus on the right thing. Instead of aiming for a short-term goal, why not try to change or add healthier habits into your repertoire. This will ensure that any weight loss or other positive outcomes will be a sustainable one. 

So instead of focusing on a crash diet (Whole30, Low Carb, Keto, etc.) try to make healthier decisions when it comes to food intake and your activity level. Instead of cutting out carbs, try replacing sugary snacks with fruit. Replace sugary drinks with water. 

One more tip is to focus on changing your mindset. This will help with making healthy, sustainable changes in your diet. Try to focus on “eating to live” instead of “living to eat.”

This month’s recipes
Since a lot of these New Year customs have to do with food, the recipes this time around have to do with some of those things. Specifically, a couple recipes with a variety of fruits and another recipe dealing with black-eyed peas.

Fruit Salad
I love a good fruit salad! It is wonderful all year round. In the summer, my fruit salads have a tendency of being light. I love tossing some cut up fruit with a homemade honey lime dressing (a fourth of a cup of honey, the zest from a couple of limes, and a tablespoon and a half of fresh lime juice). However, in the winter months, I like to go a fruit salad that incorporates some fall or winter scents. Today I have two types of fruit salad for you. One that is lighter and another that is creamier. 

Orange Cinnamon Fruit Salad
What you’re going to need:

For the dressing:

• Tablespoon of orange juice 

• Tablespoon of lemon juice

• Tablespoon of honey

• Pinch of cinnamon

For the fruit:

• Cup of fresh blueberries

• Cup of kiwi (peeled and diced)

• Cup of mandarin oranges (peeled and segmented)

• Cup of diced apples

• Cup of grapes (halved)

• Half a cup of pomegranate seeds

• One banana (peeled and sliced into pucks)

Remember that the fruit in this can be interchangeable depending on what fruit you have around.

What you are going to do with those things:

• Prepare the fruit and place in large mixing bowl. Set aside

• Whisk the ingredients of the dressing.

• Toss the fruit in the dressing

• Done! 

I love to make it ahead of time and let it sit in the juices for a couple hours in the fridge before I serve it. It helps the flavors blend.

Creamy Fruit Salad (Just like my mom used to make)

What you are going to need:

For the dressing:

• A cup of sour cream

• Three tablespoons of your favorite powdered or granulated sweetener

• A teaspoon of vanilla extract

• A cup of chopped nuts

Fruit:

• The same fruit as the Orange Cinnamon salad (see previous recipe)

What you’re going to do with those things:

• Prepare the fruit. Mix in large mixing bowl. Set aside.

• Whisk together the sour cream, sweetener, and vanilla.

• Pour over the fruit. Stir to coat. 

• Chill for about an hour. 

• Toss with the nuts right before serving.

Healthy Black-Eyed Peas
While I’m not the biggest fan of black-eyed peas, I will admit that it is a great source of fiber and that (if prepared correctly) I actually enjoy it as a side dish. So here is my favorite (and healthy) recipe for black-eyed peas.

What you are going to need:

• Three tablespoons of olive oil

• Four cloves of garlic (minced)

• Half a cup of onions (diced)

• Four cups of chicken broth (low-sodium or homemade is best)

• Four cups of fresh or frozen (but defrosted and drained) black-eyed peas

• Quarter cup of scallions

What you are going to do with those things:

• In a five-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil, onions, and garlic over medium heat. Sauté until the onions are slightly see-through. 

• Add the broth and wait until it starts to boil.

• Add the peas, reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for about forty minutes or until they are tender. If you need to add a little more broth during this process, that is okay. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

• Plate the peas and add the scallions on top. 

• I love it served with some brown rice and with a little hot sauce on top.

Happy Holidays everyone! No matter what holiday you celebrate, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!