Healthy, Wealthy and...

YJDKIY is not sure that roasted butternut has any New Year's Day meal significance, but I wasn't about to bust out a ham, so there you have it. It also took the place of cornbread, this year.

I had always thought: greens = weathly and BEPs = wise, but I don't know what the healthy was supposed to be! For some reason I thought BEPs were also lucky. Then I just read that greens = dollars and BEPs = coins. Who knows!

The collard greens turned out absolutely perfect. To achieve this, I sauted some crushed garlic and red pepper flakes in EVOO for about 1 minute. Then added low-sodium chicken broth (I think veggie broth would work, if you add salt), pepper and garlic powder. Then, after ripping the (organic) greens into bite-size pieces, I add them to the pan (use a large skillet with sides). They simmered, covered, for abot 40 minutes. I added some rice vinegar on the plate. (PS The squash was perfect too, just slice it in rounds, coat with EVOO, cinnamon, garlic salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes).

What didn't turn out so well? Forgetting to cover the peas so all the water evaporated and burned the bottom layer to a nice black mess and didn't cook the top at all. Bonus: a nice smoky flavor to the ones I did salvage. Sadly, I think my first purchase of 2011 will be a new pot. :(

Happy New Year!