INDIANAPOLIS – Dietitian Kim Galeaz explains the symbolism of “good luck” foods and shares some recipes filled with both good luck and good health!
Ingredients:
- 14-18 ounces of Soba noodles (or any wheat, rice, or buckwheat noodle)
- Spicy Korean Sauce:
- ½ cup Gochujang Korean Red Chili Paste
- ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons of honey
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons of sesame oil
- 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups chopped green onions (white and green parts)
- 1 – 2 Asian pears, unpeeled and diced
- ½ cup POM Wonderful pomegranate arils + more for garnish
Directions:
- Cook noodles according to package directions
- Drain well
- Place the cooked noodles in a large bowl
- While the noodles cook, prepare the spicy Korean sauce
- Whisk all sauce ingredients in a separate medium bowl
- Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles with green onions, diced Asian pears and ½ cup pomegranate arils
- Mix lightly to combine all the ingredients
- Garnish with more pomegranate arils before serving
- Can be served immediately at room temperature or refrigerate in an airtight container and serve cold
* Makes about 11 cups of salad

Ingredients:
- 6-7 thick sliced bacon slices, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 cups finely chopped onion
- 1 ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 ½ cup finely chopped green peppers
- 3 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pkg. (13 oz.) Fully cooked andouille sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices then halved
- 3 cans (15.5 oz each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups (1 liter) low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion + more for garnish (white and green parts)
- Cooked rice for serving
Directions:
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until the bacon is almost crisp, about 10 minutes
- Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and softened
- Stir in the Cajun seasoning, thyme, red pepper, black pepper and salt, along with the andouille sausage, black-eyed peas and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer for at least 20 to 25 minutes, to allow the flavors to mix and blend
- Once done, stir in ½ cup green onion
- Serve with cooked rice
- Refrigerate leftovers in a tightly covered container
* Makes about 9 ½ cups (8-10 servings at least)

Ingredients:
- 4 to 5 thick sliced bacon slices
- 1 ½ cup finely chopped onions 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 – ¾ cup finely chopped cooked smoked deli ham
- 1 ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- teaspoon of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar
- 1 ½ bag (16 oz size) pre-washed and pre-chopped green cabbage
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
Directions:
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon slices until crispy.
- Remove from the pan and crumble
- Put aside
- Keep all or at least 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan and add the onion
- Cook until onion is tender, about 4 minutes
- Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes
- Add the crumbled bacon, diced ham and all the spices and seasonings
- Stir and cook just a minute, then add the chopped green cabbage
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the greens begin to wilt and shrink
- Stir in the chicken broth
- Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes
- Remove the cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. (Some people like to cook collard greens for up to 2 hours; it’s your choice!)
- Serve warm / hot
*Makes 5 full cups (7 servings, ¾ cup each)
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce (2 tbsp) Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
- ounce (1 ½ tbsp) vodka
- ½ ounce (1 tbsp) orange liqueur
- ½ ounce (1 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) of simple syrup or triple syrup *
- Champagne
Directions:
- Assemble the first 5 ingredients in a mixing glass and shake well with ice
- Filter into a fluted glass or martini glass and garnish with champagne
- Serve and enjoy!
* Makes 1 martini
* Triple syrup is a combination of simple syrup, honey syrup and agave syrup. All syrups are made by dissolving the sweet ingredient in an equal amount of water. To make 1 quart of triple syrup, mix 5 ounces of each syrup together.
Ingredients:
- 32 ounces of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
- 8 ounces of water
- 4 large cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 6 juniper berries
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest and juice for ½ orange
- Apple brandy
- Triple sec liqueur
Directions:
- Combine the pomegranate juice, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, cardamom pods, juniper berries, vanilla, orange zest and orange juice in a medium saucepan
- Bring to a low simmer over low heat
- Keep the heat low and simmer for another 45 minutes
- Turn off the heating
- All the mixture to infuse for at least 2 hours off the heat
- Stump
- Serve hot or cold and add 1 ounce (2 tbsp) of apple brandy and ½ ounce (1 tbsp) of triple sec liqueur to each 8 ounce serving of spiced cider
- Garnish with an orange slice
- Refrigerate leftovers
*Makes about 4-6 servings