The traditional Southern New Years Day meal can vary from family to family – but there are a few staples across the board – Pork, Greens & Black Eyed Peas. Oh and of course – some form of bread to soak up all of that goodness on the side. And if you ask most of us Southerners – there’s bound to be a macaroni pie floating around somewhere.
Another staple of Southern Cuisine? Sunday Dinner. Sundays in the South often include church, large meals and family gatherings. Maybe even a nap or two in between.
What I know to be true for moms everywhere – is Sunday is often prep day. We spend a lot of our time on Sundays making sure the week runs smoothly and meal prep is part of that. Whether you’re planning, shopping or preparing – I hope this series gives you a few ideas. It will always come with the best, healthy shortcuts I know!
While it meets the requirements of a New Years Day meal, this one doesn’t have to just be reserved for the Holiday. If you have a meal prep day or cooking day, such as Sunday around here, it will fit just right into your meal plans. BONUS – the leftovers are even better! For each part of this meal – I’ve given you a SHORTCUT OPTION to cut down on time. You don’t have to spend a whole day in the kitchen to create a healthy meal for your family. There are healthy options out there to cut down your cooking time. There are always going to be days when you need to throw something together but that doesn’t mean you have to pour from a box.
Collard Greens
2 Bunches of fresh Collards
OR
SHORTCUT OPTION 1/2 Bag of Pre-shredded Collards – find these in the produce section
3/4 Pack Bacon, Diced
3/4 Yellow Onion, Diced
2-3 Cloves garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 to 1 Box of Chicken Stock or Bone Broth
Olive/Avocado Oil
Sea Salt & Pepper
DIRECTIONS
If using fresh collards – wash, pat dry and cut the leaves from the stems. Then shred the collards by rolling the leaves up and slicing them into long strips.
If using bagged collards – rinse and pat dry.
In a large stockpot, saute onions and bacon in a small amount of Olive or Avocado Oil until bacon is mostly cooked and onions are translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes – stirring frequently.
Add in Worcestershire Sauce, Red Wine Vinegar and collards.
Saute for 5 minutes until they are fully coated in other ingredients and starting to barely wilt or darken in color.
Pour in Chicken Stock until they are just covered.
Cover and cook on Medium for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to Low and simmer for another 30-60 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Black Eyed Peas
1 lb. Bag of dry black eyed peas, looked and separated, soaked in water overnight and rinsed the next morning
OR
SHORTCUT OPTION Large bag of frozen Black Eyed Peas straight from the freezer
1/4 Pack Bacon, Diced
1/4 Yellow Onion, Diced
1 Clove garlic, minced
1/4 Box of Chicken Stock or Bone Broth
Olive/Avocado Oil
Sea Salt & Pepper
DIRECTIONS
The nice thing about this meal is if you are making it all together – you can use the same ingredients for several pieces of the meal.
If you’ve prepared your collards, you are going to take the remainder of your bacon and onion and toss it in a Medium sized pot with some Olive or Avocado Oil, or use the quantities listed above
Saute onions and bacon until bacon is mostly cooked and onions are translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes – stirring frequently.
Add in beans – either dry beans (soaked and rinsed) or frozen.
Saute with other ingredients for about 5 minutes.
Pour in Chicken Stock until they are just covered.
Cover and cook on Medium for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to Low and simmer for another 30-60 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
There are of course plenty pork options to include in this meal – but pork tenderloin
is one of those meats that anybody can prepare without too much effort or babysitting during the process.
1 lb pork tenderloin (more or less is fine too for this recipe –
most plain packages come with 2 tenderloins inside)
OR
SHORTCUT OPTION 1 pre-seasoned and marinated pork tenderloin –
usually made by Smithfield and located in the meat section
If making your own marinade and seasoning:
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
1/4 Cup Olive or Avocado Oil
1 Clove garlic, minced
Seasoning of Choice – I usually like to use a mixed steak seasoning – but you can
do anything you love – herbs, more garlic or even Lemon Pepper
Sea Salt & Pepper
DIRECTIONS
If you are marinating your own pork – mix all ingredients together and let it sit
4-6 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to cook, pour all ingredients into a glass baking dish and
roast on 400 degrees F 30-45 minutes until the temperature reaches at
least 145 degrees, basting a couple times during cooking.
If you are using pre-packaged pork tenderloin then open the package
and pour all the ingredients into a glass baking dish with a
small amount of water or chicken on the bottom of the pan (used for basting)
Roast on 400 degrees F 30-45 minutes until the temperature
reaches at least 145 degrees, basting a couple times during cooking.
Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
BONUS TIP – use the pan drippings to make a gluten free gravy! Add drippings to a saute pan on the stove and heat up (adding chicken broth if more is needed). Add a tablespoon of corn starch to a small bowl and stir in 1/4 cup milk until it is dissolved. Pour into gravy to thicken, salt and pepper to taste!
Corn off the Cob
6 ears of corn, husked and de-kerneled (yes – I made that up)
To remove kernels, hold husked corn upright and slide a sharp knife down the length of the corn – cutting the kernels off. After you’ve gone around the corn one complete time – do it again!
OR
SHORTCUT OPTION 2 Cans of whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed or 1 bag of frozen corn
2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
Sea Salt & Pepper
DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a large pan on medium-high heat.
Once melted add in your corn kernels.
Stir frequently for about 5-6 minutes, basically sauteing the corn.
Add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water to the pan and reduce the heat to Medium.
Simmer for another 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally until the water is cooked out.
Salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Bread Option
A few of my favorites:
Mary B’s Frozen biscuits
Sister Schubert Yeast Rolls
Potato Rolls
GF Friends – Canyon Bakehouse Hawaiian Sweet Bread
The Well Mom Collective 
What about the Macaroni PIE?
That has me curious. I will look it up.
Love this post.
Happy Belated New Year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s definitely a southern tradition! Did you look it up?
LikeLike
Yes, I did. I always do. Have a wonderful afternoon.
LikeLike