If You are What You Eat, Then This Year I’m Going to be LUCKY!
There’s something comforting about starting the new year with a pot simmering on the stove.
Across cultures and regions, New Year’s Day foods are steeped in symbolism — dishes meant to bring luck, prosperity, health, and abundance in the year ahead. Greens for money. Beans for good fortune. Long vegetables for longevity. It’s less about perfection and more about intention.
This year, we’re starting January 1st the Bloody Darn Good way: with a simple, flexible, vegetable-packed simmer made with our Bloody Darn Good OG mix.
It’s part soup, part ritual, and completely adaptable to whatever you have on hand.
New Year’s Day Lucky Vegetable Soup
This recipe uses one bottle of OG Bloody Mary mix, diluted with water, and layered with vegetables traditionally believed to bring good luck in the new year. Think of it as a blank canvas — the vegetables below are what I used, but you can absolutely make it your own.
Why These Vegetables?
Carrots – prosperity and abundance
Collard greens – wealth and good fortune
Green beans – growth and longevity
Cabbage – prosperity and longevity
Black-eyed peas – luck and prosperity (especially in the South)
Onions & celery – a flavorful foundation for balance and health
Ingredients
1 (32-oz) bottle Bloody Darn Good OG Bloody Mary Mix
32 oz water
2–3 carrots, sliced
1 bunch collard greens, chopped
1–2 cups green beans, trimmed
2–3 cups cabbage, chopped
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas (canned or freshly cooked)
1 onion, chopped
2–3 celery stalks, sliced
Optional add-ins: potatoes, cabbage, corn, garlic, kale, okra, mushrooms — truly anything goes.
Instructions
In a large pot, combine 1 bottle of OG Bloody Mary mix and an equal amount of water.
Add all vegetables to the pot and stir to combine.
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are softened to your liking.
Taste and adjust — the OG mix does the heavy lifting, so seasoning is usually just right.
Serve warm, straight from the pot, ideally with good bread and even better company.
Make It Yours
This isn’t a recipe you need to follow perfectly — it’s one you should feel. Add what you have. Skip what you don’t. Let the pot simmer while you talk about the year ahead, clean up confetti from the night before, or sit quietly with your coffee and intentions.
Food like this isn’t just nourishment — it’s a way of welcoming what’s to come.
Here’s to a year filled with abundance, laughter, and really good Bloody Marys (in all forms).
Cheers to the new year 🥂
— Marisa