45 new ear recipes

Traditional Chinese Buddhist vegetarian stir-fry with wood ear mushrooms, lily buds, bean curd, bean thread noodles, and fresh vegetables in dark soy and sesame oil. A Lunar New Year classic.

Classic Chinese Buddhist vegetable stir-fry with ten ingredients including cloud ear fungus, lily buds, bean thread noodles, and soy-spiced bean curd. A traditional Lunar New Year dish loaded with earthy, umami-rich flavors.

Italian prosciutto, fresh cherry tomatoes and basil leaves, and cheese, these four simple ingredients together are a perfect snack for your New Year's Eve.

Lentils with cotechino sausage, an Italian New Year's tradition. Slow-poached pork sausage served over lentils braised with sage, soffritto, and tomato.

Italian lentils with sausage simmers fresh sausage in broth while earthy lentils cook with sage, soffritto, and tomato paste. A rustic Umbrian-style main or New Year lucky dish.

This traditional Southern dish is served on New Year's Day for good luck throughout the year

Vegan Hoppin' John salad with black-eyed peas, brown rice, spinach, and a simple vinegar dressing. A cold, plant-based twist on the Southern New Year's classic.

Traditional Southern Hoppin' John with dried black-eyed peas, rice, ham, and cayenne. A one-pot New Year's Day staple believed to bring good luck.

Virgin champagne, a fizzy, alcohol-free celebration drink made from just white grape juice concentrate and club soda. Kid-friendly bubbly for toasts, New Year's, and parties, ready in minutes.

Vegan Hoppin' John salad tosses black-eyed peas, brown rice, spinach, and onion in a tangy vinegar dressing. A chilled, plant-based take on the Southern New Year's tradition.

Homemade fortune cookies: thin crisp wafers cooked on a skillet, folded around your own paper fortunes while still pliable. A party project for Lunar New Year or kids' birthdays.

You can serve this delightful cholesterol-free, high-fiber bread on New Year's Eve instead of the traditional bowl of black-eyed peas believed to bring good fortune for the year ahead.

In a Cretan zacharoplasteion (sweet shop), we were so intrigued by these coconut pastries (among the newer breed) that I tried them at home. You can expect the potato pastry to be a bit difficult to manipulate, and you can also anticipate compliments on the results. Attractive and tasty, not excessively sweet.