Think of fried chicken and shrimp gumbo, black-eyed peas and turnip greens, fried catfish and hush puppies. This 'soul food' is made distinctive by deep south seasoning. The trick is to turn these and other traditional dishes into healthy meals with modern cooking methods.
Fried chicken and hush puppies were traditionally deep fried. We now know that this is not a healthy way of preparing food, since high heat changes vegetable fats into those dangerous 'trans fats' so bad for the heart. However, baking can yield a poor substitute for the real thing, and few want to use the traditional saturated fats - bear grease, goose grease, and pork lard - that hold up better to high heat.
But can fried chicken taste food when it's done in the oven? Well, some say it can. The secret may be to brown the chicken first in butter or a high smoke oil like coconut and finish in the oven. In a case like this, the right seasoning can make the final product taste so good that your family or guests won't miss the extra crispiness that comes with deep frying.
Salt is used widely in southern dishes. In fact, salted fish are often eaten for breakfast. Today too much salt in the diet is known to be unhealthy, and care must be taken to use other, healthier spices to make foods appealing. Sea salt is better than the common, refined kind, but even it should be used sparingly. Other spices used widely in 'soul food' - red and black pepper, onion and garlic, and paprika - cut down the need for salt to make food palatable.
Cayenne pepper is actually a very healthful herb. It is even sold in capsules as a supplement and used in topical creams as a pain reliever. Research shows it boosts circulation, promotes proper blood clotting, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and helps many bodily processes work better. It has more vitamin C than oranges, too. Fortunately, this kind of pepper comes in many varieties, some much hotter than others.
Those who can't eat spicy food may have to stay away from some cuisine, like Cajun and Creole. There are lots of southern dishes that don't depend on hot spices. Collard greens are an example of a non-spicy side dish that Southern cooks made famous. If you don't want the 'streak of fat, streak of lean' that those cooks used, you can buy a seasoning alternative that gives the same flavor without the added fat. Lots of 'comfort food' is bland, depending on onion or garlic for flavor rather than the peppers.
Vegetables were traditionally cooked for a long time, so they were never crisp like the steamed vegetables we enjoy today. This makes it hard for some to enjoy greens southern style. However, sweet potatoes, corn salads, Cole slaw, and pickles are also part of this cuisine. And don't forget biscuits, grits, and buttermilk pie! You'll have to depend on small portions to make these part of a healthy diet.
The South is huge, so you have a wide choice of cuisine, from Maryland blue crab cakes to Louisiana po' boy sandwiches. Coastal regions celebrate fresh seafood, while riverside towns consider catfish king. Small portions of richer foods and lots of character in the more nutritious ones can give a southern touch to your balanced diet.
Fried chicken and hush puppies were traditionally deep fried. We now know that this is not a healthy way of preparing food, since high heat changes vegetable fats into those dangerous 'trans fats' so bad for the heart. However, baking can yield a poor substitute for the real thing, and few want to use the traditional saturated fats - bear grease, goose grease, and pork lard - that hold up better to high heat.
But can fried chicken taste food when it's done in the oven? Well, some say it can. The secret may be to brown the chicken first in butter or a high smoke oil like coconut and finish in the oven. In a case like this, the right seasoning can make the final product taste so good that your family or guests won't miss the extra crispiness that comes with deep frying.
Salt is used widely in southern dishes. In fact, salted fish are often eaten for breakfast. Today too much salt in the diet is known to be unhealthy, and care must be taken to use other, healthier spices to make foods appealing. Sea salt is better than the common, refined kind, but even it should be used sparingly. Other spices used widely in 'soul food' - red and black pepper, onion and garlic, and paprika - cut down the need for salt to make food palatable.
Cayenne pepper is actually a very healthful herb. It is even sold in capsules as a supplement and used in topical creams as a pain reliever. Research shows it boosts circulation, promotes proper blood clotting, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and helps many bodily processes work better. It has more vitamin C than oranges, too. Fortunately, this kind of pepper comes in many varieties, some much hotter than others.
Those who can't eat spicy food may have to stay away from some cuisine, like Cajun and Creole. There are lots of southern dishes that don't depend on hot spices. Collard greens are an example of a non-spicy side dish that Southern cooks made famous. If you don't want the 'streak of fat, streak of lean' that those cooks used, you can buy a seasoning alternative that gives the same flavor without the added fat. Lots of 'comfort food' is bland, depending on onion or garlic for flavor rather than the peppers.
Vegetables were traditionally cooked for a long time, so they were never crisp like the steamed vegetables we enjoy today. This makes it hard for some to enjoy greens southern style. However, sweet potatoes, corn salads, Cole slaw, and pickles are also part of this cuisine. And don't forget biscuits, grits, and buttermilk pie! You'll have to depend on small portions to make these part of a healthy diet.
The South is huge, so you have a wide choice of cuisine, from Maryland blue crab cakes to Louisiana po' boy sandwiches. Coastal regions celebrate fresh seafood, while riverside towns consider catfish king. Small portions of richer foods and lots of character in the more nutritious ones can give a southern touch to your balanced diet.
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