Friday, June 19, 2009

Healthy Soul Food Recipes - The Growing Demand

Healthy soul food recipes continue to grow in popularity and demand. With this nations rising health problems, especially among African Americans, the need for healthy alternatives continue increase. As tasty and filling as the traditional down-home meals our great grandma used to make were, we now know some of the ingredients and methods of cooking were bad for us. Many of the traditional recipes contained high levels of cholesterol, fat and sodium. These ingredients in-turn ignited high cases of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity as well as other health ailments.

To offset the negative results, traditional soul food recipes continue to go through a transformation. As a result it's making a strong comeback among today's health conscious adults and seniors. To help you make the transformation in your own home and family here's a short list on how to cook healthier soul food meals. This list will help you to adjust your cooking methods easier, if you haven't started already. If you've started cooking healthier, these tips will act as your inspiration to continue using healthier alternatives in preparing soul food. These healthy changes allow you to eat healthier without sacrificing taste. It may surprise you how little the original taste is sacrificed. Of course it may not taste as good as your grandmas, but you'll find your taste buds applauding.

Here's a short list of healthier alternatives for cooking soul food.


1. Instead of using whole milk:

Use reduced 1 or 2% milk when a recipe requires milk. For example, use in cornbread, custard, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, etc.

2. Instead of using table salt:

Use Kosher salt. It has less sodium than regular table salt. But the healthiest alternative is using lime juice, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and other various herbs and spices instead of salt.


3. Instead of deep fat frying:

Fry, bake, broil or roast your meats.

4. Instead of flavoring vegetables or beans with fat back, bacon or ham hocks:

Flavor them with smoked turkey necks, turkey ham or turkey bacon.


5. Instead of frying your chicken or fish in lard or vegetable oil:

Use peanut oil or at least canola oil.

6. Instead of pan frying in oil:

Use cooking spray.

7. Instead of cooking chicken with the skin:

Consider removing the skin from chicken before cooking and marinate to add flavor and moistness. By removing the skin you eliminate artery clogging cholesterol.

These are a few examples of using healthier ingredients in your soul food recipes. As you use them you'll discover how little taste you're sacrificing. In addition, your health won't have to suffer like our ancestors may have had to. Because of these healthier cooking tips now you can have your soul food ... at eat it too!

Discover the top 20 Free Soul Food Recipes for this month chosen by readers - based on taste, easy preparation and low cost. Watch video cooking demonstrations - go to ... Soul Food Recipes
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Primm

0 comments:

Healthy Food Recipes   © 2008. Template Recipes by Emporium Digital

TOP