Traditional soul food can be made healthy.
Soul food originated with African American slaves, who were always given the undesirable left overs from the house. They combined these scraps of food with their own home grown vegetables to create the first soul foods. Although delicious, traditional soul food is often very unhealthy. But as health has become a growing concern, alternatives have been developed to create delicious, low calorie soul food without having to sacrifice any flavor. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Oven Fried Chicken
One of the main staples of soul food is fried chicken, but the traditional deep frying method adds on hundreds of unneeded calories. To make healthy fried chicken, preheat an oven to 450 degrees. In a large plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup flour, and seasoning of your choice, which can include garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and fresh ground pepper. Wash four chicken parts of your choice, shake off any excess water and place into the bag. Shake the bag until each peace is covered with the mixture and place each piece skin-side down on a metal pan. Bake for 20 minutes, turn over and continue baking until the chicken is crisp brown. This recipe serves four with 178 calories per serving.
Steamed Collard Greens
Collard greens are traditionally slathered in butter and salt. To get the healthiest experience, skip these ingredients altogether. Instead, rinse collard greens under cool water, chop the leaf portion into 1/2 inch slices and the stems into 1/4 inch pieces. Fill a steamer pot with two inches of water, wait for the the water to come to a boil and steam for five minutes. Place the greens with lemon juice, olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Serving size is one cup with 49 calories per serving.
Fruit Salad
When thinking of soul foods, fruit usually doesn't come to mind. However, watermelon, berries and peaches used to grow wild throughout the southern United States. Chop fruit of choice into bite sized pieces, combine in a large bowl. Tossing them together with raw honey is an optional way to increase sweetness. This recipe will have 75 to 150 calories per serving size of one cup, depending on the fruits you use.
Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese is notorious for being filled with fat from tons of butter and cheese, but with alterations, it becomes much better for you. To prepare healthy mac and cheese, prepare four ounces of elbow macaroni based on the instructions it comes with. Omit any salt and oil the directions say to add. Drain the noodles in a colander and add back to the pot. Add 4 slices of low-fat American cheese, 1/3 cup fat-free milk, 2 tablespoons light tub margarine, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon red hot-pepper sauce. Cook over medium heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes before serving. This recipe will yield four servings at 173 calories each.
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