Fried chicken. Biscuits and gravy. Barbecued everything. Some foods from the American South have migrated throughout the nation. Even if you want to eat healthy, using deep south seasoning and recipes can bring that famous southern touch to your table.
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.
One of the main spices used in southern cooking is salt. The combination of grease and salt is hard to beat, as any french fry aficionado will tell you. Of course, healthy diets limit salt. Substituting sea salt is one way of boosting health. Using spices to add zest to food can cut the need for salt of any kind. Cayenne and black pepper are used in the spicier Creole and Cajun dishes, while thyme, onion, and garlic give smooth flavor to blander sauces.
Cayenne pepper, which is a big part of many Creole and Cajun dishes, is actually so healthy that it's sold in capsules as a dietary supplement. It is an anti-inflammatory, has more vitamin C than citrus, and helps other nutrients work better in the body. It also boosts circulation and promotes normal clotting of the blood.
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.
Other vegetables were often cooked for a long time. This can seem strange to those who are used to lightly steamed beans and tossed salads. However, these healthy veggies taste great with southern stand-bys like sweet potatoes, Cole slaw, and cucumber pickles. Actually, baked sweet potatoes and low-sodium pickles are considered true health foods.
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.
One of the main spices used in southern cooking is salt. The combination of grease and salt is hard to beat, as any french fry aficionado will tell you. Of course, healthy diets limit salt. Substituting sea salt is one way of boosting health. Using spices to add zest to food can cut the need for salt of any kind. Cayenne and black pepper are used in the spicier Creole and Cajun dishes, while thyme, onion, and garlic give smooth flavor to blander sauces.
Cayenne pepper, which is a big part of many Creole and Cajun dishes, is actually so healthy that it's sold in capsules as a dietary supplement. It is an anti-inflammatory, has more vitamin C than citrus, and helps other nutrients work better in the body. It also boosts circulation and promotes normal clotting of the blood.
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.
Other vegetables were often cooked for a long time. This can seem strange to those who are used to lightly steamed beans and tossed salads. However, these healthy veggies taste great with southern stand-bys like sweet potatoes, Cole slaw, and cucumber pickles. Actually, baked sweet potatoes and low-sodium pickles are considered true health foods.
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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