Free Soul Food Recipes Breaking New Ground

Free soul food recipes continue to break new ground. While more health experts are complaining about the high calorie, salt and fat content in soul food, more websites are heading the call for healthier recipes. The huge (pardon the pun) problems with obesity is blamed on the high fat and calorie content in much of the food we eat.

To respond to this growing demand, more soul food recipe publishers, websites and restaurants are offering healthier recipes. The response? A growing resurgence in the popularity of this southern cuisine. An added bonus is attracting the interest of new people to this southern comfort food.

Examples of Healthy Changes

Examples of healthier changes is replacing many of the high fat seasonings, such as fat back, ham hocks and bacon drippings. These traditional southern seasoning have been replaced by more natural seasonings, like herbs and spices. For example, basil, chili peppers, onion powder, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon and lime juices, to name a few.

While traditional high fat content seasoning have contributed to the health risk in soul food recipes, the cooking methods have also been a problem in the past. Now you’ll find less recipes calling for deep fat frying and more baking, roasting, steaming and grilling.

New Creative Cooking Methods

You also find more creative cooking methods like stir frying being introduced to more and more dishes. For example, one of the fastest growing health friendly soul food recipes is stir fried collard greens. Another popular vegetable recipe that’s quickly growing on recipe lover’s list is stir fried cabbage. Stir frying is said to preserve over 70% of foods vitamins and nutrients, compared to boiling.

Traditionally vegetables have been boiled. This method of cooking have been known to destroy the vitamins and nutrients, especially if the cooking process is long. Even traditional desserts are starting to get a makeover. Traditional soul food desserts such as peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and sock-it-to me cake while tasting like a piece of heaven is loaded with sugar, butter and other calorie heavy ingredients.

Healthier Substitutes

Healthier substitutes are making their way into more recipes. Instead of butter, butter flakes, spread and other healthier substitutes are being used. Instead of granulated sugar, Agave nectar (or agave syrup) is a sweetener, said to be 1.5 times sweeter than sugar without the harmful side affects of sugar.

These are examples of the ways free soul food recipes are breaking new ground. As new develops emerge I’ll keep you informed.