Cooking southern isn't just about deep-frying, thick breading and extra butter. Southern cuisine can be healthy and tasty. Learn tips and recipes for home-style meals.
From fried chicken to milk gravy, southern food traditions have long been a part of American culture. But Southern cooking, known for heavy flavors and filling tastes, is popular outside the US south, too. Diners all over the globe can find cornbread on local menus - a golden treat created by early southern colonists. Buttermilk biscuits (first created in the south) have become a household staple. And mint juleps, a traditional drink associated with the Kentucky Derby, are enjoyed now as part of horse racing tradition. Southern cuisine, is often associated with frying, battering, heavy flours and gravies. But cooking southern can mean cooking healthy, too. When home-style flavors are delicious but not fattening, a true taste sensation is created.
Tip: Home-Style Substitutions
Fatty oils are often a part of home-style southern cooking. Instead of reaching for canola, peanut or sunflower oil, try less fatty fish and olive oils. Use wheat-based and organic flours for batters, and reach for skim or nonfat milk to cut calorie and fat intake. Use egg whites, and no yoke, to reduce fat in baking and batters. For baked foods, try applesauce instead of butter. Marshmallow crème can be a great substitution for butter in frosting and icing.
Tip: Low Fat Southern Cooking
Adding meat alternatives where a recipe calls for ground beef can help create a low-fat treat. Add black bean dip to hamburger to create a delicious southwestern burger. Try new chicken recipes to put a conventional spin on a time-honored southern favorite. De-skinning chicken, using low-fat oils and creating a healthy batter can change that fattening fried chicken into a much healthier meal. Red beans and rice, a well-loved southern dish, can be a tasty and low-fat home-style creation.
Tip: Healthier Home-Style
Southern food is often considered rich, heavy and delightful in taste. All that rich heaviness is usually achieved with fattening ingredients, putting a strain on cholesterol and making it difficult to count calories. Use substitutions, low-fat recipes and fat-free ingredients to create healthier home-style meals. Instead of deep-frying, try oven-roasting or even pan-frying to help reduce fat and calories. Any recipe can be adapted to create lighter, healthier fare…even southern recipes.
Cooking southern is a tradition that’s been adopted by many other parts of the country, tastes and recipes that have grown bigger than any one region. Noting says home-style quite like grits, buttermilk biscuits, fried potatoes and delicious entrees. But nothing says home-style has to say fat. .
