We looked around the web for cookbooks that have taken the pounds out of the southern way of cooking (some of these may not be so southern). Here’s what we found. Most are from about.com:

“Low Fat Soul” by Jonell Nash.

“Southern Living All-Time Favorite Light Meals” from Southern Living Magazine

“Heart and Soul Low-Fat Cookbook” by Cynthia Glass

“Cajun Healthy” by Jude Theriot

“Enola Prudhomme’s Low-Fat Favorites”

“Lite Up Your Life” from Quail Ridge Press

“Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African American Cuisine” by Bryant Terry

“Simple Fresh Southern” by Matt Lee and Ted Lee 

“Cooking with Faith: 125 Classic and Healthy Southern Recipes” by actress Faith Ford

Related posts:

1. Southern-style Mexican fajitas
2. The Oprah factor

Since I’m no longer a stay-at-home mom who can have the smell of fresh-baked cookies wafting through the house when the kids come through the door from school, I now have to plan ahead every morsel of food that they eat. Making my teenaged girls healthy snacks, in particular, takes some creativity. Besides, they’re old enough to manage their own.

But if I left my youngest in charge of her diet, she’d be in the hospital from malnutrition.

Baby girl hates to eat just about anything healthy. Her preference is to eat fried chicken and pasta every day. Snacks are the worst to plan for her because she hates fruit and is some-timey about salads. Don’t even talk about getting her to eat vegetables. The best way to get her to eat anything green is to hide it in pasta. She does like applesauce, though. But I’m always hesitant to buy it packaged because so much pre-packaged food includes sugar and preservatives.

Determined to help her expand her mind about food, I decided to introduce her to my applesauce, which is much different than store brands.

I also tricked her and added pears in an effort to get her to eat other fruits. Applesauce is simple to make, and she loves it next to cinnamon toast, which she can make herself.

Not Your Grandmother’s Applesauce (Serves

 Ingredients:

12 mixed apples:

3 Gala

3 Granny Smith

2 Red Delicious

4 Macintosh

5 Pears (mixed)

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon apple cider

Directions:

Skin and core apples and pears. Cut into halves and poach covered until soft. Blend with seasonings and cider. Serve warm with buttered toast.

Garnish with: black walnuts, shredded coconut, and/or currants

Related posts:

1. Grandmother Susie’s apples
2. An apple a day
3. Blender drinks for breakfast

When Sherry, the co-owner of the We Are Back Women’s blog site, asked me to compete in Oprah’s national search for her next TV host, I leaped at the opportunity. I went on the O’ website to find out more about the contest and immediately set about writing a script.

I had planned to compete as a cooking show host, and aimed to hook her by making a unique version of one of her favorite foods – Mac ‘n cheese. We happen to share a passion for Delilah Winder’s dish, only mine is much healthier than the one Oprah crowned with one of her “best of” awards a few years ago.

Healthy enough to actually have your “Cake and Eat It Too” (the name of the segment I’d like to produce), the hook to my Mac ‘n cheese is that unlike Delilah’s dish - or our grandmother’s versions – mine is only about half the calories.

Not that I’m knocking Delilah. I’ve been loving her soul food for more than two decades, and it reminds me a lot of my grandmother’s, which was always delicious but fattening. And if most of us ate that type of food every day, we’d be worse off than we already are. As it stands now ladies, black women are some of the heftiest gals on the planet and for real, for real?

Who really wants to weigh a ton?

Since so many of us need to become more health-conscious, my show would have the same focus as this blog “Healthy Southern Comforts,” which is about  making soul food healthier.

I love soul food, and Philadelphia features several restaurants that specialize in southern-inspired cuisine. Each spot’s a gem in its own right and each has its own specialties. The Bynum  Brothers, who own Relish in the city’s West Oak Lane section, make seafood Mac ‘n cheese that’ll  knock your socks off, while Ms. Tootsie’s in South Philadelphia really hooks up fish. Down at Delilah’s in the Reading Terminal Market in Center City, just about anything they make is great. I love all of these restaurants, but the key to eating their food is moderation. I’m also equally as committed to finding ways to make healthier versions of soul food at home!

In the end, I wasn’t able to compete for Oprah. After a day of shooting, we decided the lighting still wasn’t quite up to par. But I’m still committed to the idea of creating some type of healthy cooking show.  Next time.

 Healthy Mac ‘N Cheese

Note: This dish tastes nothing like your grandmother’s, but it’s just as satisfying, twice as healthy and has only half the calories.

Ingredients

6 cups boiling water

1 tsp butter

1 box of penne  or bowtie pasta

1 ½ cups of shaved Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

2 bags baby spinach, rinsed and washed

1 box grape tomatoes, rinsed and halved

½ cup heirloom tomatoes, rinsed and halved

1 tsp finely grated chili pepper or ½ tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want more fire)

1/8 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed washed and finely chopped (save a few sprigs for garnish)

¼  cup fresh parsley, rinsed and densely chopped (save a few sprigs for garnish)

3 cloves fresh garlic, skinned, rinsed and chopped

Directions

Bring water to a rolling boil and add butter.

Boil pasta until cooked al dente (6-8 minutes or until slightly firm. Do not over cook!).

Add spinach atop the pasta in a colander during the last 15 seconds of cooking (just enough to wilt), thoroughly drain both and rinse with hot water.

Toss pasta with half the olive oil, mix in the spinach and set aside

Take the remaining olive oil and heat on low.

Toss in garlic and when slightly brown, add cilantro and chili pepper, and toss for another minute.

Add parsley and toss, but as soon as it wilts, remove the pan from the heat.

Toss with pasta and add remaining ingredients, plus 2/3 of the cheese, making sure that everything is mixed all the way through.

Garnish with remaining cheese and sprigs of cilantro and parsley.

Serve at any temperature.

Related posts:

1. The magic of pasta
2. Healthy Mac ‘n Cheese

A good soup stock doesn’t have to come from something that walks around. Good vegetarian soup stocks can come from a variety of sources, and one of my favorites is miso soup.

I love miso’s ability to blend with so many other things, and a good miso stock is simple to make.

It’s great with vegetables like squash or spinach or asparagus. But miso also tastes good by itself, with tofu and scallions, sea weed or even stocked with leftovers for a heartier soup.

Related posts:

1. Falling for soup
2. Good and hearty vegetable soup
3. A soup to heal colds

Consistently, I observe that people whose carts are stuffed with pre-fab food are more likely to be fat and so are their children. They buy sodas and snacks, and plenty of frozen food, yet choose few live fruits and vegetables. They also eat way too much meat, no two ways about it.

Obesity is a real problem in this country and it seems that Americans are  getting fatter by the day.

Our lives move fast, and we keep  everything  on speed dial, so who has  time to cook? We prefer frozen pizza and waffles, or drive-through windows because we’re busy, they’re easy and kids love them. We eat too few vegetables and choose convenience over healthy. Who wants to spend two hours cooking when five minutes at the drive-through can feed the family instantly?

But they certainly aren’t healthy. Getting a handle on our fatness  means changing unhealthy habits, there’s no magic bullet diet or a supplement. The real deal is that although fast food is convenient, we might as well be eating cardboard. No matter how happy we are that it makes our lives easier the rule is that if it’s frozen, it’s dead and therefore has no sustainable qualities.

First Lady Michelle Obama gets this, and has focused her attention on projects that inspire America to get healthy. Her goal to fight childhood obesity began the moment she hit the White House, and she had a huge vegetable garden planted there. She wants to leave something sustainable after her husband leaves office  that helps people develop healthy habits to last them a lifetime. Mrs. Obama is  talking about much more than eliminating Mickey D’s. She’s also targeting the freezers in our kitchens that are filled to the brim with frozen convenience foods.

In reality, we don’t  have to eat Taco Bell to have quick and easy food. Burritos are simple to make. Even my youngest and pickiest daughter, who is happiest with pasta and chicken, loves my veggie burritos. If I say vegetarian burritos on any given day she is game. And I think I’ve finally figured out that one reason she likes them so much is because she can roll them herself and choose the ingredients she wants. That makes her feel like she’s in control, which is an important goal for any teenage girl.

Vegetarian Burritos  (12)

Ingredients 

• package of soy crumbles
• 1 ½ cups dried black beans
• ½ cup chopped white onion
• ½ cup finely diced yellow pepper
• 1 ½ cups  fresh chopped vine-ripe tomatoes
• 3 cloves fresh crushed garlic
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 dozen large tomato/basil sandwich wraps
• 1 cup grated  Monterey Jack cheese
• ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh salsa
• ¼ cup virgin olive oil
• aluminum foil

 Directions 

• Soak black beans in five cups of water  for 3 hours.
• Rinse the beans and boil in 5 cups of water until soft (about 2 hours). Drain and set aside.
• Mix dried spices together and set aside.
• Heat oil in a  dutch oven or large skillet.
• Sauté garlic, onions, peppers and fresh cilantro for five minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Scrape bottom of pan, re-distributing the essence.
• In the same pan, brown soy crumbles, which will absorb the oil quickly.
• Add dried spices, beans, onions and peppers and tomatoes. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
• Mix cheeses and set aside.
• Place the sandwich wraps in stacks of 3  in foil.Warm in 400 degree oven until steam lifts when you open them.
• Spoon 2 tbsp fresh salsa down the middle of a wrap.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese mixture.
• Add 1/4 cup soy mixture.
• Fold the bottoms of each wrap about 1/2 inch and then roll tightly vertically.

Related posts:

1. Heart-healthy beans
2. Healthy Mac ‘n Cheese
3. The mysteries of soy and tofu

During my 53 years on earth, I’ve been blessed to have access to many fine and life-altering teachers, and  their  important lessons continue to unfold long after  I‘ve  been in their company. Life’s most important lessons are those that permanently enhance us, and one of my most important teachers was Philadelphia’s former health czar, Gwen Foster.

Gwen, appointed by then-Mayor John Street, taught Philadelphians how to lose weight and lead healthier lives by making lasting lifestyle changes. And although I took her 10-week media-awareness course called “Fun, Fit and Free” nearly a decade ago, her teachings still have a  profound impact on me.                                                                                                                                   

One essential component to her plan for healthier living was to not just go on a diet, but to make changes that keep the weight off.

“Diets don’t work,” says my mate Imhotep Natu Ali, an alternative health practitioner, master massage therapist and reflexologist. He encourages his clients to do a “live-it” instead of  a diet, and like Gwen, Natu teaches them to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes into their daily routines. He advises them to limit or eliminate red meat, sugar and dairy; drink plenty of spring water, and incorporate exercise into regular routines. (Photo credit: Tofu star by Riebschleger).

Both say that discipline is key to making these healthy changes and that we should  replace things that are bad for us.  So in doing this, if you choose to become a vegetarian, it’s essential to eat enough protein. One good source is tofu.

Tofu for protein

One of the most widely misunderstood foods is tofu, which is also a very good source of iron.

Tofu is one of those foods that gets a bad rap among hard-core meat-eaters. You either love it or hate it, but how tofu is prepared makes a huge difference in that choice. Tofu is one of the few sources of protein besides chicken that my youngest and pickiest child will eat, which really surprises me.  Although tofu can be made many different ways - including a dish that resembles chicken salad – my “baby girl” prefers it prepared simply in a skillet.

 Pan-fried tofu with baby spinach

Ingredients

One package firm tofu

Olive-oil flavored spray coating

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½  tsp paprika

1 envelope Sazon

1 handful sesame seeds

1 cup of fresh baby spinach

Directions 

• Sift spices together and set aside.

• Squeeze  out excess water from tofu either by putting it in a tofu press or placing it in a shallow dish underneath something with some weight, such as a cast iron skillet.

           You  should  be able to take out at least 1/3 cup of water.

• Slice tofu down the middle and then into ½ inch-thick squares, and set aside until pan is hot.

• Heat skillet until a drop of water sizzles on it, and then coat evenly with olive oil spray coating.

• Pan-fry tofu on both sides until light brown, then dust all over with seasonings.

• Sprinkle sesame seeds on both sides and then place baby spinach on top.

• Turn off pan and cover until heat wilts the spinach (about three minutes).

• Serve with a side of tamari sauce for dipping.

Related posts:

1. Change your mind, change your life
2. The mysteries of soy and tofu
3. When life gives you lemons …

The  usual mushroom stuffing includes crab meat  or  a  bread-crumb dressing, but  those are both caloric when they don’t have to be. There are many other ways to stuff a mushroom without using fat-illed ingredients.

One way is to use the mushroom as a shell for a mini quiche. If your goal is to serve your guests balanced small plates, the stuffed mushroom can also accommodate the protein portion of the menu. Adding an egg filling, whipped with low-ft cheese and spinach,also makes it a nutritious snack as well as a delicious one. Other nutritional combos include ground meats or soy or couscous and other grains. Or just serve them cold and stuffed with coleslaw. Not only are they good either hot or cold, but they also are healthy.

Stuffings for Mushrooms

Bread-crumb stuffing

Chicken or salmon salad – hot or cold

Ground turkey, beef or soy

Coleslaw or artichoke dip

Olive spread

Hummus

Rice and peas

Couscous

Spinach/ egg soufflé

Spinach Soufflé   Mushroom Caps (serves

Ingredients

16 carefully chosen mushroom caps

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/4  cup rice milk

4 egg whites

¼ -1/2  cup grated low-fat cheese (parmesan or Mexican blend for mild flavor or cheddar or swiss  for a sharper taste)

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch sea salt

One pinch white pepper

Olive oil pray coating

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Rinse and snap stems from mushrooms and place on oiled baking pan.

Beat egg whites until fluffy and stir in seasonings.

Gently fold in rice milk, cheese and spinach.

Spoon mixture into mushroom caps and bake until it rises.

Best served   fresh from the oven.

Related posts:

1. Quiche, the perfect food
2. Bulgur wheat & mushrooms
3. Sliders – the perfect party food

When a child’s mind runs away with food, they come up with some incredible concoctions.

My 15-year-old daughter Rashidah is a fabulous eater, and it’s lucky for her that she’s tall and thin or she could run into trouble with her weight down the road. She loves blending different textures with fresh herbs, some of which grow on our windowsill, including oregano, rosemary and sage . Unlike my youngest daughter Yasmin, who hates all things from the sea but eats every kind of pasta, Rashidah loves  fresh salmon. When she was about 9, she came up with a recipe for  salmon that blends bread stuffing and fresh cilantro and has a teriyaki glaze. (See her recipe below.)

I  find that children are ready, willing and able to help cook from as young 3 years old.  As soon as they are old enough to sit at the table, we should engage them in meal preparation, whether it’s stirring the pancake batter or setting the table for dinner. They have wonderful imaginations when we allow them to explore.  They are much more likely to try new things when they’ve helped prepare the food.  It not only  teaches them how to pitch in, but also helps develop their confidence.

Over the years, I’ve taught my kids kitchen basics such as safety measures, how long certain foods should cook,  how to determine when food is done,  and which seasonings are best. Thank goodness they love to eat.

Plus in our house, who ever  makes the meal gets off from cleanup duty.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rashidah’s  stuffed salmon with teriyaki glaze

Note: this very simple recipe was created by my daughter Rashidah when she was nine years old. Its simple nutritious and goes well with rice, pasta or salad and tastes delicious cold the next day in a sandwich.

Pre-heat oven to 350 f

INGREDIENTS

• one 1  1/2 -2 lb piece of fresh salmon
• tbs  virgin olive oil
• No  stick spray vegetable coating
• cloves  of garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of  prepared  stuffing  (from scratch is best but boxed will do)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbs  fresh chopped parsley
• sprigs of fresh parsley for garnish
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 1 dash of finely ground  sea salt
• 1/3 cup of thick prepared teriyaki sauce
• 1 tbs tamari sauce
• Juice from ½ of a lemon
• 3 tbsp spring water

DIRECTIONS

Have butcher cut a pocket in the middle of the salmon

• • Wash salmon and pat dry, place in baking  or roasting dish prepared with spray vegetable coating & large enough to lay the salmon out flat
  • Finely  chop  parsley and cilantro  and mix together with sea salt and lemon pepper and set aside
  • In a separate dish whisk together garlic, soy and lemon  juice and set aside
  • Prepare stuffing and mix with fresh herbs and seasonings and stuff into salmon, using the  remaining stuffing around the edges of the pan.
  • Brush on a thin glaze of teriyaki sauce and bake for 35 minutes
  • Whisk remaining teriyaki glaze with soy sauce, and brush half of it onto fish
  • Sprinkle water on bottom of pan around, but not on top of the fish
  • Cover with foil and continue baking for app. 10-15 more minutes, until fish flakes apart but  is still moist (some people prefer their salmon rare but we like ours well done)
  • Drizzle with remaining sauce and garnish with sprigs of parsley

Related posts:

1. Currying favor with the children

The maternal women in my family all had very strict rules about food and we had to eat everything on our plates.  My mother insisted that we eat three square meals a day and breakfast was major.  She made us a hot breakfast everyday and we weren’t allowed to leave home without it.  Her mother,  my grandmother Susie was equally as strict and her food which was always wholesome and healthy was also very plain.  Mom’s was a little fancier and she always took great care in preparing her menus ahead of time every week.

These women had survived both World Wars and the Great Depression and wasting food was never an option.           My mom and Grandmother Susie were sympathetic to the picky tastes of children and each worked very hard to  prepare meals that we liked.  If Mom made liver for Dad, she made hamburgers for my two sisters and me because she knew there was no way that we’d  eat organ meat of any type. And Grandmother Susie made us bacon although she never ate  it.  But my step-grandmother whom we called Aunt Lena didn’t care if we liked her food or not.  Except – when it came to our evening treat,  which I’ll get to in a minute.

Aunt Lena had survived the Holocaust.  Her parents and her four sisters  had escaped from the Nazis in Eastern Europe and landed in Brooklyn, NY,  where she grew up in poverty. Although  she amassed great wealth later in her life and was very generous,  she always wanted to make certain that  her eight step-grandchildren were appreciative so,  the children ate what the grown folks ate, there was no discussion about it. When we visited her during the summer and didn’t eat what was served (like oatmeal for breakfast),  we got it again at the next meal – cold, so you know we learned to like it.  But at night  Aunt Lena lightened up and went for fun, allowing us to help create blender drinks that we loved as a treat. They included any fresh fruit from her orchards,  milk which was often powdered and ice cream.

We’ve carried this tradition to our own kitchen, but make healthier blender drinks for breakfast.  Instead of ice cream  we might use yogurt which contains acidophilus,  an immune booster which  also aids  the digestive track.  But bananas are even better than ice cream  to thicken the drink up  along with all types of other fruit. We use what ever is in season and our blender drinks have an orange or unfiltered apple (my preference) juice base.  We also add nutritional supplements like vitamins and Spirulina, which is made from sea algae and turns the drinks dark green.  Spirulina  is an excellent source of food that is high in nutrition, particularly protein and is available at health food stores.  It comes in either capsules, powder or tablets.  Just two grams of Spirulina taken daily can inhibit viruses and it also helps fight allergies. In a blender drink with fresh fruit,  it provides the essential nutrients the body needs.  In today’s fast-paced  environment,  blender drinks made with Spirulina are a great way to make sure that everyone in the family is nourished before they leave the house.

Related posts:

1. Breakfast at Fatimah’s
2. Breakfast on the run
3. A ready-to-go breakfast of pancakes

Having both of my parents together is rare, because they divorced two decades ago and  Dad immediately remarried. But just like in the old days, my parents gravitated to the front porch, eager  to discuss their  progeny. Thirteen grandkids between their three daughters,  so they had lots  to catch up on. Like his father, my dad loves to pontificate, and just as he did when I was a child  he held court with the  “youngins. ”

Growing up, our front porch was sacred and was one of my parents’ favorite sanctuaries. It was the one place where they could talk in private but still keep an ear on the house. With three active daughters, there was always something going on. Even though my  parents aren’t really in each other’s lives  much these days, when they do get together  they are friends, which is a good thing because our family has grown  so large.

With my southern- bred  grace,  I  thought  dad’s visit was the perfect  excuse to make a  small  feast.

My menu

Ripe sliced peaches and nectarines  ♥

Spring mix salad  with  blood-orange  tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers ♥

Asian coleslaw  ♥

Baby potatoes tossed with olive oil,  fresh garlic and parsley

Stir-fried zucchini and squash  ♥

Teriyaki  chicken  ♥

Sliced peach bread

Strawberries and cream ice cream

Raspberry ice cream

♥  indicates heart healthy

Seven of the grandkids, ages six to 18, crowded into my small dining room while the grown folks dined outside. I  realized just how blessed I am to be able to make people happy with my food, just like my late grandmother  Muddie, who passed her passion for cooking right down to me. Now if  only I had learned to make her rolls, which were  phenomenal.  I don’t have her recipe,  but someone in the family must and I just have to get on a mission find it.

My front porch is way smaller than the one I grew up with, and  my parents  are much wiser than they were 40 years ago. Today, my front porch remains a favorite gathering place for family and friends. It’s the one area where I can connect to the outside world and still enjoy the ambience of my home. It’ s  also a reminder of my  particular affinity for Southern Victorian mansions with their wrap-around porches lined with wicker rocking chairs and elders who wisely share their wisdom over glasses of  cold strawberry lemonade.

Related posts:

1. Counting my blessings