Healthy Southern Recipes and Menus

Featured Recipes

Peach-Blackberry Compote with Basil Syrup

Fresh basil, which has a special affinity with peaches, is the secret ingredient in this sophisticated compote. The basil garnish gives guests a clue to the subtle flavor in the syrup.

» Peach-Blackberry Compote with Basil Syrup

Kiwi-Mint Julep

Kiwis add a tropical note to the Southern favorite.

» Kiwi-Mint Julep

An updated and untraditional rémoulade makes a tangy sauce for these spice-rubbed shrimp. While this is a warm-weather favorite on the grill, you can also cook the shrimp under a preheated broiler. Cook shrimp on a lightly sprayed broiler rack, about 4 inches from the heat, for a winter warmer any night of the week.

» Grilled Shrimp Remoulade

Sausage Gumbo

To keep it simple, we've opted for just the essential ingredients in this rendition of the hearty Creole favorite: sausage, okra, rice and a little spice.

» Sausage Gumbo

Real Cornbread

This traditional cornbread is made without flour, isn't sweet and has a crumbly texture. You can change the adaptable recipe to suit your cornbread preference. For a variation, substitute 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for the baking powder and use buttermilk instead of milk. If you're looking for a more muffinlike texture, substitute flour for half the cornmeal.

» Real Cornbread

Soup Beans

Like poor people everywhere, mountain people in the South thrived for centuries on food that was indigenous, inexpensive and healthful. These days "soup beans" speak instant comfort to anyone who had familial connections from Appalachia, where every garden produced shelling beans that could be eaten fresh or grown to maturity for dry beans. Serve this thick, stewlike soup with cornbread, pickle relish and diced sweet onion.

» Soup Beans

Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Antioxidant-rich collard greens and fiber-packed black-eyed peas have a starring role in this nutritious soup. There's no need for loads of ham or salt pork—just a small amount of bacon gives it a wonderful smoky flavor. You can skip the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth for a great vegetarian dish.

» Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup

The soulful flavors of Southern cooking made healthy!

Southern cooking incorporates so many influences—from English cookery to Cajun and Creole spices—it’s hard to define. Is it great barbecue? Hush puppies and collards? Jambalaya and gumbo?

Southern cooking is all of these dishes and more, cooked with panache. Southern cooking elevates the plain and homely: try some fresh-picked butterbeans (baby limas), simply steamed. Ripe, juicy peaches make incomparable pies and jams and humble collards are transformed into a luscious accompaniment to pork or beef.

There’s no need for Southern food to be deep-fried and heavy; like all good regional cuisines, it relies on fresh seasonal foods and a deft hand at seasoning. All of our delicious recipes are made for healthy eating, so relax with a glass of minty iced tea, and enjoy the soulful flavors of Southern cooking.