Healthy Soul Food Recipes

Collard greens are meltingly tender when cooked for a long period of time. Smoked turkey in place of bacon adds the traditional smoky taste.

Spicy sausage--in this case, chorizo--pairs beautifully with hearty greens. If you like, substitute collard or mustard greens for the kale. If you can't get chorizo, hot Italian sausage will also work in this soup.

There's no need to feel guilty over this classic creamy combination of chicken, peppers and mushrooms. Our version uses low-fat milk and flour for thickening to make it plenty rich without all the saturated fat. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles.

Here we've combined two favorite Southern side dishes--grits and greens--into one casserole; it's a natural choice to serve with Easter ham. Try omitting the bacon and using vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian dish.

This bourbon-spiked lemonade cocktail recipe is a spirit-lifter at the end of the day. If bourbon isn't your thing, rum, gin or vodka would all make delicious substitutions.

In this black-eyed pea dip recipe, black-eyed peas are pureed with extra-virgin olive oil, red-wine vinegar, garlic and thyme--a nice alternative to hummus. Try this protein-rich black-eyed pea dip with your favorite fresh vegetables or baked pita chips.

Purchased Cajun or Creole seasoning flavors both the catfish and vegetables in this 30-minute dinner. This dish is best with fresh vegetables, but we were pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out with frozen okra and corn. Serve with cheese grits and a green salad.

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.

A Louisiana favorite, our version of this spicy dish uses whole-grain Wehani rice. Long-grain brown rice also works. Traditionally made with chicken liver, which gives it a “dirty” color, we use healthy lean chicken sausage instead.

In this healthy chicken breast recipe, bottled barbecue sauce--often loaded with sodium and high-fructose corn syrup--is replaced with a homemade barbecue sauce recipe. Use the barbecue sauce to baste the chicken breast while cooking--but if you want to also serve the barbecue sauce at the table, separate some before grilling to avoid cross-contamination.

Waffles aren't just for breakfast anymore! This savory variation with crispy chicken and a delicious herb gravy is comfort food at its best.

With all that delicious fruit an apple pie should be healthy, but the truth is a slice can have as much as 750 calories and 30 grams of fat. For the most part, the culprit is the crust. We use whole-wheat pastry flour to add fiber and lower the saturated fat by replacing some of the butter with canola oil. The brown sugar-sweetened filling in this pie is made with two kinds of apples for the perfect balance. A slice has half the calories of a typical version and only 10 grams of fat--sweet!

Although the classic Cajun stew, étouffée, is usually made with crayfish, it's also delicious with catfish. The cooked butter-and-flour mixture, also called a brown roux, gives the sauce a nutty flavor. We added a bit of reduced-fat sour cream and stewed tomatoes to make the sauce rich and flavorful without a lot of extra calories or fat. Serve with brown rice.

Traditionally made with rice, this classic Southern dish gets great toothsome texture here from quick-cooking barley instead. Serve with a green salad.

Invented at Antoine's in New Orleans in 1889, oysters Rockefeller was named for John D. Rockefeller, one of the richest Americans at the time, for its rich sauce. Antoine's has kept the original recipe secret, but basically it includes a cream sauce with spinach and other greens, flavored with Pernod or anisette. This version omits the cream sauce but is still full of flavor.

In this healthy buttermilk biscuit recipe, sprouted whole-wheat flour lends the nutritional benefits of whole-wheat flour without the bitterness. If you can't find sprouted flour, white whole-wheat and all-purpose flour are good substitutes. Adapted with permission from Bread Revolution by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press, © 2014).

Plenty of dark leafy greens deliver the moisture needed to balance lean ground pork and beef in this spicy meatloaf recipe. Serve any leftovers with extra ketchup as meatloaf sandwiches.

Bananas cooked in a delectable brown-sugar-rum sauce make for a quick yet impressive dessert.

Adding okra to traditional ratatouille gives this French vegetable stew recipe Southern flair. It's delicious on the day it's cooked, but even better the next day. Serve as a side to grilled chicken or on top of thick, crusty bread.

This easy fried tomatillo recipe is a healthier twist on the crispy Southern favorite--fried green tomatoes. These oven-fried tomatillos make a tangy, dunkable appetizer or a decadent topping for a burger.

This Southern favorite is a simple blend of Cheddar, mayonnaise and pimientos. If you like spicy foods, add a few shakes of hot sauce. Serve with crackers for an appetizer or as a sandwich spread for lunch!

In this recipe, roast pork tenderloin is glazed with honey, lime, soy and ancho chile powder and served on top of cheese grits. Ancho chile powder, made from dried poblano peppers, has a mild heat and adds a rich, subtly smoky flavor. Serve with sauteed kale with slivered garlic.

Our rich stew is made with green beans. The saffron contributes a pungent flavor and intense yellow color.

Cream cheese and buttermilk are the secrets to these tender, scrumptious shortcakes.