Healthy Soul Food Recipes

Toss leftover cooked chicken with barbecue sauce and crunchy carrots for a quick and healthy lunch.

With all that delicious fruit an apple pie should be healthy, but the truth is a slice can have as much as 750 calories. 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—sweet!

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 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.

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

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.

Kale becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender in this recipe. Assertive garlic and salty country ham stand up to kale's bold flavor.

In this dish, the okra is steamed, not boiled, and has none of the gummy properties for which it is known. You can use fresh or frozen okra. If you're using frozen okra, partially thaw it before slicing and add it directly to the boiled rice in the colander before steaming. There is no need to brown it.

Can you really make a chicken-fried steak that isn't loaded with saturated fat and salt? Absolutely. We skip the deep frying, but with rich country gravy as consolation, you won't miss it. Our pan-fried, crispy cube steak has less than one-third of the fat and about 80 percent less sodium.

Though vegetarian BBQ may be an oxymoron, once you take a bite of this delicious tofu sandwich topped with coleslaw and dill pickles you won't mind the contradiction. Serve with: Baked beans and corn on the cob.

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.

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 one-skillet dinner recipe, Kentucky bourbon gives a kick to these sticky glazed pork chops. In the healthier black-eyed pea Hoppin' John, this easy recipe uses smoked paprika instead of traditional ham or bacon.

Smooth, lacinato kale (aka dinosaur kale) is topped with barbecue chicken, carrots and cabbage in this healthy, gluten-free lettuce wrap recipe. Try them for a low-carb dinner or light lunch.

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

This easy vanilla-bourbon homemade whipped cream recipe makes a sophisticated topping for any pie, crisp or crumble, or dollop in after-dinner coffee for an elegant treat.

To save time, this plum pie uses store-bought phyllo dough to create the crust. The phyllo ruffles give an airy look to the pie while also adding delicious flake and crunch. A light dusting of confectioners' sugar finishes the show-stopping dessert.

There is no form of corn that a Southerner can't use. This recipe is designed for corn that was picked a few days ago or has otherwise lost some of its sweetness. In the country it's called fried corn, but the corn's really boiled in milk or cream to soften and sweeten it.

Kale is simmered with leeks and garlic then “creamed” with flour and milk in this healthy take on creamed spinach. Serve alongside steak or roast chicken and a baked potato.

This eastern North Carolina-style chicken barbecue recipe is vinegar-based, a far cry from the sweet tomato-heavy sauces from the western part of the state. Double the recipe to make a big batch, perfect for game-day parties and potlucks.

Try this recipe when you've got a craving for old-fashioned soul food.

Cooking the potatoes and kale in a foil packet in this healthy recipe gives you moist and tender results while using less oil. Choose a barbecue sauce that has the least amount of sodium and added sugars.

Brown rice add fiber to this diabetic-friendly pork and beans side-dish recipe. Skip the salt when cooking the rice to keep the sodium low.

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.