Soul Food Recipes: Latest Ways Soul Food Recipes Are Changing For The Better

Soul food recipes have grown into the one of the fastest growing cuisines today.  Perhaps because of the comfort food feeling it gives. For example, the robust flavors,  the in your face seasonings or the decadent desserts. Whatever the reason, traditional soul food recipes continue to stand the test of time, despite the criticisms for its high  calorie, sodium and fat content  recipes.

Like all classic cuisines, soul food continues to adapt to the changing needs of the consumer. Now with more consumers demanding healthier recipes and ingredients,  the recipes have started to adapt to this growing consumer need.  As a result more soul food restaurants, books and websites are seeing and acknowledging this fast growing trend.

Now you can find tasty soul food recipes that contain no artery clogging fat back, ham hocks or bacon as a seasoning for vegetables. Now you’ll see recipes calling for smoked turkey, which contain up to 95% less fat than ham hocks, fat back or bacon.  You can even find recipes that call for less or even  no table salt to flavor recipes. Instead you’ll find recipes calling for kosher or sea salt, which contain less sodium content.

These new changes have won applause from medical experts, health officials as well as consumers.  The biggest hurdle the soul food recipes movement have had to overcome is winning hard boiled traditional soul food lovers over.  Many were concerned changing from traditional seasoning to healthier seasonings would change the taste of the soul food recipes. But taste continues to convince more traditional soul food lovers they can eat healthier without sacrificing the taste they’ve grown accustomed to.

Soul food recipes continue to change for the better – and the healthier, as the industry continues to raise the bar on tastier recipes without the health risks of the past.  The healthier changes come from reduced fat content,  lower sodium and less cholesterol content.

Many health experts find these new changes excellent choices.  More consumers are coming back to this popular southern cuisine who previously left it for health concerns.  The biggest challenge was making sure the  taste and satisfaction soul food is known for remained. One of the assumptions when thinking healthier is less taste.  But thanks to creative cooks,  healthier and tastier is the result of the new changes taking place with today’s soul food recipes.

Lighter and more natural seasonings is the order of the day that has made soul food recipes more health friendly. We’ll continue to keep you informed of more healthier changes that take place in the future. Stay tuned.

More

What Do You Really Get From Those Health Food Stores?

To prolong the longevity of life is a goal of science and technology that is continuously worked on. The effort simply cannot stop at any point because the bottom line is, human beings like to live, and they like to live long. Whatever opportunity that can be added to the elixir of life should be taken advantage of and improved upon.

Recently, more people have really taken to heart the words, “Watch what you eat.Their belief is that with the right choice of food and a well made diet plan, one can expect to live a very long and fulfilled life. With this demand for health food stores, the food industry experienced a great rise in business. Although the products in these stores generally cost more than the items found in regular supermarkets and food shops, it is claimed that the initial amount spent is recouped through minimizing the need for doctor’s visits and prescription medicines.

Health Food

Just what can one expect to see inside these health food stores? The products carried in the shops are said to be healthier alternatives to the usual food items most people consume. Here is a list of goods that one can expect to find inside a health food store.

Herbs

Different kinds of herbs are abundant in these kinds of stores. They are quite popular because they can be added to regular food to augment flavor and, and of course, they provide some health benefits. In addition, taking herbal medicine is considered by many to be therapeutic.

Supplements

Health supplements are those that enhance the body’s performance by maximizing the nutrients taken from a person’s regular food consumption. These supplements are some of the bestsellers in health food stores.

Low-Calorie, Low Fat

Low-calorie alternatives to diet staples such as milk and meat are also figurative in the line of products sold by these shops. Soy products are among the popular substitutes for these items. The health-boosting qualities of soy make it a heavy-weight in the league of health foods.

Grains

Grains are integral to every health food diet plan, and health food stores carry a variety of grains to cater to this need. Shoppers can select their preferred grains whether in their natural form, or as ingredients in other goods like bread and cereal.

Good Junk Food

An assortment of health junk food can also be expected inside a health specialty shop. These items are still considered junk food, but are relatively less harmful than their counterparts.

Veggies

Of course, health food stores wouldn’t be complete without vegetables. Vegetables are some of the most important cornerstones of a proper and healthy diet.

Stop! Look! Listen!

However, customers of these health food stores should still exercise caution when buying their products. Just because they are labeled healthy doesn’t automatically mean they are, or they are appropriate to consume for a particular person. Here are some of the dangers one can encounter in health food stores.

“Prescription”

The objective of any business is to profit. One wouldn’t hear a sales clerk in these shops badmouthing the products. The goal is to sell, so it is natural for the employees of the store to build up an item to make a sale. However, some of the products may carry certain risks for some people.

For example, a person taking medication for an illness may react adversely to a particular vitamin. Without a doctor’s advice, people have to rely on the suggestion of the store clerks, who have no prescription powers. This is not to say that all health food stores will sell whatever to whomever just to turn a profit. This is just a reminder that it can happen, so there is a need to be informed and careful.

False Advertising

There have been cases where products were labeled health food but were actually not as beneficial as they were claimed to be. Simply looking like one and simply being located inside a store that supposedly sells healthy food does not make food healthy. One might not be getting what is needed from the items bought from the store. So, it is still important to check the labels. But more importantly, expert advice should be sought in order to ensure the best possible additions to one’s diet.

 

Cooking Tips for Gas Grills that Every Grillmaster needs to Master

Despite the fact that most people believe grilling is easy and that anyone can be successful on the barbeque grill, grilling is actually one of the most challenging of cooking methods. Now more than ever, savvy home cooks are looking for the best cooking tips for gas grills. As the weather starts to get nicer and the great outdoors beckons, attention starts to turn to outdoor cooking – and gas barbeque grills can’t be beat for simplicity and convenience. But grilling only becomes EASY when you know the basic procedure for grilling and the important cooking tips for gas grills that ensure better results every time. The greatest challenge presented by grilling is that it is the most intense form of direct heat cooking there is. If cooking is like driving a car, grilling is like being strapped to a rocket ship! The good news is that grilling, like any basic cooking method, can be mastered. And these cooking tips for gas grills will get you started on the road to awesome grilling all year round.

When preparing recipes for the grill, the most important thing to consider is how the grilling method of cooking acts differently on different types of foods. To begin, careful product selection is extremely important. Marinating meats when making recipes for the grill is the best way to apply some tenderizing properties before cooking because the grill will not tenderize meats. You must start with a tender product if you want to end with a tender product. You want to also make sure the product you choose will be able to withstand direct high-heat cooking. Different products will handle this differently and some are just not the best choice for standard grilling. A very delicate fish, such as tilapia, will not perform very well on the grill because the high heat may burn the outside of the fish before the inside cooks at all. Vegetables all cook at different rates, too, depending on their texture and firmness. When cooking different combinations of vegetables together (as in skewering), you will achieve far better results by par-cooking the “harder” items prior to skewering so that all vegetables are the correct done-ness at the same time.

Once you have considered the differences in the types of foods you will be grilling and preparing them accordingly, the basic procedure for creating recipes for the grill is the same across the board. First, heat up the grill as hot as it can get. Brush the food item with the oil of your choice and place it on the hot grates – presentation side down. Leave the cover open and let the item cook. After a few minutes inspect the item. You are looking for the item to start to brown around the edges and to see pink (almost clear) moisture bubbling up to the top. This will be your signal that the item is 75% cooked on one side and that is the time to flip it. Do not use a fork to flip the item and do not puncture it in any way. This will allow precious juices to escape, drying out your product. The ONLY way to know when your product is finished cooking is with a thermometer – testing internal temperature. Because there will be some carry-over cooking, remove the item 5-10 degrees BEFORE the desired final internal temperature.

Although GRILLING is always done with the lid cover open, gas grill cooking can incorporate additional cooking methods that make it preferable to cook with the grill cover closed. With the grill lid closed, the grill changes from a CONDUCTIVE cooking vehicle to a CONVECTIVE cooking one – more like your oven. Of course you could just use your oven for using these cooking methods, but outdoor cooking does have some advantages over indoor cooking – particularly in warmer weather. So how do you turn your dry heat, direct source cooking vehicle (the grill) into one that can utilize a moist convective cooking process? It’s actually a pretty cool technique for gas grill cooking. This is a trick I use most often with delicate fish, such as tilapia. First, I turn the heat OFF on the side of the grill that my tilapia will cook. Then, I add a pan of water to the bottom of the other side of the grill – right on top of the heat elements. Keep in mind that this “water” can be any kind of liquid you like. I use shrimp stock sometimes with fish, but you can season it with chicken broth, wine – anything that is liquid and imparts nice, complimentary flavors to the product you are cooking. Then, the fish is placed either directly on the grill (if you have a flat grate option) or you can put it in a cast iron pan and put it on the grill grates. The rest of the procedure for this type of gas grill cooking follows the normal grilling process – cook with your eyes and observations, flip after 75% done, use a thermometer to determine final temperature and remove a bit “early” to allow for the carry-over cooking that occurs. And that’s it, now you can consider gas grill COOKING in addition to standard GRILLING for great outdoor cooking results.

It is hard to argue that the charcoal grill provides opportunity for a deep, smoky flavor that is not fully achievable with the gas barbeque grill. But other than that all of the “pros” go into the gas grill’s column. You may hear many self-proclaimed GRILLMASTERS insist that the traditional charcoal grill is far superior to the gas barbeque grill, but the gas grill has many advantages that make it a great choice for any outdoor cooking situation. For starters, gas barbeque grills provide consistent heat throughout the cooking process. With the charcoal variety, the cook has to really control the heat by actually moving products closer and further as heat increases and decreases. This takes some practice and experience to do well. The gas grill is also much easier and safer to start because it uses propane as fuel and starts at the press of a button. Charcoal grills can be easily started with lighter fluid, but this can be dangerous, and can impart an undesirable taste into the food. Nothing like the taste of lighter fluid to ruin a good steak! Plus, the gas grill turns OFF as easily as it turned on! No waiting for coals to cool so that you can empty and clean the grill and no messy coals to dispose of. For convenience, gas barbeque grills make it easy to grill outdoors everyday.

These cooking tips for gas grills seem simple but they truly are the difference between great grilling results and disappointing meals. The next time you get ready to grill, remember that careful product selection and a basic understanding of cooking methods is all you need to master the barbeque grill, creating outdoor meals and memories for life.