If you’re trying to keep learning like I am, you may be interested in a little quiz about African-American women in History.  I hope that you get a better score than I did.  I knew about Harriet Tubman, but didn’t know the answer to the question. There’s only 5 questions in the short little quiz; it only takes a few minutes, but it’s interesting and worth the time. It’s a good quiz to help your family learn a little about the African-American history, in honor of Black History Month.

Women were usually the ones who prepared and cooked food during the days of American slavery. Some of the foods that have become traditional soul-foods are very healthy and some not so healthy. It seems that there is no shortage of Crisco in some of the recipes. If you did not get the memo yet, pass on the Crisco. Crisco is not a good choice for healthy fats. Crisco is, of course, not the only brand that dietitians would not call healthy.

Soul Food like many of our American styles of eating can lend itself to a little tweaking to move it in a healthier direction. I’ve tried to make a few changes to traditional foods, so that we can enjoy the flavor without the saturated fat.  When I decided to make Jambalaya I thought, ‘Will a rice dish without the sausage, Crisco, and white rice still taste good?’ It tastes very good (for someone who doesn’t have an auntie who makes the real stuff.) If you do have an auntie who can make authentic soul food, maybe you could ask her to make a few revisions and see if it is still delicious. The spices and the variety of tastes are much of what makes it so good.  If you want to have it the old-fashioned way, try serious portion control.

Traditional foods tempt our palates and bring us a little comfort; so if you change the foods that you eat most of the time, to healthier choices, reverting to the original once in a while will still be fine (especially when you exercise portion control).

Food can be included if you’re trying to learn/teach about the extraordinary accomplishments of African-Americans. Greens and yams are two foods that were commonly eaten by the African-Americans; I believe that must have been part of why they were so healthy.  We could also mention recipes with peanuts or sweet potatoes – in honor of George Washington Carver.  If you’re trying to add some new vegetables to your repertoire of foods, look at the directions for preparing Red Swiss chard on January 20, 2010.  There are recipes for yams on February 8, 2010 the recipe for Yams on a Hawaiian Date and on February 5, 2010 the recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Walnut Topping were posted.

On January 5, 2010 I posted a piece called Honey, I Shrunk My Stomach!; in that post there was a picture of three South African Amaryllis bulbs that were just starting to grow. I used them as a metaphor for new beginnings - new goals for the beginning of the year. I had big hopes; I've never grown Amaryllis bulbs before, but was hoping for something pretty. I have certainly not been disappointed; the first of the three blossoms has opened. I took a measuring tape and it is a full eight inches across. Each blossom is actually four blossoms; it's really a very dramatic flower; on a tall stem with strong green leaves. I think that the metaphor was richer that I had ever dreamed - sometimes life is like that - better than we ever imagined! I thought that this was the perfect piece to share the blossom, such beautiful wonderful diversity has come to America from Africa, including Amaryllises.

I’ll wrap this post up with a recipe for Jambalaya – tweaked in the direction of good health, hopefully retaining the complex flavors and textures that produce the “yumminess” factor.  Hopefully adding to pure palatability the pleasure of honoring the best in traditional foods while knowing we are making good ingredient choices; yet retaining delight and high enjoyment in the eating of it.

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 ¾ to 2 cups chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces (about 9 boneless skinless tenders)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped green bell pepper (1 large pepper)

1 ½ cups chopped red bell pepper (1 large pepper)

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked

1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (more if you like it a little hotter)

3 cups water

15 ounces of crushed tomatoes (optional) or 1 additional cup of water

1 cup cooked shrimp cut into ½ inch pieces

Directions:

Cook rice in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the bell peppers and onion. Add the onion, peppers, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, Tabasco and garlic to the rice during the last 15 or 20 minutes. Brown the chicken in a skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium heat until done. Stir in the chicken into the rice and simmer over low heat for 25 more minutes, until rice is tender. Add another cup of water or 15 oz. crushed tomatoes. Remove the cover and fluff rice. Stir in shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes longer, until heated.

The Best Corn Bread Ever

Ingredients:

1 scant cup flour, [It will work with whole wheat flour.]

¾ cup yellow cornmeal [Note: Whole cornmeal is your healthiest choice; not degermed. Some people thing that degermed has something to do with killing germs; but it really just has to do with the a little thin layer of bran and the germ (same as in wheat, only that’s wheat germ). Also, don’t use self-rising corn meal for this recipe].

1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ cup cold water

1 cup sour cream (can use low fat – but I didn’t)

Directions:

1. Preheat 9 X 9 glass dish in 450°F oven for 5 minutes.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix eggs, oil, water and sour cream and add to dry ingredients, mix rapidly and just enough to moisten evenly.
3. Pour into preheated pan. Place immediately into oven.  Bake at 450 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.  Top will be golden brown.
4. Serve immediately.

Decades ago, I was one of the judges for the Simi Valley Enterprise’s annual cooking contest for five years or so; I wrote a bi-weekly nutrition column for about five years for the Enterprise. Susan Parks, one of the school principles in Simi Valley, California, won first place in the breads category, and went on to also win first place over all categories; using the above corn bread recipe (essentially).  I’ve always felt that it was the best corn bread ever, but she actually named the recipe herself. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have for the past 20 plus years. I’ve changed it a tiny bit, but not fundamentally.

Oh! Good grief. I was going to show you pictures of mixing, but we had a dinner guest. I was sitting eating dinner when I realized that we were eating away on the cornbread and I hadn't taken a single picture.  The most important step (not pictured, boo hoo hoo) is heating the dish. You don't add lots of extra fat greasing the dish, the hot baking dish makes a nice crispy bottom that comes right out of the dish. I took a picture of the leftover cornbread - it really is extra delicious.