mamaearthrocks.com

City Chef Puts Healthy Spin On Soul Food
by
 Cheryl Wills NY1 News

A growing movement to reinvent soul food in the city is looking to turn the fried Southern cuisine into a healthier meal without the risks. NY1's Cheryl Wills filed the following report.Soul food is so popular that movies have been named for it. But the legendary Southern cuisine is a known killer. It's part of the reason why two out of every five African-American adults suffer from heart disease."Soul food has gotten a bad rap, it's not the food itself, it's really the preparation," says American Diabetic Association spokesperson Constance Brown-Riggs.Brown-Riggs, who is also the author of "The African-American Guide to Living Well with Diabetes," says the fat back, pig knuckles, butter, salt, sugar and lard is what leads to diabetes and obesity in an astonishing number of blacks."The message really is to change the method of preparation, not necessarily to give up sweet potatoes but maybe give up candied yams," Brown-Riggs says.And that's where Eco Chef Love - as she is known - comes in. Brooke Guthrie, also known as Eco Chef Love, grew up eating soul food in her native North Carolina. She also watched her beloved mother die of complications from diabetes. Now she's a vegan, meaning she eats no meats or dairy products, and is spearheading a movement to turn soul food green. She calls her dishes Southern fusion."I knew it had to look good and taste better to open minds and to open palates," says Guthrie.The New York City based chef whips up dishes like vegan chicken and gluten free, Vegan waffles, but with a healthy twist. The waffles are made of corn and they're grilled not fried. And the vegan barbeque chicken is smothered with sauce that is not loaded with molasses and sugar. Instead, it's made with agave (that is High Fructose Corn Syrup Free). She even dares to make mac and cheese, with gluten-free vegan cheese. Folks who recently took part in a taste test in Manhattan say the Southern cuisine still has plenty of soul."Mac & Cheese is like the one thing. Once you go into vegan you kinda have to leave that behind but that fooled me," said one taste tester."It's a sensible alternative to what it is," said another.
EcoChef Love says the sky's the limit for soul food. She even makes gluten-free vegan sweet potato pie and vegan shrimp po' boys. She hopes her healthy recipes will win back foodies and make
Southern cuisine the soul of America once again.