I’M GOING TO START things out talking about the F-word. No, not that F-word … I’m talking about the word fat. Please notice I am using the word FAT, which is a lot, a whole heck of a lot different than “overweight.”
My entire life I have had a problem with my weight. I’m not exactly sure when it started, but photos prove I was a chubby toddler. My father was stocky, actually a boxer in the navy, and I am built a good bit like him. Which would be fine if I was a man, a boxer, or perhaps in the navy. I am big-boned with broad shoulders, and had I been a boy, I would have played offensive lineman. I am one sturdy girl, and I have most often been at least a little overweight.
Overweight is a clinical diagnosis—something a doctor would say. Fat, on the other hand, is the ugly word that’s cruelly used in taunts on the playground or uttered in hushed whispers in junior high. Fat is a nagging constant in an internal dialogue about self-worth. Fat is the word that makes fully competent adult men and women feel like a failure.
Mama says she shouldn’t have fed me so much when I was a little girl. It wasn’t her fault, though—we didn’t eat junk food growing up and she cooked homemade, wholesome food. Like many other Southern families, our dinners were filled with fresh, in-season vegetables, plenty of from-scratch food, and very little of the processed stuff that is so common nowadays. I just ate too much of it and, well, my genetics weren’t working with me.
In high school, my insecurities about my size and weight continued. Now, when I look back and view photos of myself from my college days and even early my childhood, I see I wasn’t actually fat. In fact, I was “normal”—well within the doctor-recommended weight range for someone my height. The trouble is I never felt “normal.” I’ve only ever felt fat.
That said, food and cooking have always given me incredible joy. I was practically born in the kitchen. My grandmother, whom I called Meme, used to have a steel double sink. When I was a toddler, she would put me in one side while
shelling peas in the other. The kitchen is a place of happiness for me. I don’t eat for fuel; I eat for enjoyment and pleasure. Some folks overeat when they are upset. I eat when I am happy; I eat when I am sad. I eat when I am angry, joyful, depressed, elated. You name it, I will eat. I love good food.
This love of food inspired me to pursue a career in cooking. When I was twenty-five, I started to apprentice with the grande dame of Southern cooking, Nathalie Dupree. A few years later, at her suggestion I enrolled in L’Academie de Cuisine, a French culinary school then located in Bethesda, Maryland, where I learned techniques for making pâtés and terrines, soufflés, the five French mother sauces, and bread and pastry. Of course, I also learned about the most iconic French ingredients of all: butter, butter, and more butter. I actually witnessed a chef deep-fry bâtonnets of butter coated with a mixture of bread crumbs and herbs to serve with steamed asparagus. (Fried butter, you say? Well, it was absolutely delicious.) Ironically, I was the thinnest I had ever been in my life. I was actually skinny. Yes, I was eating rich foods then, but not the junk food or processed food that I sometimes ate in college because they were so convenient. I was walking several miles a day both to culinary school and to work at a restaurant; I had a healthy lifestyle.
Later, I moved to France to learn more about French cooking. At École de Cuisine La Varenne, at Château du Feÿ in Burgundy, I made quiche with triple-cream cheeses that were heady and dense with the flavors of the pasture; served platters laden with spicy, meaty saucisson that was nearly primal with animal essence; and prepared delicate, flaky, tender pastries that seemed to consist of layers of buttery air and flour.
But my formal culinary education didn’t teach me everything I know about cooking. After all, I come from a long line of ladies who know their way around a kitchen. My grandmother was renowned for her buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, apple hand pies, and blackberry cobbler. My mother loves to bake, and her pecan pie, angel food cake, and pound cakes are legendary. It’s not surprising that my family is full of good cooks; after all, food is central to the South’s personality and character. We define ourselves and our lives by the food in our kitchens and the food on our tables. And what I love most about Southern food is its diversity: it is truly a mixture of many wonderful regional traditions, with Native American, European, and African roots. There’s the Low Country cooking of the Atlantic coast, which showcases rice and seafood; Deep South cooking that relies on corn and products made from it, such as grits, cornmeal, and hominy; the mountain cooking of Appalachia that features food foraged from the land and rivers; French and Spanish influences on the Creole cuisine of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
In other words, Southern cooking is about more than just fried chicken and fatback. To say otherwise would be the same as saying Chinese food is just eggrolls or Italian food is just spaghetti. In fact, traditionally, Southern cooking was a vegetable-based cuisine. In most of the South, the growing season is almost twelve months long. This is the fertile land of okra, green beans, tomatoes, and corn. Southerners didn’t eat this way solely for health reasons, not at all. For the most part, the plant-based diet was a symptom of the poverty that affected the entire South, both black and white—eating a lot of meat was simply too expensive. In fact, that bit of pork in the greens might have been the only
meat in the pot. Many Southerners grew their own food, and when they did eat meat, it was often raised on the farm or wild game or seafood culled from the forests, rivers, and sea.
So, what lessons can we learn from the way our parents and grandparents used to eat, and from the origins of Southern cuisine? Eating in moderation and relying mostly on plant-based cooking is certainly one of them. I love fried chicken and fatback, but I don’t eat them all the time. I also like starting the day with a steaming hot bowl of stone-ground grits topped with sunny-side up farm eggs and country ham, crowned with a homemade biscuit. But I can’t eat that way every day and no one should. You say, “My grandpa used to eat biscuits with sausage gravy every morning for breakfast, and he lived to be 100!” Well, maybe. But I’ll bet you don’t wake up at 4 a.m. to plow the field, milk the cows, or work the farm like he did. In other words, we’re not working hard labor all day to counteract the calories.
Another thing that has changed since our grandparents’ time is the ubiquity of processed, prefab meals. Forty years ago you could get a tender, flaky homemade biscuit to go with a fried chicken dinner at any number of meat and threes all across the South. Today, most casual dining restaurants use a boxed mix or frozen biscuits. Cakes and pies are made from mixes that are as much flour as chemicals and preservatives. They are baked, boxed, and shipped from a central commissary to arrive on shelves where they seemingly never age or spoil. Even our iconic iced sweet tea has been replaced with a bottomless Big Gulp of soda. What happened to real Southern cooking for real people? Well, convenience is what happened. Somewhere along the line we lost our way in the home kitchen on the way to the drive-through.
Economic factors certainly contributed the South’s obesity epidemic, too. Fresh produce and organic, wholesome ingredients can be expensive, and if you’re on a limited income, then you’re obviously going to buy cheap food. Here’s where fast food enters the equation—and cheap food (fast or otherwise). Foods that are cheap tend to have a lot of sugar, salt, and fat. According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control released in 2012, at least 30 percent of adults were obese in thirteen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. It’s not surprising that many of these states—especially the Southern ones—also have some of the highest poverty rates in the nation.
So, yes, it’s true that statistically speaking, Southerners are at risk for being overweight and unhealthy. But I do not think that we should let statistics govern our lives, and I definitely don’t think that the risk factors should allow us to just give up on living a healthy lifestyle. I also know how dangerous it is to fall back on stereotypes about the Southern diet, even if there has been a proliferation in the media and on television of unhealthy Southern cooking. Let me tell you, I have never had a bacon-wrapped, deep-fried macaroni and cheese square or a hamburger on a donut bun in my entire life. My Southern grandmother, who ate a lot of fried chicken and fatback—and lived to be ninety-two—would have been absolutely appalled.
As a Southerner who has struggled with weight for much of my life, I felt like I needed to take a stand, make a change. I knew that it was possible to cook healthy Southern food—I’d seen my family do it for generations—and I wanted to share that knowledge with others. I also wanted to quell the voices in my head. I joined Weight Watchers
and lost forty pounds. It absolutely changed my life. My life continues to change. My cholesterol and glucose levels are great. I exercise at least five days a week and I feel really good. I am strong and healthy. I am happy. Is this a lifelong journey? Yes. Will I continue to have to watch what I eat and exercise? Yes. Do I still love food? Yes—a big, loud, resounding YES!
I know firsthand how crippling the F word can be to self-esteem. But, this is not a book about saying “no.” This is a book about saying “yes!” This book is about what you can have, not what you can’t. This book is about real food and clean eating. This book is about food that tastes good. It’s packed with tips and techniques for sensible eating and ways to succeed. Each recipe has the nutritional information you need to make good decisions. This is not a diet book. I’m not a nutritionist, dietician, or a doctor. I am a French-trained Southern chef.
How did I go about choosing which recipes to include in this book? The first and most important criterion was that it had to taste delicious. I wanted to showcase my favorite recipes—classic Southern dishes that I grew up eating, or cooked as a professional chef—but make them lighter, lower in fat and calories, and higher in fiber than their more traditional counterparts. Since the keys to healthier eating are balance and moderation—not denial—I’ve tried to include recipes for every occasion, be it an easy weeknight dinner or a celebratory Sunday brunch. Every aspect of the meal is covered, from starters and nibbles to memorable side dishes, main courses, and yes, sweet indulgences, because no book remotely Southern would fail to pay homage to the Southern sweet tooth!
Who doesn’t love a good Southern-style feast? Piping hot smothered chicken and gravy, collard greens with potlikker, bubbling macaroni and cheese, skillet vegetable cornbread, and fruit cobbler? Southern food is comfort food and everyone has a favorite dish that takes you immediately back to your childhood. It’s true that “comfort food” often means “notoriously high in calories and saturated fat”—but it doesn’t have to! I’ve found a way to lighten even the most “comforting” dishes out there.
This book lightens America’s favorite Southern recipes to make them a better choice for good health, while keeping the traditional flavors intact. After all, at the end of the day I’m still a classically trained chef who loves to eat, so if a healthy variation doesn’t taste as good or authentic as the original, well, it didn’t make the cut.
Lighten Up, Y’all is not a diet; it’s a way of life. More than that, it’s a totally doable, truly enjoyable way of life that will allow families across America to enjoy delicious comfort food and still stay healthy. If you’ve read my previous cookbooks, Bon Appétit, Y’all and Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, I think you’ll have fun with my new cooking approach. And if you’re a newcomer, welcome to you, too! There’s a world of healthy Southern flavor waiting for you if you turn the page. Welcome, once again to my Southern kitchen. Pull up a chair.
You’ll note that the recipes in this book all include nutritional information. I partnered with Anne Cain, an experienced food editor and award-winning dietitian, to calculate the calories, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein for each recipe. Each main recipe is analyzed by serving, and sauces and condiments by tablespoon.
I’ve also included nutritional information that will help you make good decisions about your eating habits. You will see many recipes that are low in calories, fat, and carbohydrates, but high in fiber and moderate in protein. At the end of the day, weight control is all about calories in and calories out. Eating to fall below or to meet your daily recommended allotment of calories will result in weight loss or weight maintenance. And increasing your physical activity, from running on the track to running the vacuum, will aid you in your weight loss or weight management. In practical terms, that means that if I am hungry, I start my meal with a heaping helping of broccoli, which I love, and have a smaller portion of protein. It’s a livable method that doesn’t make me feel deprived, and I feel rewarded on multiple levels when I exercise!
More in-depth nutritional analysis includes sodium, percentages of daily values, and other considerations. That’s not what this book is about. This book is about helping you make tasty and healthy choices. When you review the nutritional information, please know that it refers to the primary recipe listed and not the variations. So, for example, if a dip is served with an endive leaf as the first choice and cracker as the second, the nutritional information is only in regard to the endive leaf.
While I am not a gadget guru, I do feel there are certain kitchen tools you need at your disposal for cooking, even more so when you are trying to lighten things up. It’s true, from-scratch cooking can take a bit more time. And I’ve found that even the smallest impediment might cause you to make a poor decision, or to just give up completely! For example, oil can be used to keep things from sticking to a baking sheet—but so can a nonstick silicone baking mat. Having a scale right there on the counter makes it easy to weigh your proteins so that you don’t accidentally overeat. It’s not one big thing that will lead to your success; it’s lots of little things.
A decent set of both liquid and dry
measuring cups is absolutely mandatory. Liquid and dry measuring cups hold the same volume, but they are specifically designed to accurately measure their respective ingredients.
I suggest two sizes of liquid measuring cups: a 4-cup measure for mixing sauces and such and a 2-cup measure for smaller amounts. Liquid measuring cups have fill lines below the rim and a spout so they are best for pouring. (While you could fill a dry measuring cup with liquid to the brim you’re very likely to spill some before it gets into your recipe.)
For measuring dry ingredients, you need a good set of dry measuring cups. To use them, the best method is to scoop and scrape: fill the cup with flour, for example, then using a flat edge like the back of a knife or a rubber spatula, scrape across the top to remove the excess. It’s not advisable to measure dry ingredients in a liquid measuring cups because you can’t scoop and scrape.
I’m a professional recipe developer, and yes, even I measure as I cook and portion my food. It’s incredibly important when I want to accurately judge how much food I am eating down to the very last spoonful. Get a sturdy set of measuring spoons and keep them at the ready.
There’s no need to spend a fortune, but you will need an accurate digital
scale if you want to measure your portion sizes correctly. (You can buy a reliable one for less than thirty dollars online.) Sure, we all know about the visual aids for gauging portion size—like 3 ounces of meat is about the size of a deck of cards and 1 cup of rice or pasta is the size of a tennis ball, but a scale eliminates the guesswork. (A 1½-ounce portion of cheese is the size of three dice. Okay … but how big is that? I can’t remember the last time I rolled dice.) I always leave my kitchen scale on the countertop so it’s right there when I need it. Out of sight can mean out of mind.
I also keep a
squirt bottle by my stovetop filled with canola oil. I know that three squirts of my particular bottle is one teaspoon. I also have a selection of silicone brushes to help move that teaspoon’s worth around to coat the entire bottom of the pan with just a whisper of oil. I use this when searing meat and fish. I’ve gotten in the habit of using nonstick spray for ingredients like vegetables, since a quick spray coats the bottom of the pan and is only a few calories. You’ll be amazed how little oil you actually need to cook—and how easy it is to be heavy-handed and pour out
too much if you’re going straight from the bottle.
Nonstick skillets work. I’m on record as not being a big fan because they don’t readily allow for the creation of fond, the delicious brown bits of goodness that develop on the bottom of the pan when searing meat that are indispensable in a pan sauce. In the past, I thought they were best for cooking eggs and pancakes. But now that I watch what I eat more carefully, I see the light. A nonstick skillet requires far less oil than a stainless steel skillet. When using a nonstick pan, never use metal utensils to stir food because you can nick and scrape the surface. Use wooden or silicone utensils instead. The alternative is a
very well seasoned cast-iron skillet. My grandmother’s skillet is still my go-to piece of cookware. Don’t think I don’t see the irony of cooking lightened up Southern food in a 100-year old skillet that’s likely fried an entire chicken house of hens.
Nonstick silicone baking mats are indispensable. They are superb for roasting vegetables with just a little oil like with the
Delicata Squash Chips. I will often slice a head of cauliflower or a chop a head of broccoli into florets and simply roast them on a nonstick baking sheet with a bit a salt and pepper—maybe a dusting of curry on the cauliflower—and a quick mist of nonstick spray. Those are almost “nonrecipes,” and practically calorie free. The mats are great for cooking cutlets and burgers and perfect for baking the sensible cookie splurge. While you can use a parchment-lined baking sheet, the silicone baking mats allow for a bit of sizzle on the baking sheet and won’t become a soggy mess. They are reusable, nearly indestructible, and greener than using parchment paper because you can wash and reuse them.
I recommend buying several solid metal ovenproof
cooling racks that fit snuggly into your baking sheet. I’ve seen them sold in a three-pack at Costco, and you can also get them at your local cookware store. I often roast meats and vegetables on them, rather than directly on the baking sheet, since the rack helps air circulate all around the food to get it nice and crisp. It also allows the fat and oil from cooked meats to drip onto the baking sheet and not wind up on your plate.
Fat definitely gets a bad rap—and there’s a lot of conflicting information about “good” fats and “bad” fats, and if and how you should incorporate them in your diet. There is a well-established link between fat intake and the risk of heart disease and stroke. And according to the American Heart Association, diets that are overly rich in “bad fats”—saturated fat and trans fat—cause high LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind that your doctor tells you to avoid).
But, as with all things, moderation is key. No-fat and low fat aren’t always the best strategy. According to the Harvard School of Public Heath, low-fat processed foods are often higher in sugar, carbohydrates, or salt than their full-fat counterparts. Diets high in heavily processed carbohydrates can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. And, for good health, the type of fat matters more than amount. Remember, losing weight is all about calories in and calories out—not just no-fat, low-fat, or no-carb and low-carb.
So the big question is, what’s the best way to use fat smartly in your cooking? Sometimes this can be a bit overwhelming and it was challenging for me—a trained chef!—to learn. Elements to consider when choosing oil include flavor and smoke point. In terms of flavor, choosing which oil depends on what will taste best in your dish; some have robust flavor while others don’t have any. The smoke point of cooking oil is just what it sounds like: the temperature at which the oil will start to smoke—just before it completely degrades and catches on fire! When oil gets too hot, it loses its nutritive value, turns dark in color, starts to smell like bug spray, and tastes pretty bad, too. So, if you see wisps of smoke coming from the oil in your skillet, it’s time to take it off the heat, toss it out, and start with fresh oil.
is among the healthiest of cooking
oils. It’s high in omega-3s, a class of unsaturated fat that helps promote healthy blood circulation and reduce inflammation. There are claims that canola is poison, GMO, causes Mad Cow Disease, you name it. The USDA disagrees and I do as well. Canola oil comes from the canola plant, a genetic variation of rapeseed. (Rapeseed oil is an industrial oil, and canola was developed using traditional plant-breeding methods to make the rapeseed edible.) As a chef, I often use canola oil because it’s flavorless and allows the flavor of the food shine through. Most canola in the United States is genetically engineered, so I choose to buy organic, which is not. I also buy expeller-pressed canola oil, oil extracted by a chemical-free mechanical process. Canola is a good all-purpose cooking oil and is excellent for sautéing, frying, and baking, or for use straight from the bottle for salad dressings, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes. I prefer to use organic canola spray for a nonstick cooking spray. It has very little flavor, high smoke point for high heat cooking, and no aftertaste, which some of the other cooking sprays seem to have. It’s hands down my favorite oil in the kitchen.
is at the heart of all Mediterranean cooking. Extra-virgin olive oil is cold-pressed and is the least refined of the olive oils. Cold-pressing aids in preserving and retaining various vitamins and nutrients. Depending on the olives from which they were pressed, olive oils will vary in flavor and aroma. This oil is best for cooking over low to medium heat, due to its low smoke point. The finest extra-virgin olive oil is best used as a finishing touch on a dish rather than for
cooking. Pure olive oil is slightly more refined than extra-virgin olive oil and has a higher smoke point. It is best for sautéing at medium heat. Both oils are flavorful and best used where the oil’s full flavor is intended as an integral part of the finished dish.
These oils are both used as cooking oils in cuisines over world. Produced from related flowers, they are very versatile.
Safflower oil is a favorite for salads because it doesn’t solidify when refrigerated and chilled. Both can be used in cold dressings and mayonnaise as well as high-heat cooking and sautéing and are neutral enough for baking. These oils are heart healthy and fairly inexpensive.
Growing up, my grandmother had a small bottle of “salad oil” in her cupboard. That’s a pretty nondefinitive term, much like “vegetable oil.” It’s a bit sneaky; for the most part, vegetable oil is actually soybean oil with a few other plant-based oils blended in. Since the combination varies, it’s more challenging to determine its health benefits, if any. The deal with vegetable oil is that it’s less expensive than pricier oils such as olive, sunflower, or safflower. Vegetable oil is widely available and can be used interchangeably with other oils.
Classic French cooking pretty much considers butter to be a food group. My view on butter is that, if you’re going to eat it, you may as well eat the absolute best since the highest-quality butters have the same amount of calories as the cheap stuff. The great part is that just a little butter will go a long way. Butter lends a smooth and creamy taste to foods and is silky on the mouth and tongue.
Equal quantities of all fats have about equal calories. In regard to weight loss, all fats should be used in moderation. As a cook, I decide which fat to use in terms of flavor, the cooking method, and health benefits.
are found mainly in many fish, nuts, seeds, and oils from plants. These fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them in place of saturated and trans fats. Foods containing unsaturated fat include salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts, and vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive, and sunflower.
Omega-3 fatty acids are class of unsaturated fat. They are found in foods including walnuts, some fruits and vegetables, and coldwater fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sturgeon, and anchovies. Omega-3 promotes healthy blood circulation and helps reduce inflammation. The bottom line on unsaturated fats is that these are the ones you want to use the most.
is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants, including coconut, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter. Too much saturated fat can raise cholesterol. The bottom line on saturated fat is that they should be used in moderation.
are mainly found in processed hydrogenated oils such as margarine and shortening and processed foods made from processed oils. They are also found in lesser amounts in animal products such as beef, pork, lamb, butter, and milk. Some science indicates naturally occurring trans fats aren’t as harmful as those that are from processed foods. Companies like using processed trans fats in their foods because they’re cheap. Stay away from processed foods with trans fats.
I believe in the concept of “kaizen,” the Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices and personal efficiency. It’s as simple as “Do what you can when you can—it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.” Daily improvements are as simple as one small movement forward at a time. Try to incorporate some of the tips below in your everyday life; a little goes a long way.
1. Start every meal with a glass of
water. Think you’re hungry? Drink a glass of water. Craving a snack so bad you can’t stand it? Drink a glass of water. It’s easy for your body to mix up hunger and thirstiness, and sometimes, all you really need is some water to satisfy your pangs. At a party and want a glass of wine? Have a glass of water. If you throw an occasional glass of water into the mix, you’ll find that you’ve drunk less wine at the end of the night. Sure, sometimes you will go ahead and have that snack or glass of wine after a glass of water—but at least it will be a thoughtful choice, not just a knee-jerk reaction.
2. Forget diet denial and being hungry. That’s a surefire way to set yourself up for failure. It makes me grumpy; I call it “hangry.” Worse yet, if you deny yourself over the course of the day, you’re more likely to overeat the next time you sit down for a meal. If you feel hungry, don’t ignore it—reach for some vegetables or fruit.
3. We all know that salads are healthy—and they can be tasty, too. But there’s nothing worse than eating a big green salad and then feeling hungry again an hour later. If you’re trying to lose weight but eating foods that leave you unsatisfied, you’re going to start prowling the cupboards. Augment your meals with some lean protein, which helps keep you full and more energized for longer.
4. Boldly flavored foods stimulate your taste buds, leaving you more satisfied. The result? You won’t eat as much. So say “no” to bland food and instead, bump up the spice and seasonings. You’ll notice a lot of smoked paprika and other savory flavors throughout this book.
5. Breakfast is important. You might think you are saving calories by skipping, but eating breakfast actually kick-starts your metabolism for the day. Eating a healthy meal soon after waking means you’re less likely to pig out later in the day.
6. Put down your smartphone and turn off the TV. When you eat, you need to sit down at a table and be mindful of what you are eating. Think about it. Notice the texture, the aroma, the sounds of what you are eating. If you pay attention instead of just eating, you will realize when you actually get full.
7. We’re accustomed to making a bed of pasta, rice, or potatoes and then putting the meat and vegetables on top—but that’s a lot of carbs. Instead of putting vegetables on top of a pile of rice, put the rice on top of a pile of vegetables. Vegetables should occupy the largest amount of physical space on your plate.
8. Measure when you are cooking and serving your plate. Don’t eat from the bag; measure out chips, nuts, and other snacks.
9. Our natural metabolism dips while we are sleeping. Longer lapses between large meals allow your body to process food more efficiently. So, although during the waking hours it’s good to feed yourself little meals every few hours, during sleep it’s best to let your body have time to metabolize the food. There’s something to the expression “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” Think of food as fuel for what’s about to happen, not what’s already happened. You don’t need as much fuel for when you are resting. And, eating late is tougher on your willpower and can tend to make you eat more.
10. Instead of going out to eat or hanging at happy hour with friends, make a play date. Connect for a walk at a park, schedule some time to volunteer together, visit an art studio, or sign up for a ceramics class.
