By JoAnne Pastel, President and founder, Farmer’s Hat Productions co-author Bur Bur and Friends book series

I love soul food. It is an important part of my heritage and something that I am excited to introduce to my bi-racial son. In fact, having him try a diverse array of foods is becoming a fun adventure. He loves edameme and tempura at our favorite sushi restaurant; and recently tried gyros. My husband is part Scottish, but I will admit that haggis will NOT be on our “must try” list!

Soul food recipes have been passed on through generations, including dishes like black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread, ribs and more. Here are two recipes that have been passed along in my family that are winners.

These recipes are healthier, lower calorie versions of traditional soul food favorites – and they have passed my son’s taste test.

Feel free to share other ethnic favorites from your family here!

Peach Cobbler

Filling Ingredients:
2 ½ lbs. ripe peaches (6-7 medium peaches)
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch of salt

Biscuit Topping Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1/3 cup plain, whole milk yogurt.

1. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 425â—¦.

2. Peel the peaches and then halve and pit each one. Using a small spoon, scoop out and discard dark flesh from the pit area. Cut each half into 4 wedges.

3. Gently toss peaches and sugar together in a large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times.

4. Drain peaches in a colander set over a large bowl. Whisk ¼ cup of drained juice, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt together in a small bowl. Toss peach juice mixture with peach slices and transfer to an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until peaches begin to bubble around the edges, about 10 minutes.

5. In a food processor, combine the flour, 3 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse briefly to blend. Ad the butter and process in about 10 quick pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl; add yogurt and toss with a rubber spatula until a cohesive dough is formed (don’t overmix!).

6. Break the dough into 6 evenly-sized mounds and set aside.

7. After the peaches have baked for the 10 minutes, remove them fro mthe oven and place the dough mounds on top. Sprinkle each mound with a portion of the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, approximately 15 to 17 minutes. Cool cobbler on a wire rack until warm. Serve the warm cobbler with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 6 servings/Approx. 190 calories per serving

Buttermilk Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray (canola oil-based)
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup white or yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 425â—¦. Coat two mini-muffin tins (24 muffins) with vegetable cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk and oil until blended.

3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder until blended. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until smooth.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack and cool.

Makes 24 muffins; approx. 40 calories per muffin

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 at 9:26 am and is filed under Community Board. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.