Low-fat Soul

Book excerpt: Is your mouth watering for great African-American food, but your conscience keeps reminding you to worry about fat, sodium, and calories? Now you can feed your soul the best Southern, Creole, Cajun, or Island cooking without worrying whether it's good for you--it is! In Low-Fat Soul, Essence magazine food editor Jonell Nash has created wonderful recipes that reflect the way we want to cook and eat today. Indulge yourself with a rich, hot, and spicy Creole Seafood and Sausage Gumbo ladled over steaming bowls of rice. Reawaken summer memories of naturally sweet Creamy Corn Pudding lying golden on your plate next to Crispy Baked Chicken. Enjoy getting your fingers sticky as you devour Hot Buffalo Chicken Rolls as tangy as the classic, winged version. Or enjoy that slice of Heavenly Sweet Potato Pie--without the guilt! Low-Fat Soul brings you dozens of easy-to-make meals for every day, holiday fare, and elegant dinner parties. Its wide range of dishes cuts across regional cuisines from the Carolinas to the Texas Gulf, from the Caribbean to New Orleans, but at-a-glance seasoning suggestions let you individualize dishes to accommodate your family's preferences. Plus, Jonell Nash's easy tips help you modify your own family recipes to strip away fat while keeping the flavor--and the soul--intact. Nothing says "home" more powerfully than the dishes we all grew up enjoying. Now you can continue this important cultural legacy in Jonell Nash's brilliant low-fat adaptations: the traditions and flavors you don't want to live without in authentic tasting versions you can live with--in good health.