F or a true Soul Food Aficionado, the only way to enjoy black-eyed peas is slow cooked and brimming with hot-sauce saturated ham hocks. As you pass 50 however, the only real cheers you’d hear for that dish will be coming from pharmaceutical companies who will be overcharging you for cholesterol lowering medication. The challenge here is to partake of a southern tradition that feels good and combine it with food choices that are good for you.
Ouida Cook at Soul2Soul takes our Challenge
Soul2Soul Café on Market Street is owned and operated by Down-Home Chef/ Owner Ouida Cook. It’s a popular eatery in a city because you can find ribs elevated to the next juicy level of “fried ribs”. Despite that temptation, we went for the vegetables first.
Cabbage is a green, leafy vegetable with virtually no calories. However, cabbage southern style gets its sass from bacon, bacon grease and a lot of salt.
Cook explained that her versions of vegetables soul food style replace excess salt or fatty meat with healthier options “You can use smoked turkey”, she said. Cook, who eliminates salt in all of her dishes uses smoked turkey legs and wings to enhance the taste of vegetables like cabbage, black eyed peas, and green beans.
Chicken, a protein with less fat and cholesterol than beef is certainly a popular option for those wanting to limit calories. But in the real world, southern-style fried chicken is a national treasure.
Cook elevates chicken by shunning the fat and replacing it with flavor. “We use a blend of seasoning, including fresh rosemary”, said Cook. “Rosemary gives it an amazing flavor – it gives it a pop”.
Finally, we approached the ultimate challenge: the fresh gulf shrimp that attracts tourists that fill the seawall. Most assuredly, as a resident over the age of 50, there are days when you should be ordering broiled or grilled shrimp. Face -it: Giving up fat, fresh, fried Gulf shrimp is hard.
Cook has a remedy for that. “We have bar-b-que shrimp”, she stated. “We simmer them with a lot of seasonings and a little butter”.
There was more good news during this visit about how technology can improve the lives of seniors who may crave soul food but aren’t feeling mobile enough to go out. “You can order food for delivery to your home, or the home of a loved one with Waitr or Uber Eats in Galveston”, she said. Moreover, technology is a great tool to solve the common problem of seniors that skip meals. Cook explained that for those taking care of a senior, you can buy several meals and have them delivered to keep in the freezer.
Like most folks who had southern grandmothers, most of us learned to enjoy and cook soul food filled with the salt and fat that makes tasty memories. As we age, it’s good to know we can keep the memories and create new healthy ones.
Soul 2Soul Café is located at 3104 Market, Galveston, Texas, 77550, Phone: 409-539-4351. Delivery contact online at Waitr or Uber Eats.
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