The Lighter Side Of Southern
Mention Southern food and whats the first thing that comes to mind? Fried Chicken, lard, deep fried everything. We have a reputation for eating what many consider the most unhealthy food out there but this reputation is incredibly unwarranted and I think mainly due to tourists stopping over and getting “authentic” southern cuisine served at some roadside diner.
Now don’t get me wrong, that stuff is delicious but folks who think we live on fried chicken just need an opportunity to see the rest of what the Southern heart and stomach considers comfort food. Fried chicken was a delicacy in the old south, one hard to come by and therefore cherished on the rare occasion it was served.
We eat a LOT of vegetables in the south (freshly grown!), a lot of fruit, and we drink an awful lot of water and tea (not always with sugar as you’ll see below!). During one of our typical summers, with our temperatures and humidity, its impossible to survive without taking in more fluids than a camel in the Sahara!
I promised I’d bring you some lighter recipes this month on Southern Plate. Don’t fret now, I’m not about to put anyone on a diet. I just plan on interspersing a few lighter dishes (whether it be in calories, sugar, or fat) in betwixt my regular posts.
The best place to start though, is by pointing out the posts that are already up which I do a little differently when making them for myself. See, sugar and I are not friends. Sugar doesn’t like me very much and I can only have it in very small quantities at a time. Now do y’all think for one minute that I am about to go without all of the sweet things I post on Southern Plate? Yeah, you know me better than that! I have “workarounds” for several of our classic southern dishes and you’d never know the difference!
So lets start things off by letting you know what I do differently to the following dishes in order to make them feast friendly for those of us who are watching our sugar and calories. Before you start asking, I’m afraid I can’t give you nutritional values. I can’t tell you how many calories per serving or how many grams of sugar, fat, or protein each dish offers. It would be nice if I had that ability but I don’t own any fancy shmancy software to allow me to do that (and I detest math enough not to even attempt to calculate it on my own) so I’m afraid you’re on your own there.
A note about Splenda: In most of these recipes, all I do differently is substitute Splenda for sugar. I don’t use name brand Splenda. I buy Wal Mart’s generic version of it in the big yellow bag (It’s name on the bag is “Altern” – hard to believe Wal Mart doesn’t sponsor Southern Plate!). A bag sells for about six dollars and lasts me a pretty good while.
My best advice when substituting Splenda for sugar is to use a hair less Splenda than the sugar it calls for. For example: If a recipe calls for one cup of sugar, measure out a cup of Splenda (don’t pack it!) and remove a tablespoon.
The common mistake most people make is to add a little more Splenda than what the recipe calls for in sugar and that yields an artificially sweetened taste. So use a little less and you’ll be just fine 🙂 .
Now, how about some Southern Classics without the guilt?
Chocolate Gravy Made With Splenda
WHAT? You’ve been doing without CHOCOLATE GRAVY? Get on in that kitchen and mix up this recipe, substituting Splenda for the sugar! Its how I make mine and my kids have never known!
In fact, this chocolate gravy pictured was made with Splenda!
Ahhh, the dish that started Southern Plate! I make my banana pudding with all Splenda instead of sugar. I use regular Nilla Wafers because they don’t have much sugar in them anyway, but you can buy sugar free wafers if you like!
Yup…I even substituted Splenda for the sugar in this rice pudding, too…Mama Reed would be proud!
Now for this gorgeous little thing, we use sugar free jello and light or fat free whipped topping, fat free angel food cake, and fresh strawberries to create a light and delicious dessert!
These hit the spot when you want something quick and sweet. Warm apple pie in a crispy tortilla shell, I use Splenda in place of sugar throughout this recipe and omit the caramel sauce at the end.
My husband can never tell if I’ve made them with Splenda or sugar!
Craving a tropical drink? Something icy and cool ? I LOVE bananaritas (they are non-alcoholic!).
I mix up a batch of these using splenda in place of the sugar.
I buy my Splenda in a large bag at Wally World, and I always get generic! ~grins~
Sweet Tea: Elixir Of The South
Y’all know I can’t even remember the last time I drank sweet tea with sugar!
It’s been almost ten years! I substitute Splenda for the sugar.
If you’re a bread pudding lover like me, you’ll love this recipe which uses leftover hamburger or hot dog buns! Splenda for the sugar, and you can eat it guilt free!
I often make this recipe and use Splenda in place of the sugar. You can omit the marshmallows and still have a wonderfully delicious dessert or side dish!
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I hope you enjoy these lightened up Southern classics. I have several more recipes to bring you this month which are waistline friendly but I’ll also be bringing you regular recipes as well!
If you have questions or comments about this post, please leave them in the comments section below!
Hope you’re having a great week! I am SO READY for school to start back so I can begin to get caught up after the holidays!
Gratefully,
Christy
![Top Twenty Southern Plate Recipes Of [year]](https://southernplate.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/DSCN4214.JPG)
Hey HoneyB! I’m so glad you like them! Let me know if you get to give any a try!
Merrie Hey! You were right, you have to get the kind that measures out like sugar. I use the individual packets for my coffee and sometimes tea if it is served unsweetened. I also like the pink stuff in my tea since I am so used to using that (pre splenda and equal days!).
Stephanie oh wow! I have never heard of that but now am trying to imagine tasting things that are sweet to everyone but yourself! Yeah, that guy deserves the sugar!
Hey Cindy! I forgot to include the fruit salad! ~slaps self~ It is wonderful, isn’t it? I could just live on it every single day! I am so glad you and your family agreed!
oh wow, that coconut cake… I hope you got to try just a wee bit of the icing! I usually take one bite of that cake and then sit and savor it for a few minutes! lol I’m so glad you liked the cranberry bread, too!!! Wow, you’re an SP Superstar!! thankyou!!
Ginger Yes, I know just what you mean. You can’t “bake” with splenda as it does not have the same properties as sugar does. Sugar melts and actually becomes part of the liquid of the recipe, making things moister and sweeter at the same time. Splenda doesn’t do that so in order to “splenderize” a recipe you have to really tinker with it by adding liquids which will help to keep your baked goods moist and tender. It is tricky. You can use splenda though in “liquid” recipes such as puddings, custards, icings, and sweet potatoes (which are very moist).
Hope you get a chance to try out some of these! let us know!
Sonya Another one I left out, Lemon Chess Pie! I don’t know where my head is today. Oh yes, its on the two little critters who have been glued to my hip since school let out several weeks ago! lol
With regards to the health articles, we touched on them while I was studying Therapeutic Dietetics in College. You know, for everything that comes out, there will be a slew of opinions both for and against it. I’ve seen reports that Sweet N Low turned into formaldehyde in your body. Then, when Equal came out the sweetener in the same report was suddenly equal.
These days its Splenda more often than not.
I think you just have to use your own common sense, best judgment, and do what is right for you. The sky will always be falling for someone. Some of them may be right, some of them may be wrong. I know what sugar does to me and I know that Splenda doesn’t do that so that’s how I make my decision 🙂 .
Oh yeah, I use tons of nutrasweet too! I just need to eat some twinkies and all of that formaldehyde in my blood combined with those preservatives will keep me young and preserved for thousands of years to come!
lol
Isn’t it fun to laugh?
A sense of humor makes life so much more enjoyable!
Love y’all
Christy 🙂
Like I mentioned on the lemon chess pie post, the sourness of the lemons covers up the chemically taste of the sucralose nicely! Lemon desserts are the only ones which taste normal to me with Splenda. I read some alternative health articles and boards and they are very anti anything artificial. It’s so hard to figure out how to be healthy! I figure it’s got to be better than real sugar, though. I bought some erythritol recently, but haven’t tried it. It’s supposed to be good. That stuff’s not available at Wal-Mart, though!
Christy,
Thanks for this post. I’ve been looking at the WalMart Splenda alternative. I’ll get some now and give it a try. I see where you are going with the items you choose to use it with. I’ve tried Splenda with shortbread cookies. They came out OK but a bit delicate. I’ve not tried it in cakes. I’m thinking that the chemical reaction during baking would not be the same but I haven’t done the research.
Thanks again.
Ginger
Great post! I can say your fruit salad recipe was delicious and I used splenda in place of sugar and the splenda fruit cocktail. I’ve had a gastric bypass and don’t do sugar so this was a real sweet treat for me. In fact, the whole family enjoyed it. I even gave my uncle a container to take home.
For New Years, I made your coconut cake and it was a hit. Everyone raved over how moist it was! No, I didn’t eat any of that but loved how quick and easy it was to make. I also made your cranberry banana bread for Christmas in mini loaves to give out as little gifts. They were enjoyed by everyone!
Thanks for having down to earth good tasting recipes!
If it were up to me, I’d use Splenda (generic of course) in just about everything! But my husband is a genetically strange person, and literally doesn’t have the ability to taste the sweetness in artificial sweeteners. It’s weird – sugar-free anything tastes like bitter chemicals to him. So sadly, if I use splenda, it’s only on things that I eat by myself. Sugar-free brownie? Good. An entire pan of sugar-free brownies? Maybe not so good… 🙂
I’m so excited to know that you can use Spenda instead of sugar… I had “heard” but never really knew anyone who used it. Can you use the small packets or do you need to get the other kind that measures like sugar? does it bake the same?
Thanks so very much!!!!
It is great to have these lighter dishes to go to! Thanks! 🙂
Hi ! Thanks for these recipes, I am suppossed to be getting gastric bypass surgery in 5 mos. and I’m nervous about all the restrictions, so this helps and I love Splenda in beverages. Deb