Southern-style cooking can be delicious, but is it healthy? Not necessarily. In My Pinewood Kitchen, Mee McCormick sets out to infuse the region’s traditions with an awareness of good health and an international flair. The book’s second half spells out recipes from her farm to table restaurant in Tennessee. The first sets an agenda for good living through eating well. Relying on recent research as well as her own experience, McCormick shows how good health depends on gut health. She cites a Dutch report showing that a chocolate bar a day reduces anxiety and depression.
As for the more than 130 recipes, they include wonderful looking renditions for cobblers and soups, okra fritters and sweet potatoes, black-eyed pea croquettes and pecan pie. The departures from the Old South include influences from Latin America, the Near East and Asia with a lineup of falafel burgers, hummus, tostadas, yogurt dishes, tabbouleh and seaweed salad.
There is gluten-free baking section but, McCormick advises, gluten free doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. Taking care with substitute ingredients is vital. Many of her dishes are plant based but meat is represented.
My Pinewood Kitchen looks like a recipe for a balanced diet.
