| The cost of eating out continues to increase as | | | | also grown in popularity by at-home cooks. Not only |
| restaurant owners pass higher food cost and | | | | are soul food recipes growing in demand by |
| overhead on to cash strapped customers. With the | | | | new-school cooks, but also preparation techniques, |
| economic outlook growing more risky by the minute, | | | | shortcuts and time-saving kitchen tools experienced |
| more people with a craving for southern food are | | | | serious growth in the past six months. |
| turning to the many free soul food recipes available | | | | Not only has the bad economy influenced more people |
| online. | | | | to eat more meals at home, but the need people have |
| Soul food, considered one of the original American | | | | for home cooked meals that are healthy and nutritious |
| foods, dates back to the time of slavery when slave | | | | have increased. With the growing problem of obesity |
| owners gave the food they couldn't or wouldn't eat to | | | | facing more people, along with diabetes and high blood |
| the slaves. This food ironically turned out to be some | | | | pressure, more people are taking their health and diets |
| of the healthiest foods, judged by today's standards. | | | | into their own hands by preparing more meals at |
| Most of the food consisted of green vegetables | | | | home. |
| (known as greens), turnips, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, | | | | More soul food lovers are taking to preparing their |
| corn pone, and more. To survive the long and often | | | | meals and taking them to work instead of going to a |
| hot work days in the sizzling sun, the black worker | | | | restaurant. This has been estimated to save many |
| required food that was not only cheap in cost but filling | | | | people hundreds of dollars a month. In addition, it's more |
| and nutritious. Soul food provided the needed energy | | | | notorious as well. |
| slaves needed to work the long hours. | | | | With the popularity of video, more free soul food |
| Today soul food is a multi-million dollar food industry | | | | recipe sites are offering video demonstrations to site |
| and growing. Now online sites offering free soul food | | | | visitors. This adds more clarity to preparing the recipes, |
| recipes continue to rise. This is evidence of the | | | | offering a show-and- tell element for cooks to enjoy. |
| growing popularity and demand for ways to cook soul | | | | Indeed these soul food sites are not your |
| food by a demanding market. Some of the more | | | | grandmothers recipe sites. |
| popular soul food dishes such as collard greens, black | | | | Yes, with the popularity of home cooking and soul |
| eye peas and gumbo have had a resurgence in | | | | food combined, the demand for free soul food recipes |
| popularity by young people, a group that had | | | | will continue to grow as the economy worsens. People |
| overlooked soul food for hamburgers, pizza and other | | | | are constantly looking for more ways to cut their food |
| fast foods. | | | | cost. More families are finding the best way slash their |
| Popular southern recipe desserts such as sweet | | | | food cost is to prepare more meals at home instead |
| potato pie, peach cobbler and sock-it-to-me cake have | | | | of paying others to prepare it at restaurants. |