Southern flavors are so much a part of my life that when I'm eating iconic Southern foods, I don't even think about it.  I say that to prelude this post about my dinner last night.  I had shrimp gumbo--a traditional New Orleans one-pot meal.  

The weather turned cold here, as it has across the US, (Thank goodness it doesn't really snow here in Alabama!) and I wanted something like a soup, but nothing weak like chicken noodle, potato, or tomato.  I craved something familiar and something with a bite.  I turned to gumbo because I love how the flavors of okra, tomatoes, onions, and peppers, when boiled down, marry well with tongue-tingling spices. I also turned to it because it's a healthy, hearty soup that fills and warms without thousands of calories.

Never while eating my hot bowl of comfort did I think about how all the ingredients that go into gumbo are Southern-grown staples. Neither did I think about how many families in New Orleans (or anywhere else across the region for that matter) might be enjoying the same dinner at their tables, right along with me.

Now that I look back, I find that connection to be quite powerful--not only did I connect to the earth and its yield, I also connected to my people.  That is the epitome of health and wellness.

Southern Living Recipe: Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo