Gather 'round the table, y'all, for a Southern Thanksgiving, complete with cornbread dressing and sweet potato casserole.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA— Southern food may have a bad reputation for being deep fried and heavily processed, but like any traditional cuisine, its roots lie in whole, seasonal, locally grown foods with flavors influenced by the many different cultures that settled the region, from Europeans to Africans to Creole West Indians. And what better time to celebrate its healthy roots than Thanksgiving?

While the South encompasses many different flavors and cultures, a few things are common to all Southern cooking: Well-seasoned cast iron skillets, an abundant table featuring seasonal foods and a wide variety of vegetables, and last but not least, that famous Southern hospitality. You can channel the spirit of the South this Thanksgiving with a menu that nods to these classic ingredients.

Sweet Potatoes
Full of fiber, minerals and vitamins A, C and B6, sweet potatoes aren’t just for Thanksgiving down South—they’re an ever-present part of the region’s cuisine. Their rich complexity makes them a wonderful ingredient in all kinds of recipes, says John T. Edge, food writer and executive director of the Southern Foodways Alliance. "Compared to potatoes, the sweetness of a sweet potato makes it a much more versatile vegetable, and it’s used in a wide variety of dishes, both savory and sweet," says Edge. His suggestion? Pair them with South Carolina’s locally produced Blenheim Ginger Ale to get a sweet buttery, gingery side (keep reading for the recipe).

Greens
Dark leafy greens are not only excellent sources of calcium and beta-carotene; they’re an essential ingredient in Southern cooking. "Collard, turnip, creasy, kale, cabbage, rape (a cousin of kale and collards), dandelion, sorrel, and mustard greens, to name a few—greens have long been integral to, if not the centerpiece of, Southern meals," says Edge. You’ve probably seen some of these cultivated greens in your supermarket, and "wild" greens—creasy greens, as well as rape and pokeweed—can be found at farmer' markets (ask the sellers if you don’t see any on display). Edge says that simple, nutritious greens like these are just as likely to appear on a plastic folding table as a polished mahogany sideboard. Linton Hopkins, executive chef and owner of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta, loves making lusty casseroles featuring seasonal veggies, and he especially loves to lavish winter greens with extra attention, as well as cream and brown butter, which may sound unhealthy but it actually isn't. Cooking greens with some form of healthy fat, such as grass-fed butter or olive oil, increases the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A significantly.

Cornbread
Providing the basis of the South’s breads, grits, dumplings and fritters, corn is a true staple, says Edge, who adds that once the iron skillet was developed, hot cornbread was enjoyed as many as three times a day. And though rice and pecans are often key ingredients in savory stuffings from the South, so is cornbread. Southern cornbread is generally made from white cornmeal, and unlike the Northern version, isn’t particularly sweet. And keep in mind that the color of cornmeal is no indicator of how processed it is; white cornmeal is made from white corn and yellow from yellow corn, and nearly all cornmeal sold in stores has had the nutritious outer bran and germ removed for shelf life. So whichever color you prefer, make sure to look for a whole-grain version, such as this
Wholegrain Kentucky Heirloom Cornmeal made from heirloom-variety corn grown without pesticides. Try it in this healthier take on the traditional cornbread and sausage stuffing.

Oysters
Oyster dressing, a Southern spin on the classic turkey stuffing, makes an appearance on nearly every Thanksgiving table in Louisiana. "This style of stuffing is rooted in and especially popular along Louisiana’s River Road—particularly that fifteen-mile stretch where the German and Acadian coasts overlap," says Edge. Protein-packed and a super source of zinc and vitamin B12, use these health-boosting bivalves to make oyster stew, a popular Thanksgiving first course in New Orleans.