Black History Month Recipes

February is Black History Month and as a black-owned female business, we only saw it fitting to feature some delicious recipes for Black History Month. First, a little bit about Black History Month.

Also known as African American History Month, Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries like Canada and the United Kingdom also celebrate Black History Month at various times of the year.

Black Cuisine and Soul Food

A lot of black cuisine originated from French and Spanish descendants, which later intertwined with life in the South where there was a large black population. This type of food later became known as soul food. Just like it sounds, soul food is a cuisine that is cooked with an abundance of love and passion, essentially coming from the soul. Whether you have a taste for Cajun, Caribbean, creole, or anything in between there are so many delicious dishes that are rooted in black culture and history. Jacqueline Cooper

Think of foods like:

• BBQ 

• Black-eyed peas

• Buttermilk biscuits with fried chicken and gravy

• Cajun chicken wings

• Collard greens

• Cornbread

• Fried catfish

• Green beans

• Grits including cheesy grits or shrimp and grits

• Jambalaya

• Okra

• Peach cobbler

• Potato salad

• Red beans and rice with sausage 

• Sweet potato pie

Getting hungry? Us too! Grab a fork or spoon and dive into these recipes perfect for Black History Month. 

Here's a classic Soul Food Potato Salad recipe — creamy, tangy, and packed with flavor, just like grandma used to make!

Soul Food Potato Salad Recipe [Photo credit: MSPhotographic]

Servings: 6-8 | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs russet potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 4 large eggs (hard-boiled and chopped)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (Duke’s or Hellmann’s recommended)
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika (plus more for garnish)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 tsp celery seed or a dash of hot sauce for extra flavor

Instructions:

1. Boil the Potatoes:

   • Place the peeled, chopped potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.
   • Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender but not mushy.
   • Drain and let cool slightly.

2. Prep the Eggs:

   • While potatoes are cooking, boil the eggs. Place eggs in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
   • Once boiling, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath, peel, and chop.

3. Make the Dressing:

   • In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, apple cider vinegar, sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

4. Assemble the Potato Salad:

   • Gently fold the warm potatoes into the dressing mixture.
   • Add chopped eggs, celery, and red onion. Stir carefully to keep some potato chunks intact while fully coating everything.

5. Taste and Adjust:

   • Add more salt, pepper, or mustard to taste. For a deeper flavor, you can add a sprinkle of celery seed or a dash of hot sauce.

6. Chill and Serve:

   • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to let the flavors meld.
   • Before serving, sprinkle with paprika for color and garnish with extra chopped boiled egg or fresh parsley if desired.

Tips for the Best Soul Food Potato Salad:

• Warm Potatoes: Mixing potatoes while still warm helps them absorb more flavor.
• Texture Matters: Soul food potato salad is creamy but should have some potato chunks — avoid over-mixing.
• Pickle Relish: Sweet pickle relish adds that traditional tangy-sweet note.
• Serving: Perfect with BBQ, fried chicken, or collard greens!

Enjoy your creamy, flavorful soul food potato salad! 🥔✨ To make this recipe vegan, use vegan mayonnaise instead. We like to use Follow Your Heart. You can also pair it with a vegan burger, and vegan collard greens made with mushroom bacon (Shroomacon). 

If you need more recipe inspiration for Black History Month, check out these recipes from the National Museum of African American History & Culture. Happy cooking everyone!

- Stay Healthy and Happy

Check out @mostlyplantbasedfoods or view our CEO at @itsnolasnacks as she shares recipes via video each month on It’s Nola Reels. Do not worry, even if you are not Vegan, you will still enjoy these dishes.

Tag us @itsnolasnacks so we can see all of your recipes.

Note: Photo credits: macaroni and cheese: Nelea Reazanteva, collard greens: john quinn