Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine

by Bryant Terry

James Beard Award-winning chef Bryant Terry's first cookbook, a vegan homage to Southern, African American, and Afro-Caribbean food

One of the foremost voices in food activism and justice, Bryant Terry brings soul food back to its roots with plant-based, farm-to-table, real food recipes that leave out heavy salt and refined sugar, "bad" fats, and unhealthy cooking techniques, and leave in the down-home flavor. Vegan Soul Kitchen...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738212288
• ISBN13: 9780738212289
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

This is by far the coolest cookbook EVER!

Oh my goodness. Just the Vegan cookbook I have been looking for and more. Each recipe starts with a Soundtrack and I have been totally enjoying myself dancing all around the kitchen while cooking. What a clever surprise! Ewww weee! 🎶🎼🎵 and there are book recommendations accompanying some recipes. I will read them all. This is by far the coolest cookbook I have EVER purchased. Thank you Soul Brother for VEGAN SOUL KITCHEN by Bryant Terry. You will forever be my companion in the kitchen! ♥️

A creative, vibrant, and inspiring cookbook

The amount of thought that went into this cookbook is simply amazing. Many authors attempt to jazz up their recipes by throwing in a booklet of random colorful pictures, but Vegan Soul Kitchen gains its vibrancy from words alone. Bryant pairs each recipe with a chosen soundtrack and thoughtful introduction utilizing a personal story, advice, or a few words of wisdom about the ingredients. I admit, I come from a family with virtually no rhythm, and am often not cool enough to understand Bryant's laid back lingo ... but I still gained extreme enjoyment from the casual flow of the book, and of course, from the recipes. Even the chapters are somewhat unorthodox. He starts with "Top Six Good Eats: You Gotta Rewind Me" These first recipes do scream Southern cooking by nature of the ingredients, yet his flavor pairings and preparations are quite unique. Next up, "It's All Good: Zero Waste Watermelon." As you may have guessed, this chapter focuses on six lovely recipes utilizing watermelon (one even using up the rind!). This is where I made my first entrance into the book. I took his Double Watermelon Strawberry Slushee, and made a few tweaks for my own personalized version. It was so delicious - incredibly sweet and refreshing! I ended up making these at least three or four times thanks to a boisterous watermelon season. Next, I skipped ahead in the book, and made the Power Porridge from the "Bring the Grain: Rice, Oats, Ancient Grains, Grits" chapter. It was a delicious blend of quinoa and amaranth, sweetened with banana chips, cinnamon, raisins, and a dash of agave, and spiked with a few other healthy add-ins. Unlike the prior recipe, I followed this one to the T, merely reducing the banana chips a bit based on what I had on hand. The recipe itself was spot on; when followed as written, the result is perfectly cooked. The textural variety of the Power Porridge was wonderful: creamy quinoa, the occasional bite of amaranth, chewy banana chips, a dash of rich coconut oil, and soft bursts of sweetness from the raisins. We enjoyed big bowls of this rich blend without any milk alternative, but you could add some for more of a hot cereal experience. Since I shy away from soy protein and vegan meat alternatives, some of the recipes aren't quite as useful for me, but luckily, Vegan Soul Kitchen offers ample whole food recipes focusing on produce and grains. Just a few that I have ear-marked include the People's Punch, Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Double Maple Coated Pecans, and the Garlicky Baby Lima Bean Spread. Obviously, I have just scratched the surface on trialing the recipes, but Vegan Soul Kitchen has provided me with ample inspiration for coming up with my own simple menus ... which I believe is one of the purposes of this book ... to relax, loosen up, and enjoy the process. I love how Bryant focuses on sustainable eating practices and on the quality of the ingredients rather than trying to create complicated dis

Some of the best vegan recipes to date

I have had this book for just three days but I jumped at the chance to try it out yesterday and what a find! I made the black eyed peas fritters with the recommended hot sauce, the succotash soup with garlicky cornbread croutons, and molasses ice cream with candied walnuts. While, admittedly, it took all night since each ingredient requires from-scratch making (I cheated with canned black-eyed peas), it was well worth it. Everything was just perfect. I would like to clarify something in case others have some confusion regarding the succotash soup, I didn't see the step where you drain the bean mixture after cooking and before pureeing but I am sure that is what is meant. I think most people would notice that 10 cups of water would make for a very liquid-y soup, but some wouldn't know this until it was too late and I would hate for that to happen! Also, I only used a couple of tablespoons of coconut "oil" because it was so expensive ($9 for a small jar), and make my fritters in the shape of small medallions so that I could flip them in the shallow oil and it worked just fine. This is a collection I'd recommend to vegans and non-vegans alike.

Yummy Soul Kitchen

I bought this book because of his previous work Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, which is a groundbreaking green 'lifestyle' book for city dwellers. Vegan Soul Kitchen could just as easily be called Yummy Soul Kitchen- I'm not a vegan but the way the author shows how to build flavors I think will be a benefit to any cook. I highly recommend VSK to anyone who likes southern food, strives to be healthy, and wants to incorporate a spirit of sharing, joy, and community in their cooking. Includes several features (music, book, art recommendations) that make his book stand out from the typical cookbook.

Not just for vegans!

Yes, Vegan Soul Kitchen is technically a vegan cookbook, but there is much to admire for anyone who enjoys good, old-fashioned soul food. I was born and raised in Memphis, so I'm sure that I'm a harsher critic than most, but Terry quickly earned his southern credentials with insider dishes such as Gumbo Z and Rainbow Chow Chow. With that settled, the first thing to note is that VSK is no anemic tome of just salads and sides. Terry provides a veritable compendium of offerings including beverages, desserts, condiments & breads in addition to a wide variety of tasty entrees. While the recipes are inventive, they are respectful to the spirit of the traditional dishes. Terry's commentary mimics the kitchen conversation that occurs when a recipe is handed down. Soundtracks and book suggestions encourage and inspire lively dinner talk. The recipes are divine, but perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Vegan Soul Kitchen is that Terry has managed to capture the essence of Southern hospitality in a cookbook. Although I have no plans to give up fried chicken or pork shoulder sandwiches from A & R, Terry's healthier versions of the food I love will now make up the core of my welcome table.

this'll make you wanna be vegan

these recipes are incredible! i've been a meat eater most of my life, interspersed with periods of vegetarianism and raw food. right now i eat mostly veggie and seafood. while i've lived with an incredible vegan cook before, i've always thought of veganism as intimidating and hard to do well. the food in vegan soul kitchen is delicious, simple to make, and...well, delicious (again). while i'm not going to switch my diet to vegan, i'll definitely be eating vegan more often. some of my favorites include cajun-creole spiced tempeh with grits, double watermelon strawberry slushee, cold and creamy cucumber watermelon soup (great for hot days and raw eating), and crispy okra strips with lime-thyme sauce. just writing that makes me salivate....