To celebrate the back-to-school season, we thought we'd give everyone a glimpse of what Wheeler del Torro has been reading lately. While he's working hard on writing his new book to be released next fall, Wheeler would like to make a few vegan cookbook recommendations (for those who can't wait for our next book to be released).
Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine (Paperback)From Publishers Weekly-- In this electric, eclectic collection of vegan soul food, West Coast chef Bryant Terry (Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen) manages not only to demystify classic southern cooking, he makes it healthier and more accessible. With a low-key approach, commonly sourced ingredients and recipes worthy of any palette, Terry avoids the didacticism and rigidity of other vegan cookbooks. An impressive amount of information for each recipe, including entertainment recommendations, is also provided. Many dishes will make the list of to-trys: a riff on the traditional Gumbo Z'Herbs that's traditionally eaten during Lent; a roasted potato salad with a parsley-pine nut pesto; and the ubiquitous chow-chow, a vinegar-laced relish that's indispensable with greens. Terry's simplicity is also commendable: a side of wilted swiss chard and spinach with lemon-tahini dressing is a healthier, creamier alternative to Caesar salad, and his Simple Seared Green Beans are a terrific way to enjoy the vegetable at its peak; classic treats like peach cobbler and mint juleps are also included. Though something of a Pyrrhic victory-a terrific and tasty collection of healthy Southern variations unfortunately relegated to the "vegan" ghetto-Terry's latest will make a happy discovery for cooks of any dietary persuasions. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Reviews“Bryant Terry knows that good food should be an everyday right and not a privilege. This book is full of easy, tasty, seasonal recipes that also happen to be vegan and affordable!”
Alice Waters“Do you think a commitment to healthy eating means enduring bland and boring food? Vegan Soul Kitchen will not only show you otherwise, but will make it easy for you to create fabulously delicious and exotic dishes. Here’s proof that natural foods can be fascinating and sensuous. Here are recipes you will enjoy using time and again.”
John Robbins, author The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America“From gumbo to grits, goobers to greens, Vegan Soul Kitchen dispels the notion that great tasting soul food has to be bad for you. This is a beautiful book brimming with nutrient-packed, approachable everyday recipes. One of those rare cookbooks I look forward to cooking through from cover to cover.”
Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking, publisher of 101Cookbooks.com“Much more than a cookbook, Vegan Soul Kitchen reads like a rich gumbo of the African American experience, a history lesson with a mouthwatering twist. From reaching back to our heritage as stewards of the earth to offering modern recipes, music suggestions and original poetry, Bryant brings together a portrait of a people as well as a movement (food justice) that is poised to save our health, green our communities, and sustain the earth. Bryant knows the shortest way to people’s hearts is through their stomachs.”
Van Jones, author of the New York Times bestseller The Green Collar Economy“Bryant Terry’s warm hearted, soulful dishes shout out to you and me with crackling, lip smacking goodness. His fresh and sassy way at the stove puts meat on the bones of the very plants that are sure to sustain us for generations to come.“
Peter Berley, author of The Flexitarian Table“Bryant has written a very creative, original, and musical cookbook. I look forward to trying out a bunch of these appetizing recipes. As a teacher, seeing a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute succeed so beautifully warms my heart.”
Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., founder, The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, author of The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones“Anyone with soul and good taste will love Bryant’s ‘African Diaspora’ recipes. They're downright delicious and satisfying. By mixing together the freshest beats with local, sustainable ingredients and healthful cooking techniques, Bryant brings to life the festive culture of celebration that comes from eating this way.”
Ani Phyo, author Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen and Ani’s Raw Food Desserts“That boy can cook!”
Ann Peebles, Singer and Songwriter (and Bryant’s Aunt)“Don’t let the Vegan in the title fool you. With food, music, and a zero waste way with watermelon that yields 6 recipes, Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen not just for Vegans. Innovative and taste-full recipes like Sweet Cornmeal Coconut Drop Biscuits, and Baked BBQ Black Eyed Peas, make it a book for anyone who wants to eat well.”
Jessica B. Harris, author of The Welcome Table“As the chef and owner of Farmer Brown Restaurant, I know firsthand the challenges of bringing soul food to people who haven’t tried it. If you’re new to this cuisine, Bryant Terry’s recipes will open your world; if you’re looking for a twist, prepare to be amazed. All I can say is WOW! Thank you Bryant.”
Jay Foster, Farmer Brown Restaurant“Bryant Terry transforms age-old black culinary traditions into what soul food ought to be—food that sustain our bodies, our earth, our sense of community, and our desire for the delicious. For the naysayers who resist the audacity of okra or the soft power of tofu, Vegan Soul Kitchen is the new manifesto that cries out, Yes We Can give up meat and enjoy gastronomic nirvana.”
Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination“A pioneer of the East Coast food justice movement, now hailing from the West Coast home of progressive food politics—where the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast for Children program made nutrition a key ingredient of social transformation and where Alice Waters started an organic revolution—who else but Chef Bryant Terry could have brought us the finger-licking, ethical eats in Vegan Soul Kitchen. At a moment when food can harm as well as heal, he has ingeniously re-imagined soul food by going back to the roots and back to the land. Recipes paired with vintage R&B, praise songs and poetry remind us that African diasporic cuisine has always been food for living and a total sensory experience.”
Alondra Nelson, Yale University, author of Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Politics of Race and HealthCheck out Bryant Terry's website here!
