Download PDF Vegan Soul Kitchen Fresh Healthy and Creative AfricanAmerican Cuisine Bryant Terry 8601400235416 Books

Product details Paperback 256 pages Publisher Da Capo Lifelong Books; Original edition (March 3, 2009) Language English ISBN-10 0738212288

Vegan Soul Kitchen Fresh Healthy and Creative AfricanAmerican Cuisine Bryant Terry 8601400235416 Books Reviews

• I love Bryant Terry, but he can't seem to make a simple recipe! They taste delicious, but I secretly think he may be trying to make every step as convoluted and difficult as possible. ;) A lot of the time I take shortcuts, and just between you and me, they stand up well to this sort of treatment - so don't be afraid to take some of the fussiness out! Maybe the final result is a little less delicious, but who's going to know? It will be our secret. )
• I really should have took into account the previous reviews as this book is for individuals who have tons of time to scour markets for ingredients. basically many of these recipes are a little too fancy for my style of cooking. surely not my definition of soul food. It's not a horrible book but I'll probably only mark 3 maybe 4 recipes out the book. I say take it out at your local library before making the purchase.
• This was my first Bryant Terry Cook books. I bought it because I was intrigued by the concept of re-mixed, veganized Soul Food. At the time I didn’t know all that much about Soul Food as a cuisine or culinary tradition but I fell in love with the book anyway. Over the years I’ve become more familiar with the Southern cooking traditions, and that continued familiarity only makes me love this book more. Yes, it isn’t a book full of traditional soul recipes, yes some of them can be laborious or time consuming, yes some of them use ingredients that are probably not common to your pantry - but can easily be found in a speciality shop or via - and yes, oil, salt, sugar, flour and soy are all used throughout the book - but the recipes speak for themselves. Not every single one Is stand out, but many of them are, and many of them provide unique flavor profiles or textures. A lot of them combine foods I wouldn’t normally think to combine leading to really interesting and satisfying results. Despite some of the ‘draw-backs’ mentioned above, this book really gets me excited about cooking, and I love the journey that Terry takes you on. His introductions provide a lot of really interesting information, his passion for cooking and culture is apparent, and you gotta love his music selection. There’s just something about this book that makes me smile, like an old friend. The soul in the food may not be traditional, but the soul in the book is palpable and I appreciate the time and energy Terry put into this book.
  
  My only real complaints are that I don’t particularly care for the layout which is a little busy for my taste. I also hate when recipes are split across two pages. Also I wish there had been more pictures. There are some black and white photos throughout the book, and then an insert of a few color photos in the center - none of which really do the food justice. Another thing some may wish to consider before purchasing the book is that no nutritional information is given for the recipes.
  
  I wish I had the time to make more of the recipes but so far these are the ones I’ve gotten around to,
  
  Citrus Collards with Raisin Redux - Loved it
  Uncle Don’s Double Mustard Greens and Roasted Yam Soup - Loved it
  Open-Faced BBQ Tempeh Sandwich with Carrot Cayenne Coleslaw - Loved it
  Lavender Lemonade - Loved it
  Roasted Plantain Pieces with Garlic Lime Dipping Sauce - Loved it
  Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Ginger Peanut Dipping Sauce - Loved it
  Garlicky Lima Bean Spread - Loved it
  Garlicky Creamy Vinaigrette - Loved it
  Straightforward Coleslaw - Loved it
  Carrot Cayenne Coleslaw - Loved it
  Chilled Citrus Broccoli Salad - Loved it
  Roasted Red Potato Salad with Parsley Pine Nut Pesto - Loved it
  Chilled and Grilled Okra, Corn, and Heirloom Tomato Salad - Loved it
  Gumbo Z - Loved it
  Simple Seared Green Beans - Loved it
  Grilled Asparagus with Rosemary Sea Salt - Loved it
  Grilled Corn on the Cob with Spicy Garlic Miso Dressing
  Sauteed Jalapeno Corn - Loved it
  Sweet Coconut Ginger Creamed Corn - Loved it
  Roasted Root Vegetables with Roasted Garlic Lime Dipping Sauce - Pretty good
  Roasted Sweet Potato Puree with Coconut Milk - Loved it
  Wilted Swiss Chard and Spinach with Lemon Tahini Dressing - Loved it
  Not Too Dirty Rice - Loved it
  Baked BBQ Black Eyed Peas - Loved it
  Blackened Tofu Slabs with Succotash Salsa - Loved it
  
  As much as I love this book I probably would not recommend it to the new vegan, nor would I recommend it to anyone who isn’t an adventurous eater. For those seasoned vegans who love to cook and love a good culinary journey however I think this would be a welcome addition to your collection.
• This book scratches that itch I get sometimes for the fried stuff with gravy on it I grew up on. To me, it's kind of two good books smashed together. There's the recipes and then there's Bryant Terry's philosophy on wasting little, buying locally and eating seasonally. My favorite recipes so far are the Gumbo Z, creole hoppin' jean, citrus collards, smothered seitan medallions, and mixed mushroom gravy. They are all seriously good, beautifully-seasoned, and will make you glad you spent the time making them, which is good, because you will spend some time making them. The best recipes in this book are fairly complex and time-consuming, but it's hard to argue with a recipe for collard greens that my kids like.
• As a West Coaster currently living on the East Coast, this book was my basic introduction to Southern food. Terry has done a good job converting this person to eat these foods more often.
  
  What I like
  The format of the book is super organized, which really aids the reader in finding recipes without a lot of flipping. The Table of Contents lists everything with page numbers and the index is handy when just looking up an ingredient.
  
  Each recipe comes with a suggestion of certain music and a story. It gets people into certain frames of mind, which elevated the meal from food into an experience. There are also a lot of notes that range from practical to interesting facts.
  
  The food is really delicious with a lot of bold flavors and interesting textures. Bonus points for the chapter on condiments, sauces, preserves, and pickles. I actually started growing my own habanero peppers for the hot pepper sauce, which is really good with almost anything (unless you're a person who doesn't like spicy).
  
  "Waste" from one recipe is turned into another. For example, the stems from the collards in the recipe for Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux, but are used strictly for the Collard Confetti (and can be applied to *any* leafy green in which the stems are removed).
  
  Recipes range from super simple to complex so there's always an occasion to cook something from this book.
  
  What I didn't like
  Some of the recipes need other recipes to be completed. I really don't mind extra cooking most of the time, but those types of recipes always get lowered on my priority list of ones to try simply because of the time factor making an extra dish involves. I have to say that in addition to the extra steps involved, these are some of my least favorite dishes in terms of the flavor.
  
  Being new to this type of cuisine, I would have appreciated more notes on which dishes go really well with others. There are a few times he makes this suggestion, but I just wish it happened more frequently.
  
  The over-reliance on coconut oil to fry things. I realize the perception is Southern Food = Fried Food, but with healthy in the title I was hoping for an alternative step on a recipe. For example, have the original recipe in tact with the frying, but also note that if you want to bake something, this temperature for this amount of time should be sufficient. Most of us that would rather bake than fry know the results aren't going to be as crispy and flavor-packed, but we can live with it as an everyday dish and decide to fry once in awhile. )
  
  ***Things to note
  If you live in an area that does not have specialty markets, some of the ingredients may be hard to find, such as miso and kombu.