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

I lived in the deep south for 15+ years, including 8 years in New Orleans. To think, I spent that entire time believing that I didn’t like soul food. It was too meat-heavy. Grits tasted like paste (I thought). And collard greens were slimy and gross. As it turns out, I was both right and wrong. Soul food is often meat-heavy, but it doesn't have to be. I didn’t like instant grits, but fresh, well-sourced grits cooked properly are delicious (I’ve found a great place in South Carolina that ships them). And collard greens are slimy and gross, when they’re overcooked or otherwise not prepared correctly, but they can also be delectable when thrown into a gratin or a hearty gumbo.

Discovering Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen was like show more an awakening for me. All those foods that I thought would just never be a part of my repertoire are suddenly fixtures in my kitchen. We don’t cook with this book every night – we’re lucky if we use it once a week. Largely, that’s due to how complex and time-consuming many of the recipes are. And despite his attempts to tamp down the fat, many of the recipes are also still very high-calorie, which makes these meals more appropriate as once in a while treats rather than weeknight staples. Despite these caveats, though, we love this book. Savory Triple-Corn Grits and Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits turn out to be two of my favorites, as are his Fried Green Tomatoes with Creamy Celeriac Sauce and Gumbo Z. For each recipe, there is a little narrative, and also a suggested soundtrack. The music recommendations are some of my favorites – often they bring me back to New Orleans, but they always put me in the mood for some good food. We have yet to try everything in here, but we’re steadily working our way through, and I can’t think of a single recipe we’ve tried that has been a disappointment. Perhaps best of all is that these recipes are completely different from anything else we make, so we can always count on VSK for a refreshing change of pace. show less

I love this. Each recipe has its own story. I got the book from the library but I'm going to buy this one so I can take my time and work my way through it. The author treats cooking like it is art, which it really is when you invest in it.

I read my cookbooks cover to cover and add post it flags to recipes I want to make. I judge my cookbooks by how many flags they have sticking out of them by the time I'm through and this one is a clear winner. I love the voice of this book. It's also got some nice tips on working with beans. Even though I've got tons of recipes marked, I've only made a few so far. Many of them are too spicy for my taste, but some I plan to try anyway, with a little less spice. And you can just tell they're going to turn out fantastic.

One of the best cookbooks out there. Great, easy, tasty and healthy vegan recipes. Everything I've made has been a knock-out. His citrus collard greens have converted many a collard green hater, and for a veggie Thanksgiving, nothing satisfies like the seitan medallions with mushroom gravy. It's worth it to follow all his steps because his techniques ensure everything turns out stunning. A must-own for anyone wanting healthy vegetable-based fare.

I really liked what I tried, for the most part. The Hoppin' Jean and Citrus Collards were awesome, especially together. The Seitan-rice thingy was less awesome, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Vegan Soul Kitchen has delicious, inventive recipes that are absolutely mouth-watering in their freshness and surprising flavors. Bryant Terry's love for food shines through, and his passion for both his subject and his profession make it a delightful read.

This book was not written for a kitchen novice like myself, so I'm refraining from rating it. I love to eat good food, but don't have the time to spend on most of these many-step recipes. That said, the ones that I did try came out *amazing* (although I have yet to figure out how to make my crispy okra strips *look* as good as they taste).