Book Synopsis
Jenné Claiborne grew up in Atlanta eating classic Soul Food--fluffy
biscuits, smoky sausage, Nana's sweet potato pie--but thought she'd have
to give all that up when she went vegan. As a chef, she instead spent
years tweaking and experimenting to infuse plant-based, life-giving,
glow-worthy foods with the flavor and depth that feeds the soul.
The
result? Her first cookbook, SWEET POTATO SOUL, offering 100 vegan
recipes that riff on Southern cooking in surprising and delicious ways,
beautifully illustrated with full-color photography. Jenné revives the
long tradition of using fresh, local ingredients creatively in dishes
like Coconut Collard Salad and Fried Cauliflower Chicken. She improvises
new flavors in Peach Date BBQ Jackfruit Sliders and Sweet Potato-Tahini
Cookies. She celebrates the plant-based roots of the cuisine in
Bootylicious Gumbo and savory-sweet Georgia Watermelon & Peach
Salad. And she updates classics with Jalapeño Hush Puppies, and her
favorite, Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls.
Along the way, Jenné
explores the narratives surrounding iconic and beloved soul food
recipes, as well as their innate nutritional benefits--you've heard that
dandelion, mustard, and turnip greens, okra, and black eyed peas are
nutrition superstars, but here's how to make them super tasty, too.
From
decadent pound cakes and ginger-kissed fruit cobblers to smokey collard
greens, amazing crabcakes and the most comforting sweet potato pie
you'll ever taste, these better-than-the-original takes on crave-worthy
dishes are good for your health, heart, and soul.
My Review
I am a long time vegetarian, a southern girl, and a great fan of soul food ... so Sweet Potato Soul immediately appealed to me!
The first thing to know: this is a beautiful cookbook, with great food photos. The recipes are laid out one to a page, with ingredients and 1-2-3 directions, just the way I like.
I really loved the introduction on southern food. Jenne Claiborne even details pantry items for southern cooking, southern fruits and vegetables, spices, baking staples, sweeteners. There is a short section on varieties of sweet potatoes!
I also loved her Five Healthy Rules I Live By (p. 19, longer details in book!):
1. Avoid all animal products.
2. Eat your colors.
3. Don't count calories or protein.
4. Go 80/20. (unprocessed/processed)
5. Make everything delicious.
Now on to the recipes! In Sweet Potato Soul you will find:
Breakfast
Salads and Soups
Greens and Sides
Mains
Sweets and Drinks
Pantry Staples and Sauces
I have three things I look for in cookbooks:
Are the recipes vegetarian (or can I tweak them to be veggie friendly)?
Yes, this is a vegan cookbook!
Are the ingredients readily accessible at any grocery store?
Yes, the ingredients in this book are delightfully accessible foods that should be available anywhere.
Are the recipes straightforward and easy to make on a busy work night (i.e. 30 - 60 minutes tops)?
Most of the recipes are pretty straightforward. Some do include multiple steps. For instance, Low Country Grits (which looks amazing!) does require the cook to also make either Creole Red Bean Sausage or Smoky White Bean Sausage ... so not a great work night recipe.
To give you an idea of the delicious variety of recipes in this cookbook, here are a few that particularly appealed to me: Sweet Potato Skillet Home Fries, Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie, Bourbon BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches, Georgia Watermelon and Peach Salad, Coconut Corn Chowder, Jalapeno Hush Puppies, Spicy Fried Cauliflower "Chicken," Happy Hearts "Crab" Cakes, New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice, Cajun Blackened Tofu Sandwich, Smoky Black Eyed Pea Cakes, Georgia Pecan Pie, Ginger Kissed Peach Cobbler ... and this is just a small sampler!
I rate this vegan cookbook five stars and highly recommend it to anyone who loves southern cooking, vegan cooking, or vegetarian or "Meatless Monday" cooks who want to add more plant based southern food to their diet!
I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books.
Happy Friday! Hope you've had a great week.
My first Friday Fave is Daylight Saving Time. We spring forward Saturday night, and Sunday, March 9 will be the first day of DST. I like Daylight Saving Time: it always makes me feel energized, and I love sunlight that lasts later in the day.
My other Friday Fave is the Napoleon bowl. This is one of my favorite restaurant meals, and it is served at Napoleon's, a little pub in Decatur, Georgia (Atlanta area). I order my bowl with no cheese and guacamole added instead. This is what it looks like:
It is a layer of rice, salsa, black beans, tomatillo sauce (salsa verde), onions, tomatoes, and guacamole, with a little crown of tortilla chips. Yummy!
Napoleon's is a fun little restaurant. I was there with a group for my Mom's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Mom!) She had the fried green tomato sandwich on marbled rye, with chipotle mayonnaise and sweet potato fries.
Napoleon's has several vegetarian entrees. I wish the restaurant had more vegan options, but you can special order and vegan-ize a few things on the menu.
How about you -- how has your week been? What do you think of Daylight Savings Time? I hope you'll leave a comment below.
Happy Friday! My very favorite thing this week is the warmer weather we are having in Atlanta. One week after our Snowmageddon we had temps around 70 degrees. Nice! It feels like Spring is on the way here.
I have spent time this week opening accounts at several bookselling sites: AbeBooks, Alibris, and Biblio. During the next few months (possibly up to 5 - 6 months), I will be going through my inventory, freshening up my eBay listings, pulling some items, and listing everything at Etsy, Bonanza, Amazon, AbeBooks, Alibris, and Biblio. I am really so excited about this new venture!
It has been fun to watch Olympic figure skating in Sochi the past couple of weeks. I haven't had time to watch as avidly as in the past, but it is still wonderful to see Olympic figure skaters competing at their best. (U.S. skater, Gracie Gold, is pictured above.)
I've also been enjoying American Idol, and the announcement of this season's top 13. So far my favorites are Majesty Rose (soulful singer with a coffeehouse type vibe) and Caleb Johnson (an old fashioned rocker). Of course, this may change in upcoming weeks - you never know!
Of course, I also have a new food product that I love. Kashi Blackberry Graham Soft-Baked Cereal Bars are all natural and vegan. I love Kashi products, and this is a yummy treat.
How about you - how was your week? Have you been watching the Olympics? Do you have any thoughts on the American Idol top 13 singers? I hope you'll leave a note in the comments section below.
Have a great weekend!
Happy Friday! We have had snow and ice and then some more snow in Atlanta. I am happy to say that the sun is out and most of the snow has melted away. I grew up in a warm climate, and love snow for about three hours. Then I am ready for it to hurry up and melt. My friend Bob of Gilliland Records took these gorgeous snow pics in the North Georgia mountains, and said that I could share them with you.
When it snows I want comfort food, ideally as simple as possible. I just discovered the Tandoor Chef line of frozen foods. Their selection of Indian food includes many vegetarian and vegan options. The dishes are natural and preservative-free. I love, love, LOVE their Channa Masala. It is a spicy chickpea dish, and each package makes two servings. I serve it in a bowl over rice. Delicious!
On snowy days I also tend to go into "Snow Day" mode and spend more time than usual goofing off. This week I discovered a fun app for iPad or iPhone called QuizUp (also coming soon for Android). It is an insanely addictive trivia game. There are over 350 categories to choose from. They are widely varied and include Musicals, Children's Literature, Words, Classic Movies, 1960's Music, and much more. You choose a topic and then the app matches you with another player (from anywhere in the world). You play a short trivia game, very fast paced. It is so much fun!
How are you doing this week? How is the weather in your part of the world? I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.
Happy Friday, y'all! Hope you've had a great week.
My faves this week are all food related, probably because it is winter and I'm in the mood to cook.
My first fave is Silk Pure Coconut Coconutmilk. I bought the original (unflavored), and it is so delicious! It is dairy free, gluten free, and has 50% more calcium than dairy milk. I love this on cereal, and can't wait to try it in smoothies as well.
I also love Boca Original Vegan Burgers. I've been vegetarian for years, and have lately been trying to make the vegan choice when possible. I just started buying the Boca Vegan Burgers instead of the traditional Flame Grilled (vegetarian). At first bite I wasn't sure about the burgers; they taste simpler, but I have gotten used to the taste and actually crave them now.
I have a restaurant to recommend, too. The Local No. 7 is located on Main Street in Tucker, Georgia (a small town outside Atlanta). The restaurant is a cozy pub, and they have a terrific menu! They have several vegetarian and vegan options. I had a veggie wrap (spinach tortilla, hummus, veggies, vinaigrette) and homemade fries. They also have a bar, with team trivia a couple of nights a week. Fun! I will definitely go back.
How about you -- do you have any great vegetarian or vegan food products to recommend? I would love to hear from you in the comments section, below.
