The Congo Square, a warm rum beverage inspired by the collision of Haitian and New Orleans cultures and the people who used to gather in Congo Square to preserve their traditions and be together.
Afro-Vegan by Bryant Terry: Add Bryant Terry to my list of favorite food authors. I recently purchased his cookbook Afro-Vegan, and was treated to a group of plant-based recipes that are rich in flavor and history. He takes the Afro-influenced cuisines of the Caribbean, American South, and South America and gives them a vegan update. His recipes contain the rich, comforting flavors and textures I grew to love while at school at Emory University, without the animal products or grease that have worked their way into Southern cuisine.
His food is beyond anything I ever ate in Atlanta or the Caribbean, filled with warmth, flavor and health. It’s opened my eyes to entirely new types of cuisine, adding a vibrancy to my meal-planning that was only possible by welcoming in a rich, new (to me) type of cuisine. His recipes rely on whole foods, and get their flavor from spices and fresh herbs rather than salt or fat.
More than just a cookbook: Each recipe has a description that shares Bryant Terry’s inspiration and the history of the dish or the people who brought it with them from the African diaspora.
The Black Bean and Seitan stew I made was inspired by feijoada, a Brazilian dish that legend attributes to the nearly four million enslaved Africans brought to Brazil by the Portuguese, people who figured out how to get the most out of their rice and bean rations.
Black bean and seitan stew, with salty lemon cream and parsley. The black bean stew was so good I almost started crying – have you ever tried a recipe like that? Will said “This is amazing! I could eat 100 bowls of this!” which is the highest culinary praise I’ve ever received from my four year old.
The warm rum beverage Greg and I savored one cold afternoon, called a Congo Square, pays homage to the shared history and connection between New Orleans and Haiti, with mention of Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Haitian revolution. Bryant Terry even includes a soundtrack pairing for his recipes, and for some, a book or film in addition. His recipes are not just food, they are a history lesson, a whole cultural experience.
This book is about the flavors, people, and history that originate in the African diaspora. It is packed with history that every American should know, and recipes that would enrich all of our lives and make us healthier. It brings a lot more to the table than just food.
Food Justice: Bryant Terry is a passionate advocate for food justice. In the words of Alice Waters, “Bryant Terry knows that good food should be an everyday right and not a privilege”. Reading the forward to his cookbook, I was struck by his commitment to helping African Americans in particular return to cooking plant-based foods that are not just culturally and historically theirs, but that could save their lives by way of healthy eating.
Bryant Terry said in his forward that “To be clear, Afro-Vegan is for everyone.” I agree. We all have much to gain from the history lessons and food lessons in Afro-Vegan. If you’re looking for another healthy cookbook to add to your shelves, Afro Vegan’s a great one.
Thank you, Bryant Terry, for bringing everyone this beautiful compilation of healthy recipes that are so rich in flavor and history.
In the back of the cookbook, Bryant Terry has recommendations for menus and this is one of the things he suggests you serve with the black bean seitan stew. It’s a citrus arugula salad, it’s fresh and delicious, and it’s on pg 71.Spicy mustard greens, pg. 25. I didn’t put all the chiles in because I’m not great with a lot of heat. The result was that these still had a ton of flavor with some kick, and I could put a lot on my breakfast sandwich, soup, seared tofu, into a mango breakfast burrito, etc. The recipe lasts a week in the fridge and is an incredible way to always have instant flavor to add to your meals. It’s like the perfect condiment, because it’s ridiculously healthy and flavorful at the same time.Stewed tomatoes and black-eyed peas with cornbread croutons, pg. 53. I served collard greens on the side. The cornbread croutons were some work, I had to make cashew cream for an ingredient, make the skillet cornbread from scratch, then slice and bake the croutons. They were worth it – they added texture and a different flavor to break up the main dish, giving this comforting dish a major WOW factor.
Salty lemon cream – it was recommended with the seitan black bean stew (which was so delicious it could also stand on its own). I drizzled it on salads and in wraps the next few days and was pleased I’d put in the effort to make it.Sweet potato and lima bean tagline, served with mustard greens. I had to substitute cannelini for lima beans because I couldn’t find lima beans (even at Whole Foods, weird, I know). The spicy mustard greens are now a staple in our house to serve on seared-tofu breakfast sandwiches for a spicy green kick. They last in the fridge for a week, and you have NO idea how good they are at adding flavor to anything until you’ve made them yourself! (page 25.)Pumpkin peanut fritters, pg. 133. I made them a little too big… and they still tasted amazing. Fried in coconut oil for healthy fats, these are one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in months.Making the pumpkin peanut fritters. I should have used the amount of oil he recommended, but I’m not used to frying things! Um, I could get used to it for special occasions because these were fantastic.
Curried Corn and Coconut Rice (pg. 107) – I hesitate to even add this photo because you can’t tell whatsoever from looking at it how delicious and simple this recipe is. The curry on the corn complements the sweetness just so, and served over the coconut rice it is a rich and comforting dish that my kids enjoyed and Greg and I couldn’t get enough of. You just don’t know. You really don’t.This breakfast burrito I made with mango, tofu and leftover arugula would have been boring without the addition of the spicy mustard greens. Suddenly, it was over the top delicious. Did you know that a little heat pairs perfectly with a cup of black coffee? You do now.
Wow – all of this looks amazing. The spicy mustard greens and lemon cream especially. I am a bit of a heat wimp also so good tip on not adding all of the chiles. I love seitan but it always intimidates me to make it (and the pre-made stuff at Whole Foods is too salty for my preference). But I seem to remember it’s not that difficult – was this seitan very time consuming?
You’re a great “plater”. I feel like I can follow a recipe and make it taste good but making it look good is NOT my forte. Good job by you! I’ll be adding this book to the rotation. In your breakfast burrito picture, is that a spinach wrap from Whole Foods? Which brand?
Confession: That’s totally store-bought seitan. I’ve never made my own either! The saltiness was ok in this recipe because I salted the other foods so lightly, and it was more of an accent on top of the beans than a large part of the main course, so we were each consuming only four or five bite sized pieces of the seitan. It was rolled in a cornmeal mixture and lightly fried, and came out pretty delicious.
I’ve started to really enjoy deliberately plating our food – it’s fun when I know I’m going to post a photo on twitter or my blog. Greg is so nice about it; he says it’s worth the 30 second delay because he gets better food out of my social media food sharing enthusiasm 🙂
Yup, that’s the Maria and Ricardo spinach tortilla. I think they were better when Whole Foods stored them in the refrigerator section, I wish they hadn’t moved them to the end-cap. (I also wish they had the burrito size, not just the soft taco size.) They wrap better without breaking if you microwave them for ten or fifteen seconds first 🙂
Let me know if you want to borrow Afro-Vegan! I can part with it for a few days 😉
Thanks for the info! Yeah, it would be good if they stored the wraps in the fridge section. And I like the big ones too 🙂 No shame in using store-bought seitan. Veganomicon has a recipe that I’ve used before.
Thanks for the offer to borrow the book. I need to make my way through a few of the Oh She Glows recipes first. I’m overwhelmed by all the things I WANT to make. Fun problem thought!
Ok so I’m drooling over the Oh she Glows recipes as I read this post! I can’t even begin to decide on which recioe I’m doing tomorrow night! Now I want to order this book too. Great review pal! I want to t it all!
I found your blog after searching reviews of this book. I was on the fence about it because there are so many ingredients and so many steps for a number of the recipes!! But, I think you have convinced me.
If a simple corn over rice can be amazing (I ate a lot of that as a kid, and YUCK), then this book is definitely worth a try.
Hi Kelly,
Wow – all of this looks amazing. The spicy mustard greens and lemon cream especially. I am a bit of a heat wimp also so good tip on not adding all of the chiles. I love seitan but it always intimidates me to make it (and the pre-made stuff at Whole Foods is too salty for my preference). But I seem to remember it’s not that difficult – was this seitan very time consuming?
You’re a great “plater”. I feel like I can follow a recipe and make it taste good but making it look good is NOT my forte. Good job by you! I’ll be adding this book to the rotation. In your breakfast burrito picture, is that a spinach wrap from Whole Foods? Which brand?
Thanks!
Confession: That’s totally store-bought seitan. I’ve never made my own either! The saltiness was ok in this recipe because I salted the other foods so lightly, and it was more of an accent on top of the beans than a large part of the main course, so we were each consuming only four or five bite sized pieces of the seitan. It was rolled in a cornmeal mixture and lightly fried, and came out pretty delicious.
I’ve started to really enjoy deliberately plating our food – it’s fun when I know I’m going to post a photo on twitter or my blog. Greg is so nice about it; he says it’s worth the 30 second delay because he gets better food out of my social media food sharing enthusiasm 🙂
Yup, that’s the Maria and Ricardo spinach tortilla. I think they were better when Whole Foods stored them in the refrigerator section, I wish they hadn’t moved them to the end-cap. (I also wish they had the burrito size, not just the soft taco size.) They wrap better without breaking if you microwave them for ten or fifteen seconds first 🙂
Let me know if you want to borrow Afro-Vegan! I can part with it for a few days 😉
Thanks for the info! Yeah, it would be good if they stored the wraps in the fridge section. And I like the big ones too 🙂 No shame in using store-bought seitan. Veganomicon has a recipe that I’ve used before.
Thanks for the offer to borrow the book. I need to make my way through a few of the Oh She Glows recipes first. I’m overwhelmed by all the things I WANT to make. Fun problem thought!
Ok so I’m drooling over the Oh she Glows recipes as I read this post! I can’t even begin to decide on which recioe I’m doing tomorrow night! Now I want to order this book too. Great review pal! I want to t it all!
I was on the fence about this book…but looking at the pics…makes me want to go get it..asap
It’s a great book, the recipes are delicious!
I found your blog after searching reviews of this book. I was on the fence about it because there are so many ingredients and so many steps for a number of the recipes!! But, I think you have convinced me.
If a simple corn over rice can be amazing (I ate a lot of that as a kid, and YUCK), then this book is definitely worth a try.