"Bryant Terry" news and stories

'Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine'
Recipes by Bryant Terry
Da Capo Press -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

It's almost impossible to think of soul food without thinking of pork, butter and drippings, and equally improbable to imagine a vegan who would voluntarily consume any of these things -- or anything else containing animal products, for that matter.

So Bryant Terry's "Vegan Soul Kitchen" would appear to be both a novelty and oxymoron, something Terry himself admits when he writes "I do realize that veganism ... .is antithetical to the way that African-American and Southern cooking has been constructed in the popular imagination over the past four decades."

A deeper look, however, reveals that prior to the industrialization of the food industry, the traditional African-American diet included plenty of fresh produce, and as Terry demonstrates with his book's 150 recipes, those fruits and vegetables can still play a central and innovative role in dishes ranging from Creole Hoppin'-Jean (a bacon-free twist on Hoppin' John, the traditional black-eyed pea and rice dish) to Savory Triple-Corn Grits, which substitutes creamed cashews for butter. In other words, as Bryant writes, think "Alice Waters meets Melvin Van Peebles," a farm-fresh update on a rich and soulful tradition.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

• Ever wonder how goat's milk stacks up against cow's milk? Take this quiz and learn a thing or two.
• Capture tastes of the Spanish coast with a recipe for Smoky Tomato and Seafood Soup.
• A review for Whisk in Coral Gables, a tiny eatery with fare including buttermilk fried chicken and churrasco (Brazilian-style grilled beef).
• 'Roadfood' warriors Jane and Michael Stern reveal South Florida faves.
  
• Ever sampled Cuban-Thai fusion food? You heard right. Find it at Izzy's Cubi Thai.
  
• Some sage advice for limiting the pantry budget: Don't buy food if you don't know what to match it with.
• Domaine Chandon offers new wines sine sparkle -- chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier -- that garner high praise.
• Tasting the South with a recipe for Grits with Greens and Shrimp.
• A chat with Bryant Terry, who mixes veganism and comfort food in the new cookbook 'Vegan Soul Kitchen.'
• Bulldog Barbecue (Top Chef Howie Kleinberg's restaurant) and Bash earn good reviews.