At first, Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen didn't look like my kind of cookbook. I wrongfully assumed that he would be making the usual fatty, unhealthy food found in southern cookbooks. I didn't know how he'd do it, but I thought the recipes would be artery-clogging despite their vegan nature. I can't even begin to express how wrong I was! This cookbook is untraditional in every sense, from it's "Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux" to the soundtrack listings he has for every recipe. This beautiful, fresh take on African-American cuisine (so wrongfully often classed with southern cooking) is absolutely mind-blowing. Terry begins with thanks and song in the form of sheet-music. Don Bryant's "Thankful" fills the first few pages of the book. Then Terry progresses to why and how he wrote the book and his favorite recipes. From there the book is divided into chapters on salads, soups and stews, grains, proteins, and other catagories of food. One look at the recipes themselves, however, shows that this book is far from average. The recipes are based on the mix of African cooking techniques with ingredients from America. Foods like gumbo, collards, biscuits, and green tomatoes take on a whole new spin in Terry's capable hands.
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