Afro-Vegan

Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed [A Cookbook]

About the Book

Renowned chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry reworks and remixes the favorite staples, ingredients, and classic dishes of the African Diaspora to present more than 100 wholly new, creative culinary combinations that will amaze vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST VEGETARIAN COOKBOOKS OF ALL TIME BY BON APPÉTIT

Blending African, Carribean, and southern cuisines results in delicious recipes like Smashed Potatoes, Peas, and Corn with Chile-Garlic Oil, a recipe inspired by the Kenyan dish irio, and Cinnamon-Soaked Wheat Berry Salad with dried apricots, carrots, and almonds, which is based on a Moroccan tagine. Creamy Coconut-Cashew Soup with Okra, Corn, and Tomatoes pays homage to a popular Brazilian dish while incorporating classic Southern ingredients, and Crispy Teff and Grit Cakes with Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Peanuts combines the Ethiopian grain teff with stone-ground corn grits from the Deep South and North African zalook dip. There’s perfect potluck fare, such as the simple, warming, and intensely flavored Collard Greens and Cabbage with Lots of Garlic, and the Caribbean-inspired Cocoa Spice Cake with Crystallized Ginger and Coconut-Chocolate Ganache, plus a refreshing Roselle-Rooibos Drink that will satisfy any sweet tooth. 

With more than 100 modern and delicious dishes that draw on Terry’s personal memories as well as the history of food that has traveled from the African continent, Afro-Vegan takes you on an international food journey. Accompanying the recipes are Terry’s insights about building community around food, along with suggested music tracks from around the world and book recommendations. For anyone interested in improving their well-being, Afro-Vegan’s groundbreaking recipes offer innovative, plant-based global cuisine that is fresh, healthy, and forges a new direction in vegan cooking.
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Praise for Afro-Vegan

Nominated for a 2015 NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Literary Work
James Beard Foundation 2015 Leadership Award
Best Cookbooks of 2014—Serious Eats
Best Cookbooks of 2014—Mother Jones
Best Cookbooks of 2014—Shape


“I’m a big fan of food. I’m also a fan of stories. What Bryant Terry has done with Afro-Vegan is tell a new and important story of food. He’s connected health with history and culture and made the combination delicious. As important, he’s encouraging all of us to learn the story of the food we make and consume and helping us generate our own stories as we share these healthy eats with the communities we love.”
—Baratunde Thurston, best-selling author of How to Be Black and CEO and cofounder of Cultivated Wit
 
“Bryant Terry crafts recipes and weaves narrative to shine truth on Southern food. This is cooking that empowers and encourages, and tells the story of the nourishment of a community. Afro-Vegan shows us how to be proud of our storied, vegetable-rich foodways.”
—Hugh Acheson, chef and author of A New Turn in the South
 
Afro-Vegan animates the cuisine of the African diaspora with the detail, reverence, and passion it deserves. Bryant elevates our often-overlooked culinary traditions and infuses a personal, smart, and practical love. He goes beyond teaching us to cook. He inspires us to celebrate and explore.”
—Dayo Olopade, author of The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa
 
“If A People’s History Of The United States and Joy of Cooking had a baby, Afro-Vegan would be it!”
—Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of Veganomicon and Isa Does It  
 
“In this beautiful, casual collection of recipes from across  the African diaspora, Bryant Terry brings to life a vegetable, grain, spice-based culinary heritage too often ignored.  Afro-Vegan is a historically compelling, delicious blueprint for both a plant-based diet and a true, African-derived cuisine.”
—Tamar Adler, author of An Everlasting Meal
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Excerpt

Afro-Vegan

Muscovado-Roasted Plantains
Olive oil, maple syrup
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Soundtrack “Golden Lady” by José Feliciano from And the Feeling’s Good
 
Inspired by candied sweet potatoes, this flavorfully sweet side dish provides a satisfying counterpoint to a savory main. While roasting brings out the natural sweetness in plantains, muscovado—unrefined brown cane sugar—gives the plantains a subtle molasses flavor. You can add chopped pecans for texture. If you cannot find muscovado, use raw cane sugar and replace the maple syrup with 1 teaspoon unsulfured molasses.
 
4 large ripe plantains, ends cut off, peeled, and cut into thirds
4 teaspoons olive oil
1⁄2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1⁄4 cup muscovado sugar
 
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the plantains in a large bowl, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil, and sprinkle with the salt. Toss gently until the plantains are evenly coated. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, gently stirring and turning every 10 minutes, until fork-tender and lightly browned.

Combine the maple syrup, muscovado, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a small bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Pour into a large skillet and warm over high heat until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the plantains, and cook for 1 minute, tossing vigorously to coat evenly, and serve.

About the Author

Bryant Terry
Bryant Terry is an NAACP Image Award winner and a James Beard Award-winning chef and educator and the author of Afro-Vegan and Vegetable Kingdom. He is renowned for his activism and efforts to create a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system. He is currently the chef-in-residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, where he creates programming that celebrates the intersection of food, farming, health, activism, art, culture, and the African Diaspora. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Washington Post and on CBS This Morning and on NPR's All Things Considered. San Francisco magazine included Bryant among the 11 Smartest People in the Bay Area Food Scene and Fast Company named him one of 9 People Who Are Changing the Future of Food. More by Bryant Terry
Decorative Carat