Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul: A Cookbook

Vegan Soul Food? It may seem like an odd combination but Jenne’ Claiborne knows her stuff and delivers a cookbook full of flavorful, nourishing recipes that are 100% plant based. Recipes range from vegan takes on soul food classics (red beans and rice, collard greens, Cajun blackened tofu sandwich) to brand new treats that draw on - and shine a new light on - nostalgic flavors and ingredients (black eyed pea hummus, coconut collard salad, sweet potato tahini cookies). There is SO much here! The book starts out with a primer on vegetables, fruits, spices, and other staples of a vegan soul food kitchen. Personally, I like grounding a cookbook with context and providing readers the tools and knowledge to inspire experimentation, so I enjoy this info. The actual recipes are divided into 6 chapters: Breakfast Salads and Soups Greens and Sides Mains Sweets and Drinks Pantry Staples and Sauces I’ve made about 10 recipes and honestly, they have all turned out fantastic. The Happy Hearts Crab Cakes with Red Pepper aioli is almost worth the price of the book alone- it is SO good. Spicy, tender, and so full of flavor. Bourbon BBQ Tempeh and Red Beans and Rice are also great, filling, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for more. The Quick Pickled Onions go with so many salads and sandwiches I keep them on hand. I haven’t made any of the breakfast recipes yet. I have only made one dessert, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a flavor quite the Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies - delicious: sweet and umami at the same time. My toddler loved them and they are full of nutritious ingredients. The Spicy Peach Tomatillo salsa is NOT playing around with the word spicy… the cookbook itself doesn’t play around with the title “sweet potato soul” - sweet potatoes are in no less than 20 different recipes, but they are used in such different ways that it never feels repetitive. Related: the author may be some kind of sweet potato wizard… in any case, I can’t wait to jump further in, but the few recipes I’ve already tried have made this cookbook well worth the price. Highly recommend!

I bought this cookbook because as a mostly veggie/plant based eater who lives in the South, I feel like I’m so often missing out on classic southern dishes because of the meat that is so often included in them. I bought this book not really having an introduction to Jenne, though I do follow her on Instagram. I keep coming back to this book. There are so many amazing recipes that are healthy, fresh and light with enough southern flair to feel authentic yet creative. There are also tons of recipes that are rich, tasty and include a few processed ingredients but are amazing as a treat that feels so decadent. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the indulgent southern experience at all, yet so many of the recipes are super healthy and easy to make. There are also some recipes that take a little more prep- but I love that on a rainy afternoon when I want to cook for hours. So far I have made the tender mess of greens, the skillet cornbread, sweet potato biscuits, the pan fried butter beans and greens and the low country grits with the red bean sausage. I’ve never made my own sausage before but it was super easy and delicious and I will incorporate this recipe into my regular rotation. I’ve also made the chicken fried cauliflower but I baked it instead of frying it. My meat eating fiancée gobbled everything up. I think the recipes are easy to tweak if you want to make them even healthier. This book gets thumbs up from me!

This is one of the best vegan books I've had, the recipes are awesome.. Whether you're craving a classic comfort dish or something adventurous, this cookbook has you covered. she also includes nutritional insights, offering a holistic approach to plant-based living and innovative use of plant-based ingredients to her creative twists on classic recipes, each page reflects her passion for inventive, delicious, and cruelty-free cuisine. Whether you're a vegan enthusiast or just curious about exploring plant-based dishes, this book is a must-have. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates good food and the joy of compassionate cooking! I am vegetarian and looking for more books like this.. this is a good buy!

Nice attempt at southern swings vegan but southern soul food is not vegan. If you find yourself cooking for a vegan then this is an excellent source of recipes. Vegan is not healthy especially for children and I was tempted to not review the book at all but thought of the divided family tables and well intentioned cooks trying to keep the peace and appease the vegan at the table maybe even impress them.

I have made a number of the recipes. Everyone has been excellent. Here are my early favorites: SWEET POTATO GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE - this is an excellent side dish particularly for a special occasion holiday meal. LOW COUNTRY GRITS - This definitely going into my favorites notebook and will be on regular rotation. BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD - This is a perfect dish to take to a pot luck to polish your image as a vegan cook extraordinaire. It is out of the park good. SWEET CORN SUCCOTASH - Easy and delicious. Another keeper BLACK-EYED PEA HUMMUS - This dish is so good I can not stop myself from detouring by the fridge for a taste. Possibly addictive and a candidate for becoming a "controlled substance." My best hummus recipe by a long shot. SMOKEY BLACK EYED PEAR CAKES - I screwed it up the first time I made them and they were still delish. Will try again. I plan to prepare the Mac and Cheese tomorrow and expect to work my way through the whole cook book. I almost never dive in as deeply as I have with this one. Obviously, I have been swooned by the recipes. I must say also that the book is carefully and artfully put together with vivid photos that I refer to as I am preparing to present each dish. Sweet Potato Soul shows that Southern food can be delicious, memorable, and healthy. Thanks Jenne!

I originally got this from the library and after renewing it over and over, I knew it would be worth it to purchase.I made a dinner for a friend using the recipes in this book. She is not a vegan but said if this is the kind of food I make she can see why I eat this way. She loved it! She was also surprised because we usually go out to eat. However, the recipes in this book are manageable, making it no big deal to cook at home. Several of the recipes are one pan or a mixing bowl then one pan.

What a stellar cookbook. Just stellar. If you have fairly standard cupboard, you can make most things in this cookbook. You can pronounce everything in this cookbook. You can find everything in this vegan cookbook. I am not vegan or vegetarian but I grow a lot of my own veggies and have been attempting to minimize meat and maximize veggies and other protein substitutes in my diet, and this book is just amazing. She's touching and genuine in her words about family and feasts, the spice balance in her recipes (smoky white bean sausage is PERFECTION) is just perfect and very important to me, the recipes are versatile and I have nearly every single thing in my kitchen that is in this book. I have purchased a handful of vegan cookbooks and have not heard of a lot of the stuff in the book and cant find it locally. Boo on both of those. If you are looking to have some flavorful meat substitutes in your diet, I couldnt recommend this book enough. Very thankful I found it! Fav recipes so far: Smoky white bean sausage Low Country Grits Sweet potato Bisque Creole Red Bean Sausage Jalepeno Hush Puppies Get this book!

Okay, so we loved the first recipe we tried from this book and we're looking forward to trying more! Simple easy and delicious. Not crazy ingredients that nobody keeps in sto ck. We literally had everything all ready.