Sometimes it’s hard to tell if The Inspired Vegan is a cookbook, a set of media recommendations, or a social justice manifesto. Bryant Terry is a recognized advocate for all 3 things though, so it makes sense he’d combine them.
One of the more interesting things about this book is how it’s set up, seasonally but also by menu. Each menu has some noted inspirations, usually musical or literary but also sometimes a film gets in there too. Individual recipes also have their own soundtrack recommendations and reading recommendations. After the introduction to a menu, there’s also some websites listed but no information about them. 9 time out of 10, these link are for social justice initiatives, often though not always connected to food. I have to say, I also appreciate how the common components recipes (for things like spice blends and frequently invoked dressings or accompaniments) is at the beginning and not the end; and ok maybe I’m also partial to the fact that the base pesto recipe here is parsley based, not basil. I don’t like Italian basil much.
One of the Spring menus is one of the few that consists entirely of recipes where I wouldn’t likely feel the need to substitute or skip anything, titled “freedom fare” and inspired by the “Free Breakfast for Children” program started in the late 1960s by thee Black Panther party and a local church (Bryant explains this in the introduction). The 3 links at the end are not explained but I actually recognized one without having to look it up: growingpower.org. This is a Milwaukee-based urban farming program started by an African-American man. I point this out because the link as noted by Bryant does not work. The overall soundtrack includes Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Odetta. The recipes includes “Minted Citrus Sweet Tea”, “Simple Salad of Butter Lettuce and Fresh Spring Herbs with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette”, “Rustic Johnny Cakes with Caramelized Onion Relish”, “Butter Bean and Tomato-Drenched Collards with Parsley”, and “Chewy Lemon-Coconut Cookies with Lemon Icing”. The cookie recipe includes a soundtrack title “Hello Sunshine” by Aretha Franklin and a children’s book titled Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. The bean and greens stew is what looks most interesting to me. The beans are cooked with kombu, and the collard greens are cooked with tomato (in a couple of forms), lemon and red vinegar, garlic, onion, hot chili pepper, and parsley. There’s some separating out some portions, pureeing, recombining, and the whole thing (not counting bean soaking for a day) takes about 2-2 ½ hours. Even though this one take a while, it sounds really good, and I don’t like collards.
Another intriguing menu is “Winter in Hong Kong”. This one has an overall soundscape of titles by Alok, 22cats (never heard of them), Jin (no idea), Marshmallow Kisses (cool name), and My Little Airport (never heard of this one either but it sounds interesting). The kumquat-tangerine-meyer lemonade sounds amazing but I have my doubts about acquiring all the ingredients (kumquats are hard to find, especially in any sort of quantity); I like congee and this one is basic but includes a bunch of accompaniments to make thing more interesting and tailored to personal tastes. There’s also a tofu recipe involving chili oil and peanuts (yum), and “Gingered Black-Sesame Brittle”. I’m not a big fan of ginger, but this sounds really good since it includes sesame, maple syrup, and orange juice (all of which I do like). Soundtracks include “Learn Chinese” by Jin and Wyclef Jean, and “Into the Wind” by Bei Bei and Shawn Lee. Reading includes The Food of China by Kay Halsey and Lulu Grimes, and the Tao Te Ching (Jonathan Star’s translation).
I am now both hungry and considering buying this once my current copy goes back to the library.