Culinary School Grad Writes Vegan Soul Food Cookbook

Soul food doesn't exactly have a healthy reputation—in fact, it's often associated with hearty, meaty meals, deep-fried foods and rich desserts. But according to chef, food activist and culinary school graduate, Bryant Terry, soul food can not only be healthy, it can also be fresh, seasonal and sustainable.

Terry—the author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen—has a new cookbook out called Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine. The cookbook focuses on fresh ingredients and recipes without animal products, while still retaining the flavor of traditional family fare. Soul food, Terry maintains, can be flavorful and healthy, especially if you consider its traditional ingredients and cooking methods.

He points out that, historically, much of what we consider soul food was grown in backyard gardens, so his recipes emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown seasonally and locally. He also advocates slow cooking, thereby avoiding processed "industrial" foods from grocery stores, and unhealthy shortcuts that add flavor but also often add fat, such as pork or lard.

Terry, who grew up watching his grandfather cook traditional Southern meals, arrived at his own unique twist on soul food through a combination of social activism and intensive culinary school training at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City. If you have an interest in healthy cooking, consider culinary school as an option for your career.