5 comments about The Ethnic Vegetarian: Traditional and Modern Recipes from Africa, America, and the Caribbean.

1. While a few recipes do use eggs or cheese, most do not. Lots of tasty vegan options here.



2. We are not vegetarians, but I have been toying with reducing meats in my family's diet. When I picked up this book, I was skeptical. However, each recipie that I have tried has been fantastic! My husband loves the spiciness of the dishes, and I love the rich flavors. The meals are substantial, and you won't miss the meat. Enjoy!



3. I've tried about 5 recipes from this book and all of them were dismal failures. The author is way off with the amounts needed for each ingredient. I tried the jerk tofu and plantain and black bean fritters. What a mess! This is the worst vegetarian cookbook I have and I will not be trying anything else in the book.



4. I have tried almost half of the recipes and loved every single one. I was worried about the large amount of food - but I have never had leftovers for very long. Excellent and creative uses for veggie meat.



5. I used to only cook Thai and Indian vegetarian foods, then saw this book and was impressed by the variety of new recipes, including things I knew from Southern and African restaurants. When tagging the recipes I wanted to try first, I found myself marking half the pages! It's great for planning a week of menus using similar ingredients to make a ton of different things. I half all the recipe quantities, and they are good for 2-3 people that way. It's all been delicious and easy, with most main dishes only using one pot. The instructions for Injera (Ethiopian bread) were creative and it turned out great! I'm starting to use the more authentic ingredients suggested in the recipe descriptions instead of the Americanized versions, using produce and flours from Mexican and Indian grocers (we don't have an African grocer here), and it is even better that way. It's all very protein-rich, so I've never been tempted to add meat to anything in this book.

5 comments about Soul Food: Classic Cuisine from the Deep South.

1. Thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook. I was first introduced to this book by my husband who learned to cook with a Chef. I borrowed the book and misplaced it and had to deal with endless sour looks from my husband who could not be consoled. I ordered another copy when I thought all was lost and then found the original one. Now we have two copies and everyone lives happily ever after! The recipes are wonderful and old-fashioned favorites abound in this book.



2. I picked up this cookbook a couple of months ago and have been working my way through its pages, so far I haven't found a bad recipe. The instructions are detailed and easy to understand and it has allowed me to get my family to try foods that they would not otherwise eat (the Cheesy Squash Casserole will change anyone's mind about squash), it has me cooking and preparing foods in ways I never would have considered. The stories behind the recipes are endearing and the history of Soul Food is enlightening. I plan on purchasing a few copies to give as gifts since the finished results are very popular among my family.



3. I have owned this book for over a decade now. It is splattered and dog eared, great praise in my kitchen. I love the book on many levels, the recipes of course are wonderful and familiar reminders from my childhood. Like many grown up folks, I neglected to take note of exactly what my grandma and great grandma were doing to create the magic that emerged from their kitchens. This book gives back some of those gifts. My mother and my sister own this book and we often check with Sheila first before we embark on one of these old home favorites.
   This book is also rich with the black experience of people emerging with enthusiam and curiousity from the south to the north to places like Philadelphia, Detroit and New York city to experience the great big world and find their place in it. I love the photographs and stories about family members, the grandma who died early, who believed that someone had rooted her and lost the will to live, the auntie who moved to New york and made a grand living as a bootlegger and juke joint owner, along with all their favorite specialities from the kitchen. This book is a treasure.



4. I BOUGHT THIS BOOK ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO AND THE RECIPES ARE OUT OF SIGHT
   THE BOOK REMINDS ME WHEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP AND I WOULD SMELL BREAKFAST COOKING ON SUNDAY MORNING.I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYBODY TO BUY THIS BOOK YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.



5. Great recepies, received this item it is like new it shipped quickly great price and I would shop from this seller again.

5 comments about Hallelujah! The Welcome Table.

1. My daughter reproduced the same Caramel Cake that Maya made as a guest on Martha Stewart's show, for my birthday last fall...oh my gosh, it was so good!
   
   So good that I gave her Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, for Christmas.
   
   It is a warm and wonderful book, chock full of memories and yummy recipes...including the Caramel Cake.



2. I love this cookbook. I have already tried some recipes from it. Almost three weeks passed, however, before I received it. I am very satisfied with it.



3. A wonderful mix of story and recipe.
   As I try these wonderful southern dishes I recall her stories and I can sense the history of the dish.
   the caramel cake is worth 10x the price of the book alone.



4. None comes better. The recipes are honest and measure up to the quality of the author! Props to Sister Angelou !



5. I was so disappointed in this book. Not because it was a horrible book but because it ended. I was reading the memories she had of each recipe and throughly enjoying myself when I realized that the next page that I turned was the index. I didn't want it to be over so soon. I really felt a sense of deep disappointment. I was surprised at my reaction because it was after all only a recipe book. This book pulls you in and takes you on a journey both of her life and her culinary expertise. You will get wrapped up in it as you laugh and imagine the flavors of the dishes. I think that she should write another recipe book. I'm sure that these are not the only recipes she knows. I admire Dr. Angelou both as a poet, writer, woman, and cook.

5 comments about Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World.

1. I thought this book was pretty good because he was supposed to do his chores but he did'nt and did not do the dishes and Hidya had to.And he made a mess in the kitchen and his mother had to clean it up.



2. I liked the book cause it was exciting.I relate to Justin because I don't like to clean my room,or make my bed.This book made me hungry cause of the biscuits.My favorite parts were when they went to the festival and at Justin's house.If you like cowboys,roping,and horses you'll like this book.And it also teaches you stuff.I think this is a great book.I really enjoyed it!



3. I really really liked this story because it show that at first Justin does not know how to do anything right and he had two sisters and one that was bigger than him and he always got in trouble and at the end he learns how to make his bed and cook biscuits and other stuff and know body believes that he can do all those things because before he went to his grand fathers he could not do anything but when he gets back he can make his bed and his on food and it just amazing that he could do all those things after he got back from his grand fathers and its cool.



4. I borrowed the book from the library, because my children like biscuits. The book surprised me with its story line. It is so beautiful about a boy becoming man of responsibility and knowing his african american history. A few times the story did not flow too well. Therefore I gave it a four star review.



5. My son read this book with his 4th grade class. I read it along and out loud with him because we are really working on reading comprehension.
   
   This is a terrific discussion-starter book for parents and children. Not only is there the sexism parts, but there is also the theme of Justin being never shown how to do things (or made fun of when he tries) to the extent that he just stopped trying.
   
   I was very surprised to see the "n-word" (it's on page 82 in mine) in a book geared toward such young children. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I would not have known about it if I had not been reading the book with my son. They did not discuss it in school or let the parents know which is a shame, as it led to a few great discussions in our home about racism and the power of words.
   
   Overall, a great book. It was nice to see some diversity in my son's required reading and to have a completely boy-centric book where the main character is not sickeningly perfect.

1 comments about Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night.

1. 
   Celebrity Chef Sallie Ann Robinson, a native of the famous Sea Island known as Daufuskie Island located just down the Savannah River between the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, has made guest appearances on numerous cooking shows and been profiled in such publications as the 2005 Old Farmer's Almanac, Southern Living, and National Geographic. In COOKING THE GULLAH WAY, MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, her book of highly appealing regional recipes and personal memoir, Robinson goes beyond writing about her native Gullah culture to honoring, sharing, and preserving its customs and dialect with the kind of affectionate familiarity, and certainty of knowledge, that only a fifth-generation daughter of the island could possess.
   
   There are many levels on which to appreciate Cooking the Gullah Way. Lovers of exceptionally good food might justifiably desire to simply roam through its pages, pick out favorite recipes, and feast on their findings. Yet the recipes themselves often provide more than satisfying pleasures for the palate simply by virtue of names that reflect Robinson's coastal heritage sensibilities. Imagine, for example, a filling breakfast of the author's "Gullah Bacon Corn Muffin" with a side dish of "Sassy Strawberry Preserves"; a lunch featuring "Sallie's Seafood Spaghetti" with "Yondah Black-Eyed Pea Soup"; or a dinner of "Grilled Fresh Vegetables," "Local Sea Island Country Boil," and "Country Candied Yams with Raisins" all washed gently down by your choice of "Soothing Sassafras Tea," "Ol' Country Lemonade with Orange," or a homemade wine such as "`Fuskie Backyard Pear Wine." Such mouth-watering teasers defeat all attempts at resistance.
   
   However: a major special feature in Cooking the Gullah Way is Robinson's chapter on "Gullah Folk Beliefs and Home Remedies." As the author writes, "Those times living on Daufuskie without a television or radio to inform us about the weather made us wiser as we learned nature's ways."
   
   Chapter sections on "Living with Nature" and "Sea Island Folk Beliefs" offer notes of real interest for students of southern culture and history. Moreover, in these days of economically challenged households, the section on "'Fuskie Old-Fashioned Home Remedies" offers possible alternatives and/or supplements to medicines for the treatments of a variety of ills. Everything from asthma and earaches to high blood pressure and toothaches is covered with a note of caution to first, "learn about any remedy and be aware of the good and bad sides of it."
   
   If the winning recipes and folk remedies make Cooking the Gullah Way a homemaker's dream companion book, the down-to-earth wisdom and observations shared through the interwoven stories make it a delectable choice for the general reader as well. We smile with appreciation as Robinson's "Pop" explains that in the morning when he calls out, "Off and on it!" to his still sleeping family, the phrase means for every able body to "Get off ya backside and on ya feet." And we nod with humored enlightenment when he points out that, "A heap may see, but only a few knows"--meaning that seeing is not necessarily synonymous with understanding. With that in mind, what we need most to understand about Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night, is that this book delivers as much delicious nurturing for the soul as it does nourishment for the body.
   
   
   by Author-Poet Aberjhani
   author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
   and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

5 comments about The Black Family Reunion Cookbook: Recipes and Food Memories.

1. I've owned this book for over five years, and it is best cookbook I own. Recipes are well-tested, don't cost very much to make, use readily available ingredients, and many are simple enough to make for weeknight suppers. I recommend the chicken gumbo, the Carter Hill barbeque ribs, the eggplant casserole, the yam pork chop skillet, the Jamaican bannana cake, and the honey crunch pecan pie. I recommend this cookbook as a gift for college students because the recipes are easy and delicious.



2. I have had this book for over 10 years, and I'm white. I bought this book when I was dating a black (african american) guy and wanted to cook him the foods that he liked. I still refer to it from time to time, but the best recipe is the macaroni and cheese. I get so many compliments when I make it for family dinners and potlucks, and everyone asks me for the recipe.



3. The Black Family Reunion Cookbook came just in time for my own family reunion this past weekend - July 4, 2005. It's an excellent choice for newcomers or oldheads like myself. It takes you back to the good days when your mother was in the kitchen whipping up a delicious peach cobbler or some tasty macaroni and cheese. I just loved this! Every single recipe took me back to my youth. It was funny running across dishes that I had forgotten about. Whether you're African American or Hispanic, you will love this cookbook!! Highly recommended to the world of book lovers
   
   Rolanda,
   Nothing BUT Page Turners Book Club



4. This is the best cookbook!!! I bought it for my mom and then ended up borrowing it so much I had to buy my own! The recipes are incredible!! I have not found a bad one yet. Mac & Cheese is amazing!!



5. What a disappointment!
   
   I was expecting real food and soul food, and what I got was a book of recipes that women generally inflict on each other at pot-luck affairs.
   
   In the history of the World no real food has ever been cooked or served for a pot-luck meal. What happens is the woman has to contribute something so she looks thru her cupboard for stuff no one in her family will eat. Like canned lima beans and pickled beets and anchovies. So she tosses everything into one pot, boils it, pours the goo into a casserole, and takes it to the pot-luck. The book oughta be called Pot Luck Recipes to Inflict On Your Work Associates.

5 comments about The New Soul Food Cookbook for People With Diabetes.

1. This book is very helpful, because it teaches a person to cook with flavor. Most times the foods that we (diabetics) eat are so bland. This is a well written book. The exchanges are a plus.



2. I love to cook and eat. It's wonderful that I can now prepare healthy and traditional fare for my family without worry over fat and salt. Thanks ladies!



3. "Authors Gaines and Weaver show the reader how much of the hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes plaguing the African-American population can be avoided by making easy changes to traditional soul food recipes without losing too much of the flavor. The basics of healthy food preparation and menu planning are incorporated with suggestions for cooking with traditional herbs and spices, along with advice for reducing fat, calories and sodium. Portion sizes are given to aid in blood sugar control and weight loss, as well as complete nutritional information and official ADA exchanges.
   Now you can experience palate-pleasing soul food recipes such as Barbecue Pulled Pork, Hoppin' John, Hoe Cake, Soul Slaw, Collards with Smoked Turkey, Chicken and Dumplings, Key Lime Pie, Rice Pudding, Sweet Potato Pound Cake and more in The New Soul Food Cookbook." (review from the National Federation of the Blind website, Marilyn Helton reviewer)



4. I have tried several recipes from this book and was pleasantly surprised that the dishes were delicious.



5. The recipes in this book are a help to me in trying to maintain a healthier eating lifestyle even though I am not a diabetic. The tips and stories were interesting and very informative.

5 comments about Mama Dip's Kitchen.

1. The book itself is lovely, and Ms. Council's story is charming, but I finally got rid of the book after too many disappointing recipes.



2. Nice story. But the recipes are too simple and seem incomplete. I've made too many bad recipes from this book and am tossing it.
   
   The chicken and dumplings recipe tasted bland. There were no spices listed or mention of salt and pepper. No mention of onions, carrots, etc. The "best ever" six flavor pound cake was heavy and not that great because there was no baking soda or powder listed. And I refuse to cook with a bottle of ketchup, cans of cream of chicken soup, and cake mixes, so a lot of these recipes weren't appetizing to me. Oh well.



3. This is a great cookbook.REAL recipes for REAL southern cooking.
   The recipes are easy to follow, no complicated ingredients and create
   inexpensive meals.I highly recommend this book for anyone who
   has a family and needs to satisfy a family of hungry people who
   desire southern recipes.Don't hesitate to purchase this book.



4. Down home, nothing fancy, just good tasting food. I found a recipe for a tuna cassarole in the book that I remember as a child. I know that's not too important or a much sought after type recipe, but I remember it fondly as a child. It's in this book, along with a drop dead good corn cassarole recipe. I haven't gotten to the desserts yet, but the practicality of this cookbook is very good. Lots of times cookbooks are good for desserts only, this one is a good common sense cookbook. I love it.



5. What a wonderful cookbook. Lots of good country cooking, easy to follow. I go to this cookbook often. Definitely more than worth the money if you are looking to add to your southern cooking skills. This and the two "Sylvia's Soul Food" cookbooks are a must for your cookbook collection.

5 comments about Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories.

1. I have had this cookbook for approximately 1 year, and I bought it for its beauty and nostalgia. This Thanksgiving, however, I wanted to try a new recipe for Sweet Potato Pie, and I used this one.
   This was, HANDS DOWN, the BEST sweet potato pie that I have EVER made.
   It was WONDERFUL, and I am going to pass this recipe, and this book, down to MY daughter.
   God bless you for sharing the good food and the memories.



2. I just got this book today having loved Sweety Pies -- this book is a fantastic read, great family photos and delicious and wonderful sounding recipes.



3. This book is full of wonderful recipes and stories. I read it cover to cover I couldn't put it down!! I made My My's strawberry cake the day I received the book. This book is a keeper.



4. This is a delightful book. I loved learning about her family, the pictures were a treasure, but the people are what touches your heart. And of course, the recipes. . . an added bonus! I intend to give this book as a gift to many, and treasure my own copy.



5. I am a reader and collector of cookbooks and I try at least one recipe from each book I keep in my collection. This book, I know, will become my holiday "go to" for my desserts. This book was also a great read. I am now looking for other cookbooks by this author. Loved the family history which goes along with each recipe. Because after all, food, tastes, and smells, provide memories.

5 comments about Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine.

1. Love this book. Authentic and creative. A unique presentation that captures how food is part of our art and culture and that advances mindfulness and health in African diasporic culture. And the food is GOOD!



2. So far I have tried at least half the recipes in this book and I have loved them all. My family and I are not vegan or even vegetarian, but I am always looking for healthful and yummy recipes for us. I heard the author on NPR and it sounded like good stuff. I was not disappointed. Not only are the recipes delicious, but he is great at using all of what you get. From pickled watermelon rinds, to mushroom stock made with leftover mushroom stems collected in the freezer; he helps make eating well more affordable as well as sustainable. I love this cookbook.



3. I checked this book out from the library to see how I liked it before buying it. I've tried nine recipes, with mixed (but mostly positive) results.
   
   The first three recipes were outstanding. I made a meal out of the collard greens, mashed potatoes with cumin and caramelized onions, and rosemary tofu cubes. They were all very straightforward, easy-to-follow recipes (in a world in which vegan cookbooks seem to be taking a turn toward the futzy). I especially liked the collard greens -- the raisins were a nice addition, but I'm not sure the orange juice added anything. Nevertheless, it's my new favorite way to enjoy collard greens. The tofu was great, and really simple to make after the initial investment of dealing with fresh rosemary. The mashed potatoes were delicious (especially with the tofu), although next time I might try throwing a bunch of garlic in there.
   
   The next meal I made was quinoa cornbread and succotash soup. I made the cornbread with whole-wheat pastry flour instead of the expensive quinoa flour that was called for, and it came out nice, although I definitely prefer maple-sweetened cornbread as opposed to agave-sweetened. The recipe was adapted from the amaranth cornbread recipe in The Voluptuous Vegan, and the original recipe will remain my go-to cornbread recipe. However, I did like Terry's idea to include toasted quinoa in the batter, and I think my future cornbread will benefit from this addition as it's the first time I had an enjoyable experience eating quinoa. I made the succotash soup to go with the bread (instead of making the cornbread croutons that the soup recipe called for). It was delicious but next time I'll only puree half of it, as I like a chunkier texture to my soup.
   
   I was disappointed that the banana-corn-pecan mini-muffins didn't include instructions for those of us who neither own nor desire mini-muffin pans. I was able to make 15 regular-sized muffins with the recipe, which I cooked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. The result was a very dense but tasty muffin. While it didn't turn out to be my personal favorite banana-nut muffin recipe, the person I share my food with thought this was the superior muffin.
   
   The penultimate recipe I prepared was the citrus broccoli salad, which tasted like steamed broccoli with orange juice poured on top, plus a hit of basil. I had mixed feelings about it -- it wasn't exactly bad, but it did seem like way too much effort considering the end product. Then again, I liked steamed broccoli just fine on its own.
   
   The last recipe I tried was the chocolate pecan pie. It was a huge disappointment, as the 1/2 cup of coconut oil in the filling caused an overpowering and extremely unpleasant aftertaste. I have since discovered that the recipe suffered from a typo -- in future print runs, the recipe will call for 1/4 cup coconut oil. I might try it again, taking into account this new information, but I am still a little gunshy.
   
   I think there were enough good recipes in here to redeem the cookbook as a whole. I would like to find an errata for it, though, but couldn't locate one on the publisher's website. There are still recipes I'd like to try (potato salad, Jamaican vegetable patties, and the sweet-potato fries), but after the pie experience I'm concerned that there might be other food-ruining typos. I think I will eventually buy this, but I'll wait until the next print run when any other typos might have been corrected.



4. have probably over 30 vegan cookbooks, but this one is going right to the top of the stack. Most of these recipes are very different from the "old standards" you see in a lot of vegan cookbooks. This is southern cooking with a gourmet twist and it's all easy to make. I like that Bryant Terry uses fresh whole foods in his recipes and the things that are processed, are minimally so. And he uses mostly everyday ingredients that you don't have to hunt down in a health food store.
   
   Cooking should be fun so with each recipe there is a suggestion of a soundtrack to accompany the assembling of the dish. Some of them even have suggestions of art to go with your creation. Is that cool or what? For example, with the Pan-Fried Grit Cakes with Caramelized Spring Onions, Garlic and Thyme he suggests "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MG's from the Green Onions album. Or with the REd-Rocket Salad with Watermelon-Basil Vinaigrette he suggests "Rocket Love" by Stevie Wonder from Hotter Than July.
   
   Some of my favorite recipes are Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Ginger-peanut Dipping Sauce, Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Jamaican Veggie Patties and Sweet Coconut-Ginger Creamed Corn. Now I know some of these don't sound exactly like diet food but most of the recipes are pretty healthy. Just leaving out the meat and dairy products gets rid of the cholesterol and most of the dishes that have added oil use olive oil.
   
   If you like southern food cooking I think you'll like this book and even if you just want to try it, this is a good introduction and I think everyone can find a few dishes to their liking. It's an entertaining and fun cookbook. Oh yeah, and don't miss the Molasses-Vanilla Ice-Cream with Candied Walnuts. I made it using the Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White that I ordered a couple weeks ago and it turned out great.



5. i don't generally like to purchase cookbooks, because i'm not sure if i'll use them or not, and i don't want to waste the money. i was certain, though, when i got this book in the mail that it was going to be off the shelf most of the time. there are, like, a MILLION recipe's inside, along with tips and tricks to help you along. my boyfriend is a BIG meat eater, and even he thinks everything i've made from it are delish. i highly recommend getting it, even for omnivores looking to add healthy side dishes to a meal.