Before Sunday, I had not really contemplated the idea of African food as cooking approach, let alone African vegan food. Actually, it's "farm-fresh African, Caribbean, and southern flavors remixed" according to Bryant Terry, the author of Afro-Vegan. So we're moving from the realm of complex to the edge of chaotic in my mind! However, it's an incredibly empowering book for those who are lactose sensitive (as Bryant noted that most African-Americans are as well) and vegetarian, or in this particular world, vegan.
Personally, I don't think vegan is ever a level of eating needed, at least for me. Vegetarian is a habit I started forming in January this year, but that doesn't block the occasional meat indulgence. It just have to be something special and extra enjoyable. I've noticed that my own tolerance for meat has declined in general as even a 6oz filet mignon at a famous steakhouse in New York City left me feeling pretty ... blumpy. It's not an intolerance, or even illness though. Just a preference to feel how I feel when not eating meat.
So, what's so empowering about this book? It has the recipes for spices and sauces that you can make in advance. You can make a lot of different vegan milks that are, by the way, absurdly delicious. Snacks that are both delicious and good for you? Yes, they are in this book! And finally, any book that gives me an easy process for making vegan ice cream is a completely winner :)
This wonderful iced tea is technically a lemonade, but not like any American lemonade with sugar added. Starting off with gunpowder green tea, you steep in a somewhat complicated way, add a bunch of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and then add peppermint syrup (that I also made). Absurd. Ridiculous. A daily ritual now, with the perfect serving bottle.
Teff biscuits, my friends, are certainly different. Obviously with no yeast, butter, milk, etc., the texture is quite different than ones I grew up eating. Much flatter and very soft, it has it's appeal, although there were some unrepeatable words screamed during the kneading. That, possibly, is more related to my fury that dough got on my nails though. Coconut oil in place of butter and sweetened almond milk that I made in place of dairy milk really tasted quite delicious. Add the fig preserve that I also made, and it was divine. I just need to figure out how to not get my fingers messed up. I am NOT a baker.
This, THIS, is seriously awesome. Despite not being exactly a fan of meat, tofu is certainly not on my priority list either. The term "mustard greens" was pretty suspicious to me as well. Being from the north, Okra, Kale, Mustard Greens, and Swiss Chard are those "weird things that southerners eat for breakfast or something" (and they are welcome to them!). However, I was open minded for at least this day. Just imagine these spices put together to make a curry: mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, chili powder, and ginger. And yes, I toasted the cumin seeds and cardamom pods myself, delegating the crushing process to the nearest victim in the kitchen.
Next time....a double batch.
One of the things that made the curry even better was the green harissa that I made, also sourced from mustard greens. The spices of coriander, cumin, lots of jalapeno, smoked paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and certain green herbs made this almost an universally usable relish. Put it with your scrambled eggs, fresh trout, or poppadoms, it's awesome. The walnuts, you ask? Just a little addictive snack that is glazed with molasses.
Ladies and gentlemen, this deserves some careful breathing. You may want to take a break from the ambrosia you've been reading in order to re-charge for the finale. Nutmeg, vanilla bean, raw cane sugar, coconut milk and cashews make a delightful vanilla spice vegan ice cream, so when you add your own date-sweetened almond milk with a touch of Nassau distilled rum that doesn't export out of the Bahamas, and well, you have a sincerely fabulous shake that can only be justified through taste.
Keep tuned for more African vegan discovery meals!
