Eating organically, sustainably, and locally is just the latest eco-foodie trend—right? Hardly. African-Americans have been doing it for 200 years, and their vibrant, veggie-centric traditions are worth reviving. Celia Barbour heeds the collards. . .

I’m quoted a few times in this article in the latest issue of Oprah Magazine.

You can also find recipes for my Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux, Cucumber-Watermelon Soup, Savory Triple-Corn Grits on Oprah.com.

Q: You’re not a big fan of the label “vegan.” How do you characterize your style of cooking and eating?

A: Ingredient-driven local, seasonal, soulful food. I don’t eat animal products, but I intentionally don’t label my diet. I want to encourage people to really consider their values — what type of food system do they want to see; how do they want animals to be treated; how do they want the local economy to develop. As well, I want them to check in on what their bodily needs are. People are always searching for the panacea. Whether it’s a raw food diet, a vegan diet or an omnivorous diet, it can be a tricky situation because I don’t think there’s one diet that’s perfect for everyone. I want people to think about these things first, rather than choosing a label and then eating accordingly.

here is the complete interview.  i hope it will answer the oft-asked question is Bryant Terry vegan?

]]> http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/06/2010/uncategorized/q-a-with-the-oregonian/feed/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/06/2010/uncategorized/brooklyn-sangria/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/06/2010/uncategorized/brooklyn-sangria/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:59:04 +0000 admin http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/?p=2385

photo borrowed from gourmet.com

Strawberries and Cherries Sangria

Yield: enough to get you tore up

Soundtrack:  “Summertime” by Miles Davis

I created this recipe when i was living in Brooklyn, and I’m making it for my friend Brett’s art opening on Saturday.  Now there is one key thing to remember when making Sangria:  What you put into it you get out of it.  So if you use red wine that you wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy alone, it’s not going to make tasty sangria.  Clearly, this is an expensive sangria, but splurge on yourself and your friends for a nice holiday treat. You won’t be disappointed.

3 2-inch cinnamon sticks

1 cup orange juice

2 full bottles of good-quality red wine

3/4 cup brandy

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

1/4 cup Cointreau

1/4 cup agave nectar

Lots of strawberries and cherries (trimmed and pitted, of course)

·      Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl or container, mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.

On Saturday, June 5th from 3pm to 11pm, join me and artist Brett Cook Dizney for an opening celebration at Guerrero Gallery for his new show “Supernatural.”  This opening will be the container for a social collaboration with Brett, me, Trust Your Struggle (TYS) Collective, artist/educator Evan Bissell, and magic through participatory fabrication of a new artwork of La Virgen De Guadalupe.

Update: you can actually view the video of Martha and me cooking together here .  And in case you missed it, you can view a video of me on Emeril Green here.

I will be appearing on The Martha Stewart Show with Alice Waters, Scott Peacock, and Cal Peternell promoting Alice’s new book In the Green Kitchen on Monday, May 3rd. Martha and I make Spinach with Ginger and Chile and Citrus Chard with Raisins.  You can see a preview of the episode here, and check here to find out when it is airing in your city.  If you missed the original air date, it will re-air on Saturday, May 8th.  Oh yeah, you can also follow me on twitter here.

here is the video of my partner, Jidan, and me making our Afro-Asin jung.

]]> http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/04/2010/uncategorized/afro-asian-jung-video/feed/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/04/2010/uncategorized/power-porridge/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/04/2010/uncategorized/power-porridge/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:36:10 +0000 admin http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/?p=2349

Considered sacred thousands of years ago by the Aztecs (amaranth) and Incas (quinoa), these grains were the center of ceremonial rituals before Spanish colonizers forbade their cultivation.

Power Porridge

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Soundtrack: “Maria Lando” by Susana Baca from The Soul of Black Peru – Afro-Peruvian Classics and “Brown Paper People” by Lila Downs from One Blood - Una Sangre and “Angelitos Negros” by Eartha Kitt

Talk about power. . . Amaranth and quinoa are both high in protein, they contain more calcium than milk, and are great sources of dietary fiber and minerals. Considered sacred thousands of years ago by the Aztecs (amaranth) and Incas (quinoa), these grains were the center of ceremonial rituals before Spanish colonizers forbade their cultivation. Over the last thirty years they have regained popularity as “superfoods.”

In addition to introducing you to one of my favorite porridges that uses both of these ancient grains, I wanted an opportunity to bring up the oft-overlooked African presence in contemporary Mexico and South America that began when “conquistadors” brought enslaved Africans with them to serve as laborers. I dedicate this dish to all those who have historically dealt with the negative effects of colonialism, industrialization, economic globalization, and the “spreading of democracy.”

1/2 cup water

2 cups unflavored rice milk, plus more for creaminess

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup quiona, rinsed

1/2 cup amaranth

1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

1 cup banana chips

1/4 cup Thompson raisins

1 tablespoon flaxseed powder

2 teaspoons agave nectar

· In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, almond milk, cinnamon stick, quinoa, amaranth, salt, and coconut oil.Bring to a boil, and quickly reduce the heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

· Add the banana chips, raisins, flaxseed powder, and agave nectar, and stir to incorporate. Add more rice milk to your desired creaminess.

· Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes, and serve.

r.i.p GURU.

I’ve been getting emails all weekend from people around the country saying that they just heard my interview with Lynne Rosetto Kasper on The Splendid Table (it’s from 1 year ago).  Still one of my favorite interviews!  Go here, scroll down the page, and peep the interview.

my friend Tiffany enjoying a "Meyer Sipping Gingerly"

Last Friday I had the privilege of presenting at Pop-Up Magazine’s Issue #3 in San Francisco at the Herbst Theater.  Pop-Up Magazine is the world’s first live magazine, created for a stage, a screen, and a live audience.  I debuted my latest cocktail–Meyer Sipping Gingerly (My, You’re Sipping Gingerly), which was served afterward in the lobby bar.  A number of people emailed me asking for the recipe, so here it is.   Oh yeah, if this drink seems familiar, it’s probably because (in my mind) it is a hybrid of an Asian vodka martini and the master cleanser drink. . .

Meyer Sipping Gingerly (My, You’re Sipping Gingerly)

Yield: 1 serving

Soundtrack: “Flat of the Blade” by Massive Attack from Heligoland

1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) SKYY Vodka Infusions Ginger in which kaffir lime leaves have been soaked overnight

1/4 ounce (1 1/2 teaspoons) sugar-cayenne simple syrup*

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

3/4 ounce (4 1/2 teaspoons) sparkling mineral water

a few strands of vodka-macerated kaffir lime leaf, cut into a chifonade

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Top it with cold water, and place in a freezer. Next, rinse a martini glass with cold water and immediately place in a freezer.
• Remove cocktail shaker from the freezer, empty, and refill with fresh ice.
• Remove the martini glass from the freezer.
• Combine the vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice, and mineral water in the chilled cocktail shaker. Vigorously shake ingredients until well chilled. Strain into the martini glass.
• Garnish with a few strands of kaffir lime leaf.

*Making Sugar-Cayenne Simple Syrup

• Combine 1/2 cup water with 1 cup raw organic cane sugar in a small saucepan over low heat.
• Stir well until hot to touch and the sugar is completely dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Set aside.
• Warm a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, shake the pan to distribute the pepper in an even layer, and cook for 10 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat, continuing to shake for 10 seconds. Repeat this step two more times.
• Return the pan to the heat, immediately add the simple syrup, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside, and allow to cool for 1 hour.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

jidan and me

Soundtrack: “Chinese New Year” by Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics from Inspiration Information 3

In the latest issue of Hyphen magazine (“Inside/Outside”) my partner, Jidan, and I contributed an essay/recipe (and Jidan illustrated directions for making our dish) about  our version of jung (also called “zongzi”)–a simple, balanced and complete meal of rice, protein, and vegetables wrapped in bamboo leaves.  For our engagement party, we created Afro-Asian jung to symbolize our union: healthy, scrumptious, and made in the spirit of unifying our two cultures.  The new issue is on newsstands, and you can read the piece here.  (I just noticed that the editors did not include the quantities of the ingredients with the online piece.  Guess you have to pick up a print copy.)  Cinematographer Khamisi Norwood filmed a video of us making the recipe in our home kitchen that will debut online in the near future.

miss edna lewis.

Lots of cool happenings this week:

• On April 15 the “Inside/Outside” issue of Hyphen Magazine hits newsstands, and the food section–edited by my friend Nina Fallenbaum–debuts in this issue.  I’m excited for y’all to read an essay (along with a tasty recipe) that my lady and I co-contributed about our Afro-Asian jung.  Cinematographer Khamisi Norwood filmed a video of us making the recipe in our home kitchen that will debut online in the near future.
• I will be headlining a fundraising event for Homeward Bound of Marin on Thursday, April 15.  In addition to my presentation at the Fresh Starts Cooking School, the chefs on staff will feature the following dishes from Vegan Soul Kitchen:  Citrus Collards with Raisins, Mini-Jamaican Veggie Patties, Sweetback’s Salad with Roasted Beet Vinaigrette, and Gumbo Z with Wild Rice.  Buy tickets here.
• I will be featured at Issue #3 of Pop-Up Magazine on Friday, April 16.  “Is that when the magazine hits newsstands,” “and doesn’t he mean in Issue #3,” you might be asking yourself?  No.  Pop-Up Magazine is the world’s first live magazine, created for a stage, a screen, and a live audience.  So come out to the Herbst Theater in San Francisco and witness the debut of my latest cocktail–Meyer Sipping Gingerly (My, You’re Sipping Gingerly), which will be served afterward in the lobby bar.

i just signed with The Lavin Agency.

Alice Waters, me, Scott Peacock, and Cal Peternell chillin’ in Alice’s dressing room after taping Martha Stewart.

episode airs May 3rd.

BIG thanks to TreeHugger, the leading environmental sustainability website, for choosing Vegan Soul Kitchen, as the “Best Cookbook” for their 2010 Best of Green Awards.

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in the front box we are growing fruit, vegetables, and herbs.  in the smaller one behind it we are growing wild flowers.

today i had a great time in los angeles hanging out with my friend and fellow cookbook author ani phyo.  we talked about the way that our work with food is inspired not only by other chefs and cookbook authors but also by architects, designers, filmmakers, painters, photographers, and (drumroll, please) musicians.  in my world music and food are inseparable.  because i come from a family of musicians, music played as much of a central role as food at family gatherings.  so early on in my career i decided to pair a suggested soundtrack with every recipe that i created in order to share songs that might have inspired a recipe or highlight an album that i think would make a perfect accompaniment to a meal.  in my mind, i see myself as a culinary dj/producer, if you will, cutting, pasting, reworking, and remixing various foodways, staples, cooking techniques, and dietary models to create something that looks backwards and forwards at the same time.  when i started working with the design team at da capo to create the look of Vegan Soul Kitchen, i decided that the cover should pay homage to Reid Miles’ cover designs for blue note jazz label.  i was happy with the final product.

in my friend Anna Lappe’s latest book, Diet for a Hot Planet, she plunges into the heart of this era’s newest food fight with a simple message: “if we are serious about addressing climate change, we have to talk about food.”  i have been reading it over the past week, and it is hot (pun intended!).  get it here.