rosemary roasted tofu from VSK.  credit: sara remington

here is a video that i did for CBS’s Chow.com on roasting tofu.

i will be presenting at brown university on saturday, march 13th at 2pm.  more info here.

credit: sara remington

here is a video i made with CBS’s Chow.com.  this almond milk goes well with black. brown. green. granola.  oh, if you are wondering where i got my fresh Jomo Kenyatta tee from, check Tano Design.

black. brown. green. granola.

Yield: About 5 cups

Soundtrack: Black, Brown, and Beige by Duke Ellington featuring Mahalia Jackson

Art: “The Interaction of Coloreds” by Mendia + Keith Obadike

I have been experimenting with granola for a while now, and this one is not only tasty but highly nutritious. The pumpkin seeds are an excellent source or iron, zinc, phosphorous, Vitamin A, calcium, and Vitamin B. I serve mine with almost-frozen Almond Milk.

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup apple cider

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dried black mission figs, tough tips discarded

1/2 cup currants

· Preheat oven to 350°F.

· Evenly spread the oats on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes for even toasting. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl.

· Reduce the oven’s temperature to 325°F.

· Add the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl with the oats and mix well with a large spoon.

· In a medium bowl, combine the apple cider, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix well. Transfer to the bowl with the oats mixture and stir to combine until well coated.

· Evenly spread the granola on the baking sheet used to toast the oats and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until well-toasted and golden brown, about for 45 minutes.

· While the granola is toasting, combine the figs and currants in a small bowl and cover with boiling water for 1 minute to reconstitute. Drain and set aside.

· Remove the granola from the oven, transfer to a large bowl, stir in the reconstituted figs and currants, and transfer back to the baking sheet to cool.

· After cooling, transfer to a tightly sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

I will be an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana’s Allen Hall/Unit One from March 7-11.  Go here to learn more about activities planned for every day.  Also, I will be speaking at the African American Cultural Center on Wednesday, March 10 at noon.

on Saturday, February 27 i will  be teaching a cooking class at The Cooking School at Cavallo Point.  the menu:

Johnny Cakes with Ginger-Kumquat Salsa
Texas Caviar
Gumbo Z’Herbs with Chinese Black Rice
Chocolate Pudding with Coconut Molasses Lace Cookies

]]> http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/02/2010/uncategorized/cooking-class-at-the-cavallo-school/feed/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/02/2010/uncategorized/sfnoir/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/02/2010/uncategorized/sfnoir/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:44:29 +0000 admin http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/?p=2152

i am excited to be playing a role in this year’s sf|noir festival taking place in San Francisco from February 24-28:

• on Tuesday, February 23 at 3pm i will be making an appearance on “View From the Bay,” talking about the festival and making a dish.  watch it live.
• on Wednesday, February 24 i will be taking place in the Shrimp and Grits Taste-off at the Museum of the African Diaspora (although, i will be making my Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits).
• on Friday, February 26 I will be presenting at Marcus Bookstore in the Filmore district of San Francisco.  My talk and book signing will be followed by an after party at 1300 Fillmore co-sponsored by Young Blacks of the Bay.

amara tabor smith's deep water dance company

Join me and renowned choreographer Amara Tabor Smith (plus special guest collaborators) as we present an evening of performance and food on Sunday, February 21 at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley.  Structured as a 3-course meal, this interdisciplinary piece weaves sound, movement, storytelling, and cooking to explore the role of history and memory on our contemporary relationships with food and food systems.  The audience will literally ingest these complex relationships between the past and the present during the performance.

one of my recipes is featured in the march 2010 issue of Essence magazine in an article entitled “Best Spring Salads,” on page 186.  i’m ridin’ Obama’s coattails.  get the recipe under the cut.

all photos by sara remington

Peppered Edamame

Hot and Sour Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Sensual Stir-Fry

Forbidden Black Rice

Chocolate-Rosemary Pudding with Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

in honor of the Saints’ Superbowl win, make yourself a vat of GUMBO Z, an all-green gumbo from Vegan Soul Kitchen.  get the recipe here.

Washington-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) named Vegan Soul Kitchen as one of the five best cookbooks of the decade.

credit: Philip Friedman / Studio D

thanks to the Daily Green for including my Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen in their “11 Winter Recipes from 11 Celebrity Chefs” feature.

i had a great time hanging out and presenting at Yale on Martin Luther King Day.  first, i took a tour of the amazing farm run by the Yale Sustainable Food Project.  next, i gave a lecture-cooking demo then met with students and faculty for snacks from Vegan Soul Kitchen (prepared by students) and a question answer period.  after that we all listened to the amazing Yale Choir at the MLK Gala Dinner.  if you really want to know how ’bout it-’bout it Dr. King was, listen to his speech “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam.“  Revolutionary.

on Saturday, january 23 i will be presenting in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the WAKE UP WEEKEND.  find out more about the festivities here.

credit: sara remington

after reading an advance copy of Vegan Soul Kitchen back in 2007, my friend and creative collaborator Mike Molina started writing short stories inspired by recipes in the book.  we recently decided to share them on this blog.  please visit Mike’s website to see what this brilliant brother is up to.  and please go here (at the bottom of the page) to send feedback about the first story. . .

(Maple Yam) Ginger Pie

by Michael Otieno Molina

It was just… right. The space between us was warm water to wade into.

It was healthy: citrus greens steamed in good energy. We left room for pie and any possibility. She cooed when I slid a second slice on her plate. It was late when we got to the subject of friends with benefits.

“There would have to be some guarantees,” she said looking down at the pie.

“What does that mean? Only thing I could guarantee is that I’d spend as much time working this friend as I did making this pie you tripping on. Other than that, what is that they say in church? You got to taste and see.” She laughed. I didn’t.

“No, I mean I would have to know it would stay in that moment. How it happened, why it happened, when it happened. Just a sweet little memory for me and this friend to share.” She clarified.

“Oh. That’s doable.”

“And exactly how much time did you spend on this pie anway?” She asked with soft smile.

“Let’s see, I had to warm the outer crust while I was bringing the water to a rolling boil, pop the yams in, roll the dough and press it into place. That’s like 58 minutes of foreplay right there.”

“Hmm, a hard working man, right?”

“When something this moist comes out of it, oh yes.”

She dug her spoon into the pie and pushed it, bottom up, onto her tongue. A pang rang through my body. She moaned a sigh and closed her eyes. “Oh that’s good as fuck.”

“Yes it is.” I replied. Our eyes locked.

“Come here,” she said. We dug in.

The silky salve on her tongue washed my mind clear. It was warm, sweet and soft. I tasted the maple I had poured in the pie. We kissed and the moment did not move. We kept going and the moment stood still.

It wasn’t slow. Paced, but not slow. It wasn’t anxious. At times forceful, wild, ravenous, but anxious it wasn’t. It was like… finally. Our bodies clapped in gratitude.

She hummed on my chest. I inhaled her breath. She raised her body up to a straddle and looked down at my belly, then at me, and smiled in satiation. I was sure she felt that… satisfied. But was she done?

In the morning we pawed each other’s egos. We touched skins shyly. She went home.

And now the places where she sat and laid and looked back at me… the counter, the carpet, the couch are all lit with what we did.

Hey, U kno I got a whole other ginger pie in the fridge. Want some? I probably shouldn’t have texted so soon.

I’ll be there in 15 minutes. She replied.

]]> http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/01/2010/uncategorized/maple-yam-ginger-pie/feed/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/01/2010/uncategorized/jade-dragon-snow-mountain/ http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/01/2010/uncategorized/jade-dragon-snow-mountain/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:19:12 +0000 admin http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/?p=2037

this is the beautiful Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain that i recently visited while in China.  the mountain range is right outside of Lijiang, one of the most ethnically diverse citys in China.  up close, the mountain is stunning, and it is a sanctuary for rare animals and wild plants.  in fact, one fourth of all plant species in China can be found here and 20 primeval forest communities shelter a big family of 400 types of trees and 30 kinds of animals which are protected by the state.

Come join me for a celebration of the legacy of Dr. King at Yale on Monday, Januray 18th.  Find out more about the event here.

Cathy Erway

Big thanks to Cathy Erway for naming Vegan Soul Kitchen as one of her favorite books of 2009 on her popular blog “Not Eating Out In New York.”  If you like her blog, you’re going to love her new book The Art of Eating In, which will be published on February 18.  You can learn more about/pre-order it here.

Check out my friend Louisa’s new book Lucid Food with beautiful photographs by  Jennifer Martiné.

fred sanford

since today is “National Hot Toddy Day”. . .

Cinnamon-Apple Jack Toddy

Yield: 1 serving

Soundtrack: “Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater)” by Quincy Jones from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Quincy Jones

Sitcom: Sanford and Son (Seasons 1-4)

Book: Revolution Televised (University of Minnesota Press, 2005) by Christine Acham.

In case you didn’t know, Sanford and Son was the best American sitcom of the 20th century (at least the first 4 out of 6 seasons).  It is bellyachingly hilarious; slyly subversive; and brilliantly displays the many facets of African American humor.  I grew up watching it with my Granny whenever I would sleep over my paternal grandparents’, and to this day I watch it several times a week (my parents bought me every season on dvd a few years ago).  It is only fitting that I create a drink using Fred Sanford’s alcoholic beverage of choice behind Ripple—Applejack.

Applejack is an 80- to 100-proof American-made apple brandy that is aged for two years in wood.  There are not many brands on the market, but Lairds Applejack is my brand of choice.  This hot toddy is nice on a cold winter evening.  It’s warming, and “it’ll make you sweat” (see episode 7 from the 1st season of Sanford and Son).

1 cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons Apple Jack (another brandy can be used in its place)

1 teaspoon apple juice

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon agave nectar or 2 to 3 Candied Orange Peels

1 granny smith apple slice, for garnishing

• Place the cinnamon stick at the bottom of a mug and add boiling water until a little over 1/2 full.  Cover the mug with a plate and let sit for 5 minutes.  Add the applejack, apple juice, lemon juice, and agave nectar and gently stir until well combined top off with more hot water.  Add an apple slice to the mug and enjoy.