4.5
Customers say
Customers find the recipes in the cookbook delicious and easy to follow, with clear instructions. They describe the book as beautiful, artfully put together, and nourishing. Readers appreciate the simple, nutritious ingredients that are easy to find at the grocery store. The book provides creative ideas and encourages experimentation.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
100 vegan recipes that riff on Southern cooking in surprising and delicious ways, beautifully illustrated with full-color photography.
Jenné Claiborne grew up in Atlanta eating classic Soul Food—fluffy biscuits, smoky sausage, Nana’s sweet potato pie—but thought she’d have to give all that up when she went vegan. As a chef, she instead spent years tweaking and experimenting to infuse plant-based, life-giving, glow-worthy foods with the flavor and depth that feeds the soul.
In Sweet Potato Soul, Jenné revives the long tradition of using fresh, local ingredients creatively in dishes like Coconut Collard Salad and Fried Cauliflower Chicken. She improvises new flavors in Peach Date BBQ Jackfruit Sliders and Sweet Potato-Tahini Cookies. She celebrates the plant-based roots of the cuisine in Bootylicious Gumbo and savory-sweet Georgia Watermelon & Peach Salad. And she updates classics with Jalapeño Hush Puppies, and her favorite, Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls.
Along the way, Jenné explores the narratives surrounding iconic and beloved soul food recipes, as well as their innate nutritional benefits—you’ve heard that dandelion, mustard, and turnip greens, okra, and black eyed peas are nutrition superstars, but here’s how to make them super tasty, too.
From decadent pound cakes and ginger-kissed fruit cobblers to smokey collard greens, amazing crabcakes and the most comforting sweet potato pie you’ll ever taste, these better-than-the-original takes on crave-worthy dishes are good for your health, heart, and soul.
From the Publisher
jalapeno hush puppies
low country grits
Sweet Potato Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 12 rolls
Some people categorize cinnamon rolls as dessert, but I’ve only ever known them as a special breakfast treat. There’s nothing like a warm freshly baked cinnamon roll right out of the oven with gooey sweet potato cream cheese icing drizzled on top. If you’ve never made cinnamon rolls, you’ll love how fun and easy these are to make. My favorite part is rolling the sweet potato dough around the pecan and cinnamon filling.
FILLING
½ cup brown sugar, coconut sugar, or a mix of the two
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup toasted pecans (see Note on page 164)
⅓ cup vegan butter
SWEET POTATO CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
½ cup vegan cream cheese
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup mashed sweet potato (from ¼ baked medium sweet potato)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
RECIPE
1. In a small saucepan, warm the soy milk and vegan butter over medium heat until the vegan butter has melted. Do not boil it. Remove from the heat and stir in the mashed sweet potato.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and use a wooden spoon to combine. Once it gets too difficult to stir, use your hands to combine the ingredients.
3. Flour a clean work surface and transfer the dough onto the prepared work space. Knead it until you’ve got a smooth dough ball. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough ball in it, cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let it rise for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
4. Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Chop the pecans into small pieces and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter and set aside.
5. Once the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F.
6. Press the air out of the dough, then transfer it back onto your floured work space. Roll the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick. You should end up with a roughly rectangular oval, about 12 × 16 inches.
7. Brush the dough with the melted butter, sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mix, and then top with the chopped pecans. Fold the short side of the dough over and roll tightly until you have a log. Carefully cut the log into twelve 1-inch slices. Grease a large skillet or a 10 × 10-inch baking dish and place the rolls in it cut-side down. Bake for 25 minutes, or until they’ve expanded and turned slightly golden on the top.
8. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Place all the ingredients in a food processor or standing mixer with the whisk attachment on high and blend until creamy.
ROLLS 1 cup plain unsweetened soy milk or other nondairy milk ¼ cup vegan butter 1 cup mashed sweet potato (from 1 baked medium sweet potato) 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 (¼-ounce) package (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon grapeseed oil
Publisher : Harmony; Illustrated edition (February 6, 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0451498895
ISBN-13 : 978-0451498892
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 7.4 x 0.58 x 9.24 inches
JP –
Loved the first recipe
Okay, so we loved the first recipe we tried from this book and we’re looking forward to trying more!Simple easy and delicious. Not crazy ingredients that nobody keeps in stock. We literally had everything all ready.
J. Barron –
Tasty and Innovative Takes on a Classic American Cuisine
Vegan Soul Food? It may seem like an odd combination but Jenne’ Claiborne knows her stuff and delivers a cookbook full of flavorful, nourishing recipes that are 100% plant based. Recipes range from vegan takes on soul food classics (red beans and rice, collard greens, Cajun blackened tofu sandwich) to brand new treats that draw on – and shine a new light on – nostalgic flavors and ingredients (black eyed pea hummus, coconut collard salad, sweet potato tahini cookies). There is SO much here!The book starts out with a primer on vegetables, fruits, spices, and other staples of a vegan soul food kitchen. Personally, I like grounding a cookbook with context and providing readers the tools and knowledge to inspire experimentation, so I enjoy this info.The actual recipes are divided into 6 chapters:BreakfastSalads and SoupsGreens and SidesMainsSweets and DrinksPantry Staples and SaucesI’ve made about 10 recipes and honestly, they have all turned out fantastic. The Happy Hearts Crab Cakes with Red Pepper aioli is almost worth the price of the book alone- it is SO good. Spicy, tender, and so full of flavor. Bourbon BBQ Tempeh and Red Beans and Rice are also great, filling, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for more. The Quick Pickled Onions go with so many salads and sandwiches I keep them on hand. I haven’t made any of the breakfast recipes yet. I have only made one dessert, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a flavor quite the Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies – delicious: sweet and umami at the same time. My toddler loved them and they are full of nutritious ingredients. The Spicy Peach Tomatillo salsa is NOT playing around with the word spicy… the cookbook itself doesn’t play around with the title “sweet potato soul” – sweet potatoes are in no less than 20 different recipes, but they are used in such different ways that it never feels repetitive. Related: the author may be some kind of sweet potato wizard… in any case, I can’t wait to jump further in, but the few recipes I’ve already tried have made this cookbook well worth the price. Highly recommend!
Melanie Hull –
Delicious and Doable
I originally got this from the library and after renewing it over and over, I knew it would be worth it to purchase.I made a dinner for a friend using the recipes in this book. She is not a vegan but said if this is the kind of food I make she can see why I eat this way. She loved it! She was also surprised because we usually go out to eat. However, the recipes in this book are manageable, making it no big deal to cook at home. Several of the recipes are one pan or a mixing bowl then one pan.
Mochamom –
Try It ! You Might Like It!
Tried several of Jenne’s recipes and they were very good. I’m trying to eat more veggies and this has given me lots new ideas on how to add more vegetables into my diet. Rather than eating only salads or cooking plain vegetables. Many of the different seasonings that she uses I never heard of but tried a few of them and they made eating veggies more interesting. My favorite is Tahini sauce. I make Kale chips or spread it on my vegetables before roasting. Yum!I really like her Sweet Potato Biscuits, the Fried Shallots and the Sweet Potato Hummus. All are very good.Yes, sweet potatoes are the base for a lot of her recipes but they give the food both flavor and richness plus lots of vitamins.So Try it.
Maura Reynolds –
I love this cookbook way more then I thought I would!
I bought this cookbook because as a mostly veggie/plant based eater who lives in the South, I feel like I’m so often missing out on classic southern dishes because of the meat that is so often included in them. I bought this book not really having an introduction to Jenne, though I do follow her on Instagram. I keep coming back to this book. There are so many amazing recipes that are healthy, fresh and light with enough southern flair to feel authentic yet creative. There are also tons of recipes that are rich, tasty and include a few processed ingredients but are amazing as a treat that feels so decadent. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the indulgent southern experience at all, yet so many of the recipes are super healthy and easy to make. There are also some recipes that take a little more prep- but I love that on a rainy afternoon when I want to cook for hours. So far I have made the tender mess of greens, the skillet cornbread, sweet potato biscuits, the pan fried butter beans and greens and the low country grits with the red bean sausage. I’ve never made my own sausage before but it was super easy and delicious and I will incorporate this recipe into my regular rotation. I’ve also made the chicken fried cauliflower but I baked it instead of frying it. My meat eating fiancée gobbled everything up. I think the recipes are easy to tweak if you want to make them even healthier. This book gets thumbs up from me!
Diane –
I follow Jenee on YouTube so I knew I’d enjoy this cookbook.I’ve made several of the recipes and they are all good except one I didn’t like.Sometimes I have to purchase new spices, and so far the Bulk Barn has had them all.Some of the recipes are easier to make than others.Easy to understand instructions.
Sunnykjd –
Used these delicious recipes for a whole week on a visit to Atlanta to ‘convert’ my then 89 yo Dad to vegan-style eating. He’s now 92 and going strong with an excellent bill of health! Thanks Jenna!
*Alexion –
Leckeres, häufig sogar gesundes Essen aus den Südstaaten der USA. Und gleichzeitig ist es trotzdem comfort food.Wie der Name verspricht gibt es einige Gerichte mit Süßkartoffeln und auch viele Gerichte mit diversen Hülsenfrüchten. Wer das nicht so mag, sollte sich lieber was anderes suchen.Davon abgesehen ist in diesem Buch alles enthalten: Frühstück, Salate und Suppen, Beilagen und Hauptgerichte, Nachtisch und Getränke. Die Gerichte sind überwiegend schnell zuzubereiten und die Zutaten sind in den meisten gut sortierten Supermärkten erhältlich.
G.R. –
C’est un livre parfait pour les vegans, mais en fait vraiment utile pour tout le monde !!! J’ai déjà fait plein des recettes- ils sont très bonnes, parfaitement expliquées et assez faciles !It is a very good book, with so many just marvellous tasting, good explicated and easy recipes. It’s a book for every vegan – actually for everyone, it’s so good !!
Jamie –
Can I say that I was a little on the fence about whether I would like this cookbook?Like, I knew that I would enjoy one or two recipes but sometimes, especially with cookbooks, many of the recipes can seem similar to something we already have, or they are filled with things that I just won’t end up cooking. I took a chance anyway and boy am I ever glad that I did.Visually, this book is beautiful. Clear, pretty pictures. Excellent formatting, even a good font. It has a first chapter of basic info, but the vast majority of this book is recipes, which is always something I look for.The recipes are clearly laid out and don’t require the use of many different recipes to create a final dish. Each recipe provides an introduction, all of which read like letters to friends, to be passed down with the recipes. It’s such a cozy touch. And with recipes like Spicy Fried Cauliflower “Chicken,” Bourbon BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches, and Cardamom Apple Pie, I am beyond pleased. There is literally something wonderful sounding every couple of pages, and I am excited to try everything out. And my kiddo is excited to have new comfort foods to try to.