The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook: 100 Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Table

by Justin Fox Burks, Amy Lawrence

Anyone not adequately acquainted with the South's true culinary terrain might struggle with the idea of a Southern vegetarian. Because isn't the South one big feast of meaty indulgence? Don't vegetables play a supporting role to fried chicken and bacon on a Southern table? Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence turn that notion on its head by recasting garden bounty as the headlining act on a plate. In a region distinguished by ideal growing conditions and generations of skilled farmers, Southern-style vegetarian cooking is not only possible, it's a pursuit brimming with vine-ripened possibility.

Grab a chair in Burks and Lawrence's kitchen and discover modern recipes that evoke the flavors of traditional Southern cooking, with techniques and ingredients loved so dearly throughout the region:


Lemon Zest and Thyme Pimento Cheese Grilled Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette Okra Fritters with Creole Mustard Sauce Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice with Andouille Eggplant Roast Beet Salad with Sea Salt Granola and Honey Tarragon Dressing Grilled Peach Ice Cream
Whether you're a devoted plant-eater or a steadfast omnivore, The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook will help you shift vegetables from the outskirts of your plate into main course position. Eating your vegetables has never been more delicious.

"True Southern food will always adapt to its surroundings. It is not the stubborn lout that many think it is, rather it's a nimble cheerleader of its region. It revels in vegetables and cherishes seasons. Burks and Lawrence are adding healthy substance to the definition of our Southern food. The Southern Vegetarian is a great addition to any culinary library." --Hugh Acheson, author of A New Turn in the South

"Come eat with The Chubby Vegetarian. Justin and Amy are the only people I have ever met who can take the hock out of greens and not remove the soul from the pot." --Kelly English, Food & Wine Best New Chef 2009, Chef/Owner of Restaurant Iris

"What you have in your hands is a gift. It is a fresh, fun, slightly irreverent and joyful new look at Southern vegetarian dishes...a look that needed to be taken." --John Currence, James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef South, Chef/Owner, City Grocery Restaurant Group

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Health

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2013

Reviews

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great cookbook for vegetarians or those who want to incorporate more vegetables in their diet. I found a lot of recipes that I'll be trying!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook has a ton of great recipes! I like that it has a color photo for nearly every recipe; there are a lot of homemade sauces to complement the dishes included; the ingredients lists contain every day items you would normally have on hand; the directions are easy to follow; there are notes for how long it can be stored and if it can be prepped ahead of time. One thing I've noticed while meal planning each week is that there are a lot of recipes using mushrooms, mostly baby bella, so if you don't like mushrooms you would not enjoy these recipes.

[Ashleyree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly interesting recipes. Could possibly be worth adding to the personal Library. Could be higher calorie then expected, so be careful of serving sizes. Southern benedict with wilted spinach and espresso red-eye gravy, Miracle mushroom gravy, Apple cheddar and Thyme galette, sambal pepper jelly, zucchini fries, Hoppin' John Black-eyed Pea butter, warm brussel sprout salad with smoked feta and candied pecans, collard greens with honey shallots and mushrooms, curried cauliflower soup.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth reading for vegetarians. It does a pretty good job of presenting vegetarian dishes, or adapting meat/fish dishes to vegetarian, all in the southern framework.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this cookbook. I was raised in the Southern US, so there are times when I crave cuisine from that area. However, with its propensity to be fried and/or covered in pork, I was not having much luck finding it here, other than cooking some fried okra at home. The only soul food restaurant I’ve been to here in Arizona was overpriced, pretentious and not very good. So when I found out about this book I was intrigued as “Southern” and “Vegetarian” were two words I would have never associated with each other. But it works, and I must say that the recipes look surprisingly tasty, and there are some items I could probably even get my extremely carnivorous husband to eat. Some of most yummy sounding recipes included the Sweet Potato Grits with Maple Mushrooms and a Fried Egg, Okra Fritters with Creole Mustard Sauce, and the Lemon Thyme Pimento Cheese (which can be made into sandwiches or stuffed into pickled peppers). I checked out their blog too (which stared everything) and they had some excellent recipes on there too. 5 stars.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare for me to purchase a cookbook but this one is in my small collection. I have prepared 75% of the recipes and have yet to have a fail. Things that appeal to me are; the design, the writing, the originality, the organization, the authenticity, and the ease of perusal. Last night, for a late night dinner I prepared the fried green tomatoes (po-boy) on pg. 88. No bread, no toppings, just the fried green tomatoes with the N'awlins sauce. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible this simple recipe tasted. I also prepared the Hoppin' John Black-Eyed Pea Butter for New Year's Eve/Day to keep my Grandmother's family tradition of preparing black eyed peas for a year of good luck and it was wonderful. These two authors should be very proud of themselves. What a great cookbook!

[Ron Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have only just started with this amazing cookbook. I was immediately taken by the gorgeous photography and layout of the book. Top notch, and while I am not a total vegetarian, this certainly made my mouth water and want to cook everything in it. Taking an adventurous leap to go outside the normal vegetarian dish, Justin and Amy (with a plug from Hugh Acheson!) are working to put creative and easy dishes in the center of the dinner plate. This book is going to be a great gift for the holidays and a certain staple in my kitchen- YUM!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has probably surpassed The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook as my favorite cookbook purchase this year, since nearly every recipe is one that my kind of picky husband is excited about. My only gripe is that the publisher chose to not bind it with spiral/lie-flat binding, which seems strange for a cookbook this long.

[Adrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous book. The recipes can get a bit complex, but the directions are easy to follow. In general, these main dishes are more work intensive than I like to get into on an average day. It is a wonderful resource for holiday cooking (or those rare moments when I simply feel like flexing my cooking talents). The appetizers, sides, and salads, however are making their way into my everyday fare.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to be a vegetarian to reap what this fabulous cookbook has to offer. Memphians Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence have put together a great compilation of down-home recipes of vegetarian flair. If you love the cookbook, check out their blog, The Chubby Vegetarian, too. Lots of good stuff in both! "Eating your vegetables has never been more delicious."

[Diana H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum! The eggplant ricotta sandwiches were a delight. The BBQ sauce was somewhat tedious, but worth the effort. We used it for the BBQ Tofu Nachos and the BBQ Tofu Pizza which both I can highly recommend. My latest hit was the vegan sloppy joes which nail the saucy goodness of the meaty original. I'll be cooking from this cookbook all year!

[Shila Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. If you need flavor in your life, definitely go to your local library and pick up this one! I am a fan of book layouts and this one is a winner! The design, the paper.. might be worth buying.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just picked this up. I am so glad I did. It is a very approachable book. Recipes are easy to follow with good explanations. I am looking forward to trying many of these dishes.

[missy jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way overreliant on dairy and eggs... but the handful of vegan options in here ARE good. Like the 20-minute tamales!

[Linda Neafsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat

Haven't found a recipe that I tried that I haven't liked. Easy to do and easy ingredients found in my kitchen. Buy it please

[Carol Tietsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been an ovo lacto vegetarian for more than 10 years, but I truthfully didn't see anything to stir me up in this book.