In true Tabitha Brown fashion, her first cookbook, “Cooking From the Spirit,” is full of personality and foods that have made her a vegan star.
Last October, the actress, author and entrepreneur released the cookbook filled with more than 50 of her favorite recipes to share with some and introduce to others foods that have made it onto to family’s table over the years.
Brown’s story of how she became a vegan is one that she shares often. “I was very sick for a year and a half. One day I got a headache in the back of my head that rested back there for a year and seven months. My body was attacking itself, and my doctors couldn’t figure out how to fix it. Then I watched the documentary “That the Health,” and decided then and there to go on a vegan challenge for thirty days. I originally did it for my health. But the advantages extended so far beyond just my headache disappearing. It not only healed me —it changed my life!”
Changing her life is an understatement when you look at where she has come since starting her vegan or plant-based journey in 2017.
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“Easy, delicious and joyful plant-based inspirations” is what you will get from Brown and “Cooking From the Spirit.”
I definitely agree when she writes to just think of vegan food as just food. With that being said, she then introduces so many yummy recipes that remake classic dishes such as macaroni and cheese, tacos, quesadillas, hoagies, meatloaf, lasagna and so much more.
My favs? The Stuffed Bell Peppers are made with vegan sausage and topped with red onion, tomatoes, garlic and cheese. Yes, I am all about those carbs and the Lemon Pepper Potato Wedges with Blanch Dressing are a snack favorite.
When following plant-based, seafood is off the table, but Brown brings it back with her Crab-less Cakes made with oyster or enoki mushrooms, artichoke hearts, veggies and seasonings.
In the cookbook, Brown is all about comfort foods but also adds options on the healthier side such as fresh juices, which are always my go-to. Pear Pie Delight juices a sweet potato, apple, Asian pear and blueberries, while Carrot-Apple Ginger brings that sting I love in juices to let me know it is the real deal.
Now, if you are a big fan of using cookbooks, Brown’s offers a twist of its own; there are no measurements for the recipes. Yep, you read this right. You are trying cooking from the spirit, which has drawn mixed reviews since its release. This, in my opinion, is not good for those who are a novice in the kitchen. A seasoned cook? Missing measurements won’t stop you.
If you are a vegan or, most importantly, a fan of Brown’s, “Cooking with the Spirit” is still very much worth grabbing a copy to get inspired by the recipes and “America’s Mom,” Tabitha Brown herself.
Purchase “Cooking From the Spirit” from our online partner, the Food Temptress Cookbook Store and order a copy of our current print issue featuring Tabitha Brown, where she shares more about the moment that launched her vegan career as well as a chance to try her Jackfruit Pot Roast recipe.
The Food Temptress Cookbook Store is an online culinary bookstore featuring more than 80 cookbooks by Black authors. Cuisine Noir does not receive a commission from sales.
