4 Vegan Soul Food Recipes and Their Powerful History

Preparation

1. 1

   In a large bowl, place the peanuts and cover with water, allow them to soak at room temperature for 4 hours or overnight. Remove from bowl and drain.

2. 2

   In a large pot, add the oil over medium heat. Add the celery and onions and sauté until tender and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.

3. 3

   Over medium-high heat, add the peanuts to the pan and stir, coating them in the oil. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered until the peanuts are soft, about 20 minutes.

4. 4

   In small batches, transfer the mixture from the pan to a blender and purée until smooth. Add more broth to get a thinner consistency, if desired.

5. 5

   Once puréed, return the mixture back into the pot and season with nutmeg, lemon juice, salt, and black and white pepper. Reheat over medium heat.

6. 6

   Serve hot and garnish with peanuts, fresh thyme, and a drizzle of maple syrup or hot sauce.

Preparation

1. 1

   For Southern coleslaw: In a large bowl, mix green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, and onion.

2. 2

   In a separate bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and black pepper until mixed.

3. 3

   Pour mayo mixture over cabbage and mix until thoroughly coated. Cover and transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Mix well before serving.

4. 4

   For the tartar sauce: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, pickles (or relish, if using), tarragon, dill, lemon juice, sugar, and capers (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

5. 5

   Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch slices on the horizontal, so you’re left with long filet-shaped slices.

6. 6

   In a large paper or Ziploc bag, add cornmeal, flour, Old Bay, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, and sea salt; shake until mixed.

7. 7

   In a large bowl, whisk together nut milk and hot sauce.

8. 8

   For the catfish: Add eggplant filets to the nut milk mixture, coating on all sides.

9. 9

   One by one, remove eggplant filets from the nut milk, shake off excess liquid and add to the bag of cornmeal mix. Shaking vigorously until well coated.

10. 10

    Remove eggplant from the bag, shaking off excess breading, and transfer to a lined baking sheet.

11. 11

    In a large cast iron pan, pour in about 2 inches of oil, or enough to submerge the eggplant completely. Heat over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer to measure oil, drop in a dollop of batter; when it bubbles profusely, your oil is hot enough to start frying.

12. 12

    In batches, slowly add the eggplant fillets into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes each side. Lower the heat if needed as you go.

13. 13

    Transfer cooked eggplant to a baking rack or paper towels to absorb excess oil.

14. 14

    Serve hot with hot sauce, tartar sauce, and fresh lemon wedges.

15. 15

    If you are making the catfish in an airfryer, follow steps 1-5. Transfer eggplant fillets into a greased air fryer basket. Spritz generously with oil. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip fillets, spritz again with oil, and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, or until crispy.

Preparation

1. 1

   In a large pot, combine the rice and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is soft and all the water is absorbed. Set aside.

2. 2

   In a large saucepan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Cook until butter begins to brown and slowly begin to sprinkle in the flour, stirring to mix until smooth. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir frequently until the roux begins to thicken and turn dark brown, about 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the onion, celery, and green bell pepper to the roux and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add in the garlic and thyme and saute for 1-2 more minutes. Pour in vegetable stock, diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water, stirring well.

4. 4

   Season mixture with Creole seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, dried basil, bay leaf, lemon juice, and salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. 5

   In a separate pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Add cooked mushrooms to the vegetable mix and stir until coated. Remove bay leaf and season with additional salt or spices, to taste.

7. 7

   Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onion.

Preparation

1. 1

   For the tartar sauce: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, pickles (or sweet relish, if using), tarragon, dill, lemon juice, sugar, and capers (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

2. 2

   For the crab cakes: In a blender or food processor, add chickpeas and hearts of palm. Pulse slowly until the mixture is chopped but still slightly whole. Be careful not to over-process, as the mixture should remain flaky.

3. 3

   Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and add in onions, celery, garlic, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, dill, bread crumbs, and 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. Mix until everything is combined. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer mixture to the fridge and chill for 1 hour.

4. 4

   Remove mixture from the fridge and use your hands to form patties about 1 inch thick.

5. 5

   Add the flour to a shallow dish and season with the remaining 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. Dip each patty in the flour on both sides until evenly coated.

6. 6

   Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

7. 7

   Once oil is hot, fry patties one at a time, 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

8. 8

   Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.

9. 9

   Serve crab cakes warm, with tartar sauce and fresh lemon wedges.