Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes

With four Afro- and soul-centric vegan cookbooks to his credit, Terry (Afro-Vegan) enriches this 100-plus recipe collection with flavors from the Far East, the South, and the Caribbean. His perspective is casual and family-oriented, and the book feels personal and speaks to a wide swath of cooks. Tofu is sparingly deployed while carrots (barbecued carrots with white beans) and sunchokes (rigatoni with sunchoke-tomato sauce) are thoroughly and creatively exploited. About a quarter of the cookbook’s preparations call for a sub-recipe—a seasoning blend, infusion, or “cream”—all of which can be found in the author’s “Cupboard” chapter. So it’s a good idea to flip back to that final section and take note of the timing involved: smoky-spicy green sauce comes together quickly and can be used right away, while the onion-thyme cream needs an eight-hour head start. Readers will learn why he soaks dried grits overnight (less cooking time, creamier texture) and sprinkles salad greens with lemon juice and salt before any dressing is applied (brighter flavor). And each dish comes with a recommended soundtrack, completing his mission to provide an immersive, joyful experience. (Feb.)