Collard greens and a slice of cornbread are always an option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in my family. To this day, many Black people with ancestry in the Southern United States, such as my own, are no strangers to meals where meat isn’t the star. These foods-grown by their own hands-nourished them as supplements to any food they were given from their slave owners. When Black people were brought to the Americas through slavery they carried with them their native foods, such as black-eyed peas, okra, and yams. The History and Future of a Plant-Based Diet in the Black Community
I was especially excited about recipes like her French Onion Soup with Cheezy Crostini, Truffle Mac and Cheezy, and Salted Caramel Sauce. So when I learned that she published a cookbook I was excited about adding some of those mouthwatering meals to my rotation.
Watching a table full of football players devour Morgan’s food is what did it for me, I never forgot that scene in the documentary. In the book, she shares, “No dish warms my heart more than the gumbo made by my grandmother Leola Duplechan.” For her jambalaya, Morgan combines smoked tofu with her Creole-Cajun Seasoning to replicate the flavor of traditional jambalaya, often packed with chicken, shrimp, and sausage. With influences from her Puerto Rican and Creole background, she used familiar spices to recreate dishes from her childhood. And the recipes in “Unbelievably Vegan” exude comfort, from buttery biscuits to creamy soups, to gooey caramel desserts. Experimenting with replacements and alternatives in my cooking allows me to embrace greater creativity. Integrating more plant-based meals into my everyday diet has changed the way I look at food. I don’t feel like I am missing meat and dairy when I can still have lots of flavor and texture without those ingredients. Morgan’s book gives me layered recipes-they’re spicy, salty, and creamy without excess. I am a flavor girl and as my palate develops through adulthood I look forward to filling my plate with food that is satiating. But Morgan preaches that you should “make everything you love, just change the ingredients!” The theme of being able to still indulge in your favorite comfort foods while maintaining a plant-based lifestyle is clear throughout Morgan’s cookbook.
Morgan and her husband Derrick Morgan-a former NFL player-were interviewed and asked to share their journeys to a plant-based lifestyle.Īpproaching a diet change, especially a diet you have enjoyed your entire life, can be challenging.
I first saw Morgan in a documentary on Netflix called The Game Changers, where athletes along with nutrition experts explore various diets as they relate to performance and health. My fluctuating diet choices are what drew me to Morgan. Though I often consult vegan recipes on my journey to incorporate more vegetables into my diet, I am aware that I am more of a flexitarian, someone who occasionally enjoys vegan and vegetarian meals while still indulging in animal-derived products. In my attempt to rid my family of this constant condition, I came across Charity Morgan’s story and her new cookbook, “ Unbelievably Vegan.” Like Morgan, I am examining the health benefits of plant-based eating by slowly incorporating more fresh vegetables into my diet. High blood pressure is a condition that has run in my family for generations. Eating a salad is great, but creating a lifestyle is more than just one meal. My theme for this year is “exploration,” and of course I had to start with food and health. This story is a part of our Juneteenth collaboration with Eat the Culture, where we tapped writers and cooks to share “love letters” to their favorite Black cookbook authors.