My husband comes from the South, and so I am fully aware that the typical diet in that neck of the woods (not his family – they are very health-conscious!) includes an awful lot of fried food, and an awful lot of meat. So, I was delighted when a copy of The Southern Vegetarian came through my mailbox. Ha! I thought – now I can really impress my in-laws! Each page of this wonderful book makes me salivate. The authors, husband-and-wife team, Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence, use all the smoky, crunchy corn ingredients that you would expect of Southern cuisine, and yet they put vegan ingredients that I am familiar with (Tempeh, Tofu & Seitan,) to great use! I’m already itching to get started on a couple of the recipes: Artichoke Hearts and Succotash Over Smoked Cheddar Grits sounds insanely good, and is on my menu for this week. And, OMG, I’m so excited: They show us how to make smoked coconut “bacon”, which I regularly eat at Cafe Gratitude but didn’t have a clue how to make it. I could to on and on, but all I can is: get the book!