Dante

Thank you! I'll confess that part of this was me throwing together what I could work with. It all synergized remarkably well. If I were to do anything different, I'd have made it saucier somehow, as the dumplings, while tasty, turned out a bit on the dry side.

Air fried chicken (brined, marinated in seasoned buttermilk, coated with rice flour), with oven-roasted tomatoes and mashed potatoes with steamed kale mixed in

Poached chicken with scallions, onion, and scrambled egg cooked in the poaching broth, over rice

Semolina, ricotta,and dill dumplings, accompanied by sauteed Brussels sprouts and noodles with fried shallots and oyster sauce

Cheeseburger w/canned chipotles in adobo mixed in with the meat, steamed snow peas on the side.

Quenelles with "melting potatoes" (basically thick sliced, seared, then braised) and edamame

Pulled pork sandwich with Shasha sauce, sides of grits and corn

in essence, and I had figured there would be a lot of overlap with other Southern styles, and that it had become more cultural than racial as it spread. But I still see "Soul Food" described as its own entity, which made me curious about it.

No one in particular, just something I want to explore in general. See how it diverges from the other Southern styles I'm more familiar with.

I confess I have not much experience with authentic soul food, entirely due to lack of access (the furthest South I've ever lived is DC, and that was only for three years, and most of my ventures to the South have been to NOLA), but I've been curious about the cuisine for some time.

Thank you for the list! And, indeed, no one book on anything will do, but I want to start somewhere.

Therein lies part of my problem. And that I know sod-all about the topic to begin with. I have familiarity with a couple of other styles of Southern USA cooking, NOLA Creole, and Lowcountry, but not this one.

Exactly what it says on the tin... If I were to buy one book on Soul Food, what should I get?

Pork tenderloin Stroganoff

Mac and Cheese with smoked paprika, corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, and a drizzle of the adobo sauce from the chipotles that I used for the sauce for the mushroom tacos.

Mushroom tacos with sauce of pineapple, chipotle, cumin, smoked paprika, and lime juice. Slow sauteed baby carrots on the side.

Tonight's dinner: tofu saltado

Tonight's dinner: Skyline Chili over cornbread

Tonight's dinner: pumpkin+coconut milk veggie curry over orzo

Air fried chicken with mayo/mustard/bbq sauce, sides of sauteed green beans with soy sauce, sesame oil, and nutritional yeast, and Zatarain's dirty rice

"Korean Sticky Beef", called such as one lets the beef sit in the pan until it browns enough to stick to it. With scallions and shredded napa cabbage, over noodles.

In light of taco Bell removing the Seven Layer Burrito (the only thing of theirs that I ever ordered)from their menu,I've decided to make my own. Accompanied with steamed broccoli and corn with a dusting of nutritional yeast.

pizza with black olives and prosciutto

Slow cooker wings with sesame/maple bbq sauce (finished in the air fryer) with corn and grits on the side.

Air fried mashed potato and cheese taquitos topped with salsa, bacon, and cotija. Side of rapini sauteed in the fat from the bacon.