Book Forty-Two: Thug Kitchen

Social media savvy readers may be familar with the Los Angeles based Thug Kitchen and blog of the same name.  Meant to inspire and encourage you to 'eat like you give a f*ck' the team behind the blog have written their first cookbook.  Perhaps you've seen trailer.  (NSFW)

As a fan of the blog, Facebook page and their passion for whole food and real meals, I was excited to pre-order the official cookbook.  It's beautifully organized and begins with an easy to read, don't stress the f*ck out over what you don't have in your pantry angle.  It's where the kale meats the chickpeas that this cook takes umbrage.  Pun intended.

I take no issues with the cookbook being meatless.  I use nutritional yeast (Huff Post talked all about it here back in the summer) and Bragg's amino acids more than the next person.  I have nothing against quinoa or tofu.  What I do have a problem with is recipes that like to 'disguise' tofu as meat or cauliflower as 'potato'.  WTF?!  A potato is a potato--meant for smashing and serving with gravy.  Cauliflower is not.

As I see it, any cook book that mistakes mashed lentils as a good substitute for gravy with biscuits is suspect.  My dear sweet kitchen-dwelling ancestors are turning over in their grave at the very idea.  Please do eat like you give a f*ck.  It's better for you, your family and the environment.  But please, exercise caution when substituting.