Cookbook Thursday: 'The Chubby Vegetarian'

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum presents Justin Fox Burks, chef and co-author of “The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table,” at 1 p.m. Saturday at the New Orleans museum. Burks will conduct a book signing, cooking demonstration and sampling of recipes featured in the award-winning cookbook he co-authored with his wife Amy Lawrence. Burks and Lawrence are the writers behind the Chubby Vegetarian blog.

According to their Amazon.com author statement: “We’re usually charged with bringing the quote unquote vegetarian dish,” Burks said. “Bring the Tofurky, bring something meatless. But that word bothers me: ‘meatless,’ like you’re just doing without.”

Joe Yonan, Food and Dining Editor at The Washington Post and author of “Eat Your Vegetables” says this about the cookbook: "Friends are coming for dinner, and I'm making a raft of colorful, bold recipes from Justin and Amy's mesmerizing new book. Who knew vegetables could be this enticing, this worldly? They did — and now everyone else does, too."

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.