Pinky Cole is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan ATL, delivering her signature 100 percent vegan burgers that people gladly wait in a line down the block for. In her first cookbook, Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind, Cole shares delicious recipes and the story that led to her passion.
Sometimes, you can look back over your life and see how things have brought you to where you are. For Pinky Cole, being vegan was instilled in her from a child. Growing up in a single-parent household, Cole’s Jamaican Rastafarian mother was vegan. Cole and her siblings were raised with a more conscious way of living and became accustomed to the lifestyle.
By fourteen, Cole was selling chicken sandwiches. By sixteen, she was making money by throwing parties. Later, she had a pop-up restaurant for three years everyone would go to, where she sold jerk chicken even though she didn’t eat meat. She knew that this was not in total alignment with her purpose. She lost that restaurant to a grease fire in 2016. In hindsight, it was a blessing because it gave her the knowledge and experience to open her first Slutty Vegan food truck in 2018. Since then, she has expanded to restaurants, a bar, and a philanthropic organization.
Going to Slutty Vegan is an experience. The burgers have racy names like Sloppy Toppy, Fussy Hussy, and One Night Stand, which is loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and Slut sauce. Cole understands that providing a great experience with good customer service is the way to build a successful business. Now she has brought together some of the great recipes from Slutty Vegan for us in this cookbook.
What I love about Eat Plants, B*tch, is that Cole gets you started with everything you need to know from which type of oils to use, kinds of nut butter, kinds of milk and cheeses, and egg replacements. It is all laid out very simply, and the ingredients are accessible at your local grocery store.
Cole also answers questions about what it means to be vegan and the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian. No worries, she explains it all. I also liked that she discussed ways to start experimenting with a plant-based diet and getting your family to try new vegan dishes.
My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, so the first chapter, Good Morning, Grand Rising, was what I wanted to try most of all. The recipes in this chapter are easy and can be prepared in advance. They also give you good energy, which I am all about. If you’re just starting out on your vegan journey, the Berry Smoothie, Avocado “Bacon” Pastry Bites, and Spicy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits are absolutely delicious. I already had most of the ingredients, and nothing was difficult to prepare.
Studies show that the Black community is more likely to suffer from high cholesterol and diabetes. One of Cole’s passions is to bring vegan options to her core audience — the meat eaters.