Vegetarian cooking is way of life for Brooke Jackson

Cooking without meat is something that comes naturally for Brooke Jackson. It should. She learned it at home at a young age.

“My parents didn’t cook with meat that much,” Mrs. Jackson said as she put the finishing touches on her “Veggie Table” display Saturday morning at the Poplar Head Farmers Market. “About the age of 10 I stopped eating meat, and I haven’t looked back.”

The Albertville native shares her love of vegetarian cooking with the public through her blog, which can be found at www.veggietable-brooklyn.blogspot.com. On it she shares recipes and helpful hints for eating a vegetarian diet. While her husband, Dothan native Forrest Jackson, is not a strict vegetarian, he does enjoy lending a helping hand – and watching hours of television on the subject.

“Our TV stays on the Food Channel,” Mrs. Jackson said. “I don’t do recipe books.”

While she likes to share her new creations with those who visit her blog, Jackson has also turned her hand at catering. Because she works full-time, Mrs. Jackson says catering is something she does occasionally.

“I have done some catering for the Wiregrass Museum of Art,” she said. “But, with my work, I can’t really do a lot of it.”

Instead, she prefers to spend her free time creating new food combinations. During Saturday’s demonstration, she introduced visitors to three recipes – Black-eyed Peas with Cucumbers, Tomato Spread and Black Beans and Corn Dip.

The produce that Jackson, her husband and her aunt (Beverly Patterson) used to make the unique combinations came from local growers.

“Poplar Head Farmers Market vendors donated the produce that we used for the demonstration,” Mrs. Jackson said. (Market manager) Julie Bishop also helped out with getting supplies. The recipes for the demonstration were made last night (Friday). We wanted them to be chilled.”

Preparation of the recipes has to have one major thing.

“The recipes require a lot of chopping,” Mrs. Jackson said. “With practice, I’ve learned to do it rather quickly.”

With fresh vegetables readily available this time of year, her “Veggie Table” is filled with tasty treats.

“During the summer, we do a lot of raw stuff, because it is so hot. We don’t want to cook.”

There is another advantage to not cooking.

“You preserve the nutrients by not cooking the food,” Forrest Jackson said.

“And, it’s good for you,” his wife added. “Vegetarian cooking also brings out your creative side, so you don’t eat the same thing all of the time. On my blog, I have about 100 of my recipes. People can visit the blog to see them.”

A trip to Spain for a friend’s wedding led to the creation of her Tomato Spread, which she toned down a bit so that it would appeal to a wide range of tastes Saturday morning.

“The blog is pretty much a hobby,” Mrs. Jackson said. “I have a full-time job.”

It’s a hobby born from her family’s preferred way of eating. And she doesn’t see her passion for vegetarian cooking waning anytime soon.