Most holidays make me think about food, hence cookout day Independence Day. Despite my reality TV addiction, I sometimes watch normal TV, like cooking shows. I don’t see too many brown faces when it comes to flexing culinary skills on  the tube, but here are my top three favorite African-American shows that you may find useful for recipe ideas.

1. Down Home With the Neeleys

Pat and Gina Neely own some of Tennessee’s most popular bbq joints and bless the masses with their recipes on the Food Network, every week. Their recipes look good enough to make a vegetarian scarf down some pork. The best thing about them is that their creations range in difficulty level, so you’ll probably find at least two dishes that you can prepare for your party. Despite the fact that most of their food isn’t herbivore friendly, there are some salads and veggie-centric dishes in the mix like zucchini gratin, but you just have to look.

2. Cooking for Real

Sunny used to be a radio personality for New York City’s Hot 97 and even while there, she was always known for her cooking skills. It was only a matter of time before she transitioned to her own cooking show, which seems odd for a radio personality, but her recipes are good. I have tried two, which were for a Caesar salad dressing and formaccia pizza (you can substitute dairy products if you’re a vegan), and they were divine. Pizza isn’t cookout food, but she has a plethora of options to choose from.

3. Cooking With Coolio

I find it very amusing that Coolio aka Mr. Gangster’s Paradise, has a cooking show. But he does. And let’s not forget, he’s also a family man. His show can be found on the web. He calls himself “The Ghetto Gourmet” but surprisingly, he does not specialize in frank and beans with onions. His recpies include vegetable stir fry, “spinach even your kids will love” and caprese salad. Wow.