Chai Latte Smoothie

My ancestors would prefer we had cheese grits, scrapple and scrambled eggs every morning...I promise to make that real soon for you folks but for now a sistah has GOT to at least start her morning off right. Right?  Who knows what sins lunch and dinner will hold.

Are y'all tired of smoothie recipes yet?? They're everywhere!! But I guarantee you've never seen this one...

Basic Smoothie Base

All of my smoothies will have the same base before I add the variety:

Spinach and/or kale
Almond milk - organic unsweetened (plain or vanilla)
Bananas - if I'm totally out or if my bananas aren't ripe enough, I will use an avocado.

Now the add-ons depend on my mood or what I need nutritionally that day.

• Was I drinking the night before? Detox and rejuvenate with cucumbers and blueberries or acai. 
• Was I a really bad girl and had a ton of carbs I need to flush out? Fiber it up with flax seeds. 

You get the drift. But what if I'm in the mood for something that tastes a little decadent because I was such a good girl the night before and didn't touch the Talenti gelato (Haagen Dazs?  Who are they?) that was calling my name from my freezer. That's when I opt for my favorite smoothie add-on; chai spiced peanut butter.

OK disclaimer time. My very good friend (and play play husband) Joseph Riley Land of RileyLand GourmetPantry (which I sometimes call Riley PantryLand) sells the most amazing chai spiced peanut butter. I've hyperlinked the mess out of it already so go check it out.

It's the only peanut butter I can eat right off the spoon and the ingredients are all natural and whole but what really makes this a great add-on is that it transforms any smoothie into a chai latte. And peanuts are good for you too!  All the peanut ads say so right??

One (or two) dollops will do ya.  Try it. You will not be sorry.


Love, Peace and Bacon (pork, beef, turkey or soy) Grease
TheKatalist

Curry Lentil Soup with Spinach

If you haven't guessed yet, you will find that most of my recipes are meatless.  Now my ancestors aren't to happy about that, so every once in a while I will cook up a pork chop in their honor...but not today.

Today, it's all about lentils; the most amazing legume out there because of its higher than most dietary fiber content.  What does fiber mean for us?  Nicer, gentler trips to the bathroom (for those that suffer from being backed up) and lower cholesterol.  Now...who doesn't want these benefits?

I live with my teenaged daughter who has been a vegetarian for a few years now and we don't keep any meat (except for the ancestors) in the house.  This helps me out health-wise and dollar-wise.  But here's the problem; the child hates beans.  In fact she hates a ton of things most vegetarians love.  So when I'm making a bean dish (with the exception of the chickpea fritters), I just need to make enough for me.  Preparing lentils is easy when serving one person.  They cook in minutes without soaking!! So this makes them a perfect last-minute bean option.

Usually most of my recipes will not have measurements because I don't measure most things I cook unless I'm baking.  Please don't ask me, how much onions or salt or pepper, 'cause I won't have a clue. However for this recipe, I'm going to have mercy on those who need it and offer measurement suggestions only for some of the ingredients.  Lentils soak up a lot of liquids (and thus flavor) so I like to be exact when measuring them out and adding the cooking stock.

Curry Lentil Soup with Spinach (for one)

Ingredients

1/2 cup Lentil Beans - red split, dry - I love these lentils in particular for no other reason than the fact that they start off pink and then turn yellow when cooked.  You don't have to soak these but they need a good rinse and sort.
Onions chopped
Garlic finely chopped
Yukon gold potato - peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
Curry Powder - the Trinidadian  kind is so good in this recipe
1 cup vegetable stock - low/no sodium
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup Spinach - fresh
Sea Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or expeller-pressed coconut oil for sauteeing

In a quart size pot heat oil.  When hot, add onions and saute until tender.  Add garlic and quickly saute.

Sprinkle in the curry powder.  Listen up people!! There is nothing better than cooking spices with a bit of oil in ANY dish.  Spices have a rawness to them and sauteing them first before adding any kind of liquid is out of this world and frankly a requirement in any dish I make.

As soon as the spices start to smoke up the joint, add the lentils and saute some more.  I think cooking beans or even rice for that matter this way adds so much more flavor and almost a minute hint of nuttiness to the dish.  Once the beans are coated, throw in the potatoes.

NOW YOU CAN ADD THE LIQUID! BUT HOLD THE SALT!  I don't add salt to beans until they're done.  Salt makes the beans tough while they're cooking.  I've heard this somewhere and it's true as far as I'm concerned.

Simmer until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and lentils and potatoes are tender.  If these were your average bean, we'd be talking almost an hour (even after soaking), but we're talking about lentils people!  They are usually done in like 15-20 minutes!

About 5 minutes before they're done, throw in the spinach.  Spinach adds great texture and nutrients to this one-pot dish. But you don't want to over cook them or you'll lose all of these benefits.  Now you can add salt here as well if you like.

One last thing I like to do is to take out my good 'ole immersion blender and get to blending...just a bit to thicken this dish up.  Make sure to keep the integrity of most of the beans and potatoes.  If you don't have an immersion blender, use a potato masher.

Variations - if you like carrots, chop them and saute along with the onions and garlic. Want some meat in there?  Saute sliced turkey sausage along with the onions and garlic.  As a topping, I sometimes sprinkle a little crumbled feta cheese once served.

Hope you like it!  Lemme know!

ChickPea Fritters

Are chickpeas, like Beyonce, over-exposed?

I think they are but deservedly so.  Chickpeas are extremely versatile (again like Beyonce), but then again so are most legumes.  I use chickpeas in several ways:

• As a dip...aka hummus.
• As a snack...roasted with cumin and sea salt.
• In salads.
• In vegetable stews...kale or collards.
• And last but not final or least, as a fritter.

I love fritters; corn, salmon, crab, saltfish (bacalao), potato, and of course bean.

Any bean can be made into a fritter.  But that doesn't mean any bean should be made into one. I think black beans, black eye (my people never use the "d" here) peas, and chickpeas are my favorite legumes to use in a fritter.  One thing you should know about really good fritter making; they taste best when fried...OK OK I promise you that I don't eat a ton of fried foods, so every once in a while, I will fry something.  So yeah, back to the fritter...

Chickpea Fritters 

These are a close cousin to the falafel.  My recipe calls for a few ingredients you won't find in  a traditional falafel; namely eggs and arugula (instead of parsley).  I also opt for a more Asian/Indian flavor profile.

Ingredients

Chickpeas - 1 can (if using dried, follow instructions on bag)
Arugula - large handful chopped finely
Egg - 1
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
Curry Powder (any kind you like)
Flour
Corn MealOil for frying (yes frying...if you want to bake these go right ahead) - try expressed coconut oil

Mash the hell out of the chickpeas in a bowl along with the arugula.  I love mashing them together because you get to see the magic of the oils coming out of the arugula and the mixture starts to turn a gorgeous green.
Once it's the consistency of mashed potatoes, add the egg and spices; including the salt.  Be careful with coarse sea salt ya'll.  If you add too much, you'll be sorry.
Mix in the flour and corn meal last.  What you're trying to achieve here is batter that is "dough-like" but not doughy.  There's a happy medium between the disaster of your mixture falling apart in the hot oil and the unpalatable experience of a biting into a doughy fritter.  SEEK THE HAPPY MEDIUM!!! Hint - if you used more than 2 tablespoons of the flour and 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal, then you went too far.

Things you can add to the batter...
leftover rice
shredded cheese
finely chopped shallots or scallions (sauteed or not)
corn

So once everything is combined and you feel in your heart of hearts that the batter is good (no need for perfection here.  It's just cooking), cover your bowl and let the batter sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  I like to fry batters when they're cold.  I don't know why.  Maybe one of grandmothers is telling me this...

When you're ready, get out your cast iron pan...excuse me?  Did you just murmur that you don't have a cast iron pan?  Well drop everything you're doing and go get one.  They cost like nothing hunny.  I'll wait...

Heat the pan and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan up to maybe a 1/4 of an inch (are you still complaining about me frying this dish? If you are, then feel free to pre-heat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper).

Once the oil is heated (I test by sprinkling a pinch of flour into the oil first), using a soup spoon (where I'm from we call these tablespoons), start scooping out the batter into large quenelle shapes. No need for fanciness here.  I use this term (along with the link) just so you'd have an idea of the shape.  I drop these right from the spoon and into the hot oil then mash them down a bit; gently...gently.  Depending on the size of your pan, fit as much as you like without crowding.  Flip once one side is browned.  When they're ready to take out, I place on paper towels or a rack to eliminate some of the oil.  While they're still hot out of the pan, I sprinkle just the teenie tiniest bit of kosher salt on top.

That's it!! Lemme know how they turn out.

OH!  I forgot!  Sometimes, I make a nice sauce to go on top but that's another blog post.

I’m not a vegetarian, but I eat like one…

This is the answer I give to most who ask me the question…

On January 18th, I started eating to live instead of eating to lose weight and I can honestly say that it was the best decision I have made.

The details may shock some and most of my friends have given me their defensive rebuttals but I understand why.  Everything we know about food in this country has been “spoon fed” to us by a corrupt government and the mis-informed media.
Why do I love the way I eat?  Here’s why:

• It’s inexpensive
• I feel fulfilled most of the time
• I forgive myself if I slip (aka eat meat or processed food)
• I have a lot more energy
• I bond with my kid (the vegetarian) through food
• I look great!

The last bullet wasn’t meant to brag.  Realistically, I’ve lost a few pounds, but the combination of having more energy, more freedom, and more “glow”, gives me a certain level of confidence no scale ever could.

I’ll keep you posted in future posts; revealing more and more, but first let me make the following food reading recommendations:

Eat to Live (thank you Jackie!)
Food Politics
Vegetarian Perspectives: Is Something Really Missing?

Soulfood Junkies - Dangerously in Love

Soulfood Junkies Teaser from Byron Hurt on Vimeo.

I am eagerly anticipating the release of this indie film that finally addresses the issues surrounding food choices and how these choices impact the health of the Black community.  I just watched the trailer for Soulfood Junkies.  As most of you know, this is a topic very near and dear to my heart as I continue on my challenging quest to keep it healthy.

Food advocacy is critical in the battle to educate our people about how they are being manipulated by the diabolic relationship between food processors and the USDA.

Please visit the Facebook page for this movie and "like it" in show of your support.

To be continued...

Vitamin D May Help Prevent Macular Degeneration

Saw this brief story on the news (thanks to Locohama!!) last night and was please to see what the doctors are prescribing to help eradicate this disease...VEGGIES! 




Here are some online sources regarding Vitamin D deficiency:
Dr. Weil
Web MD
Mayo Clinic

Just Salad...Yeah Right

I had some time to spare between appointments in the City today.  I was, in my opinion, in the worst part of town; the garment district...UGH.  The choices are dismal for someone looking to find just a salad.  After almost fainting from hunger in Lord and Taylor, I decided to just zig zag my way to my next stop until I found some place that was "nude foodie" friendly. 

As destiny would have it, I spotted from half a block away a sign that read "Just Salad".  I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.  Being the jaded New Yorker that I am, I was slightly skeptical as I neared the entrance thinking, "Please God don't let it be a dump."  He was listening (cue the angelic voiced singers...).

OK so let's skip to the reality of what this place is...it's a salad bar; the kind where the servers throw everything you want into a container and toss or chop the salad, toppings and dressings for you...the end.  I have worked in Soho for the past 11 years so this is nothing new to me, BUT....
Here's the Facebook (via Twitter) exchange that ensued while eating my delicious "greens and beans":

Me: Why would u name a place Just Salads??? U know ur gonna add soup and wraps to the menu!
AJ: Jedi mind trick
Me: The Jedi Mind Trick should have been to name the place "Just Steaks"
AJ: LMAO

It is funny isn't it??  Is it just shortsightedness or wishful thinking to name a place with the word "Just" at the beginning?

All in all, the salad was great and I pretended not to be tempted by the wraps, soups and chips.  Thank God they didn't sell cookies and cakes to accompany the "just" salad. 

Hmmm maybe the word "just" is being used as an adjective!! That must be it!