Birthing Community

It was a huge blessing, to have the opportunity, the privilege to find myself in the company of the men and women that I shared space and time with on last night. So Mama Sarahn, beloved, beloved mother and midwife (mine amongst many) facilitated a Meetup group. The families came together under the common interest of home and natural birthing. Housed by Sister Song, it was an honor to have MaituFoods as the first sponsor in this new organization. I have so many thoughts and ideas, sparked from the gathering. To see so many of us, united in the midst of cultural, race, class, gender and age differences was amazing. It's good to know that we have all come together under the banner of life, health and abundance. I see potential. I was introduced to many people in my community who offer services that I would never have known of if not having been in attendance last night. I am grateful..and look forward to solidifying the connections we made last night.

Celebrate life!!!!

My Kitchen Sounds like: Lizz Wright "The Orchard"

1 more day/ Happy Earthstrong Kaba

Whew!!! Busy, busy week ahead. Lunch deliveries, preparing food for an event with Mama Sarahn (Greater Atlanta Homebirth Meetup Group, check it if you are in the Atl on Wed), all the usual, clean this, cook this, wash that, help with this...but most importantly.........ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! It's Kahen's Birthday tomorrow!!!!! Ah, my firstborn Sun, makes his first revolution. I am so so geeked. Kahen you are brown and beautiful. An amazing soul, and you light up our days and nights. Mama and Baba love you deeply. You have survived our first year and Mama's crash course parenting with all of your limbs, both your eyes, your nose, your brain intact. No major accidents or injuries. I am looking forward to your progression, little one. God be with us on the journey to 2. Praying for more sleep, more solid foods, walking and verbal communication...as you advance, keep the Most High close and know that you are that. Nakupenda Kababinghi. Your family loves you.

And to Baba, M2, both grandmas, big brother, aunts, uncles, cousins and close associates. We made it!!! Love to you all.

Ah!!!!!! I am dancing!!!

Chocolate Cake (from Vegan Goddess)

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1 1/2 cups dry sweetener
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups nut milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Ina blender, blend margarine, sweetener and water. Add this to flour mixture along with the milk and vanilla. Mix together until gently mixed. Pour into a lightly oiled cake pan and bake for 30 min.

****and to just go all for it

Chocolate Icing

• 1 cup cold water
• 5 tbsp flour
• 1 cup dry sweetner
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp margarine
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder

In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and flour constantly over medium heat until thick (about the consistency of glue). Be mindful not to burn it. Once thick, remove from heat and cool off completely before setting the pot in a larger pan of cold water or sink with cold water. While its cooling, in a medium bowl mix together the sweetener, vanilla, margarine and cocoa powder until well mixed. Add the cooled flour mix to the bowl and stir together until there are no lumps. Let cool on fridge for 30-60 minutes. Then ice cooled cake.

My Kitchen Sounds Like: The sound of my hands clapping and my feet hitting the floor as I dance in celebration of life...Love

3-N-1/Yum!!!/Leftovers/Guru

YUM

In the words of my girl Mini Money/Ms. Lucas, "uh Yum!". So I have been working at this cheese recipe forever. Trying to figure out how to make vegan nacho cheese. See, I have a cheese recipe already, but it tastes more like an alfredo. Dont get me wrong I love it. I put it on all my recipes that call for cheese. But somehow it needed an adjustment for nachos and also change is necessary every now and then. So nacho cheese...it has become the favorite recipe of the family as of late. So what did I do????? I will never tell all. You'd have to just come and get some. But I will share the basic cheese recipe at the bottom.

I would be wrong if I did not shout out Sister Janelle. So, Sister Janelle is running things in Miami, serving up vegan pizzas (check her at http://theorganicsage.blogspot.com). The sistren is doing big things and I've heard from a good source that she is good at what she does. So if in the M.I.A, please, please, please link up with the sis. Ok, back to my story. So Sister Janelle and me were building about our respective businesses and we got on recipes, namely cheese recipes. I shared with her my cheese recipe and my dilemma in trying to figure out how to come up with a cheddar cheese equivalent. So we swapped ideas and found out we use very, very similar cheese recipes..catch is Sister Janelle shared with me the beautiful idea of using raw cashews as a thickener. So me being the being that I am, decided that the next weekend would be pizza weekend for the family. I went to the store, gathered all the usual suspects and just to get my kicks, added a bag of cashews. Project Pizza underway. I did everything like I always do, prepared the crust, made the marinara (with some adjustments I have added since posting the recipe), some pesto, diced up some veggies (peppers, olives, mushrooms, artichoke, onion) and then began the cheese process. I decided since my cheese recipe was still dope I would keep it, and then also do Janelle's adjustment. Hey it just meant more pizza for us. So I did things as usual. A lil garlic here, some almond milk there, a lil aqua, a lil nutritional yeast and then....dun dun dun!!!! CASHEWS!!!! Oh my goodness!!! If Janelle was nearby I would have thrown her a party. A pizza party. The cashew was a perfect addition. It thickened the cheese so when it baked it wasnt too runny. The flavor was great. YUM!!! Thank you Janelle for adding to the YUM!! repertoire. I tried the pizza out on the youth, they loved it. So Atlanta, looking for vegan pizza delivery. Soon come. And if and while you are in Miami, check Sister Janelle. Love.

Continuing with the Yum and hailing up my girl Mini Money. Coconut. I use every single part of the coconut. I love coconut. I shout Somini, because all I have to do for her is add coconut to the recipe and I got a winner. If you dont know Coconut is great for so many things. I remember reading an article about the uses of coconut. The water is good for electrolytes (pregnant mommmies this is good during birth), when Kaba had a fever I used it to cool him and keep him hydrated. We use it in smoothies along with the meat of the coconut. I use the oil for my skin and hair. Its a nice fat in recipes, like cookies (*damn there goes my secret), greens..whatever. I make coconut chili (big hit when vending), coconut rice and peas, coconut curry...its great for anything. So, imagine how my heart dropped when I was told that my son possibly has a coconut allergy. I saw the world of Thai food coming to a complete halt and together we mourned, the lost of coconut in my life. Well at least until Kaba is two and no longer breastfeeding. So for me. Go out there, find you a coconut and binge until the heavens cry out. Love

LEFTOVERS/GURUs

My mother use to say that food tastes better the next day. Why? Because "the flavors" (lol) soak in. There is alot of truth to the theory. If it was good once, it will most likely be good the second time around. My only issue with that is that, one of the best parts of cooking for me is going out and picking the ingredients. So, sometimes recreating with leftovers is like trying to create a new painting, using the same paint from the previous day on the same canvas. Its possible to create a masterpiece, but there is the potential that you end up feeling like, been here and done that. Which is why I have so much respect for people who can create something out of leftover ingredients or creating something from nothing. *Insert shout out to my cooking Gurus Akilah and Eugene right here**

I have witnessed my husband Eugene, go into the kitchen, when I thought there was nothing and create a meal, that I find myself waiting to get down to the bare essentials to duplicate. Genius (its part of his name). Last week he made this Sushi bowl. I think by accident but it was great. Absolutely great snack. Full of minerals and vitamins, good fat and flavor. Being a visual artist, his sense of color and presentation is off the chain. And when it comes to flavor. He never, ever fails. Ever. His art is the art of simplicity. Simple ingredients, simple meals. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Akilah. So for anyone who thinks I am a great cook. This woman is my cooking Guru. Who I look up to. My dear, dear sister Akilah. She is the only person who comes to visit our house and I make her cook, instead of preparing a meal for her. You think its wrong? You have not had her food. I can recall every single meal Akilah has made for me. Like in Brooklyn when she made white bean soup with jalapeno cornbread (YUM!!!) or the time, 5years ago, she made Cornmeal battered Seitan, Steamed okra and Sesame Udon noodles (I have pictures). Its like she takes nothing, absolutely nothing and makes something. The last time she cooked for me, I was pregnant she made BBQ Seitan and Spicy Kale Salad with Couscous. I still think about that meal. I mean there are so many stories. Like the time we made chinese food together and we didnt have sweet and sour sauce. She went in the kitchen took out white vinegar, maple syrup, cayenne and soy sauce and voila!!!, Sweet and Sour Sauce a la negro (lol). My sis Neff still swears by that sauce recipe. Or in college when we all lived together and were starving and she made home made ramen with spaghetti noodles, green onions and seasonings. I love this woman. My cooking guru Agoo goo/Akilah. Love.

Cheese Recipe

• about 1 1/2 cups of Nut. Yeast
• Garlic
• Water
• fresh almond milk
• oil
• salt
  

Blend all ingredients together and add to pasta..whatever. Add cashews to thicken.

Rice and Peas Recipe

• 2 cups rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• 16 ounces of red beans (cooked)
• salt to taste
• thyme to taste
• 1 onion diced
  

First add a bit of oil to the pan. Saute onion until almost translucent. Add rice, thyme and salt. Stir in beans. After stirring for a bit add in coconut water and water to make about 4 cups of liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until water is absorbed. About 25minutes.

Leftovers/Sushi Bowl

• Leftover Brown Rice
• Nori sheets
• Avocado
• Garlic Dressing (I make it homemade but you can use Soy Sauce to replace)
• Cashews

Just cut the avocado into chunks, tear the nori sheets and then throw everything into a bowl. YUM!!! Instant sushi without the rolling.

BBQ Seitan

• Seitan (precooked or buy gluten flour and spend the next 2 hours making up your own/my preference)***look at bottom for additional instructions
• Favorite BBQ sauce
• Seasoned Cornmeal
• Oil

** I typically like to make my own seitan. So I buy the gluten flour, add water, knead until my hands fall off. Slice the seitan into chunks and drop the raw dough into a boiling pan of hot water with garlic, ginger and onion. Let it boil for about an hour until the texture is nice and chewy. Proceed.

Cut the seitan into thick strips. Place slices in a wet batter and then seasoned cornmeal. Fry the strips in oil until nice and crispy. Toss in BBQ sauce. Injoy!!!

I dont use this too much. Wheat can be an allergen. So whereas this recipe is great. Eat occasionally. Love



My Kitchen sounds like: "Umi Says" by Mos Def, "How Many Mics" by The Fugees, "Who Colt The Game" by Bob Marley and "Shug's Song" by Shug Avery.

Newest Family Member/Sarita's Playpen

We are so pleased and blessed to welcome Sarita's Playpen to the Maitufoods family. Sarita's Playpen is a Child Development Experience Center located in Grant Park. Family owned and operated they offer many different services in child development and they serve a vegan lunch handled by Maitufoods. (Yay!!!) If anyone is in the Atlanta area and is interested, look them up. Thank you to the Director Rose and Family. We look forward to a healthy and abundant experience. Love

My Kitchen Sounds like: Kababinghi's (Kahen's)Drumming and Piano playing.

Pumzi/Wanuri Kahiu

We are little without family and community. Looking into our family, our close companions, is kin to looking into a mirror to view our reflection. I am blessed to be surrounded by beautiful, beautiful souls. This sister of mine, to attempt to write an expression would diminish what's felt and the importance of this sister to our family. She is M2 (godmother) to our youth and just a beautiful influence and inspiration. Her creativity speaks volumes.

So what's the correlation to Maitufoods you ask?(I'm not just boasting on my fam). When I was looking for a name for the business, it was around the time Wanuri was writing the script for Pumzi, her latest film. I was very drawn to the main character for many reasons. I am a sci-fi buff and Wanuri has a good sense of imagination. Said all that to say, there was one thing that stuck out in the script. Maitu: the name of the seed and community in the film. Maa (truth) Itu (ours). Comes from the Kikuyu language, and its meaning is mother. So Maitufoods, MotherFoods, Our Truth Foods, was inspired by my sister Wanuri, by way of her film Pumzi. So for those who have been asking, seek no more, your answer has been granted. :)

Pumzi...wow what do I say about Pumzi. First I will say I love it. The layers, the images. The heroine is woman of color. The beauty of her is in her humanity. The film takes place in futuristic Africa. 35 years after the Water War (WW3). Asha, the main character is a curator at a virtual museum in the Maitu Community (ahh there it goes) that collects ancient, natural artifacts. By this time nature is extinct, water is scarce and without giving away the film, my interpretation is, its about Asha's journey back to life. Beautiful beautiful beautiful...check it. Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3elKofS43xM (trailer)
http://pumzithefilm.com/ (website)


My recipe for today was designed by GOD....WATER!!!!!! DRINK IT!!!

My Kitchen Sounds like: "New World Water" by Mos Def and "I'd Like" by Freshlyground

Connect Between Earth and Sky

Being a woman is a beautiful, beautiful experience. One that I cherish. I am so grateful that by way of karma and the Most High's grace I came back as a sister this time. Within that I have found myself a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife and helpmate, a receiver, a nurturer by nature, but most cherished is the experience of Motherhood. Mothers, what can I say about mothers? There is so much more in the feeling than in the words. So much in the relation, than in the verbal conveying of what it is to be, to have a mother. I find myself now as a mother, having instances that call forth my own memories as a child and experiences with my mother and realize the weight, the beautiful implication of that role. All love and praise to mothers and fathers that allow and support mothers. Truly family is a blessed thing.

Maitu, the Kikuyu word for mother, literally translated as Maa (truth) Itu (our) Our Truth, was started with the premise of honoring Mothers with service. Maitufoods initial service being preparing meals for postpartum mothers and their families. Its been a blessing and a gift to give to the families, the children, to these vessels of creation. I am grateful that The Most High has saw fit to allow me and the family to serve humanity and our community in this way. Its so intimate, its so personal. Dealing with food, which is vital for living. Yeah its great :) I honor any one who finds themselves serving the communities with their gifts. Be it in food preparing, food growing and establishing green spaces, midwifery and doula services, educators, instructors, story tellers, musicians, artists etc. It's all good works. Talking with my husband Eugene, last night we discussed the importance of setting out to be decent human beings. As social creatures we have many ideas of how to dos and what to dos, but if we can show our children examples of just being decent human beings, all else will be taken care of. I believe that. And for our youth, the very first influence, the first teacher and connect to the world and beyond is the Mother.

Mothers I salute you!!!!! Blessed love and prosperity!!!!

MAITUFOODS is happy to offer vegan meals for expecting and new mothers. As a mother I understand the importance and value of a meal that meets your nutritional needs. It's important that the food we eat, not only tastes good but also sustains us. Maitufoods is committed to serving fresh and nutritionally sound meals.

As a service we offer meal planning, food pick-up and delivery, as well as fresh water services.
Contact us at: maitufoods@gmail.com

Wangari Maathi Punch-Up (call me I will explain the name..smile)/check this history on her.

• 1 whole pineapple peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup fresh tamarind pulp
• 4 inch piece of ginger
• water and flesh from 1 coconut

After peeling, coring and slicing the pineapple, Juice along with the ginger.
In a blender, blend together the pineapple-ginger juice, coconut water and flesh and tamarind pulp.
At this point I like to keep it pulpy and thick, however you can strain to desired consistency. Love.

My kitchen sounds like: "New Life" by Midnite