tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8896208574504906542024-02-19T04:47:51.097-05:00"Come Eat"MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-48943146998878252292015-11-21T20:31:00.001-05:002015-11-21T20:31:09.454-05:00The Fall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We are being prepared
for the quiet. For the rooting and the digging in that offers great clarity and
full nourishment. We are in the Fall, moving towards even cooler times. We are
being given the opportunity to go inside and seek the warmth that will carry us
through the cold season. There is the blessing of not only memories in the Sun,
but through the preservations of abundant harvest, we have tangible access to
that which brightens up our experiences and nourishes our bodies. What I will bring with me are the conversations centered
around the lessons learned from yellow jacket stings and the seasonal habits of
carpenter bees. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Growing and serving has blessed us with a growing community. We
will gather around fire pits to process corn into masa harina and sorrel into
herbal tea blends. As our laughter and tears echo off the trees we will gather
in community sipping the Amaranth and Sorghum porridge that has now replaced
our cold fruit smoothies. From our abundant Green harvest, we will nourish our blood and fortify our organ systems with
“Green Shots” and wild harvested herb tinctures. Ginger and Clove will color
our Pumpkin Stews cooked slow over wood, clay and flame. Peppers from summer’s
harvest will be pickled and made into hot sauces, bringing the sweetness of the
Sun to the Fall and Winter, and provide a burst of Sunshine to every meal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In
the large scheme of this Earth, this work, this exchange and experience
matters. Nature gives us endless opportunities to be amazed and to be humbled.
She is gracious and she is exact. She is balanced and her subtleties and flairs
are all filled with purpose and grand design. Through communion with her we
will be informed and instructed on how to continue to move forward through not
just the Fall and the Chill, but through it all. Nature yearns for the
interaction, for the relationship and she entices us with rich experiences and
intense healing. She shocks us into inspiration and calls upon our
attentiveness and ability to serve. Nature fortifies and we preserve what she
gifts and shares with us. And we are all made whole from the exchange.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Simply Beautiful" by Al Green</div>
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MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-65621449393342373342015-04-16T20:57:00.002-04:002015-04-16T20:57:21.659-04:00Feed Your Farmer!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here at MaituFoods we just launched our Feed Your Farmer initiative. For all of our Grow Where You Are farmers and farm volunteers, we will now provide Vegan Meals prepared in Maitu's kitchen utilizing produce from the farms. Without our farmers we don't eat. Yet we realize that farmers and farming communities are the least served and the most undervalued in society. Oftentimes the very same farmers, who grow and harvest our food are food poor and live in poverty.<br />
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According to studies conducted by the <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/0,,contentMDK:21501332~pagePK:478093~piPK:477627~theSitePK:477624,00.html" target="_blank">world bank</a>, 75% (883 million people at the US $1 a day poverty level) of the world's poor live in rural areas. Most of the rural poor depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their well-being. It's a source of livelihood for roughly 86% (2.5 billion) of rural people and provides jobs for 1.3 billion smallholders and landless workers. According to the <a href="http://www.fao.org/farmingsystems/" target="_blank">Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations</a>, whereas farmers produce the majority of the world's food, they are generally much poorer than the rest of the population and are less food secure than even the urban poor. It can be said that there are efforts underway to increase small farming, not only in efforts to eradicate hunger but to also improve the livelihood of farmers. However, it still remains that farmers, especially in rural areas remain marginalized and impoverished.<br />
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MaituFoods with this small gesture, hopes to bring more attention and awareness to this issue. Also to let our farmers know that we appreciate them and value their work. So from our kitchen, to our farmers' tables, Come Eat! #FeedYourFarmer #FarmersEatFirst<br />
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MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-91954641929736917052014-12-30T13:48:00.000-05:002014-12-30T13:48:03.209-05:00Know Your Grower<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><a href="http://knowyourgroweratlanta.com/" target="_blank">KNOW YOUR GROWER ATLANTA</a></b></div>
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Gratitude to the folks over at Know Your Grower Atlanta for adding MaituFoods' owner to the <a href="http://knowyourgroweratlanta.com/2014/12/23/our-truth-an-introduction-to-jovonna-johnson-cooke/" target="_blank">Know Your Grower Atlanta</a> website. Check out the story and bio by clicking on the link. Its an honor to be in the web of people doing such honorable work for and within the community. Love!<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Intention" by Jah9</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-28693447932642937762014-12-08T11:53:00.000-05:002014-12-08T11:53:12.276-05:00Grow Where You Are E-Book is Available!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yes! It is here. Now you can have the Grow Where You Are reader, sent directly to your email address in E-Book form. Check out the <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=ulHfvrYENmbWTkqOZKlvsA_KIgeGOHoH50LlrKHvNjk7loeUF79w_CarFsC&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b08198d8562aa8a3da7ac30bbfba73b3e80dcc" target="_blank">Grow Where You Are Reader </a>link to pay directly through paypal or go to <a href="http://gebsite.com/">gebsite.com</a> to get your copy today!!!</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-39130580281776318672014-11-18T10:05:00.000-05:002014-11-18T10:05:41.944-05:00Keep it Moving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There is this anecdote that we like to often quote, partly for amusement but more so for the contextual relevance and incentive. So it goes, that Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer came to Bob Marley and said, "Hey, for a number of reasons we don't want to do the Wailers like this anymore." Bob's response was "Great." Just like that. Simply put. Lol! The eloquence of that response. Not only was it an acknowledgement of their rightful decision, but it was a strong stance in his own. Of course Bob took that great and went on to become just that.<br />
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I can remember 2008 and as with most defining moments the pressure was on to, do, be, or make something happen in our lives. Our first child together was on the way, I had recently quit my job and I had no clue how to continue to move forward, in any manner. I only knew that something had to be done. With a idea, a very simple idea, to feed the children at our neighborhood school where they didn't have a lunch program, the first brick in the foundation of what is today MaituFoods was laid.<br />
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It's amazing to look back and realize that before there was a "farm to school" movement, before local food was the hipster term and urban farming was a category, MaituFoods and Grow Where You Are with the support of the West End and Cascade community members established a vegan school lunch program for 4 private schools and daycares within that respective community. Together we have cultivated the land and installed green spaces and gardens in homes and communities that were considered food deserts. Without it being hip, or lucrative and profitable we established local, Vegan food programs for Pregnant Women, Post Natal Women and their families, to ensure they have access to nutritious, unprocessed foods. For schools in neighborhoods which people have forgotten or thrown away (until gentrification becomes ideal) we along with our extended team have developed curriculums along with teachers and staffs and install gardens and nutrition and skills programs for our youth all over Atlanta. We have even (with a tremendous amount of grace) been afforded the opportunity to leave the country and learn and teach in East Africa the techniques and skill set that we employ in our work.<br />
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We know, if no one else does that the last 6 years have been faced with tons of opposition, unnecessary idle-born conflict, and huge obstacles and yet we keep it moving. Because we know, like Bob, the goal is so much bigger than what we can often see in the moment and the work has to be, must be, done. Even in spite of ourselves. So in the face of negative profit margins, the financial statements in the red, the sometimes little to no support, we keep pushing. We acknowledge our place in this life and in this movement and we carry it forth to the best of our abilities, one meal and one seed at a time, in Greatness.<br />
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Go back and check out some of our beginning blog posts and see the journey:<br />
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<a href="http://maitufoods.blogspot.com/2009/11/greetings-from-planet-maitu.html" target="_blank">Greetings from Planet Maitu Nov. 2009</a><br />
<a href="http://maitufoods.blogspot.com/2010/01/community.html" target="_blank">Community Jan. 2010</a><br />
<a href="http://maitufoods.blogspot.com/2010/02/birthing-community.html" target="_blank">Birthing Community Feb. 2010</a><br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Clouds" by Prince</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-69946947209213155672014-11-06T12:03:00.000-05:002014-11-06T12:03:02.608-05:00Maitu's Channel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So we have a MaituFoods youtube channel!!!! Check out our latest videos including our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMOBlr-BMFEN75k3anUI4BQ" target="_blank">Maitu's tips channel</a> where we give you some face-time with Maitu as we demonstrate what's happening in our kitchen and garden.<br />
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Check out our most recent video on tree planting:<br />
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All Love!!!</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-16551981143311229572014-11-06T11:26:00.000-05:002014-11-06T11:26:08.813-05:00Gotta Respect the Process<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The process deserves its respect. Demands its respect. Its the process that gets us to the end result and therefore it should be canonized. Ok that's a stretch, especially when in the midst of the process. When things are coming together but have not quite taken off, when the ingredients are all there but the dish is still just its diverse, individual parts waiting for its fulfillment into the amazingness you have the desire to serve up and share. The truth is the process is tedious and sometimes extravagant. Sometimes in the process its hard to see the end result, to taste the sweetness in the labor. And that's the kick, hence the previous litany of gratitude for the process. There is sweetness in the labor. The process is what conditions you, what makes you. Its going through the process and coming out on the other side that makes it all worthwhile. Not just because of the end result, but because of who you become standing side by side with the greatness that is the end result. The awesomeness of this process of growing food, of exploring food culture and ritual, of serving our community from the best of ourselves is that it never ends, and therefore the lessons, the growth, the experience never ends.<br />
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My gratitude to the many people who have for the past few months been a part of and helped make this process, this journey that MaituFoods is upon worthwhile. From our private clients and families, to the Green For All and WAWA teams, LRAM collective, Georgia State, Whole Foods Farmer's Market, UGRO, the whole Grow Where You Are family, all the contributors and supporters for our Campaign and all the community members and organizations who have and are supporting us. Our gratitude like the impact of your support is immeasurable. Know that there is always a place for you at Maitu's table. All Love.<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "The Grind Date" by De La Soul</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-32615717355382895732014-06-02T20:13:00.000-04:002014-06-02T20:13:55.862-04:00The Status of Food<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Image of MaituFoods "Green Gold" Salad Ingredients</span></div>
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Think of what today's society considers delicacies. Food-like substances, poor food combinations, and the decadent, degenerative palette of the so called prosperous. When we really begin to examine the culture of food associated with wealth, or really a monetarily and possession rich status, I begin to wonder if someone, somewhere is playing a joke. No really, are our taste and health sensibilities being "punk'd"? A diet of excess leads to disease, a diet of decadence leads to deterioration , improper food-combining (which is common) leads to imbalance. So great, its wonderful that we can afford that great cut of choice meat, all and anything that one can desire to eat can be theirs. Yet, that prime cut or that gmo soy product cannot be properly assimilated by your beautifully orchestrated and designed body, so it sits, cajoling dis-ease. Couple that with a life of mental acuity with little to no physical dexterity and we find that true wealth won't last that long. Then the status of our health measured up to the status of our wealth (which is drastically changing) begins to see a huge inequality on the scales. Where are our priorities when we fight to be the richest country and our citizens remain the most health impoverished? And it has become our excess, our love for the richness (seemingly) that has paved the way to our poverty. Then in turn has wrecked havoc in all arenas of life and livelihood.<br />
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Look at the simplicity of nature. Without trifle it consumes, regenerates, decays and lives in harmony and balance. So much so that its life cycle ensures the livelihood of all others in its environment. A true model of richness, a real status of wealth and abundance. So really what is the ultimate standard of living? What are we working towards? Where does our true wealth lie and what status are we truly reaching for? Love.<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Poor and Clean" by Gregory Isaacs</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-24084460157196208022014-04-08T17:14:00.000-04:002014-04-08T17:14:06.586-04:00Sharing the LOVE experience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Life offers up opportunity to remember the importance of interconnectedness. Indeed, such opportunity also offers the chance to understand more about self. I find in my relationships, the conversations and the moments of experiences therein give a richness that color life in a whole other way than the vastness of internal beauty and self conversation. I suppose that line, in and of itself, exemplifies how much I like my world, especially the internal one. However, moments with my friends, children and in respect to this moment, my mate, offer up an understanding unique to that person and/or opportunity. A uniqueness of experience and perspective that I may not have come to on my own.<br />
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Oftentimes because of the nature of "work", or more so service that my family does, our conversations lead to ideas of love. Love for our service, our creativity, our community, family and self. My mate hip me to the renewed realization of the intimacy of sharing and serving food and food experiences in the manner that I (we) do. It's true, in as personal and private as I am, with my customers, who are really like family members I share a very intimate, close relationship, perhaps unbeknownst to even them. But in each dish, each meal experience, I am tailoring it with my thoughts, my stories, my favorite music. Essentially I am imbuing it with my love. There are glimpses of my romanticism, hints of my sensuality and tenderness. I would like to believe its colored by my creativity and marked by my sense of responsibility and work ethic. I am dedicated and fulfilled in a sense. I am sharing, giving out my love. I am grateful for you who choose to receive. Love.<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Nina Simone</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-65274223515846864322014-04-08T17:10:00.000-04:002014-04-08T17:10:04.021-04:00ReSEARCH<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Travel is great for the palette. There are tastes from the Caribbean, Dubai and Kenya that have found their way to my plate and in my food memory bank. For those times when travel is not possible in the moment, research is the next best thing. Whenever food is beginning to become "stale", we pick a country, a technique, a food memory, or regional food/dish and hop in the truck and go on a food field trip as I like to call them. Yes, its true, they are not the same as having the authenticity that one may receive from say being in the region, with the atmosphere and people. These opportunities however allow me to have what I choose and still have the open experiences of the chef/restaurant offering up their interpretation of home and what that means to them. I almost exclusively stick to family restaurants, no chains, no fast food joints. When I can, I talk with the Chef, get to know them and if the vibe offers, ask to be taught what I love on their menu. In turn my food experience becomes richer, therefore hopefully ensuring that what I am then able to share is that much more rich and varied. I am able to share (hopefully) the best parts of my enrichment. The excitement, the textures and colors that stood out, the tastes..oh yeah...the tastes. I can offer my own variation of it all in a way that is familiar and intimate to me. Just last month alone I believe we tried over 60 different dishes and techniques based on our research. In as much as I do this, I live this. And that essentially is my training, a training that only grows. These 2 weeks our "research" has included Southern Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese and Trinidadian. Fun times behind, even more fun times ahead. Love.<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Around the World In A Day" by Prince </div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-62683687959762946552014-04-01T15:45:00.001-04:002014-04-01T15:45:56.978-04:00Yummy Bites/Gursha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently I have been exploring food culture and rituals with our children. Connecting ideas of unity, consideration, sharing, community and respect for the importance of the moment. Through personal experience and study, I am constantly reacquainted with the Ethiopian ritual of Gursha. Gursha which translates as "mouthful" is the act of hand feeding another. With a heightened sense of awareness this act of Gursha conveys much more than the seemingly simple act of sharing food. Within this ritual lies principles of trust, thoughtfulness and interconnectedness. What a perfect lesson and experience to teach young children. It is my understanding that the traditional practice of Gursha is a means of expressing openness. In our interactions we are essentially "ingesting", sharing and/or being exposed to one anther's presence, essence, aura, personality, words, etc. In each exchange there is potential for trust, indeed, vulnerability. On one hand, receiving Gursha is to be vulnerable and trusting of the hands and the person that is serving. In exchange, to be the giver expresses trustworthiness, tenderness, selflessness and consideration. The physical manifestation of Gursha is a bridge to connect the subtleties of spirit and senses. Now..how to explain that to 2-5 year olds.<br />
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Children are, (at least mine are) very aware of what they like. So we start there. Find the yummiest bite on your plate. Make it up, just the way you like it. How you want to see it. What you want it to taste and feel like. Make it the best bite ever. Now before you place it in your mouth, find someone at the table you enjoy sharing with. Now give them your yummy bite. Yeah..give it...its OK. Now, how did that make each of you feel?<br />
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These rituals we hold onto and carry forward with the hope that the experiences, the lessons can transcend beyond the dinner table and extend to and influence how we relate to one another in life. Cheers to yummy bites and the sharing thereof. Love<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Perdido" by Duke Ellington</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-33556789405686019312014-02-19T16:40:00.001-05:002014-02-19T16:40:58.856-05:00Grow Where You Are<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.gebsite.com/" target="_blank">Grow Where You Are</a>! Both a challenge and a call to a higher standard of being. In the 2nd edition of the aptly titled reader by Eugene Cooke, we find a manual for not only gardening, but for a way of life intent on expressing itself to its fullest capacity. Mother Nature, well she is the vessel of receptivity and nurturing. <a href="http://www.gebsite.com/" target="_blank">Grow Where You Are</a> the reader is creativity, imagination and practicality, stretched out on a canvas. Digestible for any and everyone. More than an how to guide of Urban Farming, it is a shared experience of a man intimate with the Earth.<br />
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Filled with images, ideas and experiences from Eugene's 20+ years journey in Farming, it's one in the same, art, poetry and a glimpse into Eugene's expertise. More importantly, (at least to me) we get a view of Nature's playground through the eyes of an artist who finds his home in the soil.<br />
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A work that one can return to again and again. <a href="http://www.gebsite.com/" target="_blank">Grow Where You Are</a> is fun, it's engaging, it's a stimulus. Get one, Read it and Grow.<br />
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website: <a href="http://www.gebsite.com/">www.gebsite.com</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/growwhereyouare" target="_blank">Grow Where You Are</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/gebsite" target="_blank">@Gebsite</a><br />
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My Kitchen Sounds like: "Harvest for the World" by The Isley Brothers</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-21729303744201122632013-12-14T14:35:00.000-05:002013-12-14T14:35:11.929-05:00The Palette of Family<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our grandparent and parents had the formula. Intrinsic in each culture, and instilled through habit is the knowledge of using foods to heal and console. It was the hot soup or strong toddy when a cold was coming on. Aloe Vera and pumpkin seeds to expel intestinal worms. Oatmeal and milk baths for rashes. Its found in the precise science of Native American Earth medicine to facilitate outdoor living. Let your medicine be your food and your food be your medicine, was a phrase coined by Master Teacher and Physician Imhotep. In that spirit we reclaim the power to heal ourselves. We reinitiate the Creator given birth-right to self sustenance. In this we put the power of nurturer and healer back in our hands. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The herbs around your home will feed and nourish you. They know you and will provide what you need. In turn with your nurturing touch and attention they will receive the essential communication and environmental interaction to receive what they need. This symbiotic relationship, this familial connection nourishes and protects all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is an idea, a prevailing thought that the herbs surrounding our immediate environments are clues into the places that we could be in need of healing. What grows around your home? Are you familiar with the resources of food and medicine that flourish in your most intimate space? What heals us should be close and hands on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The plants and herbs around us give us clear instructions on their functions and uses. Take Cuban Oregano for example. How the shape, texture and design indicate its ability to clean and clear out. How it resembles (to me at least) the lungs. There's no wonder it's used in instances of cough and congestion, among a number of other things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are constantly reminded of the abundance of nature in the face of all conditions. How she shows up in our most immediate spaces to serve and assist us, serve as a reminder that we as a part of her family are set to inherit this abundance. We in fact are integral parts of this abundance. Begin to know what thrives and flourishes around you. begin to know the family you draw to yourself. Love</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we move more and more into self sustenance and our intrinsic sense of abundant consciousness as a family, we've taken to creating our own herbal tea blends (among other things) utilizing herbs and flowers that have been grown on the farm. Our favorite recently is a special blend of Sorrel and Holy Basil, which I've dubbed Holy Sorrel. Rounded out with a few other spices and herbs and packed full of vitamin C, it is a well balanced tea which will find a permanent place in our repertoire. Experiment with the herbs in your environment. See what you can come up with. Indulge your creativity and senses. You'll be surprised at what you discover.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Eastern Sounds" by Yusef Lateef</span></span></div>
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MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-59365558246058932372013-10-11T11:53:00.000-04:002013-10-11T11:53:14.524-04:00Keep It Close...Self Preservation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I can recall with a smile, the shuffle towards preparing food that we grew. The consumer mindset is often not an easy one to shake, even when we are surrounded overwhelmingly by everything we need. Hence, the shuffle. My mate, an extraordinarily talented farmer and artist would come home in half-shock, with a basket full of freshly harvested food, and find me in the kitchen preparing the same foods, only store-bought. Not only was there the reality that I had spent money on food, but that I purchased and was now preparing for our family a "substance" of lower quality, less flavor, and lacking in the the essential personal relationship that comes with growing your own food.<br />
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Now we have stepped into the Future, standing firm on practices championed in the past...<br />
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This month of October finds me in self-preservation mode. Preserving the foods of Summer's bounty to sustain and and preserve our bodies for the Winter's rest. Whether it's our Coconut and Squash based Habanero sauce, our Serrano chili paste, or our countless flower and herb combinations dried and blended specific to our family's needs and tastes. We are manufacturing our own "products" and controlling and flowing within our own sustenance. The food is fresh and it's familiar. It's intimate, CLOSE. A relationship that was established from seed....Love<br />
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We received an abundant amount and variety of peppers this month. So I offer up a Chili paste recipe. The recipe below is from the <a href="http://www.editionnaam.com/" target="_blank">Know Thyself </a>Family, featured in their quarterly newsletter. There are some slight variations in my final recipe but this place is a great starting point and comes close.<br />
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Easy Chili Garlic Sauce<br />
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1/2 pound fresh hot chilies<br />
2 cloves of garlic<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar or other sweetener (optional)<br />
2 tablespoons vinegar, or lemon or lime juice<br />
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Remove the stems from the chilies and discard. Cut the chilies into big pieces. The seeds can be left in (for a hotter version) or taken out (for a milder version). Puree the chilies with the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Use in small amounts on bean and rice dishes, tacos, soups, or even in salad dressings.<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like "Transfiguration" by Alice Coltrane</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-3354953844977005242013-07-03T21:32:00.000-04:002013-07-03T21:32:11.202-04:00Maitu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Practical application trumps theory with her. There is little to be gained with the questions. Her growth, her harmony, continuously and abundantly support the truth that the lesson, the knowing is in the doing and the witnessing. She only asks for your attentiveness and she will flourish.<br />
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And what becomes apparent is not her's but OUR need to be acknowledged, recognized. For indeed there is no separation. Her consideration gives way to our nourishment. Realizing that she is the only tabernacle, and to understand devotion through her service is to worship at the feet of our own Earth-made altars.<br />
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Weed her of entanglements and fruit blossoms. Remember to offer her water and air and she will expand. Sunlight draws out her smile and she dances in the rays. The moonlight is her unveiling and the mysteries of her soil are summoned forward to heal, to relieve and replenish.<br />
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She and I. Her and Us. He and She alike are one in the same. The more we come to The Earth, the more we come to ourselves. Grateful to learn, to heal and grow at the feet of the Mother. Love.</div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-41575056770440420552013-06-20T17:58:00.000-04:002013-06-20T21:53:52.939-04:00Eros<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I wake up early in the morning for it. Greet it like a sacred ritual. Wash and clean my physical body. Purify my thoughts and give thanks and reverence as I approach it. I come to it like a prayer. Every single time is new and yet, I know this. I dance in the meeting of the two. Familiar and New. I am aroused by the scent of it, its tastes, its sounds. We even touch, hand to mouth. I prefer it that way. Mediums are not always necessary.<br />
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This love making is ABUNDANT. So there's enough to share. When its ready, I plate, package and serve it up. So that you may get a glimpse of what this reverence, this type of love feels like. Perhaps it can be a catalyst for your own expression. Be nourished by it. Imaginative. Explorative. Come Eat.<br />
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MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-26298926773396016822013-01-25T14:54:00.000-05:002013-01-25T16:20:51.240-05:00Food Rituals Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.23778780035958524" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We
bow our heads in reverence. Giving thanks to the Creator, the Universe,
the ones whose blood, sweat and tears, love and effort went into the
the growing and preparation of this food. We come together as community,
as family, united within ourselves to recognize the rituals, the
ceremonies both formal and informal that have culminated in us being
able to nourish our bodies with the abundance of nature. Recognizing
that as we give thanks, as we observe these rituals we are continuing on
in traditions shared all over the world honoring the sacred nature of
food.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Within
systems of modernity, most often meals are prepared from people we
don't know or have any connection with at all. Whereas we are
appreciative of the effort and work put forth by the many Chefs and food
servers within our society, it is with an understanding that today's
service practices limit opportunity for a spirit enriching, ritualistic
and nourishing experience for the ones preparing and serving our food.
What can be said of the real quality of our food (aside from taste and
aesthetics) which is prepared in highly stressful, confined rooms, with
little ventilation, extreme conditions and no view or connection to the
natural world? How much more creative, inspired, and nourishing would
our food be, if the preparers had Stress-free, open environments? How
about if we actually had some level of relating with our Chefs and the
foods prepared?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
recently read in The Huffington Post an article on the top 10
occupations that psychopaths are drawn to, Chefs was number nine. In an
entertainment based society that is now pushing the food industry and
its arts to be competive sport, fueled by personalities, how much more
will this draw an undercurrent of unstable, misdirected energy to the
art and ritual of how we all nourish ourselves? Of course we all, even
myself enjoy the experience of going out from time to time, not having
to cook, being served and tasting other's creative expressions. In that I
do not suggest to totally disengage ourselves from the food service
industry or to detach ourselves from this art and service. What I choose
to reflect upon is taking out time and space to honor the many food
rituals and their significance that have kept our cultures and families
moving for centuries. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Remembering
the rituals your families have around food. Be it women coming together
to harvest, wash and prepare meals. The sorting of grains, the washing
of greens. All the many conversations,and celebrations, ceremonies
recognized in the midst of these activities. Men coming together in
sport or seeming leisure and in the proces gathering food for their
families. All the rituals and activities with food at the center that
brought us to community and family. The time and spaces, the energy we
shared, and how that all went into the food that was prepared and then
in turn how that affected the taste, the quality, the healing and
nurturing properties of the foods we ate. All that we consume we are.
What does how our food is prepared or consume, say about us? Love.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Kitchen Sounds Like "Set-Up Shop" by Damian Marley </span></div>
MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-15009245373090362802012-09-27T18:48:00.001-04:002012-09-27T22:11:45.833-04:00Forward On...and on<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There have been whispered conversations about it. Environmentalists, food purists, Eco-folk, farmers and more have all been discussing food policies!!!!! (Yikes) What rights we'll have, what rights will be taken away, who controls our food and on and on and on. My question is when and how do we begin the work (not conversation) about liberating our own personal growing power back into our own hands.<br />
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As a mother I'm constantly reinforcing to my children the responsibility of taking ownership and care for themselves. And it really is that elementary. When do we decide to plant the seed that will nourish ourselves and families?<br />
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There will always be someone vying for power and control. How and what we eat as well as food control is only in someone else's hands when we relinquish it from our own. Happy planting!!!! Love.<br />
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It's fall time. The leaves are changing, the winds are picking up and as the night time and early morning chills settle in, I am activated to return to simple, nourishing and healing foods. At the farm callaloo (aka amaranth) is plentiful as well as several varieties of squash. Check out our recipes for Golden Nugget Squash and Callaloo. Maitu-Ital style.<br />
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Golden Nugget Squash<br />
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<li>3 young golden nugget squash chopped </li>
<li>1/2 red onion diced</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic minced</li>
<li>1/4 cup vegetable broth or h2O</li>
<li>2 tablespoons of coconut oil</li>
<li>1/2teaspoon of red pepper flakes</li>
<li>Salt to taste </li>
</ul>
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Combine all ingredients in a round casserole dish. Give it a nice toss around to ensure the squash is covered. You may want to add a bit more broth (another 1/4 cup) at the bottom of casserole as basting liquid throughout the cooking process.</div>
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Cook in a preheated 350F oven covered for 15 minutes. Then uncover for an additional 15 minutes until squash is fork tender. Let cool a bit and Serve.<br />
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Callaloo</div>
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<li>1 large bunch of callaloo sliced thin</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic chopped</li>
<li>1/4 large onion sliced</li>
<li>1 Hungarian wax pepper (or any pepper you like) sliced</li>
<li>1/2 ripe tomato sliced</li>
<li>1 black cardamom pod cracked open</li>
<li>2 tbsp sesame oil</li>
<li>Salt and cayenne pepper to taste </li>
<li>1/4 cup vegetable broth or h2O</li>
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In a large sauce pan, heat the sesame oil on medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, pepper and </div>
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cardamom pod. Sauté until onions begin to turn translucent. Add callaloo and continue to sauté. As the callaloo begins to soften add tomato slices and broth. Allow to cook down just a bit, keeping callaloo a bright green. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve on top of a nori sheet with squash. Injoy!<br />
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My kitchen sounds like "Alkebu Lan" by Christian Scott off of Christian Atunde Adjuah</div>
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MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-43976671212756272722012-06-25T13:28:00.004-04:002012-06-25T13:28:59.228-04:00Happy Summer!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been a long time, I shouldn't left you, without a dope recipe... Transformation seems to be the theme for 2012. And to not be left too far behind with the times MaituFoods has been undergoing some changes and transformations within itself. We're back, hoping to bring you more, more often. We have added more pages, more pictures and in time more posts and videos. So thump around see what you can find.<br />
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This month we are highlighting our Farmers R Fresh series kickoff. Our take on the local food movement in Atlanta. Also check out our <a href="http://maitufoods.blogspot.com/p/farmers-are-fresh.html">recipe</a> this month brought to you by one of our Farmers in training Ifakemi Spriggs. Happy Eating. Love.<br />
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My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Isn't She Lovely" -Stevie Wonder</div>MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-72824083166918096592011-10-06T10:56:00.005-04:002011-10-10T14:36:06.942-04:00Food BazaarThis month has been one of excessive and unrestrained food indulgence. Me and my Foodie Bestie have taken decadence to a new level. When food called anywhere within the Metro Atlanta area and it was vegan/vegetarian friendly, we were there. Eyes wide, stomachs and appetites even wider. From the neighborhood Mexican spot, to Vegetarian Sushi in the Highlands (and that we hit up 3x). Italian in Midtown (4x), to West Indian in South-West. Shall we mention desserts? Desserts that had us hitting the pavement from Kirkwood to Fourth Ward, all the way to Stone Mountain. We put it in for the Foodie Home-team this month.<br /><br />To bring in October, me and the family attended The Field of Greens Festival (check them here <a href="http://www.fieldofgreensfestival.com/">http://www.fieldofgreensfestival.com/</a>). The festival is an annual event celebrating local foods. This year's highlights included "Meals From The Market" and "The Chef's Tent". Meals from the Market allowed patrons to meet local farmers and try some of their produce prepared in simple, easy to make recipes. Each Chef/Farmer had a information card that included stats of their farms and the recipes they served at the event. The Chef's Tent which Field of Greens is famous for, boasted 30 of Atlanta's and Athens' premier Farm-to-Table Chefs, all under one tent serving up samples of signature dishes from their respective restaurants.<br /><br />The Festival was productive, my bias being that this year's Festival was to raise funds for SlowFood Atlanta, and our farm, Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms. There was an interactive children's section where they could make their own healthy snacks and also a play area and animal petting area. For children it was a great social event, for a vegan, umm, there was much to be desired. With the exception of the Meals from the Market, most of the food (especially in the Chef's Tent) was not vegan nor vegetarian friendly. For it to be named Field of Greens I did expect there to be more Green. However, if you are a foodie with no special diet or food aversions this was Local Foodie heaven. There was a nice variety of vendors selling goods from food products to clothing and I was able to cop a really cool poncho made in Guatemala. Would I recommend this Festival? Sure, why not. If you don't mind the 40 minute drive and you're a meat eater.<br /><br />To soothe my conscious our next stop was Bazaar Noir's Vegan-Vegetarian Taste of Atlanta 2011. I have to admit this event was a bit more my speed. Vegan Vendors from the Greater Atlanta area came together to celebrate good food, good fashion, good music and community. The highlight of this event for me, was the introduction of Young Chef, Iaame Duniani (<a href="http://www.youngchef.blogspot.com/">youngchef.blogspot.com</a>). 11 year old Chef, starting his cooking journey and doing it in a lovely way. He served up an Ethiopian Wat, with Green Salad and Injera. The other treat of the night was FTP's (<a href="http://ftpcatering.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ftpcatering.com</span></a>) Vegan sweets table. I walked away with their signature Bean Pie (yes a whole pie).<br /><br />The Taste of Atl, was a nice event. I would have liked to see more food vendors and food variety, but I was grateful for the chefs that were represented. Truthfully, even with the handful of chefs present (and I hear more arrived after I left) they covered Live Foods, Soul Food, Foods from the Diaspora and Vegan twists on classic dishes. Who can find fault in that? Not me. All Love<br /><br />My Kitchen Sounds Like: Yesterday's Machine by Saturn Never SleepsMaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-9602007928407175022011-07-07T11:21:00.003-04:002011-07-07T11:26:50.660-04:00New Maitu logo and design..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgtYuHN7FgZNfEKvT8Q_xUXGlD4YnDbADzu47rDuZxDX0bqCYLrPQmbRJnquxsLr4VG20Ywuq04KiK0VVDUi2mPotiNyQ7HaTLA74TZU3OOFbqmkH55hjDGBV3UJwNoWbDXJNQk6krD97/s1600/-1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgtYuHN7FgZNfEKvT8Q_xUXGlD4YnDbADzu47rDuZxDX0bqCYLrPQmbRJnquxsLr4VG20Ywuq04KiK0VVDUi2mPotiNyQ7HaTLA74TZU3OOFbqmkH55hjDGBV3UJwNoWbDXJNQk6krD97/s320/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626630998803463554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4hi_Kfk7WYIgs_FlRZNz3fEsYcytSsWwHMrFXwS0CWJOBUSiCTQQ9-Zmx_xP6WcEJq0OEjpsLYzuM6zSCBSKKFg1FWIotfPQFx0lAeA4sCN8ObbsA38Gt1mpmoakKIOiJemjBnrshkyl/s1600/-2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4hi_Kfk7WYIgs_FlRZNz3fEsYcytSsWwHMrFXwS0CWJOBUSiCTQQ9-Zmx_xP6WcEJq0OEjpsLYzuM6zSCBSKKFg1FWIotfPQFx0lAeA4sCN8ObbsA38Gt1mpmoakKIOiJemjBnrshkyl/s320/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626630998231170946" border="0" /></a>All Thanks and Love to Sister Renay for the new MaituFoods cards and Logos..forwarding on<br />For graphic work inquiries link Renay at renaylon@gmail.comMaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-88383189322577792292011-07-05T19:53:00.007-04:002011-07-07T09:31:40.449-04:00HomeI cried the first time I saw the ocean, reminiscing on her East African sister. Then sweet and sudden it hits you...that smell. That familiar aroma of fresh clams being roasted on a makeshift grill. The scent of the sea mixed with the smell of sweat from hardworking people. The fragrance of labor, of determination, the scent of hope in the midst and in spite of struggle. The coast. The water altar of working class people from working class places, who bleed for a dollar and struggle towards rest. Where we come for consolation and to lay our burdens as well as our bodies down at the shore. Eyes set on the majestic horizon, where dreams trod. Today the sun is kind and the winds they breeze through, mimicking the tides sway. And with them they carry the sound of children and the thump thump of Mexican Banda and Mariachi music from a muffled car sound system. The Grand Prix is in town, so the beach and streets are packed. We shuffle to our own individual rhythms to find our piece of concrete and continue on to our destinations. Street missionaries hold up signs citing "Repent for the End is here". As the wealthy sit on gated patios of seafood restaurants, unsmiling, Vans and skinny jean clad teenagers on skateboards, laugh and zig-zag through the sea of pedestrians. I'm home. Long Beach. I salute you. Its been a long time.<br />I can remember being a youth running in our courtyard. Every afternoon, once we children were spent from play, my downstairs neighbor would call all of us to her doorstep for a quick munch. I can still conjure up the toasted smell of flour tortillas quick fried in butter and stuffed with scrambled eggs. These days I choose to be a vegan, however i can still appreciate the tenderness and kindness associated with the gift of a meal. I never knew that woman's name, nor did we speak the same language, but the memory of her giving resounds in my mind, even now. As I sit and reflect on this memory, taking in the fullness of home, I realize there is no better way to honor this then through my own giving. Tonight's meal will be Enchiladas.<br />This meal holds a history for me. It's full of a richness of a people. A richness of cultures intermarried to create this beautiful decadent cuisine. It goes back all the way to the Valley of Mexico, peopled by the Mayan civilization and finds a richness in my family's hometown of Coastal Texas. The men and women of my family took this dish and made it their own, depending on the individual tastes. This is not fine restaurant cuisine. It's what you'll find at a dinner table, surrounded by family, carrying all their experiences and emotions, ready to be comforted by great food. More times than I can remember I watched my mother at the kitchen table, sweating from the heat of the over, grating, chopping and mixing for hours to prepare this dish. It conjures up memories and sounds of neighbors blasting the music of their culture. I would sit in the living room, my head feeling as if it were on the verge of exploding and the very walls seemed they would crumble each time a horn sounded. I recall a people, dancing, celebrating, ululating, singing, loving, at the moment indifferent to a work week that was a day away. And this is the food that comes from that.<br />In preparing the dish, I take my place in line with the men and women of my family and other families who've all prepared enchiladas with their own signature style. Now I offer mine, Vegan Enchiladas, signed, ME. Love<br /><br />Vegan Enchiladas<br /><ul><li>2 cups of black beans (cleaned and cooked until tender, with onions, garlic, bay leaf, Mexican seasonings)<br /></li><li>Tortillas (corn or flour) for this recipe I used flour. (taco/fajita size)</li><li>2 cups of red chile enchilada sauce (pretty easy to make, but store-bought is not bad)<br /></li><li>Vegan cheese (rice, soy or coconut)</li><li>1 bunch of spinach chopped and lightly steamed</li><li>1/2 yellow onion diced</li><li>2 scallions chopped</li><li>Handful of cilantro diced</li></ul><br />Into each tortilla add black beans, spinach and cheese (desired amount). Roll each individual enchilada and place ends down into casserole dish. Repeat until the casserole dish is filled. Cover the entire casserole dish and each enchilada generously with the red chile sauce. Top with diced, onions, scallions, cilantro and leftover cheese. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted. I usually serve this with fresh pico de gallo, guacamole and Spanish rice. For variations add olives on top or diced chiles. Also this same recipe can be used with corn tortillas. However, when I use the corn tortillas I dip each individual tortilla in the chile sauce before stuffing and then also sauce on top. Injoy!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyo7otn1V5IEL18TtJy5fUPOVul_xmChmMP-4wK5Exi3qWK02yEhsXDvTWcgIHRAzG6fnb7fctFO7eC59BsEc3E5zduXmN9RCOtakICbIj5TCj0_rkqdIA8fqTRwOnIJWnL3Bk8U5JXLN/s1600/SAM_2245.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyo7otn1V5IEL18TtJy5fUPOVul_xmChmMP-4wK5Exi3qWK02yEhsXDvTWcgIHRAzG6fnb7fctFO7eC59BsEc3E5zduXmN9RCOtakICbIj5TCj0_rkqdIA8fqTRwOnIJWnL3Bk8U5JXLN/s320/SAM_2245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626600020856511842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo1Iiy8DWgI4ANZoH4F0M3ZyILehA8DRkgXrbSHPV7kDoYiRNPtgSmeigIVVpeUJpe0L96aidfU3iRd0J6AA0HaG9E8YhtK9fSSTW-ojPaMRXu_nkqOKrIZd5BZEuYQ8FjCKus6swBcCW/s1600/SAM_2251.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo1Iiy8DWgI4ANZoH4F0M3ZyILehA8DRkgXrbSHPV7kDoYiRNPtgSmeigIVVpeUJpe0L96aidfU3iRd0J6AA0HaG9E8YhtK9fSSTW-ojPaMRXu_nkqOKrIZd5BZEuYQ8FjCKus6swBcCW/s320/SAM_2251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626600681964797042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoBdYEzqAZYKtN5s5oPtY-JRCjRMyALp-tZOdKSrDKx9C_t6Sp9qq_0sU4WyMOScCB5sVA0xyT6wMlhabFlYQY2b68-x-0k6qNSKV9sbCYliZdBfZWPbODyPn2IHe6v8WjUaC3ueEAYly/s1600/SAM_2253.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoBdYEzqAZYKtN5s5oPtY-JRCjRMyALp-tZOdKSrDKx9C_t6Sp9qq_0sU4WyMOScCB5sVA0xyT6wMlhabFlYQY2b68-x-0k6qNSKV9sbCYliZdBfZWPbODyPn2IHe6v8WjUaC3ueEAYly/s320/SAM_2253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626600685804673186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEZZ4E3LcBbf0mWLwB9GFfRifKeqezVYtsuV8OdNBioBvxTM7G0kLUtlsysC4asdj7_MXaeyfFC2sKNDgaTGGvTaxnbo_L28MuCAWcenjcBnGPvwjoMOWadilp3ificox8YWQlZoCDnRy/s1600/SAM_2260.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEZZ4E3LcBbf0mWLwB9GFfRifKeqezVYtsuV8OdNBioBvxTM7G0kLUtlsysC4asdj7_MXaeyfFC2sKNDgaTGGvTaxnbo_L28MuCAWcenjcBnGPvwjoMOWadilp3ificox8YWQlZoCDnRy/s320/SAM_2260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626600696722493122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTpzPWEF6RobK3c90KtUkm51fBa0SL9ZTFtT90G6y4yeWANA1Ntbns4Mc-zYw5keXBD-ZqdWirQD6g6bGcw_XRh5lErfyI5BRWdYD2-Vg5qyEIgALdw1bJDac76PNtsB46EzjjgO-Kve2/s1600/SAM_2265.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTpzPWEF6RobK3c90KtUkm51fBa0SL9ZTFtT90G6y4yeWANA1Ntbns4Mc-zYw5keXBD-ZqdWirQD6g6bGcw_XRh5lErfyI5BRWdYD2-Vg5qyEIgALdw1bJDac76PNtsB46EzjjgO-Kve2/s320/SAM_2265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626600708207570626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ackee Tacos<br /><br />* My interpretation of a breakfast taco using ackee in place of egg or tofu.<br /><ul><li>3 red or russet potatoes, chopped.</li><li>1 can of Ackee</li><li>11 soft corn tortilla shells</li><li>fresh pico de gallo</li><li>2 avocados diced</li><li>1 clove of garlic diced</li><li>1/2 onion chopped<br /></li></ul>First smother potatoes in sunflower oil with onions until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Saute garlic in sunflower oil, add ackee and Mexican seasonings. Cook until warmed through. Also in sunflower oil (about a teaspoon) lightly toss and "fry" corn tortilla shells until slightly crispy. Once the shells are heated, stuff with potatoes, ackee, avocado and pico de gallo. Injoy!!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJ6tRycQ3XXIV2ol8jV6erYjCUIH8Wg8vxiwB6VPqxCMAbSu33weaJofW3CGC2AfWzyX18zYPW38-T7DulTTd-5M8ZSD55tuayYjXyMxHBbbUhJdqgVR5m4PMwOwqshD_HQ0BvwSuMcxO/s1600/SAM.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJ6tRycQ3XXIV2ol8jV6erYjCUIH8Wg8vxiwB6VPqxCMAbSu33weaJofW3CGC2AfWzyX18zYPW38-T7DulTTd-5M8ZSD55tuayYjXyMxHBbbUhJdqgVR5m4PMwOwqshD_HQ0BvwSuMcxO/s320/SAM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626602246262629250" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Working Ways" by Stephen Marley feat. Spragga Benz. Revelation Pt.1MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-86512321978548276662011-06-09T16:15:00.005-04:002011-06-09T16:54:15.792-04:00Spring-Summer Feeling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG0rq2QtijAH4u0f0k_9bqb_b6oy3j_IH8RLyP-uLqKEjKsaWiE369Nv_2teBX1kZ-iFESWhUYKGT4CgJHw3wxkRSXBjGu1hiHmKoLJWLAQjLZvDQINtzWt9UBlyPTe-9ztJwM5eRQ0eS/s1600/-7.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG0rq2QtijAH4u0f0k_9bqb_b6oy3j_IH8RLyP-uLqKEjKsaWiE369Nv_2teBX1kZ-iFESWhUYKGT4CgJHw3wxkRSXBjGu1hiHmKoLJWLAQjLZvDQINtzWt9UBlyPTe-9ztJwM5eRQ0eS/s320/-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616319252908571714" border="0" /></a><br />I've decided to share this simple juice recipe that our family has been using for the last few years. It's a great energy booster, cleanser and aid for digestion. The aloe, collards and rosemary part of the recipe we received from a mother in Kenya, and the lemon and pineapple we received from Eugene's mother. We combined the recipes added a oranges (because we had an orange tree in the backyard) and now its a trusted part of our health regime.. Enjoy!<br /><br />1 aloe leaf<br />1 ripe lemon<br />*1 orange<br />1 sprig of rosemary<br />20 ozs of pineapple juice<br />20 ozs of water<br />handful of collards or spinach<br /><br />Remove skin from aloe, using only the inside flesh. Cut the lemon and orange into quarters. Wash rosemary and collards. Slice collards thinly. In a blender add all ingredients and blend well. The mixture will be a bit gritty and pulpy, so strain through wire mesh strainer to desired consistency. I usually strain twice.<br /><br />Injoy!!<br /><br /><br />My Kitchen Sounds Like: "Undo" by Bjork, Vespertine Lp<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_iUWOxOWq6tsMddhQ0KNYUMot4rfuxalgu1exfPrS50XukKNAaS2nhLU3LBP_JgWLjjCpDGGyXvq4OX11K6TmHZmO_pkNwI6LSeElmEZ6m1iEIq74FiI_Q_NYHjbOi3gpmNqDPLjqOJ0/s1600/-2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_iUWOxOWq6tsMddhQ0KNYUMot4rfuxalgu1exfPrS50XukKNAaS2nhLU3LBP_JgWLjjCpDGGyXvq4OX11K6TmHZmO_pkNwI6LSeElmEZ6m1iEIq74FiI_Q_NYHjbOi3gpmNqDPLjqOJ0/s320/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616320093114922274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWfmGmoqcphScqw8xLgozXzVVFYEll17VnJnuX8ZEuf5xUtKkVbb6lItI1gBGCztZEtZBJg8xITPPgTnpTlf8ZXp0_KT6PWuQxEPVBcxwVgfrnvczD1xG_LgcJQ480PjOFnUBwO0ngvY9/s1600/-1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWfmGmoqcphScqw8xLgozXzVVFYEll17VnJnuX8ZEuf5xUtKkVbb6lItI1gBGCztZEtZBJg8xITPPgTnpTlf8ZXp0_KT6PWuQxEPVBcxwVgfrnvczD1xG_LgcJQ480PjOFnUBwO0ngvY9/s320/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616320099799615266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVumJAOIi2RzgY95Htp51IxalhEM-SuFV1IZ4M2TfQ9yLkGXQDf6nrRdxVtE27LaPlB6jE1b2TQ8s2w_5oS8Fh7GEBAM8Bfn6X12tdjqPw057qqEm6rhqrZeDTy5JUBCRG3H7tKGYm8jK4/s1600/-3.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVumJAOIi2RzgY95Htp51IxalhEM-SuFV1IZ4M2TfQ9yLkGXQDf6nrRdxVtE27LaPlB6jE1b2TQ8s2w_5oS8Fh7GEBAM8Bfn6X12tdjqPw057qqEm6rhqrZeDTy5JUBCRG3H7tKGYm8jK4/s320/-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616320105069763426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MNOKYLaN9l-WEU6fbb5npMyCtiXIyACDYEq-RZoXnqOZkNhbFlQr0tQnXb_pbJ9K8fpxjsGS8RlAZIfxNorZRmGzuS-kv54eniBn2UitUUgazT-KG7r8vslFYpOZ88YLIUzObbvS4QeD/s1600/-4.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MNOKYLaN9l-WEU6fbb5npMyCtiXIyACDYEq-RZoXnqOZkNhbFlQr0tQnXb_pbJ9K8fpxjsGS8RlAZIfxNorZRmGzuS-kv54eniBn2UitUUgazT-KG7r8vslFYpOZ88YLIUzObbvS4QeD/s320/-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616320114989380130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkKdsnFOyoOGisn2k4bRmNjTECVpwPDJDUQeTs8xTp8UpV54owjsdHvcASQdveCsdzSnHF0cF2LAJBKi4IDbeTlneJdt4ZoSO_2GzkoWtPsOxHI9t5agWmGUri2sEg7qxRTQTBAH9XqEP/s1600/-5.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkKdsnFOyoOGisn2k4bRmNjTECVpwPDJDUQeTs8xTp8UpV54owjsdHvcASQdveCsdzSnHF0cF2LAJBKi4IDbeTlneJdt4ZoSO_2GzkoWtPsOxHI9t5agWmGUri2sEg7qxRTQTBAH9XqEP/s320/-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616320122191015058" border="0" /></a>MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-45524930379364470992011-03-31T13:21:00.009-04:002011-04-05T14:23:28.469-04:00Why Food and Music?Information. Food and music are information. Both are primary sources of knowledge as it relates to our sojourn on this planet. Every seed, every plant, within its DNA there is the intelligence of Earth, from the ancient of days to the pre-sent. Music is the heartbeat, the pulse of life itself. It's the rhythm, the ebb and flow of this journey. Food represents light, and music is sourced through sound. Light and Sound, the manifestations of which all life and all sense of being comes into existence and is experienced in this realm. Through sound and light our perceptions are shaped, and those things tangible and intangible have medium. When mystics take on disciples and conduct of livelihood is taught the focus is on silence (or focusing our internal sound/meditation) and diet. Essential, for as the cliche has informed us we are what we eat and most certainly we are the things we take in. <div><br /></div><div>Consider how many memories are tailored with a certain song and the emotions evoked. The feelings elicited by food. A smell that draws you back to childhood or a favorite space and time in life. Food and music both possess the power to heal, to comfort and to transform our realities. They create and sustain environments. Nourish and develop our nations. We fight and war in the name of them, we love to love them. We live by and through food and music. They are the source of definition for culture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every herb, every leaf carries the life and light code that has the power to illuminate our beings and nourish these vehicles we have been given to maintain. Agriculture is the center of any civilization. We must eat to live and therefore food is at the foundation of pushing forward any nation, any family or person towards continuation. Food holds the history of a people. It shapes the nature of how we exist, of where we exist. It has the power to unite cultures and through the breaking of bread, doors of communication have opened. Food is the fuel, it holds the blueprint to shape, mold and sustain us. Food is life, it is light. </div><div><br /></div><div>In music, we have the combination of human thought and expression, word and sound. With these elements together, we see power manifest. There is the transmission of past, present and the possibilities of future. Music is the pipeline. It is the ancient women of the Nyabinghi order, drumming to sound the alarm. Sending messages through the night to give voice to a united front for freedom. Music is history, scripture, lifestyle, frivolous pursuits or love unrequited. Music is the channel through which we share one to another. Bob Marley sings, "Help to sing another song of freedom, all I ever have, redemption songs" In that line he calls forward to the future and addresses the present. Expressed is a moment in time where redemption was the order, the request. He seeks a time of freedom, sealing history and presenting potentials for times to come. Script says life and death are in the power of the tongue (both what you eat and say). All life vibrates on its own frequency, to express its existence. Music is life, life is sound. </div><div><br /></div><div>Think of the appeal of music and food. How they call to the senses. With no respect of person, caste, creed, color, or station in life, they entice us equally, to nourish and inspire. The tangy sweetness of a peach. The bits of sunshine you taste with each bite. Its as if your taste buds have been illuminated. The highs of Roberta Flack as she sings "When You Smile", reminding you of that smile that you know to be kin to the sun's rays. The cool bitterness and wet firmness of aloe. The accents and sharp drives coupled with the roundness of Nina Simone as she sings "Aint No Use". Intense information and sensory overload in the same instance. And the feel of it all, indescribable, full-bodied "nice-ness". :) </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, Food and Music. What better way to serve life? What grander way to fuel existence? Love.<br /><br />In the last 2 months my family has been traveling. Kenya, Dubai, Atlanta, Los Angeles. I've eaten everywhere it seems. There is this spot in Los Angeles called Urth Cafe (google it). They serve a really awesome Portabella Mushroom sandwich. Yum!! Here is my tip of the hat to Urth Cafe. Ingredients: A really good Ciabatta loaf. Slice it horizontally and toast it, arugula pesto (recipe below), grilled portabella mushroom sliced, roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce and grilled artichoke hearts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pWC9-T6fcKszQH_YY9d0x-08XQqt7zpFwoZnmZI6H7amMPKp4jDEVr1yceJVjIp0ndWl7BOVpLcs0iH8MxYXDKkghiv4uC8LkemBepc471i0HfJnzeY52rFsLogzYIk1uUIoEZu1-bpM/s1600/mail.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pWC9-T6fcKszQH_YY9d0x-08XQqt7zpFwoZnmZI6H7amMPKp4jDEVr1yceJVjIp0ndWl7BOVpLcs0iH8MxYXDKkghiv4uC8LkemBepc471i0HfJnzeY52rFsLogzYIk1uUIoEZu1-bpM/s320/mail.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592166362191670626" /></a><br /><br />Arugula Pesto<br /><ul><br /><li>2 cups of arugula leaves (no steams) </li><br /><li>1/2 cup of pine nuts</li><br /><li>1/2 cup of olive oil</li><br /><li>7 cloves of garlic peeled</li><br /><li>salt to taste</li></ul><br /><p>You have the option to toast your pine nuts lightly to get a roasted flavor. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until you have a nice consistent paste, or if you wish you can place the ingredients in a mortar and pestle, adding the olive oil slowly as you grind. Voila!! This will be the spread for your sandwich. </p><br /><p>Grill portabellas, peppers and arugla. leaving some crunch to the veggies and some firmness to the mushroom. Spread the ciabatta with the arugula pesto and layer your sandwich as you see fit. Yum..quick and easy lunch. If you prefer to leave out the bread, you can always stir fry the mushrooms and saute them in the pesto. Place over a bed of romaine lettuce and add your favorite salad veggies. Injoy!!</p><br /><p>My Kitchen Sounds like: The cosmos and "You Make Me Smile" by Aloe Blacc</p></div>MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-889620857450490654.post-2551673345516926312011-03-24T19:38:00.013-04:002011-04-05T14:17:57.718-04:00Kenya: In Reverance of love<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYZHjnLE89CFAKlu0OtMY2_JhPUHmBv4xBQIXjWvy3oiXQZ60j43MESvkt-_NBCpHNOXgoO8zPPLgNKNSmgosYsCq2eKMCKrTRFM1yL-90fJc8oVZlJmu3gwZyNvksknVD6f94PREq0mR/s1600/SAM_0359.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYZHjnLE89CFAKlu0OtMY2_JhPUHmBv4xBQIXjWvy3oiXQZ60j43MESvkt-_NBCpHNOXgoO8zPPLgNKNSmgosYsCq2eKMCKrTRFM1yL-90fJc8oVZlJmu3gwZyNvksknVD6f94PREq0mR/s320/SAM_0359.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590744482761768722" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><br /><br /></span></a><div><br /></div><div>I've hesitated despite the questions and demands to write this all, knowing that whatever I could muster up would only serve as an injustice to the huge realities of feelings, of thoughts, of expression reserved within for her. Kenya can't be described in words. She is taste, she is feel, she is experience. And I have yet to let go, to think out or fully unravel from the hold she has on me, in order to share with you. But here we are. For Kenya, forgive my shortcomings beloved one.</div><div><br /></div><div>My First Taste: Passion Fruit Juice<br />My First Fruit: Tree Tomato<br />My First Meal: Habesha Ethiopian<br /><br />Imagine a place...The sun has not yet risen, and the cock sings his song to announce the dawning of a new day. The adhan rings out, to remind us to stay mindful of pray. To keep us in thought of thankfulness and humility before the greatness of The Creator. My first taste I know will be passion fruit or porridge. My host has created a remix that couples coconut and a variety of spices to accompany the sour cereal. I know that in these first tastes I will be comforted. Reminded of the warmth of life and the beauty in awakening to new days. Yeah, I'm a food junkie. Completely indulged in my sense of taste. It envelops me and inspires these words. It has brought me closer to family after work days. It sparks laughter and rest. Here in Kenya, the taste are new and fresh. It taste like, feels like home.<br />If I am to begin anywhere it is with Tata's food. Our meeting was very brief with no words passed between us (however by the end of the night she would name me Wabura), only glances. But her food left an impression on me that has planted roots in my culinary memory. What sticks out was the Pilau, Mokimo and Chapatis. The meal pulled on the part of me that longs for comfort and believes in the power of subtleties. The beauty in simplicity. I was comforted by the familiarity of a family meal and enticed by the newness of food from hands that have known another existence, in another space and time. And the flavors, textures and colors that being in that space give way to.<br /><br />Nairobi offered meals with the ones I hold near to my heart. Family. It offered the opportunity to cook from fresh, local produce. She was Diamond Plaza and Meru's bhajias with fresh avocado and lime juice. Nairobi was egg less chocolate cake. She was Florence's dengu, sukuma wiki and chips. Nairobi is fashioned with memories of apple mangoes that are kin to bliss, sticky, oily jack fruit, custard apples and pineapples that taste like sunshine. With you beloved one, me and my Sun have run on trails in arboretums, eating mangoes from street vendors seasoned with chili. Our feet red from your soil as we sipped remixed porridge in the morning and traced peace signs with bamboo sticks on your pathways. Our tag, to show that we were there, loving and living. I've trailed the foothills of Mt. Kenya, and breathed the same air that fueled life to Kimathi and the Mau Mau during their freedom struggle. I've walked the roads of Zion, looking for elephants and eating guava jam and fresh fruit bought on the side of the road. I fell in love with my imagination again watching shooting stars and tracing constellations. I knew fullness, my appetites satiated by the abundance that you are Kenya.<br /><br />In Nairobi there is Aga Khan's Hawkers market. One of the most beautiful things a foodie can come across. Food, fresh fruit and vegetables everywhere. Anything you can desire. Bargains, haggling and the sweetest, sweetness of fruit I have ever tasted. I grew full from all the different varieties of mango I sampled at different stalls. It was perfection. Amazing perfection. And I stood in the middle of all that motion, so still and quiet. Overwhelmed by taking it all in.<br /><br />And then, and then...there is Mombasa. Ahh, stealer of hearts. Mombasa, clear water beaches and street food. Sugar cane juice fresh and squeezed from a mill by hand with hints of ginger and lime. Mombasa was warm and tender nights. Something kin to bhajias made with potatoes, and battered in lentil flour called viazi via karai, bought in front of someones home, deep fried on the spot in the yard and served with chili paste. (Catch me singing "Best I Ever Had"). Coconut water and breakfast that's more like an adventure in taste; Black beans cooked in coconut milk (mbazi) and stuffed in pastry or mandazis, rice and coconut cakes, lentil bhajias and fresh fruit. Mombasa is pleasure, unapologetic, unabashed. Mombasa is kin.<br /><br />And I can go on and on. I left you reluctantly and with much strife. And my last tastes, once again, Tata. Pilau, beans and cabbage. The most simple and filling way to say farewell. There is so much more to say. Immense thanks and apprecilove that I cant convey proper. So, beloved one, I salute you dear heart. Until, until..Love<br /><br />Bhajias (potato)<br /><ul><li>1 potato sliced in thin circles. (you can even use the slicer on a food processor)</li><li>1/2 cup of water</li><li>1 1/2 cups of gram (lentil) flour</li><li>1/4 cup sliced coriander leaves</li><li>variety of spices to your taste. I reccomend any of the indian culinary spices.</li><li>salt to taste</li><li>1/4 teaspoon of baking powder *key element for bhajias to rise</li><li>sunflower oil to deep fry</li></ul><p>With the flour and water, make a thick batter, similar to pancake batter. Stir in spices to taste. Add potatoes and make sure to coat completly. Get them completly gooey with the batter. Heat oil until its really hot. Careful not to burn, but make sure that is hot, to the point o fdeep frying. You can do a test by dropping a bit of batter in the oil. If the batter puffs up, the oil is ready. Place the bhajia batter in the oil by spoonfuls. They will rise and puff in the batter. Cook until they are a golden brown and are nice and crisp, about 3 minutes. Voila. Bhajias. Serve with chili paste, tamarind sauce any number of chutneys or my favorite kachumbari, basically salsa made up of tomatoes, chili, cilantro, garlic, onion and lime. The beauty of bhajias is that there are a many versions. A bhajia is really anything fried so try the flour batter mix with spinach or onions, really any vegetable you can think of. Injoy!!<br /><br /><br />My Kitchen sounds like "Zamaney" by JahCoozi and Ukoo Flani and "Lady of the Sun" by A Race of Angels</p></div>MaituFoodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09713447895073662555noreply@blogger.com1