Good Works

There is this roots song I like on the Bambu Station compilation called "Good Works." In the song the brother says that "Jah loveth the good works they will always stand, from the hands of the righteous man." Whereas I strive to stand upright and keep a pure heart and clean hands, in no way do I liken myself to the righteous. I, however feel the weight of the lyrics. I pray that with the works that we do that The Most High finds them worthy and sees that we strive towards good works in our daily living. Today was one of those days. And at the end of it, I feel so full.

Black Star Academy had their closing ceremony today and MaituFoods served as the vendor. The youth and staff there are doing a terrific job and it was an honor to serve in the manner in which we did. It wasn't easy. LOL!!! They had quite a menu. These sisters wanted (and received) about 80 spinach spring rolls, about the same if not more lentil patties, a coconut black bean pot, brown rice, broccoli, and gravy. My gosh. And I was suppose to pull this off. I overslept after a spent Friday and woke up at 6:15am with not one carrot shredded, one bean sorted or one pot of boiling water with 4 hours to get it all done, arrive at the venue and set-up and I still had to go to the store because I needed some extra items and sensed I would run out of oil. I am looking at everything in the kitchen, on every shelf, in every corner, thinking how am I and why am I doing this??? LOL!!! Praying my 15month old will not wake up, because to cook in this humid weather with 22 pounds of him on my back is only going to make it harder.

Top it off my husband had a gardening volunteer event today within thirty minutes of dropping me off that he had to prepare for, so I couldn't make him late or hold up his process (didn't succeed at that, thank you for your patience and help love). But when life hands you lemons, grate it for some zest and make a killer sweet potato pie with a hint of lemon and ginger. So I turned up some Fela and somehow danced this meal out. The hubby went out for the extra items, my mother in law helped with vegetable washing, prep and dishes, the baby stayed in chill mode on my back and we got out of here, all fingers and toes in tact and made it to the venue with enough time to set up and sit for about 3 minutes.

I didn't sit down the 3 hours I was there. Isn't God the greatest???

So we ended up having a little extra, and even though I had a sister that wanted to buy whatever we had leftover (apologies Mama Alysia), I had to show my gratitude to my husband for his help and sacrifice this morning. So I decided that we would take the extra food we had and feed the volunteers at the garden event down the street. My mother in law grabbed the mini-van, double parked it in front of the venue, and we snuck (lol) the extra food out of the venue, laid a tablecloth in the van and laid all the food out. When we arrived to the farm, the workers had been out there for a few hours, so I know they were hungry. We popped that trunk open and just started serving plates out of the back of the van. Whatever they wanted, however much, in whatever combination. It was a just service. Here the youth and elders took time out of their Saturday morning-afternoon, to beautify and serve their community with a vegetable garden. And they worked. What we did was a small thing in comparison. By being fruitful, and working the earth, they are assisting in something that is of abundance for all. What those beloved people did was spiritual work. I see and I honor you all, that came out to Providence today to lend a hand.

And now here I am, day over, everyone (including the baby) worked. All I want to do is curl up with a mango popsicle and my book Opposite House by Helen Oyayemi, throw on some Nina Simone and just chillax...

I hope The Most High is pleased with our work. Love

I cant even think of a recipe today..soon





My Kitchen Sounds like: Every Fela song I own on shuffle.

Forward Ever/So Long April/Out My Mind Just In Time

April....I am so glad to say goodbye to April. With those April showers came tears, the ending of relationships,goodbye to old friendships and the closing of chapters. On a less personal note or maybe not, I had a couple of recipe disasters, a few menu changes and the end of April, the coming of May also marks the last month of school. Whew!!! I have never been so ready to release a month. May, you shall be like that piece of parsley on the plate. Unknown to some, you serve as more than garnish. No, no no no no. You my friend are there to freshen breath and cleanse the palette, for the next flavor. In short, you are there to open the door for new perspective. I am so looking forward to the new flavor and perspective of forward movement. There is a beauty in change once we learn to accept it. When one door closes, trust a dozen more open, or less distracted you see beauty of the space you are already in.

Just saw a documentary called "How to Live Your Food". It was ok. A story of a zen priest who is also a chef. So he imparts these pearls of wisdom while baking bread. Personally I found "Ratatouille" and "Coco before Chanel" more profound and inspiring, but I did grab a couple of jewels. Like being totally present when you are cooking and understanding the emotional connection between you, your food and who you are feeding. What I drew from that, is how much food is a transmitter, a communicative medium of life force energy, of emotional energy and so forth and so on. A direct quote from the priest was that "cooking was working on yourself and other people." Which is why there is little room for miscommunication. lol. However, by virtue of the fact that communication is open to personal interpertation, there will be a huge array of perspectives and preferences. There are times when I just want a simple, "I loved it or I didnt quite like it." But there are times when you will get a, "I loved it, but..." I am attempting to understand there is a growth in the "but"

Kenya has been popping up alot lately. And not in obvious ways. Of course I am in daily communication with a loved one or another from Kenya in some capacity. But thats not what. Its been bleeding over into other facets of our lives. For instance I am huge reader. There are always at least 5 books I am dealing with at any given time. So I am browsing the bookstore for a good book for the children and stumble on two books "A Grain of Wheat" and "Matigari" by Ngugi wa Thiongo, at two different ends of the bookstore. Then the jewel (and the reason for this) "Unbowed: A Memoir" by Wangari Maathai, which I found at the library while looking for a Helen Oyayemi book. Wangari Maathai has had a presence in our reality for some time now in one capacity or another. So of course I have been eating it up. And the thing that has been the most compelling for me is her recall of history and not just history but the history of agriculture in Kenya and more namely for the Kikuyu people. And in that she has given an accord of eating and sustainability practices (aha!!! we hit the jackpot). So she comments on how the Kikuyus were/are an agrarian community and as a result were largely vegetarian. Crops she mentioned were peas, beans, arrowroots, millet, maize, roots, green vegetables, sugarcane and pyrethrum. Of course there was livestock (cows, goats, chickens),but the diet was largely vegetarian. Elder Wangari spoke on how colonialization and immigration brought the introduction of new foods and cuisine into the population. Foods heavy with salt, sugar, fat and oil. She links this to new diseases associated with nutrition (or nutrient deficinecy as I would say). And with the work that we are doing, I just give thanks when I find jewels like these to re-affirm what is already known and present. The parallels speak volumes. We consider the impact of "diet" on Africans in America and the Diaspora and the decline of our health, because of how and what we eat. The hand of colonialization and slavery in that. Then even further in dealing with land, and the British imposing on land and then forcing Kikuyus into land reserves and working on land they no longer "owned". How that links to the land grab of Native Americans and their population decline and the establishment of sharecropping with Africans in America (african-americans). Its amazing how in all of our revolutionary talks we fail to give righteous accord to food, its growth and how its consumed. You control a people's food. You control a people. I give thanks for souls like Wangari Maathai and the seeds they have planted.

So we move forward with this movement, towards healthy living and healthy eating. Knowing that yes sometimes its hard work, but its divine work. Here's to new perspectives, springing from old wisdoms. Forward and Fiyah!!!

So I have been talked to about giving up recipes for free. I dont expect that anyone reads this but friends, family and associates. But in consideration I will offer up recipes that I stumble across online and in recipe books that I like. Like this one..

Corn Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 2/3 cups unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 cups milk (I use almond)
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 2 eggs (I used Ener-g egg replacer or you could use flax seed meal)
• 1 cup corn
• 4 scallions diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and stir together well. In another bowl combine milk, oil, "eggs". Mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until well moistened. The batter will be thin. Stir in the corn, scallions, red pepper flakes, and cilantro.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, measure and pour 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into a hot skillet.

Eat with Guacamole or Black Bean Salsa. YUM!!!!! I actually heavily modified the spices in the recipe. Just because I like a certain kick to my food. But the original recipe is quite nice and its flexible. Injoy!! Love.

My Kitchen Sound Like: "Heartless" by Kanye West (808s and Heartbreak), "Moon and Sky" and "Skin" by Sade, "Out My Mind, Just In Time" and "20 ft. Tall" by Erykah Badu and "Zelie" by Angelique Kidjoe ( I love this Song!!!! I play it on repeat at least 5 times before I hit next).

Out of chaos comes...

Thankfully in my case tonight it was a good meal. Sometimes with all of this food business, plus maintaining my role as a wife and mother, its like I have to catch up with myself. I will add that to my eternal list of things to do. But all in all cooking is a blessing. There are still moments where I find myself excited about the possible outcome of a new meal experiment, how a new spice will go with an old favorite, how excited the children may be to see there favorite meal on the menu.

Over and over I keep hearing that in the food service business one has to get use to doing the same things over and over again. A client likes something, they want it and they want it the way they had it when they fell in love with it (wow its sounds like a relationship). I mean Mc Donalds, its the Big Mac, Burger King, the Whopper, me its the vegan cookies at Whole Foods (lol). I must say that I am still trying to adjust to this concept. See the joy for me in cooking is the creative challenge, venturing into new ground, new cultures, new tastes, new textures. Its the new colors and smells. Its "my thing". Having a bad day, stressed out...I'm running towards the kitchen, to work it out and voila!!! we have a really good meal. For instance, today was a hectic one. I headed to the kitchen, turned the radio on real loud (Corrine Bailey Rae and Raheem Devaughn's new cds) and I just went all in. I've have been really feeling some Ethiopian inspiration. So I made lentils with berbere spices and peppers, baby bok choy fresh from the garden, brown rice and guacamole with seaweed. Yum!!! It was perfect and I felt 10...well 8 times better afterwards.

So the challenge. Food wise, I have been in a rut of sorts. Most people want the same thing. I swear I can make falafel in my sleep, lentil patties in a tornado, and pasta and potatoes, well the baby can make pasta and potatoes. The conflict is I appreciate that the food is cherished and well liked and some days I am in need of something new.

Something that babies probably wont like, because children for the most part, like it real simple when it comes to their food. For instance, last week we had a power outage on our block. We have an electric stove so there was no way we were cooking. I had to make sandwiches for the children. When I walked into one of the schools, one of the 4 years old, said "Mama JoVonna, thank you for bringing us bread." LOL!!! How should I have felt about that? LOL!!! The rest of the gang was "YAY!!!! Sandwiches!!!"

Or another mystery. They love, what I feel are my mistakes. So, I have this thing where besides lentil patties, I have the strangest experiences with making patties/burgers. I mean they never come out the way I (keyword being I) want them to. I take all the well known steps from breadcrumbs, energy egg replacer, flax seed, flour...somehow they just never come out the way I envisioned them in my head. And still the people love them. Like my chick pea pancakes which were suppose to be chick pea patties. I'm really not quite sure what happened (will post recipe below, open to suggestions), but they ended up being like these strange pancake things, that of course the children loved. Well I suppose what am I complaining about, at the end of the day, its about the people being excited about the food.

I will just have to learn how to experiment on my own time and pray that my brain doesnt explode.

Chick Pea Patties/Pancakes (tips would be helpful)

• 1 pot of cooked Garbanzos/chickpeas
• 1 chopped onion
• Berbere seasonings.
• Ener-G egg replacer (the equivalant of, heck I lost count, maybe 6-8 eggs/lol)
• breadcrumbs and flour to thicken and help stick together
• salt to taste
• a small amout of h2o
• about 1 cup of oil.

So I didnt measure anything...I blended everything together by hand. Lightly oiled a skillet. Spooned large clumps of pattie mix into a skillet browned one side of the patty and then flattened it. Flipped it over and browned the opposite side. And the end result was Chickpea Pancakes (thanks Ananse Kurom for the name...smile). Love

My Kitchen Sounds like: Corrine Bailey Rae "The Sea" and Raheem Devaughn "Love and War: The Masterpeace.

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.