Whole Wheat Pancakes with nutmeg and veggie bacon

Okay before you say EWW! these were really good, and im a transitioning meat/ribs everything eater. I used  365 Whole Wheat pastry Flour and a recipe adaption from cooks I think the secret is I used Coconut sugar, nutmeg, vanilla (a pinch) and cinnamon. I did use an egg, so for you vegans these are NOT totally vegan. I used Almond Breeze Coconut Almond milk instead of dairy however. I still haven’t found an egg sub i like, if you have any suggestions please feel free to leave them below.

So they weren’t as ‘wheaty’ as other wheat pancakes if you know what i mean so the 365 brand i got from whole foods, does your buds good. I used morning stars  veggie bacon which i liked even when i was eating a truck load of pork so they are a good sub. Ok here goes..

Mix wheat flour, baking soda (i used a low sodium brand) salt,  cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut sugar. I used madhava brand. Afterwards stir in oil (i used olive oil) almond/coco milk, vanilla extract and 1 egg. My measurement were approx half the cooks recipe, so use your best judgement on how think or think you want your pancakes, mine was thin so i add more flour. Your mix should be a little speckled like so..

 
So after that, add olive oil to the pan, then  wait til the first pancake soaks up the oil to make the round one. and viola.

Whole wheat pancakes! they should be sweet and go down easy.

So the following are the ingredients:

 

 

Madhava Coconut sugar

    nutmeg

    365 Whole Wheat pastry flour

Cinnamon

Vanilla

1 egg

Coconut /Almond milk

Vanilla

Low sodium baking soda

Again I adapted the measurements from the Cooks recipe above, so I hope you like them as much as i did. they are a little ‘wheaty’ but MUCH better than i thought, so much i had them twice. Enjoy!

 

 

Dymystifying the “Welfare Queen” stereotype

Yam Potato Bake courtesy Vegan Feast Catering, on Flickr

So I’m taking this class on Edx on Global food poverty and never ever thought about the role nutrition plays in the nations poor. I told you I was into food justice and the main area is that there is a lot of misconceptions in the area of the nations poor. The ” Welfare Queen” was always lauded by hosts such as Limbaugh for justifying that food stamps were just making people lazy. This is not a blog post about policy, while however attending a health expo last week someone said to me that people who are poor gain weight because they are eating the improper food. So while they would not seem to be starving, perhaps in the area of nutrition they are. We need what 2000 calories to maintain a proper healthy body, but how many of those calories are actually being used for nutrition. For example, if one is overweight and suffering from heart disease, diabetes and everything else, could it be that LACK is in information and not food. If one is eating in a manner that is suicidal does that not justify more reason to education the general poor on the value of nutrition. One thought it was cruel to require the nations poor to only be allowed healthy food as if to say that is injustice, if you are poor you are unable to go to the cheesecake factory so to speak. One could argue that the cheesecake factory is no better for you than a bag of fries. Still this myth is perpetuated as if to say look your are fat what do you need my tax money for food stamps for? Instead policy should be going into making healthy food appealing and not something that is going to make you want a bag of twinkies afterwards. The poverty we are talking about is more so of information because the better your health the better your life and the more energy you have for getting the life you really desire to have. So this myth is defunct, poverty comes in many ways and not simply monetarily.  Instead lets remember that the earth is full of good tasting food. Many other cultures are apt at seasoning their dishes, there are many African vegetarians so the idea that blackness and grease go together is a misnomer. In addition much of the soul food we consumed had more to do with putting flavor on a very bitter situation, not so much about creating traditions but creating something out of nothing. As with Passover perhaps we should take a lesson and not forget the bitter past. Peace.

tip: Onions give everything flavor, instead of meat try onions for gravy or chop some up and put them in the pan with your bread for an onion bread flavor.

Proverbs 27:7 He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

a little news about food justice

Americas have access to food. There is no excuse for anyone to be starving here, if you are not healthy though you cannot work.  Maintaining your health should not cost thousands of dollars, however most often we see the majority of fast food and liquor stores in poor neighborhoods.I believe this most be for the poor to drink their sorrows away, but the truth is it costs too much and people are unwilling to invest on a whole foods in a poor neighborhood. I propose that healthly living needs a PR adjustment. One thing is there’s a lot of misconceptions about living healthly. I dont like bad tasting food, and as an ex-slave food consumer i can tell you taste is important. not the most important but its up there. While it is important to remember to provide healthly food to low income neighborhoods its just as important to educate folks on what they are doing to their bodys. I dont know about you but the MORE signs matter. Eating more fruits and veggies is a key to a better life, you feel better and can tackle all the hard circustances a little bit better when you are well.

It doesnt cost much to eat healthier, when you cut out food crack( crack is whack) you will be more attracted to foods that are healthier for you. Here are some tips

1. Try fruit fresh once a week.

if you wean your body offa food crack( additives and extras) your body wont crave it as much.

2. Dont buy all the brand name organic yada , okay some organics are good if you are doing reversal health and you are concerned about pesticides etc but seriously a 1.00 piece of fruit will be better than sugar loaded items anyday

3. stay away from labels. Look some brands are great and have a good reputation but all your food doesnt need a name. You could go a whole week without buying any food in a box, bad or other you would feel better i guarantee it

4. juice and walk

 

Either way i would like to see more juice bars in the hood and less, liquor stores and fast food joints because you can get 50 cent rice, 50, plaintain and some curry at the supermarket and be fine. you dont need mr quaker everyday. thanks.

 

 

SOUL FOOD JUNKIES,… the Flick

This is showing at Restoration plaza in Brooklyn for those interested

ALMOND BREEZE-COCONUT ALMOND MILK..

 

(Photo used with Permisson)

 

this MILK is the bizomb. Now, i had the carton milk and it made me want to swear off COW MOO MOO forever, only thing when i got it in the smaller carton it was more like almond milk, i was a LIL disappointed but its still good for you. My stomach felt so much better. Also I called the company and there is NO chorlestorol ( i can spell really) so you dont have to worry about clogging your arteries. I find this to be a good sub for cooking and baking. ENJOY!

The bad news about Saturated FAT

Okay I love coconut milk and the bad news it is HIGH in saturated fat, just like cheese beef and all other wonderful tasty dishes. Well what i have learned is that their are good fats and in MODERATION one can enjoy all things.  So the solution stock up on Olive Oil and Avocados which are good in low (good) fats. So get rid of the butter and choose meats which are lean which have less marbling, in other words it should be mostly meat and little fat. But after all the fuss about heart disease etc i say lay off the cheese and choose DAIYA, instead.

 

While the verdict on coconut milk has many opinions, you can try ALMOND BREEZE which has an almond/ coconut brand which has NO cholesterol. The cholesterol is the problem with saturated meats cheeses etc, they CLOG your ateries, and cause heart attacks and strokes. So you want to stay away from these products.

If you want to be safe you can always try ALMOND MILK or SOY MILK or even PECAN milk as a sub.

DISCLAIMER***** I am not a medical professional so  any advice i give is NOT medically researched so you need to consult your doctor before trying any new recipe or suggestion.

Newbie cooks ingredients list

Okay if you are not a well seasoned cook i put together a list for newbie cooks and those who never really cooked before. I mean they dont teach econ any more so this might help.

 

these are some basic seasonings you need to have on hand when you need to begin stocking a pantry.

 

1. Cinnamon

2. Nutmeg

3. Salt and Pepper

4. Vanilla Extract

5. Old bay

6. Garlic

7.Onions

8. Jerk Seasoning

9. Paprika

10. coconut oil or milk

**Cocoa its good to have on hand but you may not use it as much

With the up top ingredients you can make most dishes or sub what you dont have, i use cinnamon for everything, and nutmeg for all basic soul food dishes such as sweet potatos or mac and cheese, I use Jerk sparingly and some times curry which i didnt include but both are good for west indian dishes. All the others including Old bay will keep you straight from running out of stuff or having a BLAND dish if you are trying to make stuff from scratch.

Sodium in your food

Coconut Milk

On my search for health food products i have to create a special diet for someone. Upon researching all my info i never noticed how much sodium is in our food. ALL our food. Anything packaged or canned has an enormous amount of extra sodium, no wonder everyone has high blood pressure.  While you need sodium, most people probably get WAY more then they need, if you live in America.

Tips for lowering sodium in your diet i found to be helpful.

1. Use fresh ingredients.

Only cook canned or packaged food when you absolutely have to or are two tired to do otherwise. You increase your salt intact tremendously. I read somewhere that if 20% of you daily serving is sodium you have too much sodium in your diet. So use fresh everything.

2. Get a Blender

The above picture is Coconut Milk, but even canned Coconut milk has sodium, Rice Milk has a higher sodium content although  lower than milk. If you blend fresh fruits, instead of Canned you will not be taking in as much sodium. So make your OWN, almond Milk, Coconut Milk and others if possible.

3. Plan your meals

The only way you can properly prepare fresh food is to PLAN. For example Coconut Milk prepared at home doesnt keep long so you absolutely have to decide what you will cook or eat before hand. By cutting out one prepared, packaged meal a day you can probably significantly cut down on your salt intake. So the next time i will provide you will a easy meal planning guide so you can try to make a better choice while you cook. Hope this helps. JLSS.

by SoraZG  photo courtesy Flickr

Eating Fresh is the BEST!

Glory Foods supports Black Farmers

I have a passion for food and justice Glory Foods supports Black Farmers and if you get a minute you might wanna check out this video.

Saving time with Mac and Cheese

I have been experimenting with mac and cheese.  if you want to make mac and cheese but want to save time and waste consider storing excess pasta in the refrig. I am a newbie cook and didn’t benefit from all the econ classes my mom had so i usually cook too much pasta. This time instead of wasting i just put the extra pasta i didn’t cook and put it in the ziploc bag. The next time i cooked Mac and Cheese i didn’t have to boil the pasta which takes a long time. IF you meal plan and make extra cheese sauce you can also have your own Kraft mac and cheese like recipe at your fingertips. It makes cooking easier and more enjoyable, less labor intensive.  So here’s my ghetto recipe i put together from various recipes and my own liking

 pasta, any kind

american cheese slices

muenster cheese or sharp cheddar (sharp is the best)

(PAtti Labelle puts shrimp in hers)

I used a single cooked shrimp i believe seasoned with OLD BAY like seasoning, cut up the shrimp and add accordingly

Coconut milk

(you can add sugar but i didn’t this time)

Nutmeg( NOT a WHOLE LOT it will mess up the flavor), 

Cayenne Pepper,

paprika garlic and Onions Chopped

Make sure you use enough cheese mixture to cover the whole thing, if you use coconut milk it can be thick its best to mix all the spices together with the milk first. I made a mistake and put the onions on last and the flavor wasnt throughout so remember that. The onions give it the best flavor and the cayenne. Enjoy. Let me know how it turns out.