The Vitality of Cooking

Before I share this recipe, let’s talk a little about cooking. Prior to delving into this vegan, plant based diet stratosphere, I was a typical cook. Chicken, spaghetti, Mac n’ cheese, fish, green beans, garlic bread….nothing special that really challenged me. And I really didn’t cook often, cause I had so many fast-food, casual dining options, and I had more access to foods at the homes of friends and family.

About 2 months into my lifestyle change, I came to the conclusion that I had to cook more often, cause eating french fries and buying/consuming processed vegan foods was not healthy, sustainable, or progressive. So I simply began cooking. I looked for recipes. I bought the ingredients. I cooked the recipes. And I loved it. After a while, it became so easy, soothing, and cathartic for me.

I’m now at the point of my kitchen witchin (shoutout to Rosa de Jericho for posting that under one of my pics) where I can cook a filling, fulfilling, aromatic, sensual, colorful meal, with such ease. So what was once a chore for me, pre-vegan, morphed into an experience.

I no longer even follow recipes to the T. Instead, I read through 2-3 different recipes of the same dish, and I find a way to make it my own. A lil side-note, that’s another post for another day…the vegan, plant based market and industry is mainly a white space, so making these recipes with Black southern flair is a necessity! Ok, back to it…now I know what ingredients work well together, what herbs to combine, and what seasonings to mix to make dishes that feed my belly, my body, and my soul.

On this page, I will rarely share a full recipe. I advise you to search online for recipes. Try them. Make the mistakes with the measurements and the ingredients so that you learn what works and what doesn’t work. Most importantly, make the mistakes so that you come to learn and know your palette. Knowing your palette will make your cooking and eating experience so much richer.

While watching Food Network last week, I saw a recipe for banana pancakes, but the cook included eggs. I wanted to try it because I had not eaten pancakes since 2017…most pancake mixes have milk. Y’all, my first attempt was a failure. They were ugly, sloppy and only slightly edible, but the taste was there, and my palette was pleased. I tried again a few days ago, and they were better, but still not right. Then yesterday, the magic happened. I tweaked my ingredients just right and they were perfection.

Here’s what I used. And I’m not giving exact amounts. Just make a super small cup of batter first.

⭐️Bananas- the more brown and bruised, the better
⭐️Whole wheat flour – you can also use almond or coconut flour. I stay away from bleached white flour, but if that’s all you have, use it.
⭐️Fresh blueberries 
⭐️Almond milk
⭐️Applesauce
⭐️Cinnamon 
⭐️Nutmeg
⭐️A pinch of salt

Here’s a pic of my progression. Can’t wait to pair these with something savory.

Y’all be healthy today, ok?