Tips and Tricks: Hacks for the Blog and the Kitchen

Alrighty, welcome back!  Welcome back! Welcome back!  Ok I will take it down a notch.  So this post is going to be short and to the point.  Some basic tips on how to understand the lingo and terms in this blog and then tricks on staying affordable, appetizing, and still accessible in the kitchen.  The best part is though, that these tricks are all budget friendly.

Papaya Seeds Into Alkaline, Dr. Sebi Approved Black Pepper:

Start with a ripened papaya, you know what wait. Let's take a moment to just appreciate the papaya.  Papaya contains papain, which encourages fresher looking skin, it holds enzymes, fiber, carbohydrates and vitamin A, B9, C and E.  Oh and papaya seeds are like little balls of genius.  They remove parasites, cleanse the liver and skin, and helps with digestion and weight loss.

Okay so your ripened papaya, slice straight down the middle, lengthwise.  Scoop out all seeds and reserve.  Peel the papaya and do with it as you will or cut in chunks and freeze until a little *papaya recipe* pops up here later.  (wink wink)

Next rinse the seeds in a strainer or fine sieve and remove all the little fibers.  Here's why patience needs to be your friend.  You are going to pat the seeds dry and let them sit out on a plate on the counter for days.  Once, my seeds sat out for almost 2 weeks.  Your just waiting for them to all be dry and hard. 

Now get your best/sturdiest food processor and pulse away until in a fine powder.  And that's it!  Easy

as ever, just allow some days for drying out.  The taste has a slight kick to it, like a mild black pepper.  It's great in savory dishes, it's fantastic in a face mask and will work in smoothies too.

Okay so there's a kitchen trick and now here's a blog tip.  Being in the kitchen is second nature to me.  It's like its apart of me, to the point where I cook with feeling, not measurements and instructions.  It's the way that my family does it and it's the only way I know how.  So this meme could not be more true.   I will always try to give a measurement but it will be up for interpretation.  As in, a tsp of cayenne could be more or less depending on how you like it.  A tbsp of  green onions could be more like a 1/2 tbsp if your using garlic instead or just don't love green onion.  Make the recipe your own.  Boss up to those ingredients, switch them up, use more or less and use it as a guideline based on what you and your family like.  Think about your health needs, your budget (Green onions make great shallots when they are not available near me or the price is too high) and what works best for you.  Do not let a recipe get in the way of your health, make it yours!  Oh and when I say "let them party or play together " it means let the food simmer together.  Almost forgot about that.

The Wonders of Butternut Squash

Okay so I stole this idea from Jamie Oliver but I highly recommend it for folks on this plant based journey.  It's a lifesaver and timesaver. So I usually do a 2lb squash and from that I can make 2 cups of cheese sauce and a batch of butternut squash hash.  Or a batch of fries and mashed butternut squash.  Or a family size dinner (5-6 people) worth of butternut squash soup and a family size portion of veggies to add to a meal.  The point is I get about 2 to 2 1/2 meals out of this 2lb squash every time.  Oh and if it's not obvious, this baby is versatile!  When I say you can fry, bake, saute, sear, stew, curry, jerk, cream, blend, grill and roast it.  I mean the possibilities are endless.  Not to mention all the health benefits that come with it.  Promotes regularity, boosts in immune function, helps with eyesight and on and on.  Pop it in the oven on your prep day (a blog post to come), roast until tender and those natural sugars and juices are caramelizing (see pic above) then remove from oven.  When cool enough to handle, cut open and use as needed.  Unless you need a portion unbaked, then first cut the squash in half and only bake one half, storing the other half in the fridge for later dishes.  Remember 1 half of a 2 lb butternut squash feeds 5 people in my family with a little leftover.  Make that buck stretch.

Here's my last set of blog tips.  If we're cooking hot use grapeseed oil, If we're cooking room temp or cold use extra virgin olive or coconut oil.  Use what is healthiest (like don't heat up extra virgin olive oil and coconut past a certain degree) and use what is accessible, like avocado oil in place of grapeseed or coconut oil in place of butter.  When I say S&P I'm always referring to sea salt and cayenne pepper.  My idea of a general chop is small, but not hand tiring.  I'm still perfecting a schedule so I cannot yet say how often or what days new posts will be up.  (thought I'd just throw that one in there) My final tip is to make smart choices.  My spices are from all over and come in all forms.  Why, because it's affordable.  I get cheap onion powder from Aldi so I can get the specialty smoked paprika from the farmers market.  These adjustments are what help me on a weekly basis.  This journey should change you yes, but let's be practical.



And now my last kitchen trick:  A yummy dessert in no time with a little bad and a lot of good.

Frozen Layered Fruit Pie

Okay so my birthday was coming up and rather than a junky, overly sweet cake to make me question life 2 hrs after I've eaten it, I asked my husband for something light and a little sweet instead.  We (or I) came up with this deliciousness above.  Best part, it is ready in 3 steps. Add a couple hours if your patient, I was not.  Step 1: cut up all the fruits of your choice.  Step 2:  make aquafaba whipped cream (another later blog post).  Step 3:  make a layer of fruit then whipped cream, fruit, cream, fruit, cream...okay you get the point.  It's ready to enjoy as is or you may freeze it for a couple hours and then slice into it like an ice cream cake.