Hey now! It’s your favorite plant-based advocate LA from Black Girls Eat stopping by to check in on this very last Thursday of summer. Darn…it goes by so fast. Do you like my shirt? It’s now for sale!
You are receiving this Recipes & Random-Ish post because you signed up somewhere and I’m glad you did. This newsletter is designed to provide you with some info and with some insight into who I am and what Black Girls Eat is all about. There’s always a recipe and there’s always some random. Sometimes food related…sometimes not :-)
I appreciate subscribers and I love the fact that you are sharing this newsletter with your friends. Black Girls Eat is 5 years old now and during that time, I’ve been very honest about my food journey. It all started out with aches and pains. I’m talking every night and all night. I was not getting sleep and taking an obscene amount of over the counter meds just to feel better.
But Then….
I met with a Rheumatologist who after lots of analysis of my bloodwork, shared that my body had a lot of inflammation. In straight up plain language…inflammation freaking hurts! It got me wondering what caused inflammation in the body. That led me to look at sugar, meat, alcohol and dairy. My investigation led me to the world of whole foods plant-based nutrition.
After taking courses and doing more research, I started to appreciate that foods that were eaten in their mostly whole state made me feel better. That meant leaning away from processed foods like sausage. And it meant leaning toward more fruits, vegetables and grains. It is possible to use food as a weapon in the war against heart disease, diabetes, obesity and inflammation.
One of my early memories was when I read that there are over 1,000 vegetables available to us and we keep eating the same 5. And I definitely had list of 5.
Green beans
Collard Greens
Corn
Broccoli
Spinach
How about you? Are you stuck in a pattern of eating the same foods? Let’s do something about that!
The Random: The Vegandale Festival at Randall’s Island
Okay so here’s my official position. I celebrate people who take real fruits, vegetables and grains and turn them into magical dishes. I just do. My understanding of a plant-based lifestyle does not include heavily processed foods.
There were vendors at the Vegandale Festival in NYC this past Saturday who were promoting steak, cheese and chicken that had been manufactured to look and taste like the real thing. Am I a hater? Nope. I just think that when I decided not to eat meat, that didn’t mean that I was on a mission to find meat substitutes or mystery meat.
What makes me nervous about these packaged foods is that they are often made with the same salt, sugar and fats that I’ve been trying to avoid. Is plant-based chicken really any healthier than a fast food chicken sandwich? I don’t know. You have to read the labels and do the research. It’s all a bit of hocus pocus.
And The Winners Are
Having said all of that, let me share my favorite vendors from the Vegandale festival.
Best Beverage: The pineapple ginger juice from Tropical Blends was hands down my fave. Just a burst of sunshine and I could not stop drinking it. I bought 2 bottles !
Best Meal: Shout out to Vedure from Brooklyn for the amazing plate of curried chickpeas, mushroom escovitch and BBQ Jack Fruit. Jamaican inspired plant-based food. Homemade and flavorful.
Best Popsicle: Loved everything about the Vegan Coquito Popsicle from Milov Coquito. Congrats to the team for winning the Bacardi Coquito competition. Much deserved!
The Recipe: Cheese Free Quesadillas
One avocado and a can of white beans never tasted so good! This recipe gets you two plants on your plate at once. Really satisfying and so easy.
Thanks for spending some time with me. I hope that you have fun finding new ways to put more fruits, grains and veggies on your plate. If you are in the NYC area, be sure to check out the first ever Latin Night Market. It’s kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month and promises to be a true celebration of flavor, art and culture.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the fake meat and cheese foods out there. It seems like you’re just getting further away from plants at that point I do however, enjoy nut butters and use things like flaxseed meal for an egg substitute in recipes but otherwise no fake meat for me.