I'm not the only one who makes BBF Music

My people!  
I hope you all are doing wonderfully!!  Enjoying everyday you have to live on this Earth.

Oh, don't mind me as I nibble on this strawberry.  

I'm just enjoying Nature's skittles over here. 

By the way, they're soooo much better.

I had such an itch to share this post today.  I just love being exposed to creativity, especially in music and lyricism.  I love the way people can use words to construct amazingness that pierces your soul and your consciousness.  I got an e-mail from my friend the other day who shared with me a recent music video that was created by Andrew McFarlane, an actor I remembered from the show, My Wife and Kids.  It's quite clear he is no longer goofy teenage Tony but is serious about enlightening the masses about reality.  The reality that what we eat is that important.  He doesn't seem to be playing games.  My man has four careers: a social entrepreneur, a health coach, a yoga instructor and a speaker as it says on his website.  Well, watching his video brought to my mind all the creative musical amazingness I have seen in the past dedicated to making folk aware of bangin' bird food and it's amazingness.  Some are so high on the creative level.  The most recent of which that I've found is called Food Fight, a video by Earth Amplified feat Stic.Man. of Dead Prez.  It's so G! Soooooo G! Straight impressive in lyricism and the visual concept of the video.  Check 'em out!

1.  FOOD FIGHT - Saving Kids from Processed Food - Earth Amplified feat Stic. Man of Dead Prez
This one takes the cake.  Lyrical magicians and they are dropping knowledge.

2.  Andrew McFarlane - CHI THANG.  
He stacks kale!  Haha.  I love that part.  It's a really catchy tune and good message.  Eat your veggies!

3.  MACKA B - Wha Me Eat.
I have to rep my people.  So skilled we are!  :)   PETA actually used it for one of their promotional videos.    The hook is so catchy.  One listen and you're done.  In your head allllllll day.  I love the last part of the song, "No deadas".....meaning empress (Me) no deal wid Babylon dead flesh 'round here.  That's Jamaicans for you.  Literal as they come.  Love my people!

4.  Be Healthy - Dead Prez
More from the lyrical magicians.  

5.  Song A Day #810 - Vegan Myths Debunked - Jonathan Mann and Ivory King.  
It's quite a cute song.  I liked it.

6.  High Carb Low Fat Vegan Diet Lifestyle - Axxess
I stumbled onto this one.  It's a different kind of creative and I like a different creative.  Everyone can't and should not be the same..............and it's so daggone catchy.  

High.   Carb.   Low-fat.   Vegan.   Lifestyle.   High.   Carb.  
 Low-fat.   Vegan.    Lifestyle.   Baby. 

7.  Bangin' Bird Food - MGD
And last but not least, yours truly.  
Sadly, I was on that low budget level but you can't say I don't have heart to put it out.  Hoping to inspire, one listening ear at a time.  :)

I'm currently in the studio.  I sound kinda legit with that.  Haha.  Garage Band (studio) is actually legit though, so I can't even downplay it.  That's what made this. I'd like to share more of this in the future, so stay tuned.  



Thank you for reading.  My people, I appreciate you all so much.  Be healthy and happy.  Ciao!

My Ridiculously Uncomplicated Green Smoothie

Got greens?

Three key ingredients and one key point:  Load up on the greens!  

It's so easy! 

Check it!

1.  Wash a bunch of strawberries and spinach.

2.  Dip my hand in some strawberries, pull it out and throw what I grab in the blender.  

3.  Dip my hand in a bunch of spinach, pull it out and throw what I grab in the blender.  

4.  Dip my hand in a bunch of bananas, grab one, peel it, slice it and throw it in the blender.  

5. Add some soymilk.

6.  Blend and Pour and Drink and Smile!


Boom. Bam. Done!


I was GOOOOOOOD till lunch time and remained bright-eyed all that morning.  

PS:  This is also my secret to clear, healthy and vibrant skin.

   

I'll rock a green moustache ANYDAY!!

Thank you for reading!  My people, I appreciate you all so much.  Be happy and healthy.  Ciao!

Lentil Patties

These babies are basically my plant-based version of a common Jamaican favorite: patty.  Patties are the go-to lunchtime choice for many Jamaicans.  They consist of a flaky pastry crust that is packed with a variety of fillings, which can include beef (the original) or chicken and as we have become more health conscious, spinach or soy.  I remember biting into the crunchy, flaky crust of a patty that just came out of the oven.  WHOOOOA!!..................Bangin!  I also remember burning my tongue more than from time to time because I was so eager, or "craven" as Jamaicans say, to get into that patty.  Man that filling was HOT (just take your whole tongue out) but soooo sooooo good!  I loved those patties. 

So once plant love took over, I had to come up with a replacement.  I got the idea originally from my sister and then started playing around with it myself.  Lentils are a great substitute for recipes that originally used beef.  They are my other favorite bean/legume other than chickpeas.  They have a very satisfying flavor and I tell you the truth...they even smell like meat when you cook 'em.  It's a little scary.  It's just an amazing food! Thank you God for putting this in the soil!!!!  I usually have requests to make this again and again.  Let's do this:

Lentil Filling

I cup of lentils or 1/2 of a 16 oz bag

3/4 of an onion (chopped)

3 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 tbsp of raw sugar/honey (optional)

1 tsbp of thyme

2 tomatoes

1 tsp salt

2 tap garlic powder

1/2 green pepper

Pastry

1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 cup of water

1/3 olive oil

1 1/2 whole wheat flour

1 cup of oat flour (I usually just blend my oats)

*Use a rolling pin or if you are resourceful like me, a smooth drinking glass.  That's for my college and grad students.  I know we are poor.  :)

Sort and wash lentils, picking out stones, shriveled lentils and any other lentils that look a little off.  Cover the lentils with an inch of water above the lentils.  Add half of the onions and garlic and bring the pot to a boil.  Once the lentils have come to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, almost as though you were cooking rice.  Allow to cook for 30 mins.  Once lentils have cooked, add the listed seasonings (rest of the onions and garlic, powders, tomatoes, peppers, sugar and salt). Incorporate the seasonings and allow to cook for 15 more mins.

Now onto the dough....

Combine all pastry ingredients.  Initially mix with a fork until the dough comes together and then knead until the dough is fully mixed (3-4 mins).

Once the dough is fully mixed, form it into a ball.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces.

Form one of the pieces into a round ball or mound.

Roll the dough out into a flat sheet about 2 mm in thickness.  Using a bowl or some round shape, cut out a circle in the dough.

Cover half of the circle with the lentil filling.  Mine was a little too much here so I cut it down for the others.

Fold the uncovered side of the circle over to close the patty and seal with the end of a fork.  The "forking" is purely for aesthetic purposes.  I like pretty food.  :)  

I dip the fork in water as I go to keep it from sticking to the dough.

Repeat the cycle until you get your desired number of patties.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 mins.

Enjoy!

Pizza Party!!!!

The recipes I've created for pizza are some of my all-time favorite meals.  I love bready, starchy, crunchy and chewy food, so it just makes perfect sense.  My chiquitas came over to hang and chat and laugh and chill and most importantly to EAT!  So I decided to go with my favorite pizza recipe and a new one that I thought of earlier in the day.  We had Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza and a new one, Fresh Greens Pizza.  

Deliciousness.

Check out the recipe for the Butternut Squash and Carmelized Onion Pizza!

Fresh Green Pizza

1.   Cheese Sauce

2.   Pizza Dough

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1 cup of oat flour 
(I simply blend my oats in my magic bullet)

2 tsp  honey

1 pkg. of active dry yeast

1 tsp. sea salt

1 cup warm water

1 Tbs. olive oil

3.   Toppings

2 - 3 plum tomatoes, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

1 zucchini, sliced

a handful of spinach

Let's start off with the cheese sauce.  Follow the recipe linked above. It's crazy easy.  

Next, let's tackle the dough.  Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Measure all the ingredients for the dough, mix them together and knead the dough for 8 mins.  Let the dough rise for an HOUR.  A good place to store the dough while it is rising is in the oven, near the stove or under light.  You can also freeze this dough for future use.  After the dough has risen, roll it out onto a pizza pan and shape the edges.  Bake the dough for 15 mins.  Remove the pizza and spread the cheese sauce on top.  Begin arranging the toppings on the pizza. I start off with the sliced tomatoes, add the sliced zucchini then sprinkle the diced onion on top.  I also like to add a sprinkling of garlic powder.  Bake for 25-30 mins.  Cover the pizza with fresh spinach leaves.  

Dinner is ready! 

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Fresh Greens Pizza.  I love how huge those leaves are!

As you can see......

....we ate well.  :)

Food and friends make all happy!

One last thing:  Share this!  :)

Thank you for reading.  My people, I appreciate you all so much.  Be healthy and happy.  Ciao!