“. . . everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence.” — Mourning Dove (Salish), 1888-1936 Christopher Columbus gets all the fanfare today, but it’s the Native Americans who gave us: corn chilies potatoes beans squash tomatoes…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Tasting the American Dream with La Cocina
Nafy Flatley was born in Senegal, but, she says, “I was looking for my American dream.” She came to America for college, settled here, married and raised a family here, and thanks to La Cocina, has her own business here. La Cocina, the Bay Area incubator kitchen, empowers low income home cooks to launch women-owned…
Gomen Wat (Ethiopian Collard Stew)
Tales from the (Vegetarian) Flavor Bible Originally posted for Huffington Post on 4/03/2017 Food luminaries Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg wrote the book on flavor. Twice. First with “The Flavor Bible” in 2008 and now with “The Vegetarian Flavor Bible,” born out the award-winning duo’s decision to go meatless. Page and her husband live in a foodie world where…
Ful Mudammas
Ful For Love Originally posted on 02/14/2011 for Huffington Post Falling in love is a little like a political uprising. It means allowing change to enter your life, seeing possibility where none existed before. In both cases, it’s about hope. Today, Valentine’s Day, the celebration of love, comes at a pivotal moment for Egypt, which…
Tandoori Vegetables
Veganuary — Your (Free) Ticket to Success Originally posted for Huffington Post on 01/01/2018 Happy 2019! According to statistics, January 1 is our favorite time to resolve to change our lives. The Law of Attraction tells us committing to one positive attracts more positivity, setting in motion a whole wave of happy changes. Take the Veganuary pledge,…
African-American Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Originally Posted on 12/30/2013 for Huffington Post First Fruits of the Harvest As they say in Swahili, “Habari gani?” This translates into a combination of “How are you?” and “What’s shakin’?” It’s about the limits of my Swahili, but it’s useful now, being the traditional greeting at Kwanzaa. Any holiday that takes its name from…
Japanese Miso Stew
Junk Food Rat Race Originally posted on 03/18/2010 at the Huffington Post Miso stew may not sound as festive as say, Christmas cookies, but the holidays offer plenty of opportunities for indulgence. Like my panforte recipe. What you need is real nourishment and this easy, Asian dish delivers. Drop the Twinkie, junkie. Just in time for…
Modern Msickquatash — Limas, Squash and Caramelized Leeks
History Lesson Originally posted for Huffington Post on 03/18/2010 With frantic schedules, fast food and frozen entrees, Thanksgiving may be the one day of the year we return to the kitchen. And in so doing, we return to ourselves. We connect with the people who matter in our lives by inviting them to our table for a…
Hobo Stew
Singing Out in the Kitchen Originally posted for Huffington Post on 04/05/2014 Tomorrow is Election Day — use your voice, use your vote. I am in the kitchen, singing. I am in the kitchen, singing for Pete Seeger, who died last week at the age of 94. Seeger was a folk music hero who wanted to get…
Ital Vital Farmers Market Caribbean Stew
In his poem, “To His Coy Mistress,” metaphysical poet Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) wrote, “Had we but world enough and time/My vegetable love would grow/Vast as empires and more slow.” By this, he meant in a perfect world, we’d have the luxury of time and a love that would grow exponentially, organically, unfolding and revealing itself…
