Touring as a Vegan - The Europe Chapter (Pt. 1)

It's been a couple years since I've done a blog post and many changes have come about since my last entry here - one being, I became a full-time vegan. I have been a vegetarian, who occasional ate fish, for over 18 years, but since embarking on my yoga teacher training journey, over four months ago, and completing an online nutrition course, I decided to challenge my diet and ethics by converting to a fully plant based diet. The transition was quite simple really. I was eating 80% vegan as it was, so basically I cut out eggs and butter, no more Bulletproof coffee or frittatas.

For the past few months I've mostly been eating raw before 4. My daily diet usually consists of a superfood smoothie for breakfast, a huge colorful and nutrient dense salad for lunch, and a cooked dinner - this was winter so I was making lots of curries, soup and stews, stir-fry, and experimenting with some raw entrees as well.

Fast-forward a few months to my first tour, lasting longer than a week, of 2015...and it's in Europe no less.
Before leaving for tour my health was stellar! I did the obligatory prep-shop by going to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to stock up on some essentials - granola, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, avocados, hemp hearts, kale chips, etc...
Upon arriving in Brussels, I checked into the hotel, walked around the city(about 7 miles total), did a hot yoga class, at a delicious Buddha bowl, and went to bed early. The next day, and first show of the tour.....I got sick! No thanks, I'm sure, to the gentleman in the seat in front on me on the flight overseas, who coughed the entire flight. Over a week later, and I'm just getting over it. I always take the hard road, no drugs or antibiotics. Keep the gut healthy!!!!

As for food thus far on this tour...I've been eating a lot of fruit. A couple avocados a day, quite a bit of bananas, and some local berries, apples, oranges, or whatever else I can score backstage or at the local produce shop.
The UK was definitely a highlight for vegan cuisine-
- Brighton had a few proper vegan restaurants, shops, and a great co-op all within a few blocks
- I had a great curry (no fish sauce) in Bristol
- London was filled with delicious Ital (Jamaican vegan food) at BoxPark and I ate at Manna (Classic London vegan resto) for the first time.
- there was even veggie sausages at multiple hotel breakfasts.

Health is coming back to normal, energy levels are good, physical yoga practice has resumed, and I'm finally going to start running.
One more week to go as I head east into Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Romania....areas not particularly known to be the most vegan friendly, but I'm staying 'above the line' with optimism.

That's all for know.
See you at the show

Zuppa di Zucca (Roasted Butternut Squash soup)

After visiting the farmers market last week, and accruing some beautiful varieties of squash (including an avocado squash), i started to brainstorm some recipes. The butternut squash i picked up was decent size and i immediately thought, soup. The weather was beginning to cool and i thought this would be a perfect time to whip up some homemade vegetable stock and get my Zuppa di Zucca on.
Here's how it all went down....

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash
1 quart of vegetable stock (save your trimmings and make you own, if possible)
2 small potatoes (rough dice)
2 carrots (small dice)
2 celery stalks (small dice)
1 small onion (small dice)
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of coconut cream (or coconut milk)
i medium apple (peeled, cored and diced)
4 T of butter or Smart Balance
1 T of olive oil
1 bay leaf

Roasting marinade:
3 T of butter
2 T of molasses
1 T sugar
1 T grated ginger
1 t cinnamon
salt and pepper

Garnish:
mascarpone cheese
temeph bacon
parsley sprig
cooked apple

preheat oven to 400 degrees.
peel and chop (scoop out the seeds) the squash into large chuncks.
melt 2 T of butter in a pan. once butter has foamed, turn off the heat and add molasses, sugar, ginger and cinnamon to the pan. mix the marinade with the squash in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes.

In a soup pot, heat olive oil and 2 T of butter. Sauté mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery) for 15 min or till soft and slightly browned. add garlic and potato and cook another 5 min. add vegetable stock and bay leaf. bring to a boil and simmer till potato is fork tender...about 20 min.

in a small sauté pan, melt 2T of butter and cook diced apple till they start to caramelize. remove 2/3 of the apple from the pan and add tempeh bacon to cook an additional few minutes. removed from heat

remove cooked squash from oven and add to the pot along with the coconut cream and 2/3 of cooked apple. cook an additional 5-10 min on medium heat. remove bay leaf.

using an immersion blender or food processor (blended in batches). blend soup to a creamy and thick consistency. season with white (or black) pepper and coarse salt to taste.

ladle soup into a bowl and garnish with a dollop of mascarpone cheese in the center of the bowl. Sprinkle remaining apple and tempeh bacon throughout and a sprig of parsley for color.

Bon Appetit!

On The Road Again

It's the day before Independence Day (US) 2012 and I officially started a "really long tour" a few days ago. I have goals, aspirations, and deadlines I've set for myself. I am treating this simple blog as a reminder to see what I have accomplished at the end of this "really long tour." I officially hit the road a couple of weeks ago prior to leaving for the west coast. The attached two snapshots show how things are starting off.

How to Vegetal Burgundy

A couple of blog entries ago i posted a recipe for Vegetarian Burgundy. Well, I decided i would make a follow up video on how to cook this dish - some people work better with visual explanation. This meal is definitely one of my ultimate goto's in comfort food. And, while it may take a bit of time to prepare, it is well worth the wait. **WARNING: while this may be a vegetarian dish, it is most assuredly not vegan - viva la beurre!!!!

BON APPETIT

Hummus Harvest

On my fifth trip to Israel I made it my mission get my hummus on. I decided I would sample some of the hummus I've had on previous trips and indulge in a few newcomers...at least to me.

My journey began in Tel Aviv and upon arriving at the hotel, i was ready for action.

Hummus Mashawsha:

Only a ten minute walk from the hotel I arrived at Mashawsha. I ordered hummus ful straight up. Ten minutes later it arrived table side. It smelled delicious and looked good too. A simple presentation of beans (chickpea and fava), parsley puree with a golden rim of olive oil was perfect. The hummus was piping hot and perfectly balanced. It was exactly what I needed after traveling 14 hours and not eating a proper meal. I didn't want to do anything but take a nap after indulging.

Ha-Suri:

I was taken to Ha-Suri by some local friends. We arrived with a large group and sat outside in the blazing heat while waited patiently for our hummus. I ordered a lemonade, the quintessential compliment (other might argue a bottle of Coke or beer), to a bowl of hummus. I had a great view of the man in action as he made my bowl of goodness. Assembling this concoction was like second nature for this gentleman as he began with a ladel of chickpeas, drizzle of tahini, dollop of broad beans, spalsh of lemon juice and olive oil, sliced egg, and finished with a dash of paprika. This hummus looked like a work of abstract expressionist art. The dish was surprisingly light and a perfect portion size for an afternoon snack.

Hummus Bethlehem:

Before heading over to the soundcheck, the promoters decided to take us out for a quick hummus. This was to be my first hummus masabacha experience. This was one well seasoned hummus....complete with healthy doses of paprika, cumin, black pepper, chopped parsley, lemon juice, tahini, and olive oil. The lemon juice was a really nice complement to all the spices. Topped off with a whole sliced egg and served along side whole jalapeños, onion wedges, and pickles, this meal was FILLING!

Abu Hassan:

Within 30 minutes of my first arrival in Tel Aviv, in 2004, Abu Hassan was the first Israeli hummus I'd ever consumed. I remembered it being quite an experience. Located in Jaffa, this place is slammed with locals, cab drivers, and a wait staff who scream orders at the top of their lungs...it reminds me of NYC in some ways. While the decor has cleaned up a bit, I think there was some renovations, this place hasn't changed a bit. The hummus here is time-honored. What I really love about this place, aside from the atmosphere, is the accompanying garnish (a mix of lemon juice, garlic, and finely diced jalapeños). I must admit the hummus was a little under salted, but once i poured this simple garnish atop the mix of hummus ful and masabacha, it was perfect. Washed down with some lemonade....cue nostalgia.

Hummus Lena:

After wondering around the narrow market streets of the old city in Jerusalem, I finally found Hummus Lena (a humble establishment with four or so tables). This was my first hummus in Jerusalem. After waiting patiently, with a good view of the hummus being assembled, I was ready to indulge. The serving size was smaller than most that i've had. The looked was nicely layered with an aura of golden hue. A mixture of pureed chickpeas, crushed whole beans (chickpea and fava), a heavy pour of oil, and a light drizzle of lemon juice...it tasted AMAZING. this was some of the best olive oil i'd ever had...seriously unctuous stuff.

Other hummus joints, worth checking out, that i've indulged at on previous trips to Israel are:

Abu Adham

Abu Ghosh

Hummus Raquel

bon appetit.

The Gift of Song

Handcrafted and heartfelt gifts feel good, right? Something that someone actually put their own personal touch on. Every now and then someone important to me has a celebratory occasion (usually a birthday or wedding) coming up and, if I have the time, I try to whip up a song for them. This usually involves my wife and I signing (with the help of Autotune) a song, to the point of parody, in a specific style (so far we've hit country, dance, hiphop, power ballad, metal, pop and experimental). I try to be overly specific in terms of timbre, instrumentation, and song writing technique. These "little ditty's" are usually done over the course of a couple days and serve as a micro lesson in recording, mixing, and creativity at my humble home studio. Here are a few that i've done in the past. hope you get a laugh.

Birthday Blast

An Homage to Peter

Americana Weddin

Birthday Dance Party

Chopped & Screwed Birthday

Motown Mothers Day

Végetal Burgundy Baby

So, I just had a baby!!! And during prenatal times i refrained from opening too many bottles of wine to drink with dinner at home. moreover, i refrained from cooking with too much wine, as not to "contaminate" my food for the unborn baby in my wife's belly. Well, now Violet is over a week old, it's cold outside, and i decided to treat ourselves to some hearty Vegetarian Bourguignon. Yes, i know, traditional Beef Bourguignon is made with bacon, chunks of beef, and beef broth, and how will i ever get all those flavors inside my stew? Well, i'm here to tell you you can get some serious depth of flavor simply by marinating, reducing, and seasoning your Bourguignon properly. Here is how:

1 package of tempeh

3 tablespoon of olive oil

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 lb of cremini mushrooms (roughly chunked)

3 carrots (diced)

1 celery rib (diced)

1 medium yellow onion (diced)

5 cloves of chopped garlic

bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf, 12 black peppercorns tied up in cheesecloth)

1 T of flour

2 T of tomato paste

3 cups of vegetable stock

3/4 bottle of BURGUNDY wine (French pinot noir)

egg noodles cooked al dente

Marinade:

1 1/2 cup of BURGUNDY wine

1 T of white wine vinegar

1 crushed garlic clove

roughly chopped onion

4 sprigs of thyme

coarsely chopped parsley

a dash of sugar, salt and pepper

chop tempeh into 1/2 in chunks and allow to marinate overnight.

sautee carrot, celery, and onion in 2 T of olive oil and 1 T of butter. once mirepoix begins to lightly brown add garlic. cook an additional minute.

add wine, tempeh (reserve 2 T of marinade), and tomato paste. allow to boil, reduce to simmer and reduce.

in a seperate pan heat 1 T of olive oil and 2 T of butter on medium high heat and brown mushrooms. after mushrooms have browned, deglaze the pan by pouring 2 T of the tempeh marinade into the pan and add to the pot along with the bouquet garni and vegetable stock.

in the same pan that you cooked the mushrooms in add 1 T of butter and 1 T of flour to create a roux. cook roux to a deep brown color (DO NOT BURN IT).

add roux to the pot and allow your bourguignon to continue to reduce (add a bit of water if needed). cook the stew to a thick and delicious consistency (about 1 hour), add the last T of butter and salt and pepper to taste before serving

serve the végetal bourguignon over the cooked egg noodles. garnish with parsley and sour cream. pour yourself a glass of BURGUNDY and bon appetit.

COMFORT

it's cold outside. life seems to be quite busy these days and i decide i need a little respite from it all, so i open up my pantry and see what will sooth the soul....LENTIL SOUP!!!. i decide to cook a hearty lentil soup for dinner, pour myself a glass of Macallan 12 year, and sit down to watch a film tonight. It's this kind of evening meal that truly sings COMFORT to me.

here is the recipe:

1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
3 stalks of celery finely chopped
2 red potatoes
8 cloves of garlic chopped
1 1/4 cups of lentils
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 cup of wine
15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
red chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 quarts of vegetable stock
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Garnish:
chopped parsely
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
grated parm cheese

saute and sweat onion, carrots and celery. add garlic, bay leaf and chili flakes. add tomato paste, tomato sauce and wine. cook till sauce slightly reduces. add lentils, potatoes, vegetable stock and spices(coriander, cumin, and paprika). bring to a boil and simmer till lentils are al dente and soup reduces slightly. season to taste with lemon and salt & pepper. blend with immersion blender to desired consistency. add garnishes.

bon appetit.

Ljubljana!!!!

After three week of touring across Europe, on the verge of getting sick, averaging 4 hours of sleep the past few days, being pulled over by the border police today, and generally feeling worn down, we arrived in Ljubljana.

We immediately went to Matt's (Dub Trio's EU live sound engineer) house. His parents, Dora & Boris, greeted us with a firm handshake and big hugs. NICEST PEOPLE. We then sat down to an amazing lunch of vegetable matzo ball soup (very healing), parsley'd potatoes, mushrooms in cream sauce, rocket salad, steamed vegetables, and patitza for desert. All washed down with a fruity and slightly effervescent red Slovenian wine. It was so great to get a home cooked meal.

A couple hours later, upon arriving to Gala Hala for sound check, we found a nicely stocked backstage...thanks Kaja. And our good friend Dornik brought us a great bottle of Slovenian red fermented grape juice (Simcic, Refosk 2008). We then made our way to dinner at a decent Slovenian Italian restaurant. The garlic cream soup was rich, bursting with flavor and was exactly what my body needed to help encourage my white blood cells to get their shit together.

After dinner, back at the club, we enjoyed a little Slivovitz as a digestif before taking the stage...thanks again Kaja. The gig was fierce and pummeling!!! GREAT CROWD! GREAT SOUND! GREAT ENERGY!

All in all it was a healing (except for the lack of oxygen due to the excessive amounts of cigarette smoke in the club), fulfilling, generous, and great day in Ljubljana.

A Steady Diet of...

As I traverse towards Linz from Vienna, I thought I would share several, almost daily, themes on this current EU Dub Trio tour.

1. Musli topped with honey for breakfast. Each hotel seems to have a different blend. I prefer one with small fruit pieces or chocolate chips thrown in for sweetness and texture
2. Perfect pushups and core strengthing exercises
3. PBS's Frontline, TED talks, & Radiolab podcasts
4. Not getting enough protien for dinner as vegetarian eating dinners provided by club catering...glad I stocked up on cliff bars before tour started
5. Mediocre wine provided by club catering...augmented by a few choice purchases on my own dime
6. Reading about The Bradly Method
7. Not getting enough sleep
8. Realizing I'm lucky enough to travel the world and share my art
9. Being annoyed that they still haven't outlawed smoking in every club or venue i play
10. Admiring the autumn countryside views


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When in Rome...

While on tour, i always try my best to get out and sample
some of the local treasures the cities have to offer, Whether it be music, food & libations, art & architecture, etc.... even at the expense of not getting enough sleep sometimes.

However, i've been guilty of making an excuse like..."oh, i don't really need to check this or that out because i'll be able to find it in nyc." I am spoiled living in the best city in the world.

Well, after being on this current European tour, I can tell you that things REALLY are better where they come from. A sense of place and context can really make an experience one to remember. I pretty much already knew this, but this past week it really hit home that "local" rules!!!

i mean the olive oil in Greece tastes AMAZING!!! ..and it didn't travel thousands of miles for me to pay double (or triple) of what i would pay for it in Greece.

Being in Tel Aviv and going to ANOTHER great hummus place, far outweighs going to "Hummus" on 1st ave and St. Marks again...even though their hummus is legit.

Drinking a bottle of 2005 Bordeaux, bought from a French supermarket for 5 Euro, is a much better experience than paying the huge markups we deal with in the US.
Or similarly, drinking some local Ouzo in Athens, from a distillery that been around since the 1920's, is so much better than buying a bottle at the Duty Free shop on my flight out.

Going to see the Monet exhibit at The Grand Palais....even though i didn't get in because the line was 3 hours too long, would have been a lot more hip than checking out a retrospective at The Met. Again, similarly, seeing the "Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan" painting at the Tetryakov gallery in Moscow was ruled.


No matter where you are in the world, get out there and explore. EXPERIENCE is not underrated.

Four Shorts

I really wanted to get a new video together for the past few months, but i've been traveling so much lately
and haven't had the time to make it happen. shooting the content, importing it, cutting it up, making a soundtrack.....what to do?

well.....i opened up my iPhone app, Qik Video (an app that lets you shoot video with a
3G iPhone....i'm kickin it old school) and went through some my videos over the past six months.

i picked a few i thought were interesting, two already had decent enough sound, and i spliced them
together into one video as four shorts.

what the lesson here:
sometimes the materials are right in front of your face and you just need to take the time and look around.

here is the LINK
to my youtube channel. the video is featured

....and while your there check a few others.
enjoy

On Tour with Puddin de Pan

sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and stale bread....what's not to love. the tour started two days ago and i decided it will be a "bread pudding across america tour." playing drums for about two hours a night for two months straight and getting in a 5k run every other day, i had no qualms about putting back some serious pudding. With the help of a few key websites, some local input and a little intuition, my adventures led me to sample seventeen of America's favorite day-old-bread-delights. the criterion was simple: eat as much bread pudding as possible and try to remain objective...just the facts. Here are some of the hightlights...you be the judge;

Ale Mary's Krispy Cream Bread Pudding - Baltimore, MD.
This tasted like 3,000 calories of pure sugary goodness. Krispy Cream doughnuts sandwiched between soft white bread with cinnamon notes. topped with Bourbon and caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a dollop of french vanilla ice cream. sweet, rich, & heavy. paired well with a scotch ale.


Mama Ricotta's - Charlotte, NC
It was restaurant week in Charlotte and it just so happened that bread pudding was one of the prix fixe deserts on the list. bingo! Warm moist white bread (good soak) w/ raisins(i must admit, i don't like raisins in my bread pudding), topped w/ a salty carmel sauce & dusted with powdered sugar. served w/ vanilla and cinnamon ice cream and a caramel sugar crisp garnish. nice hint of butterscotch with a good use of salt in a dessert.

Mary Mac's Tea Room - Atlanta, GA
white bread with baked apple chunks (similar to cobbler). nice buttery texture with a sweet baked brown sugar taste. served in a sweet red wine sauce with a baked crust top. very southern style bread pudding.

House of Blues - Houston, TX
White chocolate banana bread pudding. a dense thick mound of bread with a baked banana flavor. served with vanilla ice cream, white chocolate sauce and a mint garnish. a bit dry, quite thick, and not overly sweet.

Beasy's On the Creek - Ashland, OR
This pudding came out HOT! very buttery and served with generous portion of bourbon sauce, whipped cream, and some good old raisins. bread was quite moist and surprisingly light with a butter & carmel finish.

Etta's - Seattle, WA
my first brioche pudding and quite light in weight. nice notes of cinnamon baked into the semi-moist and soft textured bread. served with caramel & vanilla ice cream with a garnish of blackberries. the berries added a nice depth of flavor. perfect portion size for an after dinner desert.

Sweet Life - Eugene, OR
Pre-made and served heated up by microwave. the microwave really brought out the butter. served with caramel sauce and whipped cream. the bread was light with a nice fluffy quality. Firm baked top with baked in walnuts added good texture. Simple and a bit dry. disappointing after the hype that surrounded this place.

Tin Angel Cafe - Salt Lake City, UT
quite an interesting bread pudding. made from compacted croissants. fresh berries baked into the bread. caramel & creme anglaise sauce (rich and creamy). baked brown sugar nut topping. nice balance, but the bread could have been a bit more moist.

Gumbo's - Austin, TX
Southern style bread pudding with a firm, well soaked and set bread. served with a whiskey anglaise sauce with a hint of cinnamon along side vanilla ice cream and mint garnish. subtle, with a nice balance of integrated flavors.

Mothers - New Orleans, LA
comfort food style bread pudding. not the prettiest presentation, but tasted damn good. very soft in texture and cooked with a lot of butter. crispy baked outer crust served with a whiskey / toffee sauce. sweet brown sugar finish. down home style.

The Tomato Head - Knoxville, TN
Sour Apple baked bread pudding. fluffy light bread with a oven baked flavor. a little warm milk served in the bottom of the bowl was nice touch. baked sugar topped crust. good textures and balance of flavors.

The Little Fountain Cafe - Washington, DC
a Bon Appetit recipe alumni. another brioche bread budding in a strong rum & cinnamon sauce and some baked-in chocolate chips. a rich buttery flavor with brown sugar notes, the firm, but soft set bread was topped with a white chocolate drizzle. chocolate chips were melt-in-your-mouth consistency which complimented the already luscious pudding. worthy of my visit 10 minutes before taking the stage.

The Dessert Truck - NYC
It's funny how things come full circle. while talking to my wife on the phone about a week before the end of tour, she was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay and this episodes "throwdown" just happened to be about bread pudding...guess who won that "throwdown?"....yep, that's right, The Dessert Truck. While home from tour and walking the streets of Manhattan, the The Dessert Truck and I just so happened to cross paths.
Warm Chocolate bread pudding w/ vanilla sauce(real vanilla bean)...there is an option of bacon custard sauce, but steering clear of the swine, i opted for the latter. warm chocolate(good quality cocoa), almost molten like, center was a perfect consistency to magnify the bread pudding's creamy texture. topped w/ fresh whipped cream and a chocolate crisp this rich and lightly eggy bread pudding was highly delectable.

If you don't know, now you know.

Good Day Chicago

Yesterday morning started off with the motivation to find the best bread pudding, but being stuck on a peninsula and lack of a vehicle, I settled for chocolate covered coffee filled doughnuts and buying a bike for $0.01....oh yeah, the gig at Carter One Pavillion wasn't too bad either.












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Hittin skins

It's been a really great couple of weeks playing music. Downtown Studios with Outasight. New Dub Trio record 85% finished at Avatar & Studio G. Mountain Jam with Matisyahu. Matt Lowell at Avatar. Playing a Disney remake on The Tonight Show coming up
next week. Yep.


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Brooklyn

It's nice to be home for a while. Hanging with my lady and the cats. Cooking my ass off. Dub Trio gig and recording session. Buying some vinyl again(*picture outside of Academy Record Annex). Appreciating what I have. Reminding myself it's ok to be a human BEING and not always a human DOING.


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WWW.FLWRPT.COM

WOW! The cat who posts this blog definitely does their hip-hop homework. i mean there is some serious time spent digging for this kind of knowledge. quite a few video gems, mixtapes, and album discoveries.

Party. Pizza Party.

wow, i can't think of the last time i actually made pizza from scratch. i think it had to have been sometime in late 80's at my pops house.. moreover, it was probably a Chef Boyardee pizza-in-a-box. while thinking of some new dishes to make in the upcoming week, i decided tonight was going to be pizza night.

after Dub Trio rehearsal i had an hour or so to make the dough (a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached bread flours, yeast and warm water, olive oil, and salt). upon finishing combining, mixing, kneading, oiling, and covering my creation it was straight to a meeting that went just long enough to let the dough rise. back home...voila...the dough had risen to more than twice it's size, and with a good punch down the center to remove any air bubbles, i started to make a pesto (basil, garlic, pine nuts, parm chesse, olive oil, and s&p). i separated the dough into two chunks. the first was to be rosemary infused crust (add fresh coarsely chopped rosemary while rolling the dough into shape) topped with the pesto and shitake and cremini mushrooms. the second pie was a simple San Marzano tomato sauce, a few dollops of the fresh pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese, olive oil, white truffle oil, and s&p.

i baked each for pie about 20 minutes on 500 degrees, and low and behold....PIZZA!

GUMBO night

since i've been eating food again for three days now, i've had a serious craving for some GUMBO. i remember eating some delicious seafood gumbo for lunch before sound check at the House of Blues in NO. i asked as many locals who has the best seafood gumbo within walking distance...my answer was Johnny's Po-Boys. a small little hole in the wall resto, filled with locals, a few tables and some folks behind the counter that looked like they knew what they were doing. this was the first time i had REAL gumbo. on a side note, the BBQ Shrimp at Mr. B's for dinner that night was killing. next time i go back it will the The Gumbo shop on the hit list.

back to tonight....so i figured i would make vegetable and soy chipotle sausage gumbo. last time i made seafood doing my best to recreate Johnny's.

Whole Foods stop:

onion, green pepper, celery (the holy trinity), garlic, okra, soy chorizo (or real adouille for you meat lovers), tomatoes (a big no-no in Cajon style, but we're making Creole), black-eyed peas, and i had the remaining ingredients (oil & flour (for the roux), dried herbs(thyme, basil, oregano), worcestershire, creole seasoning blend(must include cayenne pepper and paprika), homemade vegetable stock (seafood stock with seafood gumbo), lemon, and s&p).

basic recipe:

brown the sausage in a pan.
in a separate soup pot start the roux and cook to desired color. add the chopped vegetables (but not the okra) and aromatics and cook till tender. add browned sausage, diced tomatoes, okra, and stock. add seasoning and spices. bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 1 hour uncoverd. stirring occasionally and seasoning to taste. serve over rice and garnish with spring onions.

tips....

--cook the roux, without burning it, on med-high heat to get it as close to a dark chocolate color as possible. **stir constantly
--don't under season. it is a hearty soup and can take a little salt, heat, and spice. you can add bit of lemon or cider vinegar for some acidity. or try a small bouquet garni with some peppercorns, fresh parsley, bay leaf, whole cloves, etc....
--if you can't deal with the "slime" from your okra you can roast it in the oven for 10 minutes to take out a bit of its inherent moisture. however, the "slime" does help as a thickener in the soup.
--make sure your stock is very flavor-FULL. again, it is a soup and stock is the base. you can add Better Than Bouillon or Kitchen Bouquet to help with a uninspired stock.
--after bringing everything to a boil allow to simmer, with the lid off, and reduce and concentrate flavors
--server with a nice cold beer, California Zinfandel, Sancerre blanc, Australian Sauvignon blanc, or an Arnold Palmer.

YEZZIR

Drinking Food

Upon my return from South America i went straight into a juice fast. no caffeine. no wine. no solids. motherf'in fruits and vegetables. i went out and bought myself a Breville juicer, a plethora of produce and went to town. albeit a short cleanse, as day 6 approaches mañana, its almost time to eat solids again. here's some food for thought:

1. making your own version of V8 RULES and its contains about 90% less sodium. i made more like V12...adding things like parsnip, kale, golden beets, scallion as well as the obligatory celery, carrot, spinach and the like. try adding a little garlic (helps immune system, anti-everything, and aids in allergy relief). adding a few brussel sprouts will not disappoint either.

2. by adding a little peeled and juiced lime to any green juice will cut the bitterness and give a slightly sweet flavor.

3. grapefruit, blackberry, pineapple & pear juice combo RULES!!!

4. watermelon, ginger & fresh orange juice RULES...thanks Stu.

5. place your glasses in the freezer to chill them before pouring in the juice.

6. reuse your produce bags in the pulp container to cut down on clean up.

it's probably a good idea to buy all "organic" produce, since it will be the only thing you'll be putting in your body for an extended period of time.

....i broke my fast with vegetable soup (use some of the scraps & peels from the juice cleanse to make your own veggie stock for the soup), an avocado smoothie (avo, banana, pineapple, honey, rice milk) and homemade spirulina bars (spirulina powder, honey, various nuts & seeds, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger powder)