Vegan Mofo 2019 Day #3: Sweet Cocoa Tea (Hot & Cold)

For my third Vegan Mofo post, I remember visiting Grenada last year, drinking continuous cups of cocoa tea (also known as cacao tea) at the House of Chocolate-- a museum, cafe, and shop. Cocoa tea is a beverage of choice for several Caribbean countries including Grenada and St. Lucia. It is usually pure cacao husk blended with bay leaf and spices and formed into a ball or stick form. Like traditional tea, it is meant to be activated in hot water and sweetened however way one wants it.

At the House of Chocolate in Grenada last May with cocoa tea and cane sugar.

You can purchase cocoa tea/cacao tea from various places online. The Grenada Market in Brooklyn sells Spice Caribbean Cocoa Balls and kkao (currently sold out of their teas) features cacao teas from all over the world.
The taste is an amazingly delicious hot cocoa meets tea, rich and flavorful.

Cocoa Tea Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup water
1 cocoa tea ball or cocoa stick
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup almond milk (or any dairy free alternative)
1/4 cup cane sugar (or maple syrup)

Place cocoa tea ball or stick into the water with cinnamon sticks, stirring until the ball dissolves.
Add almond milk and cane sugar.

*To have cold, follow all instructions, then pour cocoa tea into pitcher, and keep refrigerated for four hours. Add ice cubes for additional chill.

Vegan Mofo 2019 Day #2: Angel Hair With Seared Carrot Dawgs

In the second Vegan Mofo post dedicated to Caribbean Cuisine, is a remix on Haiti's popular spaghetti which usually has hot dogs or fish as a topping. For my version, I used angel hair and chopped carrot dawgs-- a flavorful, delicious meal that takes some time, but is worth the end game.

Angel Hair With Seared Carrot Dawgs Ingredients and Preparation

8 large carrots, boiled and chopped

marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 tablespoon maple syrup, agave nectar or cane sugar
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoon coconut oil

1 1/2 cup angel hair
2 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic
pinch of salt and black pepper
chopped green onions and dried white onion (optional)

After chopping softened carrots, soak them in the hand whisked marinade and let sit in these flavors for an hour or so. Overnight is also alright.
In a skillet, heat coconut oil and toss in carrot dawgs, stirring until each side is seared.
Prepare angel hair to package directions. Toss with tomatoes, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
Place seared carrot dawgs and green and white onion on top of angel hair. Serve warm.

Vegan Mofo 2019 Day #1: Jamaican Jerk Cauliflower

Kick things off with a delicious bowl of crisp cauliflower.

Hello Vegan Mofo and the regular visitors of AfroVeganChick. Welcome to a whole month of Caribbean themed cuisine that ventures all the over the region, exploring ways to create vegan dishes and re innovate those that aren't (like Saltfish and Ackee for example).

Officially participating in my seventh Vegan Mofo.

I used Well Vegan's Cauliflower "Wings" recipe to start off a hot, sweltering August. Although cutting out the baking process by using frozen cauliflower and no added flours for textural crunch, my creation is still a wonderful tribute to the spicy flare of Jamaican food. I've never used habañero peppers before and they're spicy-- so cut them as small as possible and mix well. As a light, delicious sauce to balance out the cauliflower, try vegan sour cream and chives or Well Vegan's vegan yogurt and lime juice.

Jamaican Jerk Cauliflower Ingredients and Preparation

1 bag frozen cauliflower (or a whole head of cauliflower chopped)
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Jamaican Jerk Sauce

1 scotch bonnet or habañero pepper, seeds removed and diced
3 green onions, diced (or scallion)
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice (also known as pimento)
1 teaspoon ginger
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 tablespoon maple syrup or can sugar (for soy sauce)
1/2 teaspoon salt (for liquid aminos)

Bring frozen cauliflower to a boil and drain. 
Combine Jamaican Jerk Sauce ingredients and mix with cauliflower.
In a medium skillet, heat up coconut oil and add cauliflower. Cook for 7-10 minutes.

Fried Brown Rice With Oriental Sweet Potatoes and Sour Cream

Breakfast was a lovely affair of fried brown rice and my favorite kind of sweet potatoes-- the Oriental first introduced to me last year in Grenada. They sell them at Kroger for 99 cents a pound-- one great ingredient that'll be experimented with during Vegan Mofo. My theme is Caribbean Cuisine and it all begins in two days.
I used curry seasonings for the brown rice and sweet potatoes, adding extra turmeric and fenugreek (love the smell if this spice) to enhance flavors and beautiful golden color.  All in all a fulfilling dish that satisfies, especially with the dollop of Tofutti Sour Cream on top. Perfect yum.

Fried Brown Rice With Oriental Sweet Potatoes and Sour Cream Ingredients and Preparation

1 cup brown rice
1 Oriental sweet potato, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon Tofutti sour cream

Prepare brown rice according to package directions and cook chopped sweet potato until softened.
In a skillet, heat olive oil and add brown rice, sweet potatoes, and dried ingredients, blending well.
Sear on all sides and serve warm with sour cream on top.

Rainbow Spirals With Spicy Tempeh

There is tempeh beneath the delicious flavors wafting through.

As the summer temperature raises on, light pasta meals are still a perfect way to end the night, especially with some easy tempeh crumble. All in all, it is also budget friendly and quick to prepare. I placed half a package of Trader Joe's three grain tempeh ($1.99), crumbling  in hot coconut oil and mixing in a variety of spices including fennel seed to give plain pasta an added kick.

Rainbow Spirals With Spicy Tempeh Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup rainbow spiral pasta
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
4 oz. tempeh, cubed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Prepare pasta to package directions and set aside once fully cooked.
In a medium pan, combine coconut oil and garlic. Add nutritional yeast, tempeh, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, fennel seed, black  pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Stir until evenly browned.
Toss in pasta and turn off heat.

Top with extra nooch. 

Enjoy. 

Peanut and Sesame Tofu and Zoodles

Zoodles can make you not miss pasta at all.

My budget summer continues with a yummy bowl of peanut butter sauced spiraled zucchini and tofu. At Kroger, I bought two beautiful zucchini squashes for $1.59. Their two ingredient peanut butter (roasted peanuts and salt) is $1.79 throughout August (plus I loaded a 30 cent off coupon onto my frequent buyer card) and extra firm tofu is on sale for $1.59.
I'm obsessed with peanut butter-- sweet or savory. Nothing matters. If peanut butter is involved, my taste buds are all for it-- well, all-vegan of course. I prefer the crunchy over the creamy, but my childhood was the exact opposite. For some reason, I hated the texture, especially picking the random peanuts off my tongue.
Peanut and Sesame Tofu Zoodles is definitely for those needing an extraordinary salad. It is best served at room temperature. Yet I'm sure this would be amazing pan fried as well.

Peanut and Sesame Tofu and Zoodles Ingredients and Preparation

1 zucchini, rinsed and spiraled
1 cup chopped tofu
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Toss all ingredients together until evenly distributed.
Serve either cool or warm.

These dynamite, flavor packed zoodles will make you not mourn the loss of pasta.

Chickpea Tacos

Chickpeas are amazing. That's all.

I have been busy writing, drawing, and budgeting. It seems like time passes by so swiftly. I didn't even realize that it has been going on almost seven and a half years vegan for me. I reached out to one of my favorite magazines -- expect a post from a certain publication soon. My latest post about visiting Augusta Savage's exhibit at New York Historical Society is up on phillyartblog and my body positive short story "Two Cups in a Bind" was recently published in the first launched SONKU Literary Magazine issue.

Other big life changes, I moved back to Dayton, Ohio and plan to take creative writing classes in the fall to strengthen my writing passions. In the meantime, I am committed to writing personal essays and short stories over the summer and using sketchbooks. I have been drawing almost everyday, alternating between graphite and watercolor. One of my current projects is "Black Women Writers From A to Z," illustrating and discussing black women across the African diaspora who are novelists, playwrights, essayists, poets, etc. The response has been pretty positive so far.

First page doodles of "Black Women Writers From A to Z ."
A is for Alice Walker
C is for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
D is for Dorothy West
E is for Edwidge Danticat
F is for Frances Harper
G is for Gwendolyn Brooks
H is for Harriet Jacobs

Third and fourth page doodles of "Black Women Writers From A to Z."
H (2) is for Helen Oyeyemi
I is for Ijeoma Umebinyuo
J is for Jamaica Kincaid
K is for Katori Hall
L is for Lorraine Hansberry
M is for Maya Angelou
N is for Ntozake Shange
O is for Octavia Butler

Almost everyday I pack my lunch before going downtown. Currently, there is no internet in the house. So I walk thirty minutes to the library- rain or shine with peanut butter and cherry preserves sandwiches. On occasion, I crave other things to sate my afternoon hunger. Like chickpea tacos.

Yes, yes. Another chickpea centered recipe. I eat chickpeas a lot. Like almost every other day. I mean 75 cents per can is definitely a saver. Since moving back to Dayton, I have fallen back into the habit of shopping at Kroger-- a much cheaper grocery option than many Philly favorites. Thus, chickpeas are on every grocery list.


Chickpea Tacos Ingredients and Preparation

1 14.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
small soft flour tortillas or hard taco shells

Fork smash chickpeas and mix with all ingredients.

This mixture can be served warmed or cold. 

These corn tortillas were on sale $1.25 for a package of thirty. One can go through these pretty quickly-- taco fans especially.

Tacos and tea: a winning combination.