Making Love in the Kitchen

As I prepare for another deliciously delightful 5-Days Vegan that I hope you’ll join me for on February 21st, I have also been venturing into the land of new vegetables. I suppose that’s what travelling does to someone who is a nutrition nerdress like me (though I say that without judgment). Monday we talked eggplant, today, I am kicking it slimy style with okra.

This is okara:

Okra is a green vegetable that is mildly fuzzy on the outside and majorly slimy on the inside. As revolting as that unjust description may sound, don’t judge a vegetable by its furry/slimyness and instead trust that 1) it IS delicious and 2) that slimyness is a little health bonus.

Am I ever excited to share these little tidbits with you:

* The superior-powered stylings of fiber found in okra helps stabilize blood sugar by slowing the rate at which it is absorbed.
* Okra’s mucilage (the slimy part) binds with cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins that get dumped by our hard working liver and gets that shyte out.

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I spent my formative years (from about the age of 11 to 23) taking family trips to Jamaica so I suppose the Caribbean spirit captured me pretty early on. I like to think that I understand a bit of the Jamaica patois after all this time, but the St. Lucian Creole blend is pretty much lost on me. There are three main reasons I think I was born into the wrong packaging.

1. I have a booty that was meant to be shaken
2. I have a laugh that bellows big from my little self
3. I love the food!

I also kind of feel the laid back vibe down here is just infectiously amazing and they look at little North American me and think I am wound up tighter than tourist braids.

Speaking of which…. we all make mistakes- and sadly I am clearly not 11 years old here.

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I love a good healing meal. My go to for the healing herbs always tend to be the ones used predominantly in Indian cooking. They just always do the trick with the perfect balance of warming, cooling, expanding, contracting and I am sure I have just about lost you. The thing about traditional Indian cooking [...]

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A happy Chanuka all around. Tomorrow is the first day of the 8 day Jewish holiday Chanuka. I can’t say I am particularly observant when it comes to the Yiddness I was born with. Aside from my appearance and my penchant for chicken soup, I am not all that involved at all.  Chanuka however,  a [...]

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In honour of one of Toronto most vibrant festivals of the year, Scotiabank Caribana Festival, this week is dedicated to the flavours and spirit of  the part of the world I love best, the Caribbean. I always found it a little confusing that rice and peas, a mainstay of the Jamaican diet is actually made [...]

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