The Spiceology of Life, We're on a Chef's Roll

Spiceology has 13 Salt Free Blends!

Roasted Ratatouille Sandwich w/ Cauliflower Pistou on Herbed Cloud Bread

 I am fortunate enough to have been selected to take part in a most exciting adventure with the help of Chef's Roll and Spiceology.  In support of and in conjuntion with the National Kidney Foundation, chefs and Culiniarians from all over the United States are coming together to create recipes, for those with salt sensitivities or other renal conditions that makes too much salt, a most dangerous and unwelcome endeavor, potentially putting their lives at stake, yes, causing death.  

Renal conditions do not have to mean loss of enjoyment and flavors in your meals and with the help of Spiceology, kicking up meals and taking delicious bites of life, just got easier.  Spiceology presents us with 13 magnificent Salt Free blends to layer on the taste, wake up the taste buds and put enjoyment back on the menu for almost 370 million people, worldwide.  The best part of it is you don't have to have an issue with your kidneys to care about the sodium you consume, sometimes senselessly in some other seasonings available on the market.  Spiceology has new and inventive blends, that in turn may be blended together to create just about any flavor profile from any cuisine you can think of.  Purple Haze, Everything Bagel, Chile Margarita, Steak and Bake, Mango Tango, Lemon Pink Peppercorn, Really Ranch, Guac and Roll, Greek Freak, Pizza Pie and El Taco are some of the names of these awesome blends, each one, as spectacular as the next.  No longer do you have to accept the salt with the rest of the principal ingredients of a spice and herb blend, Spiceology makes it easy.  

Bold and bright, Spiceology brings the A game and inspired the recipe for the photo above, Roasted Ratatouille with Cauliflower Pistou on Herbed Cloud Bread.  Head on over to Chef's Roll and Spiceology to check out the amazing Salt Free recipes for your viewing enjoyment and a  detailed listing of each blends' specific ingredients. Better yet, get your hands on some and work your magic!  An added incentive to this exhilarating challenge is that I too have become more aware of the added salts in these herb and spice blends on the market' and I am happy to be a new edition to the Spiceology family. 

 You can have more confidence in the foods and dishes you prepare for clients and family members, knowing there are no 'sneaky', unwanted salts hanging around or hiding in your herb and spice blends, making the meal healthier and better for  you, with just a pinch, shake or a palmful. This #lifeordeathrecipe challenge is just that.  Take charge and get BOLD with Spiceology, Chef's Roll and the National Kidney Foundation.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something much bigger than myself and helpful to those in need... of a little spice in their life!  I have several more recipes featuring Spiceology Blends to be submitted to the challenge, wish me luck!

Veg-cellent!

A good tip for making sure you get your proper veggies for family meals is to go ahead and prepare them all at one time, for the whole week.  That may sound like a lot of work, but in reality, it shaves tons of time off your meal planning for each and every day, making light work out of 1/3 of the decision process.  The only thing that will be needed is a protein and a starch, then you're good to go.  The easier the vegetables are to access, the more likely your family members are to consume them.  Simply grill a bunch of your favorite veggies as seen above or to your specific liking and let the fun begin.  The prepared items may be added to a large, plastic and rectangular bowl with a lid.  For mealtime, you can have an extensive variety to choose from with ease.  I used my newest 'toy' for these guys, a 17 inch tabletop outdoor griddle, put out by Blackstone. It's fueled by these handy 1 lb. canisters of propane, and the work surface is such that you can get a substantial amount grilled at once.  I love it!  I even made Pad Thai on the griddle for a super fresh and easy dinner one night, then we had dinner right on the patio, serving off the griddle, serving as the warmer and the dish.  Now, back to the veggies, you can vary your seasonings and flavorings by way of different oils and salts, even butters.  I used Ghee for some of the above vegetables.  For others, I used simple extra virgin olive oil.  Of course, you can prepare the vegetables separately or in combinations.  I found that doing both ways was the bee's knees! 

 I also used this magnificent oil called Cocavo, which is a blend of organic, unfiltered coconut and avocado oil, scented with Lemon, along with Turmeric.   This oil is bright, light and full of fresh flavor, complementing whatever you add to it with lots of vigor and flavor pop!  

The vegetables may also serve as add ins to your Ramen, soups, sandwiches and other dishes you make, easy peasy.  Realistically, you may want to freeze them until needed, but the fact that they are super ready to go will serve you and your family in a considerable way better than needing to wait for them to defrost or thaw, which will change the texture and more likely the level of satisfaction with your dishes.  

Trick or Tokyotreat October 2020 Box! Shoto Todoroki and the MHA Crew Too for a 2020 Halloween Bash that's Plus Ultra

Treat Yourself with Tokyotreat!

 

Tokyotreat features unique and fun Japanese snacks!

Tokyotreat October 2020 Box

Halloween Tablescape with Tokyotreat and My Hero Academia, some of our favorites.  These treats are amazing and hand picked by the  Tokyotreat gang!  My family loves getting together and sampling all these wonderful snacks and knick knacks, every one is as good as the next! Keep up the Good Work.  Stay Plus Ultra!

NOTE: The Shoto Todoroki Figurine and The My Hero Academia Mini Backpack are personal belongings of Bronwyn's and are not included in the featured October Box.  

Hot Cheetos Chicken, Mukbang Style

Hot Cheetos Chicken!

 After seeing these brilliantly colored food items, ensconced in a Hot Cheetos hail of fire, I could not and the kiddoes would not let me rest, until I emulated what we'd seen and quell our curiosities.  My young teens have stumbled upon and subsequently introduced me to  Mukbang or Mukbanging, which from  my understanding and  a visual assessment is when people record themselves eating massive quantities of food, with the main focus on the sounds made while doing so, ergo biting, chewing and swallowing.  The menus of the participants vary, from French fries, burgers, cheese sticks, onion rings and chicken nuggets to king crabs, octopus and whole fried spam dipped in cheese sauce and various other delicious looking dishes, from their native country.  American youth are taking part in the action too. I have seen Soul Food plates with greens, cornbread, chicken, ribs and macaroni and cheese, crab boil platters, loads of McDonald's food, KFC and Taco Bell, plus hot wing trays. Please be advised, I never said these practices were healthy or healthful, but no judgement here, so save your waistline by watching someone else do it.   One of the coolest parts of these videos is the participants that prepare their dishes right before your eyes. It seems to be the standard to wear gloves for the event, black usually.  I am not certain as to the exact reasons other than hygiene, but likely to draw focus to the hands and for dramatic effect and contrast.  

 There are copious amounts of noodles and noodle bowls with all the accouterments and super hot sauces.  The displays also feature random other vegetables lying around like fresh mushrooms, peppers and lettuce leaves, that serve as quick bites and vessels to house some of the prepared proteins and items that are small by comparison.  

Another very popular dish to Mukbang is select items breaded with Hot Cheetos and deep fried to crunchy hot perfection.  This was almost bizarre to me at first, but after seeing it done and all the items the Bangers would 'incrimsonate' (to make red or add red color) with those crushed, hot little staffs of goodness, I had to give it a go.  I'm glad I  did. 

 The breading is a two step method, one with egg wash as the binder of the crushed Cheetos to the protein or items of choice. I wasn't certain of the heat index for this first round, so I decided to mix in some of the original Cheetos with the Hot Cheetos.  The regular ones can be seen in the flecks on the chicken pictured above.  I found the finished dish not so full of fiery heat, so next time, I'll use the Hot Cheetos XXL, yeah, it's a thing!

I used boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets for my recipe and they turned out marvelous.   The crisp and satisfying crunch may be obtained by using an air fryer or a deep fry method.  Either way, if you are a fan of Cheetos and chicken or anything with 'crunchtacity,' (the ability of a food item to audibly crunch) this method is for you.  The breading allows the protein to stay moist during cooking, which is a plus! The color alone is brilliantly seductive in nature, encouraging you to feel the burn of chilies, even before your first bite!  I can't wait to share the next recipe and photography with you all, it's a tossup between  Hot Cheetos Cauliflower and  Katsudon, Hot Cheetos style.  Katsudon is a breaded and fried pork cutlet, served with egg and thinly sliced onions, simmered in a  delicious and flavor forward brown sauce, over steamed rice.  My daughter Bronwyn and huge Anime fan, chose this dish as her 13th birthday meal, while my nephew Braelyn, also an 'Animeniac', decided on Sweet and Sour Chicken as his celebratory meal on his 14th birthday, only two days later. Both were served with my go to Yellow Jasmine Rice recipe and Braelyn's with veggie stir fry on the side.   They were pleased with their menus and I beamed with pride in contributing to their special days!  Stay tuned for the next episode of Hot Cheetos Cuisine!

Bronwyn's dish, Katsudon for her 13th birthday.

Katsudon for my mom.

My Hero Academia Plus Ultra Energy Drinks!

On the Hunt for the Elusive Paw Paw

This year, our Paw Paw haul was considerably smaller than that of the last.  Normally, there are several of us that partake in the 'hunt', at least two people, to watch each other's back, especially along the highway.  There are some super secret locations from which we harvest these fragrant and most delightful gems.  The Paw Paw is known by many names, but its scientific name is Asimina Triloba and its been around for quite some time. The Paw Paw, also known by many other monikers like Poor Man's Banana, Kentucky Banana and more recently, Hipster Banana to name a few.  I highlight many more of its most amazing benefits in a previous article I posted, Paw Paw Poundcake.  This is the only tropical like fruit that grows indigenous in the Americas, most along the Eastern Side of the United and Southern States.  The Paw Paw has a very volatile shelf life, so it is not available in the Mass Market.  The Farmer's Market is the best place to find them potentially during late August to early October, but for my area of Central Virginia, its definitively late August thru the first couple weeks of September.  

I was so excited to finally find a few this season, I ate one in the car, on the short drive home. I wiped it with my shirt and peeled it with my teeth.  I asked the Paw Paw where its buddies were, of course it did not answer.  I knew there were more to be located, because the intoxicating, majestic and sweet aroma fills the air, you can literally follow your nose.  They flourish in partially shaded and well drained, but moist soil.

Most of the fruits pictured below were a tad too hard yet, the less appealing the skin gets, the better it becomes. The tropical and fragrant notes are more pronounced and the taste is exotic and familiar at the same time.  It possesses the mouthfeel almost like that of an avocado and it has good fats too!! 

 It is important to take advantage as soon as the Paw Paw start to ripen, the animals love them as much as we do and when they are ready, they will fall right from the tree, under its own weight.  They can literally litter the forest floor.  That is in part why they grow in natural groves, but it takes several years for a tree to produce fruit.  I finally have some of the seeds that I've thrown in my compost bed, start to grow on the back side and I can see many tiny trees, on their way to greatness.  I've also thrown them around the perimeter of our property over the years, to hopefully gain a few more followers, wish them luck!  

Paw Paw fruit, tropical and American at the same time.

The fruit of the Paw Paw are protected and almost hidden by its broad leaves.  They are much like the Morel in the spring, in that they are hard to spot, until you get accustomed to seeing them, then the magic happens.  Did I tell you that they smell Ahmazing!  I collected the Paw Paws pictured above from the roadside.  I didn't have the luxury at that moment, to go down the embankment, deeper into the woods, at the time or by myself.  I didn't get to go back, forfeiting my total haul for recipe development.  I am quite salty about that. The day was rainy and  I was in between rain showers when I made it to the area and with prior engagements looming, I could not steal any more moments, but I was glad that I at least harvested the few I did.  In the voice of Dr Claw, "Next time, Gadget!"  Now, I have to again wait until late August of next year.  Never miss a moment to tell a Paw Paw you care, they are gone in a flash!

Paw Paws trees have broad, flat leaves.

The fruits grow on the underside of the leaves, almost hidden.

 
 

Giving Your Cells a Hug!

Every time you consume natural fruits and vegetables, you impart remarkable benefits into your system and well being.  Even frozen ones are great choices, because they are typically harvested and frozen at maximum freshness and peak ripeness, sealing in the love of the precious sunlight and season, ready for whatever you have planned.  I usually get most of my frozen fruits from the Dollar Tree, that's right I said it.  They have a good supply of frozen fruits and veggies, plus coconut water, which are essential to the smoothie mixes we know and love.  I have some fantastic add ins from other places like protein powders, flax and chia seeds, but they aren't necessary to have a good for you and satisfying blend to drink and literally almost immediately, feel better, plus know you're doing your body a service that it appreciates.  I have Spirulina, Matcha, Ashwaghanda, Maca, Beet and other powders that I blend in with smoothies as well as baked items, imparting precious phytochemicals and other antioxidants into your daily regimen with just a couple of scoops.  

I prep our smoothie blends by pouring them into a large vessel and mixing them as evenly as possible and them transferring to quart sized or gallon sized bags for enough to make four with refills. Almost perfect nutrition is just a blend and pour away, a very affordable and phenomenal one at that!
 

American Buffet Blues and Covidity

My mother and me at a buffet before Covid-19.

Once upon a time, there was the American Buffet. The Americas bloom with hubs, casinos and family friendly spots, where one could have a run of the gamut of copious amounts of food choices.  Some specialize in the Comfort Food Style or Country Buffet settings, while others, though a bit more expensive, could provide more extensive and charming foods like prime rib, lobsters, crab legs, custom made sushi displays, chocolate fountains and American versions of Chinese Food.  

The sign that hung over the gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno,"Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here" is certainly the theme of the waist bands and waist lines of its patrons, at least for the night, because as much as we would like to think we aren't gluttonous in our ways, not limited to food alone, we are in fact liable to over indulge.  

I myself, am guilty of such, though not even close to the 21 year old me, with a gang of friends, fresh from taking a ride in the car, on the desolate back roads near our Alma Mater, with the herbal remedies consuming the vehicle, making it a practical dutch oven of Marley's Muse.  We  then headed to the Golden Corral for dinner, a proverbial orgy of mastication, from soups, salads, entree after entree, desserts, more entrees and topping it off with ice cream, refills of soft drinks, coffee and waters with lemon...We were inundated with food, no one there to tell us "You've had enough"  like we were too intoxicated to drive from the bar or had too much to drink, no safe words, emergency stop buttons or elder to reprimand us for putting too much on our plates, just full on satisfaction/misery for college work money well spent and participation overload, filled to the gills and as the moments ticked by, sick.

 We weren't sickened by food borne illnesses, like E Coli, Listeria or Staph, but rather overindulgence to a fault.  Back then, we possibly took for granted the assumption that everyone washed their hands, stayed home when they were not feeling well and were careful not to sneeze on or near other people or foods, remembered to cough or expel air into the curve of their elbows. 

Reflecting, we had only one instance of such food debauchery at an "all you can eat buffet," of which we never took part in again, at least not like that.  Those were the days...

With this  new 'normal', the American Buffet has been all but decimated, definitely compromised and even more of a risky endeavor than before.  We were already faced with the veritable lottery of illnesses and bacteria, susceptible to the preexisting conditions.  With Covid 19, the gamble is such that the slightest carelessness, even on the part of other consumers, can prove fatal, or at least regrettable.  From listening to the experiences of  people I know personally who have contracted, fought and recovered from Covid 19, I think I'll take the 'mild food poisoning for 1000 Alex', the lesser of two evils. 

With the Covidity of this situation reaching fever pitch, I feel that in order to save the American Buffet, many more safeguards must be implemented. I actually brainstormed some ideas of how to preserve its integrity, like requiring the patrons to wear disposable gloves when visiting the food stations, as not to transmit bacteria from handle to handle, no individual will be touching the actual handle, employees included.  Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Temperature checks at the door is not out of the question.  Some walk-thru  ultraviolet light systems at the entrance would be nice.  The sneeze guards would need to completely cover/separate the diners from the food items, with only the opening for the utensil, a small circle if you will, just large enough to get portions from the desired dish.  I also think there would have to be a station that immediately washes/disinfects the soiled trays, eating utensils, drinking vessels and discarded napkins, with proper sanitation methods applied.  It seems like a lot, but in fact a lot is at stake. 

 Consumers want to feel safe and a measure of comfort when venturing out to recapture some normalcy.  Alas, this is indeed only a phase and I have full confidence in our scientists and doctors to arrive at a cure we can all stand behind, soon.  Earlier, I mentioned the word (Covid)ity, I think I'll be the first to say, I coined this word to mean "1.) of dire importance, 2.) something that denotes the severeness of a situation or 3.) at the precipice of one's attention".  The suffix ity, is defined as "the state of being something".  This word is derived from the words and virus (Co)rona (Vi)rus (D)isease of the year 2019 or Covid 19 for short, (Covid is being presented as a noun per my definition ) which in reality is all of those definitions, and more. 

(Covid)ity may be used outside of the context of the virus, to communicate a certain importance of any thing or event.  This assigned definition of the scientific abbreviation gives us a takeaway that may be used interchangeably.  One day, this pandemic will be no more, but embossed on our brains, in history and medical books, its Covidity, never forgotten.