vegan – Luv Cooks

My friends!!

It’s Friday, it’s been an awesome month of January Luv Cooks smoothies, but now it’s time to end the month with an internet recipe round-up. Yeehaw, this word sounds a bit like a cattle call, but it’s actually going to be my monthly recipe secret inspiration stash I’d like to share with YOU!

Here’s my “Top 5 List” of the yummy smoothies left up for you to discover yourself. Comment below and tell me what you think!!

Banana, Coffee, Cashew and Cocoa Smoothie from Bon Appetit Bananas, cold brew coffee, cashews and cocoa powder: YES.

Coconut-Blueberry smoothie from Bon Appetit!

2. Coconut Blueberry Smoothie by Bon Appetit: Creamy coconut milk, frozen blueberries, mint leaves, honey… (sorry, I was daydreaming about this one).

3. Vegan Vanilla Milkshake Smoothie by Pop Fitness: This smoothie inspired me to start putting silken tofu into my morning routine. SO good, so much vanilla, so much creaminess, yummmmmm.

4. Spinach-Avocado Smoothie with Grapefruit by Epicurious: This smoothie TOTALLY intrigues me. Plus- look at their food photography! Hello, this is AMAZING.

5. Peachy Chia Chai Smoothie by Epicurious. Ok, you had me at chia chai!! I love the way chia seeds thicken a smoothie, plus the spices of chai (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) with frozen peaches sounds increddiblleeee.

Also, as part of our Luv Cooks effort to post every Friday, I think that it’s time for me to start passing along a little something extra to you guys every month. Every month I’ll plan to share a work/life/entrepreneurship lesson of sorts; a way to encourage you guys and make your life better! I’ll honestly share from my treasure trove of business and styling mistakes in an effort to encourage all of you to pursue your dreams! You were MADE for this abundant, creative life!

And sweet readers, know that I come to you completely humbly with these words of advice. When I began food styling all I had was a dream, a prayer– and a fierce, fiery desire to prove to everyone that we don’t have to live like the status quo. My favorite quote of all time is Helen Keller’s:

“Life is either a grand adventure or nothing else.”

Let’s LIVE that adventure everyone. It’s our destiny.

With that said, here it is, drumroll on lesson #1! In order to succeed as a food stylist/artist/creative entrepreneur, I believe you must have one quality above all else.

GRIT.

No, this is not the Southern side dish that I love to boil with whole milk and garlic cloves, then once it’s soft and rich, top with warm butter and cheddar cheese.

This is the OTHER kind of grit. The internal kind. It’s the gumption, the integrity, the strength, the resolve, the FIRE inside of you that REFUSES to give up until you accomplish your dream. It is a KEY determining factor to your life success, no matter the field.

In Angela Duckworth‘s TED talk that will rock your socks (it has almost 10 million views, #lifegoals), Angela says “GRIT is passion and peserverence for very long-term goals. GRIT is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future. Day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working REALLY HARD to make that future a reality.”

“Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Angela says. Or as Forbes magazine says it, “Optimism + Confidence + Creativity = Resilience = Hardiness =(+/- )Grit.”

Y’all- in our social media driven world, sometimes it looks like people just arrive places. They show up on the coolest photo shoots, with the coolest celebrities, rocking the coolest outfits. We think it was luck, or chance, that they got there. Or, like I struggle with sometimes, we think it’s the universe’s way of telling us we weren’t cut out for the big time like they are.

BUT THIS is a LIE!! Run screaming from this deception!! This voice does not tell you the TRUTH!

The truth is, as I have learned from YEARS of pushing my spirit, body, and my mind to go past my comfort zone- that a thriving, growing business IS NOT instant. Your triumphant success, whatever that looks like to you, most likely will not happen in a year, or two years; it might take five. But that is OK. Because food stylists- like many stylists and other talented professionals I know- recognize that we are in this for the long haul. We are working for the long term goals, influence, and the 10,000 plus hours it takes to become an expert and walk in the quality and strength of our work.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be an expert. I want to work hard and diligently and rest my head on the pillow at night knowing that I gave it my best. And that attitude- that “Wow, today may have sucked, but tomorrow I live to fight another day and accomplish my dream”- THAT is grit. Like Angela says, people with grit DON’T believe that failure is a permanent condition.

And GRIT is the mindset that all of this hard work is worth it. It will pay off in the end. It honors what we were made to accomplish.

So everyone- pluck up. YOU’VE GOT THIS. Pursue why you were put on this planet. And if you feel discouraged- well, I say you make a big bowl of cheesy grits (or blend up a smoothie) and rest in the fact that you gave it your all, and you WILL live to fight again tomorrow. And because you stuck with it, you WILL be a success.

LOVE YOU DEARLY my readers. Happy weekend!

I may have eaten more vegetables in the past twelve days than December combined.

As a lover of meat, and Southern cook comfortable sticking to the dairy, powdered sugar, and Diet Coke aisles, I was a bit concerned about this 21-day transition into vegetable territory. There are few things that comfort like a bit of hot, melted butter and dark chocolate, whisked together and poured over ice cream.

This journey as a pseudo, 21-day-vegetarian has taught me two things. One, I want to be Heidi Swanson. Two, few things out- perform a black bean in flavor and fillability.* If I was crafty, I would take their cans, paint them gold and shape them into a trophy, then award Goya the MVP kitchen medal for January.

Fresh basil and cilantro with powdered peppers are delicious.

But my friend Courtney from Kinora Films (the best wedding videographers in the universe) inspired my affection for the black beans and sweet potatoes combo. She has a killer black bean and sweet potato chili recipe that one day I hope to share with you.

The recipe below is a modified version of one I found online; I thought the added brightness of basil and the kick of ground chipotle peppers would elevate the flavors, and it takes a roasted sweet potato to, as they say, a whole-notha-level. Or, as my relatives say, “man, them sure is ‘werd but tasty.” Good black beans smothering anything will do that to you. Maybe even more than chocolate-covered ice cream? Let’s not get carried away…

Black Bean Smothered Sweet Potatoes

What You Will Need

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 15-ounce can black beans, 1/4 of beans removed; 3/4 rinsed
1 medium tomato, diced
2 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 generous teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle peppers
1/teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for drizzling**

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 450.
Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Do this gently. When I pricked mine, I was a tad aggressive and accidentally got my fork stuck. Be warned; this is not an easy disassembly.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil on your cleaned sweet potatoes, then sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt. Wrap each in aluminum foil, making sure to leave no skin exposed, and put both on a cookie sheet.
Cook until tender all the way to the center, about one hour. Side tip: If you are feeling adventurous with your potatoes, cook these babies for 2 hours. They develop a roasted, sweet, pillowy softness that is addictive.
Meanwhile, combine beans, tomato, scallions, basil, cilantro, oil, cumin, paprika, smoked peppers, and salt in a medium saucepan.
When they are cool enough to handle, cut each sweet potato lengthwise, press them open to make a well in the center, and spoon the bean mixture into the well. Hot sauce is also an excellent topper here.

*This word refers to a bean’s ability to make you feel like you ate meat.

**Depending on how salty you like things, you could use a bit less salt than this because of the addition of the unrinsed beans. I like things salty, so it worked for my palate.

Tag: vegan

January’s SMOOTHIE recipe inspirations + Freelance Success Lesson #1

Black Bean Smothered Sweet Potatoes