Wednesday, November 29

TUESDAY!

food is basically the one thing that keeps me going.
not literally, of course-
air and water also contribute to my continued survival,
but of the three vital components,
food is the one that gives me the feels.
i don't just eat for the sake of nutrients.
that sounds like routine maintenance, and that sounds terrible.
like vacuuming, or rotating your canned goods, or something equally mundane.
i'm not about that.
you've GOT to eat, and if i gotta, i'm gonna;
but you'd best believe i'mma freak it off, and make sure that ordinary
isn't an adjective used to describe what i come up with.
that said-
last night, me and my homeboy nate ate a LOT of tacos,
with a LOT of quick-pickled mixed veggies,
and some suspicious salsa,
and his homemade pineapple habanero ho'sauce,
and my homemade seitan asada,
AND a roasted baby potato and cauliflower blend that had us both pretty effin' psyched
to be at the dinner table doing our thing.
word up.
i mean, let's be smart about it, neighbors,
and take the time to do the math:
taco tuesday + too much is the right amount = expert.
that's the only solution set,
and when you add potatoes and cauliflower?
dudes,
c'mon.
tacos have never been better, in my opinion.
wanna see what i'm writin' home about?
check the calendar-dictated-menu-type teleport:

THAT'S THAT GOOD-GOOD.
the bad news?
i totally had an avocado ready to slice up, and i got so psyched on all those sprankles
that i completely got lost in the sauce, and forgot to activate it.
damn.
.....they still went down like individual victories against man and beast and nature.
mmhmmm.
when you feel like a conqueror after supper, that's how you know you did it right.
for real.
-
seitan recipes are a dime a dozen.
but mine is worth at least 11¢...
i don't know who takes the time to make their own anymore,
but i know without question that i couldn't imagine eating some store-bought jauns
ever again, after years of perfecting the F* out of my own special blend.
no jokes.
you want the basics?
it's all right here.
^^that's special, because you're special^^
-
and when you fry some strips up, with poblano and onion,
and season 'em with cumin, and cayenne, coriander, smoked paprika,
GPOP, salt, pepper, oregano, and lime?
you've just created the future in a skilllet, man.
that's pretty cool, huh.
yeah.
*
chipotle-dusted, soy-splashed, salt-and-peppered potatoes, and cauliflower,
crisped up and then covered?
guys, it make sense-
a cup and a half of halved baby-sized potatoes, and a cup and a half of cauli-florets,
roasted up at 415℉, from a cold-start in the oven,
with olive oil, scallion bulbs, chipotle pepper, and salt,
and, once golden, thoroughly softened and fully-activated, under foil, with that soy splash,
and a little more spicy-spice.
mmmmmm.
i might've hit it with some cayenne.
i might've gotten freaky with a few hard dashes of ho'sauce.
you don't know me, stranger, but you're about to find out-
*
what's dope about tacos is that as long as they're folded in some flaps of flour they're still tacos.
and with that in mind,
you can put almost anything in a taco.
(here at the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress,
we don't even kinda hang out with the crisp-shelled sh!t-crackers...softies only)
look:

we GOT that.
purple carrot discs? lovely!
cucumber crescents? crawnchy and cool!
scallion spranks? you know it!
baby lettuces, purple cabbage shreds, bay-bay spinach? yes. yes. yes.
tofutti sour cream dollops? um, yeah, that was a nice touch, and firm, which was even nicer.
dark tomato bits? weird salsa? cilantro leaves? OBviously, the answer is always yes!
-
and what about that sweet-and-salty slightly sour vinegary greatness?
y'know?
the quick-mixed-pix??!
rules is rules, and MORE is always the right call, y'all-
besides, once you've tasted the amazing flavor of that blend,
future tacos just aren't ever going to be as good without 'em.
real talk.
and it's just radishes, carrots, onions, peppers, and garlic, sliced up,
and covered in a brine of 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar,
and just enough apple cider vinegar to cover all that veggie action.
bring it to a boil, let it simmer until the whole thing gets softened,
and let it cool on the stove until you're ready for it.
IT'S SO GOOD YOU CAN EAT IT WITH A FORK AS IT'S OWN THING-
and nate did exactly that,
because he's kind of a dirty little pickle licker, for sure.
awwwwwww.
but, like, not in a gross way, bro.
don't be a jerk.
...and  besides,
he did bring that fiery habanero pineapple ho'sauce, which counts for a lot.
he effs with the sauces, kids.
and that was good news for me and for the tacos, too.
***********
time takes a toll on us all.
these minutes all seem to slap the sh!t out of me,
and sleep isn't really an option at the end of the day, either.
how much sleep so we really need, though?
y'know?
i'm just sayin'-
i still do all the things i have to, even when i'm worn thin to the bone,
and run ragged on no rest-
does that make me wicked?
i don't know how it works, but i know that i'd be fine with never ever sleeping if i didn't feel so flippin' beat up in between those sparse shut-eyed expanses.
i could maybe use a few extra minutes in bed.
or, maybe, i just need to get stronger at being wide awake and ready to rock.
one thing is for sure-
i will not DO less,
so i may just have to concentrate on distilling sleep into, like, just twenty winks.
that's the stuff.
twice the sleep in half the time?
i'll let you know how it goes;
never quiet, never soft.....

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