Transformation and Victory

find the Coconut fried rice recipe here ↓

Ẹkun àyọ̀ ọdún túntun!!!!!¹

Let’s cut to the chase

I have a good feeling about 2023. I am genuinely excited for all the things that are coming this year. I have no predictions for what exactly is coming but I know it’s going to be blessings upon blessings. Can I get am Ami?² Before we get into the recipe, let me get you up to speed on what’s been going on in my life.

He loves me, he loves me not

I posted a video recently where I shared some vulnerable information. It was my attempt to soothe my heart from the pain of a “failed talking stage”. To let my followers know they weren’t alone, especially if they could relate. If you’ve seen that video, I want to let you know that I am doing much better now and I hope you are too.

Guys, dating is hard. Whew. Things recently ended with someone I was getting to know for a few months. Let’s call him Kwame. After processing my feelings, I realised my heart wasn’t broken but my ego was hurt. Finding someone that ticks all my boxes is so damn hard. I get the ick with almost anything these days. It’s laughable at this point. Like girl, why is everything annoying you? With Kwame, our way of thinking was too different. I also ignored a lot of things that didn’t make sense to me because I convinced myself that he was a good guy, I should give it a shot. Maybe, I was forcing it. I’m in a phase where I want to explore life, obstacles be damned. And frankly, he was a square. I want to be in the know and to be challenged in ways he just couldn’t. He was a good guy, he just wasn’t my good guy.

Lol... Y’all, I bought this man a record player for Christmas and you would not believe what he got me. Naurrr it was actually embarrassing. I’m big on “if you’re going to buy me a gift, put some real thought behind it”. Don’t buy me something because you feel like you have to. Nothing like hearing “I saw this thing and I thought of you”. Gets me everytime.

I’m taking a different approach to dating this year though. I’m going to ask God directly for what I want. I made 3 lists:

• ways I’ve been treated in the past that were toxic and didn’t serve me

• ways I’m struggling to see my worth and

• things I want AND need out of a partner (physically, emotionally and mentally)

After making these lists, I was confronted with the fact that I have a lot of work to do on myself. I don’t think that should stop me from wanting love still. I deserve it regardless of whatever amount of “work” I need to put in to better myself. I feel like people forget that we are all just humans. There is no perfect person in this world. The sooner we start to accept that, the closer we will get to finding that person that sees us.

If you want to know what he got me, I’ll tell you guys if I get 10 likes and at least 5 comments on this post:

A chef at heart

Day by day it becomes more apparent what my purpose is. My reason why. When I gave myself the name “TokePlusFood”, I didn’t realise what God was doing by inspiring me to to choose this name. My life has never felt more meaningful until I formed a healthy, loving relationship with food. Finally, allowing myself to have conversations beyond what ingredients were used or about basic step by step recipes. Topics like food insecurity provoke me. Food is art. Food helps form relationships. Food is tied to memory. I’m invigorated by conversations surrounding food.

Think Tank

*random thoughts I’ve had this month*

I don’t like when people waste food. I’m guilty of this though (the wasting food part, not the intention). The temporary pain that comes from watching food get wasted.

I hate when people say there are children starving in Africa. News flash, there are children starving everywhere. And not just children. Homeless people, and those afflicted by poverty… spare me.

"Sho shin” - beginners mindset. I’m trying to take this approach with a lot of the things I want to learn this year. I heard Don Jazzy say it once in an interview that he lives by this saying. It’s a paradox; the more you know about a subject, the more likely you are to close your mind to further learning. Letting go of preconceptions and approaching ideas with a fresh mind.

‘In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.’

Are there competitions out there that judge if pasta tastes like it has butter or not? When I eat pasta now, especially pastas made with cream; I think about what type of butter must’ve been used in that dish. The type of butter you use to cook makes a whole lot of difference. I’ve become one of those people that focus on more than what food tastes like. I obsess over textures, methods, techniques and freshness. It’s a whole experience for me.

I can’t wait till I can scream all my guys are ballers at the top of my lungs. As for right now, I’ll call us Ballers In The Making. Ami.

by the way, I leave music recommendations at the end of every post.

Goodbye to old habits, hello to new beginnings.

You know those goals that we set for ourselves at the start of every year but never do? They rank low on the list of things we want to accomplish that year but we just keep putting them off. They seem small but these little things can contribute to changing your life. One month turns to 3 months, turns to 1 year and in the blink of an eye 3 years go by. This year I want to tackle most of my “I’ll start next week” list and label them as high priority. I’ve also been creating a list of new hobbies I want to start this year. It only seems right to share these lists with you.

• Make a vision board… which I can gladly say I have accomplished

• Read more books… tehe, I’m halfway through one already.

• To be more open… to people, things and experiences.

• Running more… simply because I used to love doing this.

• Get in the gym… chile this one is going to take mad discipline.

• Prioritise my health by finally getting a PCP, Gyno, etc.

• New glasses… believe it or not I don’t remember the last time I wore glasses. It’s embarrassing atp. It’s really been vibes with my near-sighted ass.

• Sell old clothes… helping me form the habit of letting old things go.

• Go to church regularly… most importantly strengthen my relationship with God.

• Fall in love with thrifting again…

How many things do you think I will knock out this year? I need your support and encouragement fr.

You have to start believing you deserve the things you want or you might never get them.

Coconut Fried Rice

People went crazy for this recipe video. This recipe is not for you to follow word for word but to help you create your own masterpiece. The end result might not taste the same as mine did. Which is why I am giving you exclusive rights to all creative control. Food tastes way better when we put thought into the flavours we incorporate. There is a lot of satisfaction that comes from creating a dish that tastes balanced and right. By the time you’re done, you’re going to be licking the plate. Guaranteed. But first, you need to believe in your ability to create this masterpiece. You’ve got this!

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: ~45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serving size: 8-12 plates

Ingredients 

Spices and Seasonings

Season to your hearts desires, these are all estimates.

• Fresh thyme  

• 1 tsp Curry

• 1 tsp Turmeric

• Dried Rosemary

• Dried Thyme (I use fresh and dried, I’m extra but it’s necessary) 

• 1 tsp Onion powder

• 1 tsp Garlic powder

• 1 tbsp Chicken bouillon

• 1 tsp Black pepper

Proteins

Any of these go really well with this dish

• Chicken breast, cubed

• Beef sirloin, cubed

• Large shrimp, peeled, tail off & deveined (season lightly)

Veggies

Feel free to use whatever vegetables your heart desires. Remember this is now YOUR recipe.

• 1 cup green beans (fresh)

• 1 large carrot 

• ½ cup corn (canned or frozen)

• ½ cup cabbage (sliced)

• 5 cloves garlic, minced 

• 1 scotch bonnet

• ½ green bell pepper, diced

• ½ yellow onion, diced

• ½ shallot, diced (optional)

For the Rice 

• Butter

• Olive oil

• Shallot

• Yellow onion

• 2 cups Basmati (Sella)

• 1 ~8oz Coconut Milk

• 10z chicken broth 

• 1 tbsp better than (chicken) bouillon

Directions

1. Wash basmati rice with warm warm water twice or until the water runs clear. Soak basmati rice in water for ~30 minutes. This allows the rice to soak up some water so you don’t have to use as much to cook it.

2. Wash desired protein. Dice into small pieces. 

3. Coat protein in a dash of olive oil. Season with desired seasonings. Refrigerate.

4. Mise en place vegetables.

• Wash and trim fresh green beans. Chop each green bean into 3, about 1 inch long.

• Wash and peel carrots. Dice into small cubes. 

• Defrost frozen corn in warm water, or strain canned corn.

• Thinly slice cabbage. 

• Wash and dice green bell pepper. 

• Peel and dice yellow onion.

• Peel and dice shallots. 

• Chop scotch bonnet to small bits. 

• Peel and chop garlic finely.

6. Drain rice and rinse one last time with cold water. Drain rice. 

7. Heat a deep pan and melt 1 tbsp of butter. Once melted, add 1 tbsp of olive oil.

8. Add a spoonful of diced onions and shallots. Add 1 tsp of garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes until translucent.

9. Add the rice to the pan and toast for ~5 minutes until fragrant and fully coated with butter and olive oil. Stirring periodically.

10. After the rice is nice and toasty, add coconut milk. Stir to combine. Add enough chicken broth to cover the surface of the rice ~10oz can. Season with ½ tbsp of better than bouillon. Add extra water if needed.  

11. Cover the pan with a lid and boil for 15 minutes on medium heat. Taste test after 15 minutes it should be about 70% in doneness.

12. Heat up a frying pan (you can use a wok). Add ½ tbsp butter and ½ tbsp olive oil.

13. Once butter is melted, fry proteins separately for >5 minutes till browned. Repeat this for any additional protein.

14. Next up is the veggies! I love to fry these in order of which takes the longest to cook.

15. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. Start with green beans and carrots (these take the longest to cook). Fry for 60 seconds, proceed to the next. 

16. Add chopped garlic and scotch bonnet. Fry for 60 seconds. 

17. Add green bell peppers, shallots and onions. Fry for 60 more seconds. 

18. At this point I would season my veggies with ~1 tsp curry powder, ~1 tsp dried thyme, 2 thyme sprigs (chopped), ~1 tsp dried rosemary ~1 tsp turmeric, ~1 tsp garlic powder, ~1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp chicken bouillon, fresh cracked black pepper. Go easy on the curry and turmeric, their flavours can be overpowering. Taste for seasoning!!! 

Cooking is not only about following what the recipe says, but how you feel when you taste what you make. Season to your desired taste.

Also, taste for heat… I like my food more on the spicy side so at this point I might add some spicy ground pepper (cayenne pepper) to spice things up. 

19. After incorporating spices and seasonings. Add sliced cabbage and fry for 2 more minutes. 

20. Add the proteins fried earlier. Mix well. 

21. Add basmati rice to the pan and with a wooden spoon (don’t ask me why, a wooden spoon just hits different). Mix rice, veggies and protein till fully incorporated. 

22. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for ~5 minutes until rice is tender. Stir one last time

Serve Hot with dodo³ and fried turkey wings.

If you made it this far and haven’t shared this with a friend, WYD??

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, O dabọ!⁴

Coming up NEXT:  

Chale, love is in the air and I’m ready to receive it. Do you want more tea on my love life? Drop a comment to let me know.

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Song of the month Wo Wo (Remix) by Minz ft. BNXN fka Buju & Blaqbonez

Album of the month Like..? by Ice Spice

Enjoy this playlist african weeklies by datuois

Thanks for reading just another foodie! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

1. happy new year!!!!! (in Yoruba)

2. Amen (in Yoruba)

3. fried plantain (in Yoruba)

4. Goodbye (in Yoruba)