EAT YOUR COLORS
H. Luiz Martinez
Editor
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours! Whether you are Boo’d up, Single, or celebrate the day with your kids- I hope that you have a great time.
I celebrated the day with my little family of 3 when our son was 5 years old through to when he move out to college. Those days were special and kids learn through what they experience. He would come with me to pick out ingredients for a beautiful dinner. He would also help make a dessert or help pick out one to buy. As he grew older he started picking out flowers and when he got a little older than that- he started picking out plants. It was orchid's usually.
We also taught our son, that Valentine’s Day, like every socalled holiday is not about who gets the most gifts, roses, cards, and candy.
More importantly, it’s not about being romantic on just one day of the year.
I’ve written and spoken before about being romantic. If you’re romantic all the time or at least try to be (effort is just as appreciated) then if you happen to forget or just not do/ get anything, then it’s okay. Or if you happen to want to celebrate Valentines on a different day- say the day or weekend after (even before) then that’s fine too.
Don’t let one day be the marker or test of your loved one’s affections.
February 2025 Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Black Beans
also known as black turtle beans because of its hard shell, are a very common source of iron and protein in Latin American cuisine. The black bean is native to the Americas but can be found everywhere. This superfood is packed with vitamins and minerals and is an excellent source of phytonutrients and anthocyanins. Anthocyanins have numerous anti cancer effects, including anti inflammation, anti-mutagenesis and prevent cancer cells from spreading. And is soooooooooo delicious! You must make this a pantry staple.
Preparing dried black bean for cooking is the easiest thing to do. Soaking the beans just takes time but there are faster methods for the same quality taste. However, I do think they taste better when soaked overnight or for at least 6 8 hours.
Here’s how I soak them: first I give the beans a rinse as I pick through them, looking for small debris trust me, you do not want to bite down on a small stone fragment. After rinsing and sorting through the beans, I place them in a pot (I use the same pot that I cook the beans in) and fill it way to the top with fresh water. Place the pot with the beans and water on your counter or table.
The next day (or 6-8 hours later) drain the beans, give them another rinse, and place them back in the pot. Fill them again with fresh water about 4 inches past the black bean line in your pot.
DO NOT SALT THE BEANS, DO NOT ADD ANY HERBS TO THE BEANS, DO NOT BOIL THE BEANS WITH STOCK NOR ADD EVEN A BAY LEAF. Adding any of the above to your beans will toughen the skins and will make it virtually impossible to soften just dried beans and water.
Bring the beans to a boil, cover them with a lid, giving a crescent of space from the lid for steam to escape lower your temperature. Cook until tender from 45 to 50 minutes. Then you’ll have tender beans to start to cook how you normally would cook your beans adding your flavorings, salts, sofritos and oils (you can also freeze for later use.)
For a quicker method, rinse your dried black beans, look for debris, rinse again. Place the rinsed beans in a pot and place it on the stove to boil. Once boiling for 2 minutes, cover with a lid and take it off the heat and let sit for 2 hours. Afterwards, drain that water and fill the pot again up to 2-3 inches past the black bean line and cook as you normally would cook your black beans.
According to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman- which often ended in marriage. Is that why in my grade school classes, we had a Valentines Box for cards?
Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed by the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that February 14 was mating season for birds.
The birds (and the bees?) added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, ““For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”
Valentine greetings were popular back in the Middle Ages, though written letters and cards didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, 1415
REMEMBER WHEN I TOLD YOU THAT…
REAL I.D. iscomingin2025? REAL I.D.
Back in August 2023, I told you that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a phased enforcement plan for the REAL ID Act (as passed by Congress). The Federal Government will implement and start to roll out the REAL ID Act in a measured, fair, and responsible way. The date was pushed a couple of times but now the Federal Government is saying that on May 7, 2025- they are officially implementing the Real ID requirement for domestic air travel.
These (very delayed) new security standards of driver's licenses and state identification cards now have to meet in order to be used for federal purposes- including passing through airport security checkpoints. Think of it as a Passport for domestic travel- which incidentally, your US Passport (already a federal document) may be used for domestic travel too. The new requirements will be in place soon, but there will still be wiggle room for ID verification until full enforcement takes effect in 2027.
The REAL ID Act establishes security standards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting certain driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing certain federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and boarding federally regulated commercial aircrafts (this affects travelers).
But you may already have a REAL I.D.
Some states are already REAL I.D. compliant
meaning they have worked with the Federal Government (I mean it’s been 16 years.) Real ID Driver’s Licenses will have one of the following markings on the upper top portion of the card. If the card does not have one of these markings, it is not compliant with the REAL ID Act:
My own license was expiring so I renewed it online- easy peasy. A few clicks, a couple of numbers, verify this, and confirm that. Press finished and print out your temporary card until your actual card is sent to you via mail. About a week later, my driver’s license comes and I’m super excited to get my “star” or maybe I was getting the bear (I didn’t know what my state of NJ was issuing.) I look to my upper left corner than my upper right- nothing.
But right underneath the words Auto Driver License, in all caps it read: NOT FOR “REAL ID” PURPOSES. Ehhhhh… what now? What’s going on here?
Turns out that if you renew your driver’s license online (in NJ anyway), you have to make an appointment at your local MVC and you have to bring your 6-pt identification markers. In some states you can just tick that you want REAL ID, and in other states, new driver’s licenses may have the star or bear marking on the driver’s license already.I’m just going to use my US Passport.
Remember: US Passports can be used as REAL ID Licenses
*REAL ID cards cannot be used for border crossings or other international travel.
For information on other acceptable forms for boarding aircrafts, visit TSA at https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
visit the Department of Homeland Security FAQs for more REAL ID information
My Black History
The Creoles of Color are a historic ethnic group of Creole People that developed in the former French and Spanish colonies of Louisiana (especially in the city of New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama, and Northwestern Florida i.e. Pensacola, Florida in what is now the United States. French colonists in Louisiana first used the term "Creole" to refer to people born in the colony, rather than in France.
The term "Creoles of color" was typically applied to mixed-race Creoles born from the French and Spanish settlers intermarrying (illegal in actual practice in those days) with Free Creoles of Color, African manumitted slaves, or Native Indigenous people forming a class of Gens de Couleur Libres (free people of color). Today, many of these Creoles of color have assimilated into Black culture, while some chose to remain a separate yet inclusive subsection of the African American ethnic group.
Creole blood runs through my veins as my descendants can be traced back to French Louisiana (La Louisiane) way before the Louisiana Purchase and beyond to Europe as well.
I’ve taken the names of my Ancestors and written them into a historical psychological novel exploring gender identity, sexual preferences and behaviors and the trauma of slavery and freedoms. There was not even terminology to describe certain psychosis, behaviors and identities in the late 1700s like we do today. Please allow me to show you the Prologue to my novelTaboo Down the Bayou.
PROLOGUE
Tammy approached the far side of the slave quarter’s out-house, ready to enjoy one of her secret pleasures. She surveyed the area for any possible predators. In the late 1700s, a girl alone was not safe in the darkness of the bayou, especially a slave girl. Tammy clawed the soft Louisiana dirt and dug up a well-worn smoking pipe she had wrapped in a rag. The pipe was an old corn-cob one she had found on the side of the road. If caught with it, she would be accused of theft – not too many slave girls had personal possessions. She could be beaten or whipped to within inches of her life if the Master thought she stole from him – much worse if he thought she stole from someone else. Once inside the out-house, Tammy slipped off her field dress as fast as she could. She began to embed the tobaccopacking end of the pipe between her lean muscular legs, feeling for just the right spot. Then, to her satisfaction, it began. Waves of euphoria filled her as she started to trickle urine out through the pipe’s smaller end. She flashed back to when she was six years old, when her mother scolded her for urinating standing up. She never did feel quite right when she squatted to relieve herself. Besides, she knew her Daddy and the other slave males stood-up to urinate. Now that she had her penis pipe, she felt as normal as any boy would.
*Please let me know what you think
Instant Cup O’ Soup
“Warm up your body with Ramen Soup.”
- H. Luiz
RAMEN NOODLE SOUP
Who does not enjoy a quick cup of hot ramen noodle soup? We all like the instant quality of almost anything in America- especially if it’s a delicious little meal! Then- we move out of our dorm rooms and our parent’s basements and we’re like: oh my goodness? I used to eat this packaged little block of sodium every other day? And exactly what is in that “flavor” packet that make it taste kind of like chicken? jajajaja!
As a teenager, I would chide my friends who would mix in a raw egg (egg drop soup?) and slice up a hotdog to their instant ramen soup. Some would even add seasoning salt or powdered adobo- as if the flavor packet wasn’t so salty enough. Then I would go home… Back then, you could get 3 (sometime 4) packages of instant ramen soup for just a dollar. I would open a package of one of those bad boys and throw away that foil square of sodium. In a small pot, I would add a can of chicken stock (I was not making my own stock back then.) I would get that to boiling and add that hard dry block of ramen noodles. On top I would add some chili oil or chili paste and some salt and pepper. I would thinly slice my leftover chicken breast into strips, cube up my leftover porkchop or shred whatever beef I had leftover from last night’s dinner- throw that in. Then came my scallions (green onion) and whatever fresh herb I hadusually cilantro or parsley.
I would serve my soup in this white bowl and add a touch of soy sauce. I wasn’t one of those teenagers that would add a raw egg but I boiled eggs all the time. So I would grab one out the fridge, peel it and sliced it in half- placed that on top. Drizzle with more oil and that was lunch for most of my teenage days.
It took a little bit more effort to create these delicious little soup lunches, but it was well worth it. The extra time I took slicing the meat, peeling the boiled egg and adding oils, herbs and scallions only took another minute or so anyway. Still- I felt I was missing the “instant” component of it, plus my way was not easily portable.
I eventually graduated to using dried angel hair pasta so I stopped buying the bricks of dried ramen. I then bought one of those microwaveable plastic containers. I would bring some of my delicious soup to work a couple of times a week. As I grew older, I started adding ginger and sesame oil.
Nowadays, I make my own stock (or use a great-quality stock pastemuch better than those bouillon MSG cubes), I use 100% wheat noodles (I buy ramen noodles whenever I find them) and cook my meats (pork, chicken, beef) specifically for my ramen-inspired noodle soups.
No longer do I use the prior night’s leftovers because I like to make these soups en masse. Also, along with the scallions, I may use fresh sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots and peas. I also make a vegan version with tofu and edamame. Additionally, I use these beautiful wide-mouth mason jars to prep and store the ramen soups. This way you can put them in your bag and enjoy it later or on the go! During this pandemic, I still make my ramen in this fashion. It’s nostalgic, saves time and it’s kind of fun reliving my teenage year- although with better food!
I’ll show you how to prep and layer the jars in a way that you literally “just add hot water” to enjoy an instant cup of soup anytime!
RAMEN NOODLE SOUP
INGREDIENTS
• teaspoon of chicken, beef, pork, and/or vegetable paste(s)
*I use these pastes if I want to make a variety of ramen flavors otherwise I will just use my homemade chicken stock
• protein- 2 chicken breasts shredded and / or beef diced small and / or tofu sliced thin or cubed and / or pork medallions sliced thin and / or whatever protein you like FULLY COOKED
• ramen or thin spaghetti (I use the wheat, brown rice & lentil pastas)
• kale (or spinach or whatever greens you like)
• mushrooms (sliced thin)
• carrots (shredded)
• scallion (green onions)
DIRECTIONS
Be sure to have all of your proteins cooked as well as your pasta. Slice your vegetables (the thinner the better) or shred them. Slice, cut and/ or chop your greens. Take each item listed above and layer your WIDE MOUTH mason jars or microwave safe containers in that order.
As long as you put a teaspoon of your stock paste at the bottom first, then layer your cooked protein of choice, then your cooked noodles- you’ll be fine. The rest is just layering your thinly sliced or chopped vegetables and greens. For spicy ramen, a teaspoon of chili paste will do just fine. 2 fully cooked chicken breasts are perfect for this recipe. It all makes for 6 very hearty .5 Liter servings or 3 Liters (12.6 cups) of delicious soup.
The jars you see here are .5 liter size but if you’re prepping a 1-cup size jar or container (adjust your ingredients / portions to scale) and add water to fill up your jars. Place your soup in the microwave on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully take out your soup (contents may be very hot) and lay the lid back on top of the jar / container and let stand for another minute. Then mix your soup contents up within the container with your spoon or chopsticks and enjoy your soup!
Now I normally boil water on my stovetop then add it to my .5 Liter glass containers. When I do so, I take the chilled soups out of the fridge, take the lids off and let it come up to room temperatureabout 20 minutes. You do NOT want to add hot water to very cold glass containers or glass anything. They will crack upon contact.
Here’s a quick video where I show you how to make your own instant cup o’ soup Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel after.
The Most Exciting Feature of a DIGITAL Magazine…
Is that I can go on vacation, go on assignment and/ or attend an event and then upload it to a current issue of EAT YOUR COLORS. I can send an alert, a story, a message and/or an email to let you know that new content is available within a current issue.
You can go to hluizpresents.com/eatyourcolors at any time to read and/or reread articles, catch up on interviews, tap on links, watch videos, learn cooking techniques & recipes and get NEW content when it becomes available.
Easy Fruit Tarts
There’s nothing tastier, easier and faster to make than a beautiful and delicious tart. I make a baked crust version and I also make a No-Bake version (nuch easier), and I use various vessels to place them in. I use glass cups, tart pans, Mason jars, even tea cups.
Tap or click on the image below to see how I make my No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake inside a tart pan.
note: the video is 8+ years old but held up really well!
Surf N’ Turf
Every Valentine’s Day, I try to make my delicious Surf N’ Turf of lobster tail and filet mignon or NY strip steak.
It’s so delicious, easy to make, and my beautiful Partner Henry just loves it. He says it’s one of his favorite meals (then again, he says that about every meal). I try to make it as often as possible- maybe 3 times a year, but definitely on Valentine’s Day.
Try to get the best ingredients you may afford, try to relax (mood affects the foods you cook), and watch just how easy it is to make romantic meal(s).
If you prefer shrimp or crab and sirloin steak or skirt steak, by all means do that. Surf N’ Turf is just seafood (surf) and meat (turf) so anything goes. Mix it up, do your best and come up with your variation(s) of Surf N’ Turf. I also like scallops and sausage, for example. Sometimes, I make shrimp and brisket- there are no rules for Surf n’ Turf.
Someone asked me if I have any recipes for romantic meals. This Surf n’ turf would surely fit that criteria. But what I will say (and what I did say) is that food can help with romance, but it’s more about the mood than the food.
Sharing an apple or even a bowl of popcorn can be romantic. Don’t get caught up on what society may say what a romantic meal is supposed to be. And price or expense isn’t a factor either!
Tap or click on the picture on the next page to see a video- Surf n’ Turf meal.
Surf n’ Turf, Mar y Tierra or Land & Sea whatever you call it, it’s DELISH!
In my Black History Profile, I want to tell you about
William Dorsey Swann
Queen of Drag
but this fabulous picture is not of Swann, it’s actually Jack Brown. the 1st Self-Identified
William Dorsey Swann (March 1860 – c. December 23, 1925) was an American LGBT activist. An African-American born into slavery, Swann was the 1st person in America to lead a queer resistance group. William Dorsey Swann is also documented as the first self-identified QUEEN of Drag.
Swann would host Drag Balls and was extremely well-known throughout Washington DC for hosting drag parties and having them raided by the police. Swann's gatherings were men (who were formerly enslaved) who gathered to dance in all their silk, satin and feathery finery. This group of "former slaves and rebel drag queens" was known as the "House of Swann". Because these events were secretive, invitations were often quietly made at places like the YMCA.
Swann was arrested in police raids numerous times, including in the first documented case of an arrest for female impersonation in the United States on April 12, 1888 during his 30 birthday celebration. According to The Washington Post, he was "arrayed in a gorgeous dress of cream-colored satin". After police raided the birthday celebration, Swann was "bursting with rage" as he stood up to one of the arresting officers and declared, "You is no gentleman” and what started his early activism for LGBTQ rights.
In 1896, Swann was convicted of "keeping a disorderly house", a euphemism for running a brothel and was sentenced to 10 months in jail. After his sentencing, he requested a pardon from President Grover Cleveland, but it was denied.
William Dorsey Swann was the first American on record who pursued legal and political action to defend the LGBTQ community's right to gather.
There are no known photos of the famous !st Drag Queen, however there are many pictures of “Jack Brown” depicted as being William Dorsey Swann.
Then Who’s Jack Brown, the Queen in ALL the Photos?
Jack brown was another prominent black drag artist of the early 1900s. He was an in-demand performance artist and was 1/2 of the duo Gregory and Brown with his dance partner Charles Gregory.
Brown and Gregory were credited with introducing the cakewalk dance craze to Paris in 1902. The cakewalk dance was becoming huge across US and Europe- also becoming popular within the underground black queer community.
William Dorsey Swann, who has hosted the first drag balls in Washington DC also featured cakewalk dances performed by men in drag years later Jack brown and Charles Gregory would introduce the cakewalk to Parisians. Gregory and Brown were so celebrated in France, that the dance would be memorialized on trendy postcards of the day as well as on a rare film that was shot in 1902 by filmmaker Louis Lumière. That film remains the oldest known video of drag performers.
In 1913, Brown traveled to Moscow for a second time to participate in an ill-fated five-month tour. He returned to America briefly, however at the start of the World War I, left again for London, where he spent the next few years touring.
Brown married a Scottish woman, Vera MacFarlane, in 1917 and returned to France by 1919, after which there is no further record of him.
We salute Jack Brown and William Dorsey Swann as Pioneers and Performance Artists and we applaud that the Art-form of Drag has deep roots in American History.
*We like to thank Channing Gerard Joseph, Trav of Queerency, Jack’d and of course William Dorsey Swann and Jack Brown for keep this legacy alive.
Jack Brown and Charles Gregory
PACKING TIPS AND TRICKS
THE GOLDEN RULE
If I had to pick just one tip, one golden rule, that I live by when packing for a trip, it would be: the clothes I wear to a destination are the same ones that I wear going back home. This tip frees up valuable space in your carry-on and leaves room for other must-have items. Usually, when one arrives at a destination, they change clothes anyway.
An added bonus to the Golden Rule would be to wear your bulkiest items as your inflight travel clothes- including your blazer, sweater and footwear.
Items that can be incorporated throughout your travel stay- say like a great blazer or great pair of shoes are an extra bonus that will help lighten your travel loads too.
Lastly, checkout times for hotels and resorts are pretty early. Why waste space in your luggage and why waste an entire outfit if you are to leave by 11am anyway? Wear your same outfit (change your undergarments of course) for your travel back home. So instead of packing for a 5-day stay, you’ll be packing for just a 3 to 4 day stay instead.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Dress for activities that you’ll be engaging in. If you're spending most days in a spa, by the pool or on a beach, do not pack lots of day clothes. Instead, bring an extra bathing suit or two. If you are not planning to work-out, do not bring your gym attire. Also, if your nights are going to involve nightlife, conferences and/ or fancy dinners- limit yourself to a blazer or two. The one you’re wearing on the plane can serve as one and maybe pack an extra. Dress them up or down to fit the occasions.
H.Luiz Style
BRING EXTRA
I always bring extra underwear- if I go away for 5 days, I’m bringing at least 10 pairs. Taking 2 to 3 showers a day while away is quite common. You’re taking showers after your workouts, after your chlorinated or salt-water swims, before your events and dinners plus before sensual play and before you go to bed. Trust me, you need lots of underwear, way more than you may believe.
I usually wear an athletic-cut suit with sneakers (the same pair I may use for the gym) and what I would pack is a pair of shoes, a few T-shirts, 2 dress shirts, jeans, khakis, couple of track pants, some black tank tops (if I’m feeling really fit) and lots of accessories like pocket-squares, hats and caps. I’d also bring a small travel bag as my “personal item”. I can mix and match all of these clothes and accessories and create about 8 looks, while packing just 3 outfits. I’ll use 1 blazer (the one I’m travelling with) or 2 for all the looks.
#SipYourColors
Champagne, Prosecco and Cava are all sparkling white wines. Champagne (the much higher priced one) comes from Champagne, France. Champagne is costly due to extensive marketing. In the US and most other countries, Champagne is associated with weddings, special events and other causes for celebrations. Some feel that you must have Champagne to toast everything from weddings to birth announcements and everything in between. See what I mean? That’s great marketing. Prosecco comes from Italy and Cava comes from Spain- but they’re all sparkling white wines.
Henry’s Sparkling Pear (Origin)
Henry’s Sparkling Pear is our signature drink. It’s a simple cocktail really but it’s delicious and can be enjoyed during any season. It’s great for a celebration such as an anniversary or a birthday. The colors are fitting enough for Winter Holidays and the crisp flavor is perfect for the warmer seasons as well. We drink Henry’s Sparkling Pear throughout the year.
The tasty drink came about when I was going to prepare a Bellini. A Bellini is an Italian cocktail made with Prosecco and peach puree or peach juice. I grabbed a nice chilled Prosecco bottle out of the fridge as well as the juice. Then, I grabbed some raspberries out of the freezer. I set the ingredients onto the counter and placed a couple of Champagne glasses on a tray. I poured the juice into the glasses and noticed that the color was way off. Dang- I bought the wrong juice at the market. The juice was not peach nectar at all but pear nectar. Dang! Ok- so I thought, I’ll just make a Mimosa (Champagne and orange juice) but instead of the Champagne, I’ll just use Prosecco. I reach back in the fridge and realized- I had no orange juice. No Bellini, no Mimosa- now what?
Fun fact- Mimosas (Champagne and orange juice) didn’t even originate in France. They used to drink and serve Mimosas for centuries in Spain. It was made with Cava and other sparkling wines and mixed with citrus juices, particularly in Valencia and Catalonia. The Mimosa has become very popular in the United States and often attributed to France because of the use of Champagne. Valencia and Catalonia is a little salty about that.
But back to my dilemma- the only juice I had was this pear juice. I figured it might taste okay and went with it. I poured the Prosecco on top of the pear juice and dropped in a single raspberry. Immediately, I fell in love with the colors but how would it taste? I decided not to taste it and see how Henry would react to the sparkling concoction
“Here you go, Beautiful- Henry’s Sparkling Pear!”
He took a taste, inspected the contents up close and tasted it again. He smiled back at me and took another sip. Henry exclaimed that the cocktail was so delicious and asked where did I learn such a thing? I responded that I just thought that the flavors would work. It was until months later that I told him that the cocktail known as Henry’s Sparkling Pear was created because I grabbed the wrong nectar at the market that day.
He answered, “Thank goodness you did!”
NOSTALGIA-
a very important but very allusive ingredient in cooking.
Take my petit pois (French little peas), I add coconut milk, my sautéed onions and bits of ham (sometimes bacon) with some homemade sofrito and my chicken stock. I’m writing this and I’m tasting it in my head right now. I am suffused with images of running through my Grandmother’s garden among her pigeon peas, coconut, plantain and breadfruit palm trees, waiting to eat my bowl of petit pois.
There are times when I cook, that tears stream down my face or I let out a deep sigh. This usually happens when I cook a dish that my Father, Grandmother or Great Grandmother used to make (they’re now all gone to glory) and the flavors in my mouth trigger all kinds of emotions within me.
I love when that happens. It keeps my family who have passed close to me.
When I make the dish for my extended family, they marvel at how much it tastes like Mami’s (we called our Grandmother Mami). I think it tastes pretty close too. That’s when nostalgia lifts my spirits and makes missing family a little bit easier to handle.
You can also eat your friends’ cooking / food and be transported back in time to sweeter days. My childhood friend’s mother’s baked mac & cheese does just that. Every time I get to taste it, I’m a curly-headed, pigeon-toed tween without a care in the world. When I would get the chance to eat it as a grown man, I would forget that I’m lactose intolerant. Also, as an older man, it takes a little more time to shake off the bloat and drag myself to a gym. My partner would tell me to slow down and not eat so much of that baked mac and cheese. I would suck my teeth and reply.
“Leave me alone. I’m 14, skinny with the metabolism of a hummingbird. You and I have not met and technically, I have not yet realized that I’m gay- that came at 17. So, leave me alone!”
I would eat copious amounts of that heavy, cheesy, starchy but delicious food and when later came in real time, I really paid for it. However, in my opinion, it was all well worth it. <burp!!>
Then there are other times when nostalgia can play cruel jokes on you. Like my childhood dishes that my parents used to make, I cannot recreate them no matter how hard I try. They would share their recipes with me, sometimes they would even coach me over the telephone but to no avail. I remember cooking side by side with my father to get his pollo guisado just the way he makes it. I would put the same amount of the ingredients in similar pots and did exactly what I saw him do. Did they taste the same? Nope- not a chance! He would try to convince me that they were exact- nope!
My beautiful father would taste my dishes and say they taste the same to me. Then he would take a spoonful of his pollo guisado (chicken stew) and give me a taste. Nope- not a chance! And this was when I was in my 30’s and already had a reputation of being an amazing Home Cook. There was always that little something that was missing. That’s when it hit me.
I am never going to be able to create those childhood dishes because nostalgia is the ingredient that I cannot buy and put into my food. Yes- my Mami’s petit pois, I can come pretty close to the flavors and it can/may remind me of the dish because I saw my Grandmother every summer of my life for two weeks until I was 14. After that I would see her every chance I could and sometimes, years would go by without me seeing her. I know, it’s shameful but she did live on the island of Puerto Rico. I’m a Jersey Boy- born and bred. So creating petit pois brings back all those experiences.
But my Father’s pollo guisado? A meal I grew up eating at least once a week (Summers too) until I was like 18 years old? Then I would eat it as an adult, every chance I could which was like once a month. Then my parents moved to Florida. When I would visit, that meal was there waiting for me. It was sooooo good!
Years later, I decided to make my own pollo guisado. I bought all the necessary ingredients and called my Pa to coach me through it. Okay, give it some of this, add a little that, taste, more salsa then, now add the chicken, okay taste again, another handful of olivesokay great, let it simmer for an hour and the stew will thicken. Try not to peek and when you taste it, call me afterwards- it’ll be great.
“Nope – not a chance!”
Now here’s my Chicken Stew (Pollo Guisado) recipe and I think it tastes amazing but it does not (according to me and me only jajajaja) taste anything like my Father’s recipe. Damn you, nostalgia, damn you!
Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew) Recipe
INGREDIENTS
• 4 chicken thighs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup pitted green olives
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 ½ cups medium-grain rice
• salt & pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
*** Eliminate the first 8 ingredients after the chicken meat if you can use 1 cup of fresh (or store-bought) sofrito or recaito.
DIRECTIONS
Season the chicken thighs with salt (I use Kosher salt) and black pepper. Sauté in a large pan to brown both sides of the chicken. Don’t eat as it may be raw inside. Take them out to cool.
In the same pan, add your olive oil and sofrito or recaito (an herb-veggie-garlic paste). or sauté your diced red and green bell peppers, diced onion, minced garlic, tomato paste and chopped cilantro. Stir around for about 30 seconds and let soften- should take around 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, return to the chicken and dice or shred the pieces. Return to the pan and add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional) to your taste. Sauté for another 15 minutes.
Add your chicken stock, bay leaf, green olives, peas and uncooked rice into the pot. Maybe a drizzle more of olive oil then taste to see if it needs more of this or that and adjust to your taste. If it needs less, add water. Boil for about another half hour or so until the rice is absorbed.
Garnish with cilantro and serve piping hot. I promise you, you can eat this Puerto Rican chicken stew with a fork. It’s so hearty! But it won’t taste like my Father’s stew. Nope- not a chance!
Vegan VEGETARIAN Plant based Foods
Raw Vegan Whole-Food Diet Frugivore
What do all these terms, labels and boxes even mean? Are they really that different or is this just another way people try to differentiate themselves? I don’t think that this is a real religion but is it a cult? If I buy vegetables from Whole Foods Supermarket, am I a Whole Food Vegan now? And what on Earth is a frugivore? Sounds like this is all made up- is it??
These are just some of the questions I get asked almost every day. Let me just start out by saying that these are not religions and by no means that they are cults. Although people take their food intake very seriously and somewhat religiously.
I’ll explain to the best of my knowledge what all these terms mean but make no mistake, there are dozens of other terms that people use to describe their food intake and all sorts of reasons as to why. Let me start with my personal dietary intake and my reason(s) for eating the way that I do.
I would describe the food that I cook and eat as a plant-based food(s) diet. As the name implies, it is based on plants- vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. Like most plant-based eaters, I do consume meat (beef, pork, chicken) and seafoods, however very little of it. Our food intake is now 90.47% vegan. We used to eat meat/seafood on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays but changed those 3 days into 2. Currently, those days are Wednesday and Saturday nights for dinner. All of our breakfasts, lunches and snacks are vegan too. Out of 21 meals during a 7-day week (3 meals a day), we eat just 2 meals of meat / seafood for dinner only. Our meat intake is now under 10%. This really works for us. We feel lighter, experience no digestive issues, have lots of energy and can fall asleep at the drop of a hat.
We no longer eat eggs, Deli and/or dried meats (ground beef, sausage, prosciutto, salami, deli ham, etc.) in our home. We also no longer eat dairy (milk, half n’ half, cheeses, ice-cream) and we don’t eat bacon. ALL FOODS THAT WE LOVE, WE NO LONGER EAT.
After years of research, reading health articles, watching food documentaries, getting advice from trusted Nutritionists and learning eating habits from countries that we have visited- we decided to no longer eat a lot of the foods we love(d). I thought that we would miss it but it has been 9 months and we really do not. Now- if we are out of my home and we’re offered any of these foods mentioned, we will not say no. If we’re on vacation and during one of my H. Luiz GastoTours, a chef serves me a filet mignon, I’m not going to say, “No thanks! It’s a Thursday and I won’t eat meat on Thursdays.” Again, to clarify, these are things that we’re doing and not doing in our home, but if you invite us over for a bite to eat, there’s no need to worry.
I won’t go into all the reasons as of why we eat the way that we eat but there is also a money-saving component. I’m not in the habit of telling people how they should eat but let me tell you how we eat.
I’m just going to explain what plant-eaters are and why we have eaten this way for years. We ramped it up last year and cut out a lot of foods that we used to enjoy for the betterment of our health.
Did you know that delicious bacon has been classified by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer- part of the World Health Organization), as “carcinogenic to humans” and placed it in the same group (Group 1) as tobacco? Now we have heard this before, years ago, but who could stay away from bacon, sausage and prosciutto? Well, we can- when it comes to our health. Our families, that share our DNA, have had severe health issues and some even deaths, because of cancers believed to be linked to the food(s) they consume(d). So we really started researching / getting information. We have eaten vegan meals at least twice a week for years! Now we have vegan meals 5 days a week. Plant-based meals with small amounts of meat but loaded with vegetables is not a new concept for us. Maybe that’s why the transition isn’t so drastic for us. I’m also pretty good about serving portioned-control meals and we do not eat fast-foods anyway. Since I cook our meals every day, I really can control what we eat, how much of it we eat and when we eat it.
But- I used to make charcuterie & cheese boards almost every Friday night for over 7+ years. I was also famous for my breakfast frittatas and BL(A)T sandwiches- that’s a BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) with avocado. Oh that still sounds so good! jajajaa.
However, we put an end to it all that over 9 months ago and it went without a hitch. We have increased the vegan meals to over 90% intake and found some alternatives for eggs, ground beef and dairy.
So what is Plant-based or a Plant-based meal?
Plant-based
Plant-based eaters focus on eating mostly plants like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and grains. Small portions of meat and seafood are not eliminated from their diet along with dairy & eggs. The foods that plant based eaters eat are less likely to be processed (salted, smoked, genetically modified).
Vegan
Vegans do not eat animal products or products from animals such as eggs and dairy. Vegans do not eat insects (a large percentage of the world rely on insects such as grub-worms, ants, beetles, bugs, spiders, grasshoppers, etc.) for protein. Also, Vegans do not eat honey as it is made by bees. Some do not wear animal skin(s) nor use products tested on animals.
VEGETARIAN
A Vegetarian does not eat meat but still consumes certain animal products such as eggs, dairy and sometimes fish. A vegetarian that eats fish is called a pescatarian. There are other sub-groups as well (lacto vegetarian, ovo vegetarian and others).
Whole-Food Diet
A whole food diet has nothing to do with the Whole Foods Supermarket. Whole foods are foods that are not processed (non-GMO). For example, a whole-food diet may consist of whole grains but not refined grains such as flour. Whole food (meat, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and legumes) retain their whole portfolio of beneficial phytochemicals and nutrients that are often removed in processed foods. American supermarkets have way more processed foods than not.
Frugivore
A frugivore’s main food source is fruit and/or succulent plants. Frugivores may eat other sources of protein like meat and insects- but fruits are the main source. It is said that humans are true frugivores due to the digestive system and tract resembling an herbivore rather than one of an omnivore.
Raw Vegan
A raw-food vegan doesn’t cook any of their food. These vegans typically sustain themselves on raw veggies, salads, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes.
LIVE AQUAPunta Cana
Meditative Art and Positive Vibes - Colors
It’s finally here- the coloring book for Meditative Art and Positive Vibes! Some of the tableaus that I’ve done on Live Streams, some postcards that I’ve sent to you, some of the giftbags that I’ve designed and even some new designs and patterns too- all here for you to color.
A lot of you have expressed that coloring is just as therapeutic for you, so this book was created with that in mind. You may color with as many colors as you’d like or as little color as you would like as well.
Doodling, drawing and coloring kept me calm, motivated and positive- I’m sure it can do the same for you. All you need do is give it a try.
Coloring tableaus that I have already created gives me double the calm, twice the meditations and two time all the fun. There’s already a 2nd book in the works- a larger book with bigger spaces to color. Some tips and tricks to blending too. This will be out in 2025.
on AMAZON
Meditative Art and Positive Vibes Coloring Book
I wanted to introduce Meditative Art and Positive Vibes to our youth but on a level that was easy for them to understand. Creating this coloring book with the same principles and meditative properties as the 1st book was really the goal and intention.
This coloring book teaches our children to take ownership of their art work. Which in turn, gives them the very tools that they may internalize to take ownership and some responsibility over their very young lives.
When I was a child, I would color the people, animals and objects in my coloring books(s), colors that were in my imagination. People might be colored a light shade of blue or a dark shade of green with hair colored- orange or pink. Cats and dogs may be purple. The sky may be a cool red or a warm yellow tone, and the sun a bright turquoise.
The actual sky is blue of course but I couldn’t control that but I could control my coloring books though.
*available exclusively on AMAZON
Meditative Art and Positive Vibes by H.Luiz Martinez
Meditative Art, Art Therapy, Mindful Art or simply just Doodling has been around since forever- they're found in caves for goodness sakes. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Create fun, easy patterns and create beautiful designs- I call them tableaus. Inside, I'll tell you how I got started (40+ years ago) and how you too can benefit from creating your own tableaus. I even show you how you can make one-of-a-kind gifts with your artwork.
Over 40 years ago, I used to doodle on everything I can get my hands on. It wasn't until I started doodling on my homemade book covers (I started with brown paper bags but graduated to white kraft paper) that people really started to notice my artwork.
#AskHLuiz
We are bringing back the hashtag #askhluiz to the social media stratosphere. In your own posts and / or comments, if you ask a travel or cooking question that you want me to try to answer, use the hashtag #askhluiz and I may be able to answer your question.
Please note that all #askhluiz question may be read by anyone and everyone so please keep it cute or keep it on mute. Your question may be published or posted in Eat Your Colors magazine and / or any “H. Luiz Presents…” media channels in order to answer your question to a broader audience.
Also keep in mind: I am a Travel Journalist and a Publisher. I am not a Travel Agent. You’d be surprised how many people (strangers and friends) ask me if I can get them the best rates for said hotels and resorts. Sometimes they ask me if I can book the cheapest airfare for them too. Or they’ll say/ask: I’m celebrating my [insert milestone event her] and I have only this much [insert amount here] to spend, what’s the best you can do for me? Uhm… what??
Most times, it’s just folks wanting me to do the research for them. Don’t they have the same search engines as the rest of us? Do they have time to price check and price compare their own travel plans? Because I truly don’t. Most places I stay are complimentary because they want content creation, create a video for them or feature them.
All that being said, do not use #askhluiz to make your travel plans and / or make your travel bookings. I am not a Travel Agent.
Tell them H. Luiz sent you!
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