Xicana Vegan: Issue 3

Issue 3: Health 2022

Welcome to Xicana Vegan, a zine that contains recipes and thoughts for and by animal-loving and plant-eating folks, and works to embrace culture while practicing non-violence.

Xicana Vegan: Issue 3 is all about a plant-based or vegan lifestyle in relation to Health. Featuring lots of nutritious recipes, this issue also holds appreciation for decolonization and a love for the land.

Vegan for Health

By Suzy González

There are a multitude of reasons why people will turn to plant-based consumption or veganism, and I’m going to begin to theme Xicana Vegan issues on these reasons, beginning with Salud, or Health. Many of our traditional nutritious foods have been lost to us via a continued colonization, but it’s never too late to remember and embrace them. We must understand cultural plant-based consumption and industries outside of the limited lens of settler animal advocacy movements because the global majority has been eating plants eons before veganism was coined.

Communities of color suffer from a range of diet-induced diseases due to systemic racism and a continued colonialism. The mission of the colonial project was never to keep us safe and healthy, so we have to do extra work to reclaim our health. Those who receive lower income due to these systems are often stuck with eating the affordable toxic foods that we can’t properly digest and that make us sick like dairy and fast food devoid of plants. Luz Calvo and Catriona Rueda Esquibel’s transformative book, Decolonize Your Diet: Plant-Based Mexican-American Recipes for Health and Healing taught me that pre-colonial foods have remained “among the healthiest foods on the planet and that many of the less healthy aspects of Mesoamerican cuisine came about as a direct result of colonization—with the introduction of wheat, beef, cheese, cooking oils, and sugar.” For us to return to our medicine, we must reconnect with the plants that our ancestors cultivated and received nourishment from. Further, the health of the many immigrant workers in the meat, dairy, and produce industries is at risk, illustrating larger connections to agriculture and both human and nonhuman animal cruelty. As Food Empowerment Project says, “There is no food justice without farm worker justice.” And

it should go without saying, there is no vegan movement without food justice.

Food should be about choice, and we should be able to choose what we are putting into our bodies and those of our loved ones. Food on a spectrum can range from being medicine to being poison to our systems. The term Food Desert was once used to describe the lack of access to healthy foods in communities that have been marginalized. More recently, there has been critique of this word, as it implies first, that deserts are barren of any nutritious plantfoods, which just isn’t true. And second, it points the finger at the location of the victimized rather than those with power who create and perpetuate the systems that make all of this possible. The term Food Apartheid more appropriately describes the intentional and violent enforcement of the prevention of nutritious, fresh, and culturally appropriate foods to our communities. In an ideal world, we would all have the freshness of foods from whole and natural food grocers for prices that actually align with the incomes we’re given. Instead, we are left with corner stores, dollar stores, and fast food that offer incredibly affordable processed “foods” with high sugar and salt levels to keep us feeling satisfied and wanting more.

I’m all for sharing affordable plant-based recipes to offer an accessible way for folks to enjoy eating plants. However, we must not point fingers at communities of color for not being vegan, because yes, eating a diet solely of healthful plants is a privilege. Rather, we must work towards changing the systems that prevent folks from having the ability to eat more plants while educating folks about these issues. So I ask my fellow vegans, what are you doing to ensure not just non-human animal rights, but the rights of the people in your communities who can’t only afford things like plant-based meat products, but the bare minimum of fresh fruits and vegetables? Every oppression is connected in that they are

each struggling under the umbrella of the white supremacist settler colonial project. We cannot afford to have veganism function as a single-issue movement, but must recognize its multidimensionality. And to non-vegan/plant-based folks, we do what we can when we can. Don’t let the vegan or environmental police get you down or make you feel like you’re not doing enough. Your survival and your health are enough. We cannot change the world if we ourselves are too sick to do so. It’s vital that we work towards undoing colonial violence around food as we progress in the movement so that we may not just survive, but thrive. In addition to food consumption, we can practice reconnecting to our plantnourished origins by practicing herbalism, gardening, and spiritual relationships with the land.

When I do my grocery shopping, I might get one or two plant-based meat alternatives, but the majority of my cart is filled with affordable whole foods staples like rice, beans, oats, and tortillas. The other half of my grocery list is focused on the produce section. When we’re on a budget, I don’t buy organic or fancy veggies, so I may go for regular broccoli or bulk russet potatoes rather than organic broccoli or red potatoes. We do what we can when we can.

Veganism/plant consumption/human & animal rights/food justice is not just about what we eat. It is so much more deeply involved in race, gender, class, and a multitude of intertwined oppressive histories. While the mainstream vegan movement has centered diet, there is so much more to plants and caring for this earth that Indigenous folks have been invested in since we first walked this planet. More to come in future Xicana Vegan issues!

Herbal Steams are Magic

One way that we can take care of ourselves and our communities with the benefits of plants is through herbal steams.

Anytime you feel the slightest off, like you are getting sick, steaming at that instant can prevent a virus or bacteria from fully entering your body and making you sick! You can also practice herbal steaming as a preventative. Perhaps you’ve been out around a lot of people and you’re wanting to avoid getting sick from the germs you likely encountered. That’s a great time to steam.

It’s such a simple and effectice practice to bring into your self-care routine. Here’s what I’ve done that I truly believe has prevented me from getting COVID-19:

Fill a cooking pot half full with water and add plants! I love using citrus peels with any herbs I have on hand like echinacea, lemongrass, mint, eucalyptus, citrus leaves, thyme, rosemary, etc! Use what herbs you’ve got, fresh or dried! Adding salt can provide a saline element for your sinuses (skip this if you also plan to drink it as tea afterwards). Let the pot come to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Take pot off the heat and place on a pot holder. Place a clean towel over your head, close your eyes, and hover your face over the hot water. Inhale and exhale regularly, taking turns through your nose and mouth for 5-20 minutes, or however long you can stand the heat. Remove the towel, pat dry your face, and enjoy your day knowing that you’ve taken a step to care for your health!

LG2’s Vegan Burger

Ingredients:

¾ cup raw WALNUTS

½ ONION, finely chopped

1 can KIDNEY BEANS (drained and rinsed)

¾ cup cooked RICE (brown or wild)

¼ cup BARBEQUE SAUCE

¼ cup CORN FLAKE crumbs

2 ½ teaspoons BROWN SUGAR

2 ½ teaspoons CHILI POWDER

2 ½ teaspoons CUMIN

1 teaspoon PAPRIKA (or more)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, toast the WALNUTS until fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool and then use a processor to pulse until fine. Set aside.

In the same skillet, cook ONION until brown. About 5 minutes. Add sea salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, mash KIDNEY BEANS and add: WALNUTS, ONION, RICE, BARBEQUE SAUCE, CORN FLAKE crumbs, BROWN SUGAR, CHILI POWDER, CUMIN and PAPRIKA. Add sea salt and pepper.

Combine all until it packs together for forming the patties.

Should make 6 patties or 4 very large ones.

Spray a grill (or skillet) with a nonstick spray and cook for 7 minutes each side.

Enjoy as a burger patty or as a protein patty on its own!

Stay Salty My Friend

By Manuel Davila

Minerals are an essential part of nutrition. One important source of these minerals traditionally has been salt. Common table salt purchased from the grocery stores is sodium chloride with iodine added, plus dextrose (sugar), and sodium silicate (fine sand to keep the salt from clumping). This salt provides no essential minerals except for the added iodine. The aboriginal peoples of this land, traditionally collected from salt lake deposits. The salt gathered from these sacred salt lakes was mostly sodium chloride like modern table salt, however it also contained many other trace minerals necessary for human health like potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Located in north-central Hidalgo County, La Sal del Rey is one of three hypersaline lakes, part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Ten times saltier than the ocean, the mile-long, 5-mile-wide lake covers 530 acres, is on average 4-feet deep and is estimated to hold at least 4 million tons of salt. Throughout historic times and likely throughout prehistory as well, the crystal-covered shores of La Sal del Rey attracted both people and animals. Salt is an important mineral for human nutrition and was a critical ingredient for preserving meat and animal hides. Coahuiltecan and aboriginal peoples obtained salt for their own uses as well as for trade. Hunters also would have found an abundance of game animals pulled to the natural salt exposures on the lake shores including white-tailed deer, bobcat, javelina, and coyote. The lake is also a stopover for migratory birds.

These are images from a 2016 trip to Sal del Rey, Hidalgo County, TX

Prehistoric trade in the lower Rio Grande region is evidenced by pottery shards found at occupation sites near Brownsville, which originated in the Huastec culture area on Mexico’s Gulf Coast near Vera Cruz. Shell ornaments characteristic of the Tonkawa and Karankawa peoples near the Gulf coast occur at sites well inland, including Hidalgo County. Salt may well have been a factor in these trading activities. In addition, local accounts maintain that Indians from the Mexican interior, including Aztecs, obtained salt from La Sal del Rey. Accounts of pre-contact indigenous people trade with northern regions, as told in Spanish writings, confirm these intertribal trade traditions. More tangible are obsidian artifacts found in the Valley: their origins have been traced as far away as central Mexico, indicating definite links with that region and confirming complex trading routes.

Prehistoric campers at La Sal del Rey left behind scatters of stone tools and projectile points. These artifacts sometimes occur as surface finds or may be seen eroding from gullies around the lake’s perimeter. To date, however, archaeological surveys have been minimal and there have been no excavations at the lake. Salt mining in historic times, by the aboriginal people, Spanish, Mexican, and later Anglo settlers, is well documented. Both salt lakes were mined, but La Sal del Rey was renowned in particular for the quantities of salt it yielded. As salt was taken out, it was renewed within a short time. Spanish explorers noted La Sal del Rey and La Sal Vieja, and the valuable salinas were identified on maps by the 1700s. Under Spanish law, mineral resources belonged by right to the crown. Its richness earned La Sal del Rey its name, meaning “the King’s salt”.

You Are What You Eat.

By Rachel Schnellinger

The whole vegan thing is pretty simple when you boil it down... you are what you eat.

I’ve heard that phrase a thousand times, “you are what you eat”. And if you think about it, it is really the best argument for veganism that there is.

Occasionally, when I have the bandwidth, I will advocate for veganism. I don’t do it all the time because the cognitive dissonance between what omnis eat and the animals they see in slaughter trucks or on tv or in fields around them is real.

I used to hit people in the feels. Try to marry up lambs with chops, or explain the intellectual capabilities of a pig. But that doesn’t always work.

I used to appeal to kindness. But that is often shot down with the idea that animals don’t warrant kindness. “We are top of the food chain” is a common reply, as if that annules the need to protect vulnerable animals.

You also get the types who justify that they just eat a little bit of “grass fed beef” or that they buy it local, as if that somehow expunges the fact their meal was once a sentient being.

But when advocating with the ideas above it is easy to get into deep conversations or be expected to pull facts out like you’re a human Wikipedia. To quell their feelings I find omnis often get defensive. If you can’t produce facts or you slip up on delivery then they take it as a victory.

So here is a thought. Veganism and plant-based diets aren’t difficult. You are what you eat.

Be a garden, not a graveyard.

By Mikey Menchaca

Instructions:

Boil water in large pot, enough that will cover your noodles.

Meanwhile…

Chop carrots into quarter moons.

Chop broccoli into small pieces.

Chop green onions.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to Wok or large frying pan.

Cook carrots, broccoli, and green onions in Wok until water boils.

Add Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and stir.

Once water is boiled...

add the noodles, cook in boiled water for 6 minutes, then strain noodles and add noodles to Wok.

Add 1 more tbsp of Olive Oil to Wok.

Add more Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil to taste.

Cook for 5+ minutes or until noodles are soft.

Add ginger, lime zest, lime juice.

Add Peanut butter powder and salt to taste.

Jackfruit

What is it?

Jackfruit is a large tree fruit grown in Asia, Africa, and South America. Under its textured rind is a stringy fruit that be eaten raw or cooked.

Where to find it?

You can find jackfruit in cans in the Asian food aisle or in Asian markets. Look for “young” or “packed in brine,” and make sure to strain and rinse it well (when it’s ripe it’s more of a sweet fruit and less of a meat substitute). It can also be found as a whole (giant) fruit in some produce sections (check out online videos for how to deconstruct). The canned way is a great way to go for beginners!

Nutritional properties?

Jackfruit contains fiber, protein, and is low in fat and calories. It’s a good source of Vitamin C, B6, B3, B2, B9, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Phosphorus. Its fiber and antioxidant properties can benefit heart health, and its flavanoids and lignans may help with inflammation. It should be avoided if you have a latex or birch pollen allergy, and the potassium levels could be harmful if you have chronic kidney disease.

Vegan uses?

Jackfruit is perfect for getting the familiar texture of shredded pork or chicken that many of us grew up with. It is often seen cooked this way in barbeque sandwiches (yum) or as carnitas.

By Alejandra Tolley

Ingredients

1 can of jackfruit

- Flour Tortillas

2 cups of raw cashews

- 1 Cup Plant-Based Milk (I used almond)

- 1 tbsp lemon ¼ cup nutritional yeast

- ⅓ cup of tapioca starch

1-2 cloves of garlic

- 1 tsp turmeric

Vegan chicken sazón ( I used chef merito)

- 1-2 tbsp garlic powder

- 2tsp salt 2-3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

Jackfruit Carnitas

1. Drain and rinse your jackfruit and begin ripping them into pieces to replicate shredded chicken. Then toss them in an oiled pan and sautee for about 1-2 minutes.

2. Begin tossing in your spices. It can be any you’d like but I use my vegan chicken sazòn which is a blend of garlic, cumin, onion, paprika, pepper, and salt. I recommend using Chef Merito!

3. Let the jackfruit sautee in the vegetable oil for about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally. It’s ready to go when it’s a light brown and lightly crisped all around. Put heat on low and let it sit.

Cashew Cheese

1. Boil a small pot of water and toss in your 2 cups of cashews. Boil for about 20-25 minutes. The longer the better, soak overnight if needed. 2. Toss your soaked cashews into a blender with the nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, lemon, garlic, salt, and plant-based milk.

3. Once blended smoothly, pour into a pot and start stirring right away. It will start to thicken quickly.

4. Once a thick texture, turn off heat and set it aside.

Assemble

1. Warm-up your flour tortilla on a comal and spread on your cheese and jackfruit, then fold in half and warm up until the quesadilla is evenly cooked. Pair it with some easy guac and sour cream and enjoy!

“Cooking a pot of beans act that honors

Catriona Rueda Esquibel

beans from scratch is a revolutionary honors both our ancestors and future generations.”

From Veggie Mijas workshop with Free Library of Philadelphia

Whole Wheat Fat Free Tortillas

By Lucinda González

We grew up with tasty homemade flour tortillas that my Mom would make--the kind with lots of white flour and Crisco that we would slather in butter to munch on. Here’s an alternative healthier version of the flour tortilla that is also my Mom’s recipe!

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 cup warm unsweetened almond milk

Tools: Mixing bowl Tea towel

Rolling Pin Counter or cutting board

Stir all ingredients to combine. Knead with hands for about 10 minutes.

Add extra flour one tbsp at a time if the dough is sticky. Make a large ball with dough and cover with a tea towel for 40 minutes.

Uncover and separate the dough into six round pieces. Sprinkle a clean counter or cutting board with flour and flour your rolling pin.

Roll each dough ball into a circle shape. Cook both sides on a comal. Enjoy with your favorite taco filling!

Makes 6 tortillas (double the recipe if you want more!)

Corn Tortillas

By Suzy González

There’s nothing like fresh warm and fragrant corn tortillas to stuff with your favorite taco filling.

Ingredients:

2 cups Maseca/Masa harina (try white, yellow, blue, or red!)

1.5 cups warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)

Tools:

Tortilla press

Parchment paper or Sandwich baggie Mixing bowl

Mix ingredients in a bowl and roll dough into a ball. The trick is to making your masa not too wet, and not too dry. It should have a play dough consistency--not crumbly and not sticky. Shape into balls, about 1.25 inches wide and let rest for a few minutes. Place either folded parchment paper or tear the edges of a sandwich bag and place into your tortilla press. Place each ball of masa in the press so that it’s only touching your paper or plastic on both sides. Press down in your tortillas press and gently peel dough off the paper or plastic surface. Cook each side for a couple minutes on the comal. Place into a towel or tortilla basket to keep them warm.

A Space For Death

By: Eliza Lopez from Mariposa Healing

I don’t think I really pay that much attention to the beauty of gardening. I mean yes, I understand the beauty of planting something from the ground, from a seed, then watering it, nourishing it, giving it love, making sure it gets the amount of sunshine that it needs. You know, all the right requirements and necessities.

But what about…(sigh) Have we actually really thought about the part where we allow space for death? Where we normalize death. Where we celebrate death, through our compost. Right now I was putting my things away, cleaning up, and I decided to clean my altar. I noticed that in some of the flowers there was mold. And I was just gonna throw them out. I am cleansing my home you know, releasing it. Incense on. And I was like, I don’t want death in my home. But then I thought, wait, there’s a little place in my home where I put death. Where I celebrate death. And it’s my little plastic tub where I put my decaying vegetables, or herbs, or what may be it. And I thought, wait… I know who likes death, and I opened my container and I put the molded flower petals in it. And it just made me think about how we create this beautiful space for birth and death because through our compost, through our decaying dying foods, nutrients, beings, plants we are able to give birth again.

And where else do we really give space for that in our lives? Where else are you going to celebrate death? Where else are you going to walk in with a bag or a plastic tub of decaying something or dying something and it’s gonna be celebrated. “Oh yeah, bring it through! That’s exactly what we need.” Who else is gonna welcome death in your life? And normalize it and celebrate it? Because you know what… it took its place. Yes, perhaps we could have maybe eaten our foods in a timely manner so that they wouldn’t decompose before we intended them to. But isn’t that a lesson on its own as well? I sure hope that doesn’t happen to my life. Where my time comes up and I don’t really fulfill my purpose. Ha! But that’s another story…(giggles)… Today I just give this space to celebrate death. Because at least in gardening, death means birth and new life.

Thai Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

By Lucy González

• 1/2 large yellow onion (chopped)

• 3 cloves garlic (diced)

• 1 pound carrots (scrubbed or peeled // chopped // ~4 cups)

• 1 healthy pinch each salt and pepper

• 2 cups veggie stock

• 2 cups water

• 1/3 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter

• 2 tsp sweet chili sauce

• 2 tsp sriracha

Instructions:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat.

• Dice onion and garlic. Add to pot with olive oil. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.

• Season with a healthy pinch each salt and pepper, then add veggie stock and water and stir.

• Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender (test by cutting a larger piece of carrot in half – it should cut with ease).

• Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

• Add peanut butter, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha to the blender and blend to combine, using a ‘puree’ or ‘liquify’ setting if you have it.

• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more sriracha for added heat.

• Serve and enjoy! Try pairing with your favorite sandwich!

Tofu

Tofu, or bean curd, is made from soy beans. The process begins with soaking soybeans aka soya beans in water and grinding them into a puree. This is cooked and strained to create soy milk. Tofu is then made by combining hot soy milk with a coagulant such as nigari, which comes from seawater. This curdles the soy, and the resulting bean curd can then be shaped into blocks and cooked in a myriad of ways!

Tofu can now be found in most grocery store produce or meat alternative sections, and more variety can be found in Asian supermarkets. Tofu is full of energy-boosting protein, has no cholesterol, is a great source of calcium, and is low in sodium and fat.

From its Chinese origins, we now see tofu in a myriad of foods in the Americas such as veggie burgers and a personal favorite, soyrizo. Every soy-based product on the market has tofu to thank, as they exist as direct descendants of the original.

Tofuritas (“carnitas”)

By Lucinda González

Having a young vegetarian in the family was a little challenging at times and I tried my best to prepare meals that were as close as possible to what she liked pre-vegetarian. Carnitas was one dish our family enjoyed almost annually on Easter Sunday. One year, as my husband gathered his ingredients to begin the cooking, I had an idea. Following the rule of thumb of “nada con ojitos”, I collected my own ingredients and came up with “Tofuritas”! Here’s the recipe! Disfruta!

Ingredients:

Extra Firm Tofu (cut in bite-size pieces)

Onion (chopped)

Green Bell Pepper (chopped)

Jalapeños (small can-chopped)

Tomatoes (1 can diced)

Garlic (1 clove chopped/minced – if you buy the jar, check equivalent measure for 1 clove)

Cilantro (chopped….if you love it, and I know you do, add all you want!)

Cooking Oil (about 2 tbsp)

Heat Cooking Oil in skillet on medium.

Add tofu and cook turning often until brown – remove from skillet and set aside.

Back to skillet:

Add Onion and Bell Pepper and cook until Onion is soft/ translucent

Add jalapeños and Tomatoes and stir all. Add Garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (it burns easily, so, keep an eye on it)

Tofu and Cilantro join the veggies in the skillet and toss all together to make one big happy, delicious family! Oh, and you may want to add salt, pepper, cumin would be nice, to taste.

If when you’re done, it’s simply not quite the flavor you’re looking for, just use the old Mexican trick: ADD SALSA!

Here are some other ways to prepare tofu!

1. Press your tofu. With firm tofu, remove as much liquid as you can by folding in a tea towel or paper towels and placing something heavy on it like a ceramic bowl or cast-iron skillet. Don’t put too much weight on it if you’re cutting it into cubes. You can also invest in a tofu press.

2. Marinate your tofu. The water that is removed by pressing can be replaced with yummy flavors because tofu is super absorbent!

3. Scramble your tofu. I’ve found pressing to be unnecessary if I’m making tofu scramble and want to maintain its moisture. Squish it between your fingers into an oiled pan and add turmeric for color, spices of your choosing, and even black salt if you’re looking for an eggy flavor.

4. Coat your tofu. Try dusting it with corn flour before frying or baking to add crunch. Or be inventive and try smashed cornflakes or other flours or dry pantry items.

5. Freeze your tofu. When frozen and then cooked, a different texture is achieved that can satisfy the desire for a heartier plant-protein dish.

6. Experiment with silken tofu. Try making vegan quiche, puddings, cheesecakes, smoothies, alfredo sauce, and more!

7. Make tofu deli slices. Slice your tofu thin, marinate in your desired flavors, considering a hint of liquid-smoke if you’re into that. Bake on a low setting and have your deli slices on-hand any time you’re looking for a quick sandwich or wrap.

8. Bake tofu steaks. Try marinating in barbecue or teriyaki sauce or coat in a dry curry rub before baking thick slices of tofu. Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed greens for some satisfying plant-based meat and potatoes.

9. Stir fry your tofu. I cook firm tofu cubes in hot oil in a wok and add soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic, sautéing until the tofu is crispy. Throw in some cooked rice and cook a little longer for tofu fried rice.

10. Make cheese with tofu. Firm tofu makes a wonderful ricotta cheese (hello lasagna!) while silken can work for creamy spreads. Enjoy!

From @veggiemijas article by Suzy González

Watching

I am delighted by the amount of people who are finding home in their continued or newborn interest in plants, especially during this pandemic era where we’ve realized just how important they are to us. We each have a connection to plants, but if it has been lost, we are always able to find it again–to remember. Every culture has ties to plant food medicine that has helped us survive and thrive for generations. Having a conscious relationship with the earth allows us to reconnect and to recall that she gives us life, and to care for her in return. I made this series of small gardening paintings without any plan to exhibit them after recalling that I can make art just because it feels good to create. They are dedicated to those who are feeling a need to instinctively put their hands in the dirt in times of struggle, to embrace plant medicine, to decolonize our diets, and to know where our food comes from. For me, I have moved from discussing violence against animals in my work to instead focusing on my love for plants. Gardening, a natural act of harmonizing with the land, can be seen as a radical action. It encourages new economies, plant-based consumption, spiritual reclamation, and compassion for our planet. There is an eye on the side made out of corn husks who is watching these actions. Nuestra Madre Tierra, Mother Earth sees us, welcomes us, and acknowledges our actions and our growth as we reclaim this knowledge, opening doors for compassion and healing in this world of destruction.

But it’s my Mom’s recipe yet again!

(2 tsp if you’re not that into pepper!)

From Veggie Mijas workshop with Free Library of Philadelphia

Sweet Potato Brownies

1 ½ cups oats or oat flour

6 tbsp maple syrup or agave

2 tbsp granulated cane sugar

2 medium sweet potatoes

½ cup cocoa powder

½ cup plant milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Chocolate chips (optional) Pecans (optional)

Start with cooking your sweet potatoes. Puncture them all over with a fork. To bake, wrap them in foil, and bake it at 425 for 45 minutes. Or, if you’re like me and want brownies ASAP, microwave them on the potato setting after puncturing. They need to be fully cooked and mashable.

While your cooked sweet potatoes are cooling, gather your ingredients.

Remove the peels from the sweet potatoes and smash or blend them until creamy. You could do this with a fork, potato masher, food processor, blender, or stand mixer. Try to get all the chunks out and make it more of a puree.

Add in your milk, maple syrup or agave, vanilla, and mix well to combine.

Then, add in the cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda, and combine well.

Powder your oats into oat flour by putting them in a blender, food processor, or smoothie maker like a Nutribullet or Vitamix. If you don’t have a way to do this, you can just look for oat flour at the store. Mix your oat flour with the rest of the ingredients until all is well combined.

Spread the brownie mixture into a 9 x 13 enchilada/lasagna pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and/or pecans on top. Bake at 400 for about 22 minutes.w

Cool, cut into squares, and enjoy this rich and healthy treat! This recipe makes a lot of brownies, so it’s perfect for bringing to a potluck or event and sharing with family and friends!

*Try replacing the sweet potato with banana or pumpkin puree to experiment with different flavored brownies!

*If you have enough syrup you can use 8 tbsp instead of adding the 2 tbsp of cane sugar. I found them to not be very sweet the first time around, so I added the granulated sugar. Taste your batter and adjust sweetness to your liking!

*If you’re staying away from sugar, replace with 8 tbsp of sugar replacement like Monk Fruit sweetener.

Ale Tierra as Mujer de Maíz, Murals at Midtown, San Antonio,