Author: singingbowlchef

It’s the salt that makes it sweeter.

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While indulging in some delicious late season cantaloupe, I remembered that I had purchased Tajin recently for this exact moment! The salty spicy tangy mix is a brilliant culinary move by Mexican culture and makes melon taste sooooo much better, and yes, SWEETER! It is literally the salt that brings out the ultimate sweetness of the melon. And the contrasting spiciness of chili and tanginess of lime makes all 4 flavors more distinct and more vibrant and delicious. It’s the balance and and the diversity that makes the experience better overall than each ingredient could hold on it’s own.

It’s this metaphor I want to reflect on today. The reality that it’s not more sugar that makes it taste better on our tongues, but it’s something we might think of as opposite or unusual. We might not suspect such a harmonious friendship, but the MMMMs do not lie, and Tajin on fruit is definitely super MMMMable.

What does this salty-spicy-tangy-fruit combination teach us about our relationships with each other, our selves and our roles in society? Is it more people just like us that make life whole, sweeter, and more exciting? Or perhaps is it the blend of various flavors and spices that actually make our relationships stronger and more lively. We’ve all heard “variety is the spice of life” but what does that mean to us and are we living that?! Perhaps the question to all of us is HOW to find this balance and harmony.

As so many of said before me:

Is it not the darkness that gives meaning to the light?

Is it not the container that holds the flowing water?

Is it not the positive and negative ends that attract and bond?

In my life, I am thinking about the ways in which being a childless artist can support my friends and family with children, and in general, the ways in which we need others’ diversity to make our own uniqueness sweeter.

What is the salty fruit bringing up for you?

HUNGRY FOR MORE PONDERING?

Are there rules when it comes to opposites?

What does a “healthy opposite” relationship look like, and where are the boundaries?

Food that makes you go MMMM

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Have you ever had an ecstatic experience with food? And not in the high schooler who looks curiously at a carrot for the first time kind of way…and if so, feel yo self! (and be careful). But no, a meal that can send us into a full body sensory experience, where we can’t hold ourselves back from mmmmms and ahhhhhs at every bit.

That is my gold standard for taste. There are several things that make meal times precious for me, but when we are talking about TASTE, this is how I know I’ve owned it with a recipe. Uncontrollable, repeated MMMMMs. So frequent that you might feel a sense of apology. No apologies necessary for foodgasms though, they are rare and beautiful! Mmmm mmm mmmms let your chef know that their food orchestra was masterfully attuned to your senses, and that’s nothing short of a Hollywood hand-shake.

Which makes me wonder: how often do we see recipes as a dynamic orchestra, capable of moving us to tantric levels, or not? Think about it. Each ingredient and amount affects the texture, produces a unique taste, and ultimately it’s own experience. Every little tweak a completely different song. When you Google a recipe and make a dish, are you taking note of how well that particular design meshes with you?

I encourage you to play with your ingredients, try them on for size, and find orchestral combinations that move you to tears and inspire your being.

When you eat your next meal, take notice, did it make you go MMMM?

Raw Banana Cream Pies

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There isn’t much local happening in these, but they were one of the first desserts I came across that highlighted the sweetness in fruit, were still rich, but also didn’t have added sugar. They are still a family favorite, so I KEEP.

Yield: 6 cups

Crust

6 dates
1/2 C peanut butter
1/4 C ground flaxseed
1 C oats
2 Tbs water

Pinch salt

Filling

2 ripe bananas
3/4 raw cashews
1/3 C coconut oil
1/4 C lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Directions:

Boil water, pour over dates, let soak for 15 min. Drain.

Do the same for cashews, let soak for 30 min, drain.

Place drained dates into blender or processor, add all crust ingredients until well combined.

Ball into 6 portions and put in plastic wrapped lined muffin tins. Shape into cups with hands, chill while you make filling.

Place all filing ingredients as long with drained cashews into blender, blend on high until very creamy and smooth.

Pour into cups and freeze for at least an hour before serving.

Garnish with cinnamon and berries if desired.

ENJOY!