Regardless of how much or how little you have to invest, start off by putting in something every month.

Getting into investing can be extremely intimidating especially if it isn’t or wasn’t a topic that came up in your family or friend circles in any meaningful way. Understanding what to buy, how to buy, and when can be off-putting.

In late 2019, I joined the Robinhood app on a whim. When I had an extra $20, I’d drop it in that account and buy a random stock. There was really no rhyme or reason to my buying — NO strategy…

“Oh wow that texture is interesting,” he said acknowledging the merits of the abstract art print with an all too familiar noncommittal tone that has plagued every single conversation about my art throughout our friendship. I should be used to it by now, but the sting never quite goes away. He is just one of a few who say things like “Your work is so different!” in a tone that one would use for your friend’s ugly newborn. OR those who are suspiciously noncommittal when money is involved, but always manage to slide into conversation that they accept art as…

This sausage recipe came to me on a whim. I was making Creole Lousiana-style red beans and I like adding sausage to that preparation. I didn’t have any Beyond Meat sausages and I didn’t feel like making a tofu one. I really just wanted a good veggie sausage. I had a yellow yam — I prefer sweet potato — hemp seeds, a little leftover quinoa and some leftover toasted channa (chickpeas). I decided it was going to work. And, you know what?! It did.

Sweet Potato & Hempseed Vegan Sausage

What you’ll need…

Produce

1/4 onion diced

1/4 cup of quinoa

1/2 sweet pepper (color of your choice)

1…

What is Rasta Pasta, you ask?

I originally encountered Rasta Pasta at a popular Caribbean restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. over a decade ago. Since then, I’ve eaten and cooked it a million times. It is a favorite when I’m short on time. The non-vegan version is a cream-based pasta sauce with veggies, cheese, a pasta of your choice and jerk seasoning. It was one of the easiest recipes to veganize when I first went plant-based, two years ago and it’s super versatile.

Here’s what you’ll need…

200ml of coconut milk

3 Roma tomatoes diced

2 large sweet peppers (any colors you like)

1 large…

So, a home cook and a delicious recipe walk into a kitchen — you know how this story ends LOL! She completely ignored the recipe and free-styled it! Raises hand in feigned shame — that’s me! I stumbled across this tofu recipe during one of my recipe research binges. These spirals are usually where I find cooking inspiration during a block. I tweaked it to suit me, my tastes and my pantry as should you.

Funny enough, this recipe starts off like every other tofu recipe I’ve shared here because I’ve learned that working with tofu in this way achieves…

Sunken cheeks, frail limbs, a slow and a more deliberate process of moving thought to words — emaciated is what he is. It’s the cheeks that catapult me into utter shock and a slow-creeping despair. His cheeks used to be a round brown and almost buoyant like my mothers. Standing side by side, you’d easily mistake her for his mother. Her features have a way of showing up in her sibling’s off-spring. I have a woman cousin that also looks as if my mother cloned herself . Nevertheless, these cheeks — his — were always full. So full when he’d…

Today, we’re making Guyanese pepperpot. When I was a child, my family had a Guyanese landlord that we were quite close to. She prepared this dish every single Christmas and made sure me and my twin sister had our fill. This classic Guyanese holiday — usually a days/weeks-long marinated beef/pork stew flavored with cassava extract, cassareep and warm spices — dish remains a favorite of mine. One bite transports me to my childhood. Veganizing it was a challenge that I enjoyed.

The most time-consuming part of this recipe is the preparation of your tofu. I’d suggest pressing and baking your…

I’m tired and some days, I’m sad.

I’m sad on days that my mind is so jumbled that words won’t form and I don’t have the energy to go in search of them.

I’m tired of being sad. It’s a nagging ache that casts a blue shadow over everything. It’s a cobalt blue — almost opaque — coating every feeling, every thought, every moment and movement. It’s the voice in my head that says “I hate it here,” but won’t tell me exactly where here is.

I wrote those words a few weeks ago in an attempt to clear a…