Broccoli Rising and All Over Creation
Happy Cinco de Mayo. You may know it as a tequila fest, but it’s more than that. Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s 1862 victory at the Battle of Puebla, where Mexico’s small band of resisters triumphed over the better equipped French army. It’s a day to honor Mexican culture and to remember that sometimes the little guys win.
So this happened.
My favorite indie bookstore, Books and Books gave a coming out party for my new cookbook , Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics To Your Table. I suck at self-promotion, but it seemed like all of Miami showed up Saturday night anyway, putting aside all the craziness in the world to meet and buy Miami Vegan and laugh as award-winning food journalist Laine Doss and I chatted about Miami’s delicious mix of cultures and cuisines, cooking to seduce, and our crazy rescue dogs. I am just knocked out. I don’t even know how to tell you how grateful I am. My husband would say, just say thank you, Ellen. Right. So thank you, Books and Books, thank you, Laine, thank you, Miami, and thank you, dear Broccoli Rising subscribers.
Writing a cookbook, making tacos from the cookbook, or growing the collards that go into taco recipe from the cookbook all fall under the category of creation. Creation is defined as the act of bringing something into existence. It’s something from nothing. It’s an act of hope, a little magic offered to the world.
Destruction is the act of causing so much damage, something — or someone — ceases to exist. On any given day, I worry over damage to the planet, or threats to our democracy, but right now, destruction for me means the mass shooting that took place at Florida State University right before Easter.
Do I have to talk to you about gun violence? Apparently, I do. I started putting together gun violence statistics, but the thing is, this isn’t about statistics, it’s about people — the guy down your block, your favorite barista, your child, your partner, your parent. And it’s about you too. You don’t need to be injured, you don’t need to be anywhere near a bullet to suffer trauma from gun violence. It turns the world darker. And yet gun violence is so much a part of American life that this mass shooting’s already been booted off the news like it’s no biggie.
It’s a big friggin’ deal for me, and I hope it is for you too. The antidote to destruction and darkness is creation and light. We can create. We can act. And together, we can light up the world. Yeah, I still believe that.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so take a moment:
Breathe.
Be kind to others — they may well be going through a tough time (aren’t we all?).
Be kind to yourself.
Create something beautiful. Make a recipe, make someone smile, but make something beautiful happen.
May 5 Cinco de Mayo. Make Collard Tacos with Chile-Charred Onion and Sweet Potato, just one of the sun-drenched recipes from Miami Vegan. This incredible recipe is available at the end for paid subscribers. Not a paid subscriber? There’s no time like the present!
May 10 2-4pm Plate with Plants! Create plant-based charcuterie boards with me at Miami Beach Botanical Garden mbgarden.org, South Beach’s urban oasis.
May 11 Mother’s Day. Here’s to all the moms out there. We love you. Have some carrot cake— we made it ourselves just for you.
May 26 Memorial Day. It’s not just the day to break out the grill (although Big Vegan Flavor phenom Nisha Vora shares a stellar vegan barbecue menu). It’s a day to honor those who’ve died serving our country.
June 1 I’ll be doing a Miami Vegan talk and tasting at South Florida’s terrific tropical fruit stand Robert is Here
Enormous thanks to Tip of the Tongue’s Liz Williams for cheering on Miami Vegan. In addition to being a food historian, author and founder of and for being such a smart, fun, and engaging podcast host. Subscribe and have a listen, y’all.
Coming up, chats with two of my favorite vegans, Rip Esselstyn and Victoria Moran, Subscribe so you won’t miss a single delicious moment.
I want to talk with you, too. In honor of the creation of Miami Vegan, my Broccoli Rising chat is open to all subscribers.
For Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Taco Tuesday, or collardly pleasure whenever you like: Collard Tacos with Chile-Charred Onion and Sweet Potato, from Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table,