Broccoli Rising and Diving into the Jury Pool
How was your July 4th? How did you celebrate? Who was at your table? And what did you eat? I’m still honoring — and pondering — what it is to be American. I’ve got jury duty today.
Yeah, jury participation is a nuisance, an interruption of your normal schedule, but let’s face it, we left normality behind a long time ago. Serving on a jury is a small way we can claw it back. It’s our civic duty as Americans. It’s also one of the last bulwarks holding up our crumbling democracy. It’s where We, the People, gather together to hold defendants accountable for their actions and decide their guilt, their innocence, their fate. Trial by jury is democracy in action. It’s as American as Fourth of July fireworks.
We, the People, means all of us, the strangers and citizens sitting here with me in the jury pool, this cavernous, charmless, over-air-conditioned room with a lame coffee machine and buzzing fluorescent lighting. We come from different cultures and cuisines, we have different interests, education and incomes, politics and professions, but we are all here together as Miamians, as Americans.
We, the People, means our friends, families and neighbors. It means the hardworking, tax-paying individuals who contribute to and enrich our community. We, the People, means you, too.
When one man gets to be both judge and jury, deciding the fate of We, the People, that’s not democracy, that’s autocracy. Synonyms include tyranny, despotism and dictatorship.
We, the People, have a history of rejecting autocracy. That’s how we became the United States of America in the first place. More recently, all across the country, millions of Americans engaged in our Constitutional right to free speech and freedom of assembly, participating in last month’s peaceful No Kings protests.
The jury’s out on whether America’s fate will be decided by one person or by all of us. You may not have jury duty today, but you — we — still have a say in how our country should be run and who has the right to live here. So speak out. Your voice has never been more important to We, the People.
Consider how you get the news and information that shapes your opinion. Fact check your source, especially as AI becomes a political tool (or weapon).
Contact your local representatives and members of congress and let them know where you stand on the issues that matter to you.
Join organizations defending our Constitution and protecting democracy.
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
That all-American of dishes, macaroni and cheese, has French origins and came to America by way of James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved Black chef.
1/2 cup toasted breadcrumbs
8 ounces (1/2 pound) short pasta — elbow macaroni, penne, fusilli, whatever you like. Preferably whole wheat.
4 tablespoons vegan butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetened oat milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded vegan cheddar
Lightly oil a deep ovenproof casserole or baking dish.
Sprinkle most of the breadcrumbs at the bottom of the casserole, reserving about 3 tablespoons for later.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Pour in the pasta and cook a few minutes less than package directions, so it’s still firm, but not crunchy. It will continue to cook in the oven.
Drain well and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt vegan butter over medium-high heat. Pour in the unbleached flour and stir until you have a smooth paste.
Pour in the oat milk and nutritional yeast, and continue to stir until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Season generously with sea salt and ground pepper.
Tumble the cooked pasta into the baking dish. Pour the sauce over everything.
Season again with sea salt and pepper, and scatter shredded cheddar over all. Top with remaining breadcrumbs.
Bake mac and cheese for 20 minutes, or until everything’s heated through and bubbly and crumb topping is golden brown.
I could not ask for a more fun Kitchen Confidante than lovely Liren Baker. Subscribe to her podcast and have a listen as we chat about Miami Vegan, papaya, and other funky things.
It’s official — I’m bold and refreshing. Or at least my Miami Vegan recipes are. Big Miami Vegan thanks to Judy Bart Kancigor for including my, bold, refreshing recipe for Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad in her Fourth of July listing in the Orange County Register.
July
Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues. July is National Blueberry Month, so I’m happy to share my Miami Vegan recipe for Summer Blueberry Loaf with Plant-Based News and you.
July 7 Wait, that’s today! It’s World Chocolate Day, so celebrate the flavor the whole world loves with my recipe for bonet, a thoroughly veganized version of Italy’s classic chocolate creme caramel. Or for another Italian-inspired chocolate dessert (because there’s never enough), salami di cioccolato (that’s chocolate salami to you, and yes, it’s vegan).
July 14 Bastille Day. Viva la France. The French rejected autocracy, too.
July 27 2pm-4pm Plate With Plants! is back at Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and so am I. Register now for my workshop, skip the summer swelter and let’s make some beautiful vegan charcuterie boards together.
August 7 Get away to Ft. Myers and join me for a Miami Vegan workshop and tasting event at luxe Luminary Hotel.