id you know that the tradition of red foods reaches back to the Juneteenth Celebrations? During those celebrations—which started 2 1/2 years after we’d been freed—the menu included red foods like drink, cake, and watermelon. Some of the reasons ranged from honoring the blood of the ancestors, to ancient African sacrifice customs, to red meaning strength and spirituality. While red soda has become a popular mainstay at our gatherings, the historical red cultural drink at those gatherings was made of hibiscus and was called “bissap” in West Africa. It was brought to the Caribbean and America during the slave trade and is now popularly known as sorrel.

We’re featuring some delicious dishes from Chef Cynthia Chea Pean and Chef Mommy, Heather Martin. Both offer recipes featuring the same traditional foods—okra, greens and vegan fish—prepared natively from Africa and Louisiana. I guarantee, they are delicious.

Add the oil to your pan and warm the oil over medium high heat. Once the oil starts to glisten, add the Afcavé® seasoning of your choice. Cook until fragrant. Once you smell the seasoning, add the onions and move them about the pan, coating them with the seasoning. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the garlic, being careful not to burn. When you smell the garlic, add the tomatoes. Cook them until they start to break down. Add the sliced okra and stir to make sure everything is well combined and nothing sticks or burns. Add your broth and cover, lowering the heat to simmer. Allow this mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes. If you are using mushrooms, add them at this point. Stir until well incorporated. Cover the pot, allowing the steam to cook the stew for about five minutes. Taste for salt and add extra Afcavé seasoning or salt to taste. Serve over hearty brown rice or quinoa or even with a side of whole wheat pita.

Serves 4-6

Preheat oven to 4000 F. Spray soy fish with oil and layer onto a foiled baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes, turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes. Set aside.

Add oil to your sauté pan, warming it over medium high heat. Once oil starts to shimmer, add the Afcavé® Corentyne Curry and cook until fragrant. Once you smell the seasoning, add the sprig of thyme and onions, and move them about the pan coating them with the seasoning. Saute’ for a few minutes and then add garlic, being careful not to burn.

Add the coconut milk, stirring to make sure everything is well combined. Taste and add additional salt or seasoning if needed. Cover the coconut curry sauce, lower the fire to a simmer and allow it to cook for about five minutes. Arrange the fish slices on a serving platter and ladle the coconut curry sauce over the fish. Garnish with the sliced scallions. Serve with sticky brown rice or any grain of your choice.

Serves 4

Cornmeal mixture:

Peel eggplant. Cut lengthwise into ¼ inch or thin (but not too thin) slices. It should resemble a cut of fish. Season with salt. Allow eggplant to sit a few minutes, the salt will help some of the moisture come out. Pat it dry, then sprinkle onion powder, and garlic powder over eggplant. Mix together egg replacer. It will thicken and you may need to add a little more water, ½ teaspoon at a time. Carefully dredge each slice of eggplant through the egg mixture, coating it thoroughly, then dip into cornmeal mixture. Drop pieces into the skillet and fry until golden brown on each side. Remove from skillet and transfer to paper towel lined baking sheet. Serve hot on French bread with your choice of toppings: remoulade sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion. YUMMY!

A first generation American of Liberian and Guyanese descent, CC Peán literally grew up in the kitchen. “My mom made me sit in the kitchen and watch her cook,” Peán recalls. “At the time it felt like punishment, but it turned out to be a gift.”

Every night Peán’s mother would fix a delicious fresh meal that incorporated the African, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, and English flavors of her native Guyana.

“I grew up in a vegetarian home eating foods like roti (a West Indian flatbread) and curry, Chinese long beans, and eggplant,” says Peán. Her mother was planting the deep culinary traditions of Guyana and Liberia that would sprout many years later. What was once solely for enjoyment, became an avocation and passion.

Peán’s main focus is teaching others how to shop, cook and fight disease with traditional foods from the African Diaspora. She is an internationally known, published author, media contributor and authoritative voice on plant-based foods of the African Diaspora. She is a professionally trained plant-based chef and nutritional consultant who specializes in: macrobiotics, raw and living foods, high-alkaline and vegan modalities, allergy-sensitive, gluten-free, and anti-candida disease sensitive meals. A key component of her practice is assisting professional athletes in achieving optimal health and minimizing the effects of wear and tear on their bodies via diet.

Peán’s business, “Afcavé,” comes from the African, Caribbean, and vegan inspiration of her background and the spices of her Afcavé collection (afcavefoods.com) reflecting her childhood, culinary training, and travels.

Peán graduated from Oakwood University in Organizational Psychology and earned her master’s degree in International Relations from Golden Gate University. Her culinary training at The Natural Epicurean has strengthened her expertise that was begun in the kitchen with her mom. You can follow her @ccpean on Instagram and ccpeanofficial on Facebook.

Heather Martin was born the last of six siblings in New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from Oakwood University with a bachelor’s degree in Language Arts Education in 1999 and later earned a master’s degree in Education from Kaplan University in 2008. Shortly after graduating she followed God’s call to minister. She joined the Stellar, Dove, and Grammy-nominated gospel group Virtue, which was founded by her two older sisters, Ebony Holland and Karima Kibble. Virtue has used their talents to spread the love of God across the world! They have recorded seven studio albums and have been the recipients of numerous awards.

God has not only blessed Heather professionally, but personally. She and her husband, Dr. Colin Martin, have been married for 16 years. They have four children: Colin Jr. 14, Harper 12, Clark, 9, and Charleston 8. In 2016, Heather started an online blog and vegan and allergen-friendly cooking channel called “Chef Mommy.” This healthy eating lifestyle was started out of necessity in that all of her children have severe food allergies to milk, eggs, fish and nuts. Heather (Chef Mommy) has cooked with numerous celebrities and top chefs to spread the news of healthy cooking and lifestyle. Follow her on YouTube (The Chef Mommy), Instagram (The Chef Mommy), and Facebook (The Chef Mommy).

Donna Green-Goodman, MPH writes for MESSAGE Magazine from Huntsville, Alabama where she and her husband operate Lifestyle Therapeutix, A Lifestyle For Better Health Center www.lifestyletherapeutix.com. She is a health educator who is a 25-year breast cancer survivor. She’s been a college professor and a national ambassador for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Circle of Promise Campaign. She is author of Somethin’ to Shout About! (Orion Enterprises, 1999), Cookin’ Up Good Health, (Still Shoutin’, 2008), Still Cookin’ Up Good Health (2017), and executive producer of her own cooking show, Cookin’ Up Good Health!, which aired on HOPETV. Cook Up Good Health with her on Donna’s YouTube Cooking Channel.