Cannabis Infused Salsa Verde Recipe – Delicious and wholesome

Dr. Sebi and Alkaline Foods

Around 2010 I started to learn about the teachings of Dr. Sebi, who for many reasons people deem as controversial. At the time I was attending workshops in Brooklyn where I learned about his teachings through his wife Maa. The information I gained at these workshops completely changed how I understood my body and how I understood food.

I continue to I adhere to the Dr. Sebi Alkaline Diet and my recipes reflect that. Some readers may wonder why my recipes do not include ingredients like tofu, white rice or potatoes. Or why I opt for avocado oil in my infusions. This is all connected to what I learned though Dr. Sebi’s teachings. I am committed to doing my best to craft original recipes that correspond to these teachings and that are delicious and enjoyable to vegans and non-vegans alike.

Optimal health and vitality eludes many people regardless of race, gender or socio-economic positioning. While many may disagree or seek to debunk the teachings of holistic practitioners like the late Dr. Sebi, it is important to recognize his work has had a lasting impact on many like myself in the Black community and beyond.

I’m ready to take some giant steps in my career and I hope that you all join me on this journey. At my core I’m simply a Haitian dude from Brooklyn who love’s great tasting food. And my love for food has led me to my career as a chef. It has also been a bridge to many great people and opportunities.

This Just Tastes Like Weed

As a chef, one of the things I enjoy most is creating exciting flavor combinations. And while I enjoy dishes that are complex, I also enjoy food that is simplistic and minimal. For example, I recently conducted a private cooking class with a client where we prepared a butternut squash dish. Throughout the class I emphasized the goal was to make a dish which showcased the wonderful texture and depth of the butternut squash. Flavor and texture are extremely important aspects of my work. Fresh ingredients typically have a lot of flavor to explore on their own without much added.

I’ve been living a vegan lifestyle that includes cannabis for over 20 years, so when I moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 2016 I was excited to have access to legal weed. I was also excited to begin my quest to discover the very best gluten-free vegan edibles (yeah, I’m one of those people).

I had some difficulty finding commercially produced, gluten-free vegan edibles at local dispensaries. When I did find some they were often treats like brownies and cookies that were filled with gluten and refined sugars. In spite of these factors I gave myself permission to experience these products. The results of these treats were mostly unfavorable. I found one or two extremely potent brownies and cookies that were made mainly with indica trim which produced an overwhelmingly sedating effect. Another issue I had was that these treats didn’t taste good. In fact, the flavor and aroma of weed completely dominated these treats. I’m not sure about you but  I’ve never eaten a treat like a brownie or chocolate chip cookie and said to myself “I wished this tasted like weed.”

How Do You Want to Feel?

I mainly enjoy sativas and only consume indicas during the evening when I’m winding down my day. I consistently enjoy a potent sativa high for its ability to reinforce feelings of being focused and energized. I can be highly productive during the day with sativa. Indica on the other hand makes me tired but is really great after a long day of working and working out. Indicas help relieve a lot of tension in my body but if I consume it during the daytime I’ll likely have to take a nap.I quickly learned that most edible products in southern California use a blend of sativa and indica trim. I’ve been told the reason for this is local growers often produce more indica strains as they are more popular, profitable and more yielding in terms of flower produced per plant. I also learned that growers oftentimes do not keep their indica and sativa trim separate. When manufacturers purchase their trim infusions often they are often getting a mixture of strains that is predominantly indica based.

How Can We Work With The Flavor or Cannabis?

As a cannabis chef I’m always looking for ways  to make enjoyable dishes and sauces that work with the dominant and imposing flavors of weed. My relationship to cannabis is under the umbrella of my relationship with all food, as I consider cannabis an herb similar to basil, thyme or dill.

My approach to infused foods is rather simple. I make an avocado oil infusion and add that oil into my favorite dishes. As I mentioned before, I prefer sativas most of the time, but if I can’t find sativa trim for my edibles I’ll opt for an uplifting indica or even a sativa dominant hybrid strain occasionally.

Cooking with cannabis is a topic that fascinates me. Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comment field below. Also let me know if you have any suggestions for vegan recipes you’d like to see in future installments of The Science of Flavor.