my sister Karen, Chef Bruce Sherman, Chef Ben Ford, Chef Leonie McDonald, Chef Ricardo A. Rodríguez, Lea Kabani, my mother-in-law Polin Agai, and Matt Solodky. All the recipes have a special emphasis on nourishment and love, because nothing works without love . . . even food.
The cookbook is organized around different times of the day, though I have tried to break out of the traditional breakfast/lunch/dinner mind-set. Instead, the recipes are grouped into sections called Rise, All Day, Midday, Evening, and Sweets.
We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do. And if we’ve succeeded in what we’re trying to do here, your body will thank your taste buds. Always listen to your body, always trust your body. It speaks to you. Food and family.
I’m a breakfast person. It’s the most important meal for me, and eggs were the first food I learned to cook. If I wanted to make an omelet, that was easy. If I wanted to make an omelet with something different to it, that was easy too. When I was growing up, they used to feed me a lot of eggs. There was this lady who brought my auntie eggs from her chickens every morning. I suppose it was for me specially she would bring them. Every other day there’d be boiled eggs or fried eggs or scrambled. This is why the first recipe in the book is my Egg Sandwich with Avocado Spread.
I also like pancakes, and so does my family, but they don’t have any real nourishment other than the eggs. One day I said to my son, “You know what, today we’re not making pancakes. We’re making Mancakes." Mancakes got more to it than just flour and water. Mancakes got to nourish. We put coconut oil in them, some pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds, sometimes walnuts. On Saturday mornings I’ll make my kids Mancakes with maple syrup as a treat.
Oatmeal—that’s my go-to meal right there. It has protein and everything else in it you need. My wife Orly’s oatmeal guarantees you will start your day feeling nice and strong. And that’s the point: the recipes in this section will nourish you to start the day smiling. Smiling with the rising sun.
Egg Sandwich with avocado spread
Sandwich serves 1, with extra spread, Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS
1 plantain, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Ziggy Marley’s Coco’Mon Coconut Oil, or coconut oil of your choosing
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon butter
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 slices sourdough bread, or your favorite bread
2 butter lettuce leaves
2 slices heirloom tomato
Salt and cracked pepper, to taste
AVOCADO SPREAD
2 avocados
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
PREPARATION
Fry plantains in 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 4 tablespoons olive oil. Fry at medium heat until plantains start to become golden brown.
Fry eggs in 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Toast bread, apply avocado spread, and layer with lettuce, tomatoes, fried plantains, and eggs.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
AVOCADO SPREAD PREPARATION
Mix and mash all the ingredients together and spread away.
“Eggs were the first food I learned to cook. When I was growing up, they used to feed me a lot of eggs. There was this lady who brought my auntie eggs from her chickens every morning.”
MANCAKES
Serves 3 to 4, Vegetarian/Gluten-Free
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour, or substitute gluten-free flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon flaxseeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon walnuts, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons Ziggy Marley’s Coco’Mon Coconut Oil, or coconut oil of your choosing
2 cups water, or substitute coconut, soy, almond, rice, or whole milk
PREPARATION
Mix all dry ingredients together, then add eggs, coconut oil, and water and blend well.
Spoon batter onto a hot grill.
Once pancakes bubble, flip over and cook until golden brown.
Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!
“Mancakes got more to it than just flour and water. Mancakes got to nourish. On Saturday mornings I’ll make my kids Mancakes with maple syrup as a treat.”
GIDEON’S FAVORITE Banana Muffins
Yields 6 to 8 muffins, Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS
1 large banana (or 2 small), very ripe, mashed
1 egg plus enough milk to make 1 cup liquid combined (coconut, rice, almond, or soy milk optional)
1/2 cup Ziggy Marley’s Coco’Mon Coconut Oil, or coconut oil of your choosing
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour (gluten-free
