STAR of the Month: In the ‘Vegan’ kitchen with Macka Diamond - ‘Cucumber Boss’ whips up a healthy spread

M acka Diamond is staying the course of her holistic journey which began two years ago.

The entertainer made the conscious decision to change her lifestyle and in order to do so properly, did a ton of research on healthy meals. For her ‘In The Kitchen’ feature, Macka Diamond decided to go the extra mile, making a complete meal of chick peas, pumpkin stew, crushed sweet potatoes with raisins and a serving of cucumber juice sweetened naturally with dried dates.

She starts with driving the knife into a large sweet potato; a nervous chuckle escapes and she admits, “The hardest part is cutting up the vegetables, seasoning and ground provisions.” She continued, “I cook everything with spring (or bottled) water because pipe water is filled with too much chlorine and most oils tend to be unhealthy.”

The natural fragrance of all the “glow foods” combined quickly filled the air, teasing eager taste buds.

Secret revealed

Cayenne pepper, hemp seeds and a little virgin coconut oil which she pours on the dishes after they are cooked are Macka Diamond’s flavour weapons of choice.

“I have become accustomed to creating my own vegan meals; I already know my way around a kitchen. Anytime me friend them come over my house, we usually run boat, whether curry chicken back or saltfish and bean with food and boiled dumplings. People are surprised to see me cook ackee without saltfish now, and that it still leaves them licking off them finger,” she boasted to THE STAR.

Macka Diamond’s vegan creation definitely had taste-testers smacking lips, almost licking the plate clean and going for seconds.

The Cowfoot artiste said that although she is somewhat of a professional cook now, her first time cooking in a kitchen was not that easy. “My mother always wanted me to help her and would always say I was not going to be able to cook when I grow up.” In an effort to teach her how to prepare a meal the Star of the Month’s mother left her in charge of Sunday dinner, and up till that time, she had never touched a pressure cooker. That lack of know-how resulted in the 16-year-old Charmaine Munroe, her given name, nursing burn wounds.

“The pressure cooker pot exploded in my face; my entire face and chest was burnt and my mother had to take me to get medical attention. I also missed school, which was about fourth or fifth form and I still have a few battle scars. Even to this day, I am not a fan of the pressure cooker; and with the vegan lifestyle I don’t have many reasons, to use it,” she said.