Hempie Chef Gets Cooking with RealOne

Hempie Chef whips up some of RealOne's favorite meals, while getting the dish on his connection to Cannabis...

RealOne is a musician whom I have the great privilege of calling a friend. Our first encounter was at the 2010 World Hemp Expo and Extravaganja (WHEE) in Corning, California. He performed all three days of the festival, helping me to discover 'hemp-hop' music. Some of the awards that RealOne has received for his musical efforts include:

2007 Best Medical Song: How I Smoke - American Marijuana Music Awards
2008 Best Male Artist: The Purple Haze - AMMA
2011 Best Hemp Song: It's Just A Plant - AMMA
2012 High Times Doobie Award for Activist Artist of the Year

In spite of his hectic schedule, SSUSA was recently lucky enough to get together with RealOne and ask him a few questions to share with you lovely readers.

SSUSA: What prompted you to become a Cannabis crusader?
RealOne: "Losing my mom to cancer and later finding out that Cannabis has healed cancer patients is what made me an activist in the Cannabis movement."

SSUSA: Who were the musicians and/or activists that have influenced both you and your music?
RealOne: "I love all music, so that's hard to pinpoint; but as far as activists, hands-down Jack Herer and his book The Emperor Wears No Clothes and California Activist Eddy Lepp."

SSUSA: What is your biggest accomplishment?
RealOne: "[My] biggest accomplishment would be finishing and releasing the album Reefer Madness. A lot of hard work went into that album, and it had four award-winning songs - so the hard work paid off!"

SSUSA: What song do you feel expresses you?
RealOne: All I Do Is Smoke Weed, produced by Chronic Guitars!

Biscuits and Gravy
For the most important meal of the day, there is one thing that RealOne hopes most to see gracing his breakfast plate. Check out these bud-laced biscuits and gravy....

Biscuit Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
4 t. baking powder
¼ t. baking soda
3 oz. cold canna-butter, diced
8 oz. buttermilk
Pinch of salt

Gravy Ingredients:
½ lb. ground breakfast sausage
2 T. canna-butter
4 T. all-purpose flour
3 c. cold milk
Salt and pepper (to taste)

To make the biscuits, combine and sift the dry ingredients; gently knead in the canna-butter. Add the buttermilk and knead on a floured board, just enough to bring the dough together.

It is vital that you knead gently and no more than is necessary, or you will develop the gluten in the flour and make the biscuits tough. Good biscuits are as much a function of technique as ingredients.

Form a flat mass with the dough and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Do not make them too tall/thick, or the outside could become over-browned by the time the inside is cooked.

Place them onto a parchment paper-lined sheet tray and then into a preheated, 400º F oven.

For the gravy, saute the sausage until it is cooked and has released as much of its fat as possible. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and do NOT drain the grease; you will need it to make the roux. (Mind you, this is delicious - not health food.)

You should have about two tablespoons of rendered pork fat. Add the canna-butter and melt it. Then, add the flour a little at a time over medium heat, whisking constantly; cook for about two to three minutes. Now, start adding the cold milk a little at a time, while whisking incessantly. Toward the end of the milk, add the sausage back into the pan. When the gravy reaches the desired consistency, add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the biscuits in half (horizontally). Pour some gravy over them, and enjoy one of the most embracing and comforting taste sensations known to man.

A few points here: the perfect roux has equal amounts of fat and flour. If, for some reason, your sausage renders noticeably less or more than two tablespoons of fat, adjust the amount of flour accordingly. If you end up making more roux, you will need more milk, so have extra on hand.

Also, make sure the roux is cooked on (no higher than) medium heat; the idea is not to burn or brown the roux, but rather to cook out the floury taste.

Four things are necessary to ensure smooth, lump-free gravy: constantly whisk the roux and the gravy throughout the process; add COLD milk to the HOT roux; incorporate the milk only a little at a time; and finally, keep the heat at no more than medium. You can adjust the consistency however you like - but a thick, creamy gravy is the target viscosity.

Tequila-Lime Fajitas
RealOne's idea of the perfect lunch consists of Mexican food and deli sandwiches, so why not join him in some tasty tequila-lime fajitas?

4 limes
1 c. tequila
¼ c. canna-olive oil
2 t. kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, sliced
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Slice open limes and squeeze the juice into a food processor or blender. Add the tequila, olive oil, salt, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro; blend the mixture until totally combined. Place the chicken inside a large, plastic zip-bag and pour in the lime-tequila mixture. Seal the bag; marinate chicken in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the bag and grill it over medium-high heat. Rotate the chicken forty-five degrees (on both sides) to create nice grill marks, and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked through - about four to five minutes per side.

Slice the chicken and serve it on a plate topped with the side dishes, after evenly melting the Monterey Jack cheese over the chicken breasts. Serve with any or all of the following: corn tortillas, flour tortillas, some extra grated Monterey Jack, pico de gallo (salsa fresca), jalapeno slices, lime wedges, avocado slices, sour cream, etc.

Fried Chicken
Winner, winner, (fried) chicken dinner: RealOne's follow-up favorites of "a good steak dinner and, of course, any barbecue" sound pretty good, too! Try out this crunchy canna-chicken recipe at your next gathering....

Chicken Breading:
3 eggs
⅓ c. water
1 c. hot sauce (Suggestion: Texas Pete's Hot Red Pepper)
2 c. self-rising flour
1 t. pepper
1 chicken (up to 2½-lbs.), cut into pieces
Canna-oil (enough for deep- or shallow frying)

Seasoning:
1 c. salt
¼ c. black pepper
¼ c. garlic powder

To make the seasoning, combine salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Season the chicken; store the remaining mix in an airtight container for up to six months.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs and water. Add hot sauce until the egg mixture looks bright orange. In another bowl, combine the flour and pepper. Dip the seasoned chicken into the egg mixture, then coat it well with the flour mixture.

Heat the oil to 350º F in a deep pot. Do not fill the pot more than half-full with oil. Fry the chicken in the canna-oil, until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer than white meat; the cook time on dark meat is about thirteen to fourteen minutes, with white meat done at around eight to ten minutes.

Reefer Madness is available on iTunes; follow @realone209 on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, or check out the goods at www.realone209.com.