The Thoughtful Bear

Hey there! My name is Joseph Cuevas. I grew up in New York learning how to cook from the strong matriarchs of my family and now I live in super hot Phoenix Arizona, with my husband and our two dogs. In the gay community I’m considered a Bear. I embraced the title long ago, and Thoughtful Bear became my personal brand. I tend to spend a lot of time lost in thought about various, sometimes random topics. But in general I like to give everything a lot of thought, and be thoughtful when dealing with people. So the name seemed fitting.

The Vegan Food

Growing up I spent most days with either my mom or grandma in the kitchen talking, watching, and learning. The kitchen was where we talked about our days or life issues, while enjoying a cafecito. They taught me to cook with intention. That what we felt would be transferred into the food. And when people ate that food, they would be taking in the energy we put out. I’ve held onto that concept my whole life. It has guided my approach to everything I cook. I also love exploring foods from every culture, and spend much of my time veganizing traditional recipes. I want to show people that they can be vegan without losing cultural food traditions. I understand how important food traditions are. Food can connect us to our ancestors and culture.

The Magick Lifestyle

My approach to magick is similar to my approach to food. I believe intention and energy play huge parts in my work. I was raised in Santeria, but I branched out at a young age. I consider myself an eclectic Brujo. I’m also fine with the word Witch. Magick posts will be about my approach and lifestyle. My goal is never to say that my way is the right way. It’s just my way. Magick or Spirituality have been part of my life since I was a baby. I don’t keep my magick work separate from the rest of my life. Everything is intertwined. So it seems fitting for me to include that part of me on this blog.

The Cannabis Lifestyle

I regularly cook with cannabis. It adds a whole other level of energy and flavor to my food. It’s something that I feel more people should explore using in the kitchen. So I will definitely be sharing how I use it in my kitchen, as well as in my spiritual life. When I do write recipes with cannabis, I’ll make sure they can also be made without it. That way every can try out the recipes. I also tend to prefer micro-dosing cannabis, so my recipes will be very accessible to people who don’t want to be super stoned.

The Conclusion

Those are the three main topics you’ll find here. I may sprinkle in some other topics sometimes. I do plan on doing some home renovations. That may warrant a post or two. I’ll be sharing recipes you can easily make yourself. I’m not a fan of making cooking overly complicated. In my world, the process should be just as enjoyable as the finished dish. But ultimately my goal is to share myself with you. My approach to my little corner of the world. I hope you’ll enjoy this journey with me. 🙂

CONTACT FORM

Let’s Make Magic Together

Recipes
March 12, 2021

Sweet & Spicy Mustard

When I was growing up I loved honey mustard. I’d use it all the time. Buying it was kinda pricy for my family, so I’d often have to make it…
Recipes
December 22, 2020

Piloncillo Syrup

I first went vegan many years ago! At that time there weren’t all these cool products on the market, like plant based meats, cheeses, and all the new trendy sweeteners.…
Recipes
December 15, 2020

Coquito Cookies

Growing up I spent a lot of my time split between New York and Puerto Rico. It was always interesting to me how there were similarities and differences between the…