#vegan cuban

[deliciously-vegan]

Cuban-inspired Seitan Steaks

[[MORE]]

Steaks

2 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten 1/4 cup chick pea flour 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp black pepper

1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped 2 cups vegetable bouillon 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp miso 1 tbsp liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large glass mixing bowl stir together the; wheat gluten, chick pea flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, and black pepper. Set aside.

Place the; onion, vegetable bouillon, olive oil, soy sauce, ketchup, miso, and liquid smoke in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture. Stir until well-combined. 

With clean damp hands knead/massage batter for 2-3 minutes. (This will activate the gluten.)

Transfer batter to a large piece of parchment paper. Form a log with batter. Fold parchment paper over log to cover completely. Transfer to a large piece of aluminum foil. Fold foil over parchment-covered log and fold foil to seal.

Place covered log on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn log over and bake for another 30 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes then slice. Arrange slices on a large glass baking dish. 

Marinade

1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup lime juice 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp cilantro paste 1 tbsp agave 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp black pepper

In a small mixing bowl whisk together all of the marinade ingredients, Pour marinade over steaks slices. Allow to marinate for about an hour. Turn steaks over and marinate for another hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place steaks in preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn steaks over. Roast for another 15 minutes. Turn over one more time. Roast for 5 more minutes.

Serve.

[fitveganlifts]

Vegan food from Denver 💚

[najia-cooks]

[ID: First image shows four small, circular pastries with x-shaped vents piled on a plate. Second image shows one of the pastries broken open to reveal ground beef, black raisins, and bits of olive and tomato. End ID.]

Bakery-style pastelitos de carne (Cuban stuffed pastries)

Pastelitos de carne are Cuban pastries stuffed with picadillo—a sweet-and-savory filling made from ground beef, olives, raisins, and sometimes potatoes. This recipe uses a sofrito of minced onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato, and spices to provide an intensely flavorful base for the picadillo filling.

Homemade versions of pastelitos de carne often use rough pastry to encase their filling in large pasty- or turnover-style shapes. This recipe, on the other hand, is based off of a common style of pastelitos sold in Cuban bakeries—bite-sized bits of picadillo encased in flaky, tender puff pastry that is brushed in sugar syrup after baking to enhance the savoury-sweetness of the filling.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

INGREDIENTS:

For the dish:

1 batch of puff pastry

6 Tbsp (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp) fine textured vegetable protein (TVP)

1/2 cup vegetarian ‘beef’ broth from concentrate, divided—or substitute vegetable broth + 2 tsp dark soy sauce

5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 small yellow onion, minced

1/2 small green bell pepper, minced

1 small golden potato, diced (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp pimiento green olives, diced (optional)

1 Tbsp black raisins (optional)

2 roma tomatoes, chopped and puréed (1/4 cup), or 2 Tbsp tomato sauce

1/2 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)

1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 ciliment (bay rum) leaf

1/2 tsp cumin seeds, or ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sazón

pinch ground Ceylon cinnamon (or substitute cassia)

To assemble:

1 Tbsp non-dairy margarine, melted

1/4 cup (60g) vegetarian granulated sugar

2 Tbsp water

Ceylon cinnamon, or "true" cinnamon, is often used in Latin American countries; varieties of cassia cinnamon, which is harsher in flavor, are more common in the U.S. You can find Ceylon cinnamon at a speciality spice or international foods store; it should have thin, flaky, densely overlapping bark, rather than thick swirls.

Bay rum leaves are a common ingredient in cuisine throughout the Carribbean; rather than the sharp citrus-and-pine aroma of a California bay leaf, they have notes of sweet spices and vanilla. If you don't have any, substitute a pinch of allspice, nutmeg, or clove.

The link to a sazón recipe is for a Puerto Rican version, but a typical Cuban version of the spice blend consists of the same ingredients—just reduce the amount of achiote by about half.

Raisins and/or olives are typically included in bakery-style pastellitos, but they may be omitted if you dislike them.

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the filling:

1. Cut the potato into a small dice. Soak it in a bowl of cool water to prevent browning and remove excess starch while you prepare the rest of the filling.

2. Prepare the TVP. Hydrate TVP for about 10 minutes in 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp 'beef' stock, plus a pinch of sazón.

3. Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan on medium-high. Add TVP and spread it out in a single layer. Allow it to brown without agitating for a few minutes before stirring it, scraping the bottom of the pan. Repeat this process a few times, adding more oil as necessary, until the TVP is deeply golden brown on all sides. Remove TVP from the pan.

4. Make the sofrito. In the same pan, heat another Tbsp of olive oil on medium-high. Add the bay leaf and cumin seeds and fry until cumin is fragrant.

5. Add the minced onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant and no longer raw-smelling.

6. Reduce heat to medium. Add ground spices (sazón, cinnamon, and black pepper) and mix to combine; sauté for another 30 seconds.

7. Add bell peppers and allow to cook for several minutes until tender. Add tomatoes (I like to push everything else to the side and add the tomatoes to the center of the pan to allow them to come into direct contact with the cooking oil) and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is mostly dry.

8. Finish the filling. Add browned TVP, fresh oregano, raisins, and olives. Add the remaining beef stock to deglaze the pan and continue cooking until the filling mixture is again mostly dry. Remove from heat.

9. Remove potatoes from water and pat dry. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet and fry potatoes in a single layer, agitating every few minutes, until golden brown. Mix with the rest of the filling.

To assemble:

1. Divide puff pastry into two, leaving the half you’re not working with in the fridge. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/8” thick and cut into as many circles as you can with a 2” cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, placing each circle on a parchment-lined plate. Place the plate in the fridge and repeat with the other half of puff pastry.

Remaining odds and ends of puff pastry may be baked as they are and eaten brushed with sugar syrup or topped with jam, spreadable cheese or fruit; they may also be gathered, rolled out again, and used as rough pastry.

2. Place a heaping spoonful of filling on top of a circle of pastry, and top it with another pastry circle. Press down firmly around the edges to seal. Repeat with the rest of the pastry circles.

3. Brush the top of each pastelito with melted margarine to aid in browning. With a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top of each pastelito to vent.

4. Return the shaped pastelitos to the fridge or freezer and preheat your oven to 400 °F (205 °C). While the oven preheats, prepare a 2:1 simple syrup by combining 1/4 cup sugar with 2 Tbsp water in a small saucepan and heating on medium, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves.

5. Bake pastelitos for 15-20 on the highest rack of the oven until deeply golden brown on the top and around the edges.

6. Using a pastry brush, brush pastelitos with simple syrup. Serve warm.

[morethansalad]

Cuban Black Beans + Mango Bowl (Vegan)

[vegan-nom-noms]

Baked Plantain Chips Vegan Cuban Bowl

[when-wax-wings-melt]

where the fuck did they get the cheese

[mariolopezgoicoechea]

@house_of_momo does well what it promises. That is handmade #Momos (Himalayan #dumplings). This dumpling of Tibetan origin has become widely popular as a #streetfood in countries such as Nepal, India and Bhutan. Here in Dalston, the menu is made up of four dumpling options: #SteamedMomo, #KotheyMomo, #JholMomo, and #ChilliMomo. I’ve never had dumplings like the ones at House of Momo. They were soft, plump and flavoursome. They were also on the right side of juicy. Neither gooey, nor dry. I also had a glass of #vegan #mangolassi to go with my meal. That, too, was a nice surprise. I’m used to sweet lassi and my taste has got used to it as a result. House of Momo’s was heavy on the fruit, which I appreciated, as it was a nice contrast with the spiciness coming from both Momos and fried rice. I highly recommend this restaurant. #Cuban #Immigrant #Londoner https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/cuban-immigrant-and-londoner #London #Londres #Londinense #visitbritain #visitengland #visitlondon #streetphotography #urbanlandscape #photography #VSCO (at Dalston, Hackney) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClHifpdM0Eu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[whoisryosuke-backup]

Vegan Tres leches round 3 with vegan whipped coconut cream

[strengthandsunshine]

Vegan Crema de Malanga is a rich and creamy Cuban soup made with the malanga root. Similar to potato soup, this cream of malanga soup is made creamy by the natural texture of the boiled and blended malanga and just 5 other simple ingredients. This healthy root vegetable soup recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, allergy-free, and paleo! Perfect for a light lunch or side dish! Vegan Crema de Malanga (Cuban Cream of Malanga Soup) https://wp.me/p4UrDz-86X

[dykeulous]

about me.

hello! i am apollo and i am aspiring to be an author and an activist someday. i come from a small, underdeveloped “post-socialist” country. i hope my blog will be helpful to everyone, and i try to be as open-minded on most topics as i can be. this is how i would describe myself:

i am a butch lesbian with heavy sex (& social) dysphoria. i would refer to myself as transmasc, and i am still very much trans-identified, as dysphoria has caused me much trouble over my formative years, and it has been making my life a true agonizing hell :)). i approach trans issues with sensitivity and criticism. i try my best not to be black-and-white about things; and i always try to be well-informed before speaking on anything. i love gender acceleration, and i would describe my views as gender critical. i am explicitly anti-racist, anti-capitalist & anti-imperialist. my views align with marxist feminism/proletarian feminism & radical feminism– which is why i would describe myself as a dual system feminist. my analysis & beliefs come from dialectical materialism, rather than idealism, which is why i’ve found myself in opposition with most trans rights activists. i am for abolishing the prison system, and i believe rehabilitation should be the goal, rather than punishment. drug addicts & recovering addicts have a special place in my heart ❤️‍🩹. i’m not vegan, but i appreciate & love all my ecofeminist sisters: i try my best to be vocal about animal liberation & climate activism. i believe the bpd diagnosis is being hyper-sold to female people, and this is because of medical misogyny & institutional sexism– it is being used as new age female hysteria. oh, and i’m also autistic. i love autistic women, and i wholeheartedly want to smash medical misogyny whenever i see how my neurodivergent sisters are being treated. 🇵🇸 FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!!!

my special interest is gender abolition (i’m very very passionate about this!!!) and marxist politics. my current hyperfixations are harry potter (i’m a slytherin 🐍), greek mythology & mbti. i unironically use the word kinnie; my highest kins are severus snape, twilight sparkle and diane nguyen. i love punk rock music, and i love riot grrrl. ask me about ww2, i used to be very hyperfixated on it last year– i reviewed a lot of ww2-themed movies critically & pointed their historical revisionism out. i am a slavic patriot by heart, and will punch a westerner who chooses to ignore our beautiful history. tito, lenin, che guevara, rosa luxemburg apologist. also i’m very interested in soviet history (the night witches are so fascinating!!), north korean culture & cuban cuisine.

if you wish to block me, go ahead. if you don’t, cool. i don’t block people, i allow a wide range of people to interact, and quite frankly, i think dni lists are useless. won’t hold back if you’re going to attack me. will engage in respectful arguments, and also will engage in disrespectful arguments, with the same energy you give me.

links to some of the posts of mine i find quite useful for people who are going to hate-scroll through my blog, and also for people who are interested in radical feminism, but scared we’re a hate group.

1. My Thoughts on Intersex People, Transitioned Trans Women & Transitioned Trans Men, My Addition to a Trans-Positive Feminist’s Post, Are Trans Women Privileged?

2. Feminist Praxis & Tactics: Separatism VS Proletarian Feminism, My Personal Critique of Radical Feminism

3. Transmedicalists VS Queer Theorists

4. Listen to Dysphoric Voices

5. What is Gender?

6. The Word “Cis”

[doulayogimama]

We have only been away from the USA for 2 months. It honestly feels like double that time has passed. We have just under 1 month left.

As someone who has gone abroad for a 5-month stretch, I’m honestly shocked at my level of homesickness. Having a child changes a lot more than I thought. I don’t think I’ve ever missed my family this much. I didn’t think I could miss them this much. I can’t wait to leave Sky with family so I can go do… anything 🥲 Kevin and I need to go on dates 😭

I know it sounds crazy to people based in the states, but I really miss home. There’s problems everywhere, and being out of the country has helped me really understand that. There are plenty of problems over here in the EU.

What I’ll miss the most is the quality / price of food here. I think about how much Americans spend at the grocery store for subpar quality ingredients / preservatives / etc and it pisses me off. Other than that… I really want to go back home.

I know it’s not fair, but it just makes me all the more determined to have my own garden again one day and grow my own food. Invest in a bread maker and really learn the art of making sourdough bread. Supporting local farms when I can to buy things I don’t feel comfortable buying in a store. Again, not “fair” that we all have to go through more effort to get good quality food, but luckily, I enjoy gardening + cooking + baking.

I miss a lot of the food back home — there are no beans over here. Like literally, since I started shopping in grocery stores in Portugal, there are no beans anywhere I look. No black / red / pinto / navy / cannellini beans — NOTHING. My vegetarian / Cuban self is suffering 😅

I want good Mexican food. I want my Mimi’s rice + beans. I want to see the plethora of vegan restaurants and products that I’ve grown accustomed to again. I don’t want to go to a grocery store and smell the overwhelming scent of octopus and fish (Iberians love their seafood).

TLDR — I want to go homeeee.

[deliciously-vegan]

Ropa Vieja

(Cuban Vegetable “Beef” Stew)

[[MORE]]

2 tbsp olive oil 1 white onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 orange pepper, cored and chopped 1 yellow pepper, cored and chopped 1 green pepper, cored and chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 can (750 ml) crushed tomatoes 2 cans green jackfruit, drained (blitzed in food processor) 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 cups water 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder or paste 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp oregano 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp cloves

1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 1/2 cup black olives, sliced 1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed 2 tbsp agave 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper A large handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Sauté onion for several minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.

Add the; orange pepper, yellow pepper, green pepper, carrots, celery, crushed tomatoes, jackfruit, tomato paste, water, vegetable bouillon powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, smoked paprika, allspice, and cloves. Turn heat to high. As soon as stew comes to a boil, reduce back to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the; roasted red peppers, olives, capers, agave, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Ladle over Coconut Rice.

Coconut Rice

1 tbsp coconut oil 1 onion, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 cups white rice 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk 2 cups water 1 tbsp coconut sugar 1/2 tsp sea salt

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat coconut oil over low heat. Sauté onion for several minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two. Stir in the; rice, coconut milk, water, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Turn heat to high. When it comes to a boil, reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the rice sticking to the pan. (Alternatively cook in rice cooker.)

[kineats]

Can I request some adventurer goblin kin recipes? Living with different kins I found i enjoy pastas, crunch, and spice at times, so feel free to be inspired!

Oooooh this is a fun one!!

Crunch 💥 Noodles 🍝 Spice 🔥 Extra Goblin-y 🧝 Extra Adventure-y 🐲

Adventurer Goblinkin Recipes!

Vegan Creamy Mushroom Pasta 🍝🧝 Chanterelle Pasta 🍝🧝 Chicharrones (and the Cuban Mojo for it!) 💥🔥 Cuban Mojo Chicken with Mango-Avocado Salsa 🧝🔥 Mamak Style Fish Head Curry 🔥🐲 Balinese Fish Curry 🧝🔥 Tom Yum Goong 🔥 Laksa (Spicy Noodle Soup) 🍝🔥 Kitfo (Spicy raw ground beef) 🔥🐲 (Mitmita for it) (Injera for it)

Let me know if you'd like more of any kind of food, or anything else you're looking for~

[najia-cooks]

Moros y cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice)

Moros y cristianos is a Cuban dish that combines black beans (the titular "Moors") with medium-grain white rice (the "Christians"). The title of the dish is a reference to the Umayyad rule of the Iberian peninsula from the 8th to the 15th centuries A.D.

The dish begins with a sofrito of onion, garlic, and green bell pepper, and the rice and beans are then cooked together in some of the beans' cooking water. Some rice and bean dishes involve cooking them separately, but the implied harmony of the combined simmering is part of the concept of this dish.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Ingredients:

For the beans:

1 cup (190g) dried black beans, soaked overnight

1/2 small onion

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 Mediterranean bay leaf (laurel)

For the recaito:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 large white onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large green bell pepper (ají / pimiento verde), minced

1 Mediterranean bay leaf (laurel)

1/2 tsp dried oregano, or 1 sprig fresh oregano

Ground black pepper, to taste

For the dish:

2 cups (400g) medium-grain white rice

2 cups + 2 Tbsp black bean cooking liquid

1 1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar (or substitute sherry or balsamic vinegar)

Vinegar is not always included in moros y cristianos, but I like the lift that it gives to the dish. Cuban recipes usually call for white wine vinegar; Spanish ones are more likely to call for sherry vinegar.

For the "bacon" (optional):

1/4 cup (9g) bò lát chay

1 tsp vegetarian 'beef' stock concentrate

Water to cover

3 Tbsp neutral oil, or non-dairy margarine

The bacon sometimes included in moros y cristianos is rendered so that the fat can flavor the rest of the dish; a vegetarian replacement won't act the same way, so it can readily be omitted unless it is desired as a textural element. You can also use any other vegetarian bacon replacement.

Bò lát chay is a Vietnamese protein that can be found at an Asian grocery store; it may also be labelled "vegetarian sliced bean curd," "textured soy bean protein," "vegetarian food," "vegan beef slices," or something similar.

If you don't have imitation beef stock concentrate, use vegetable broth with a dash of soy sauce instead of water.

Instructions:

1. Heat water to near-boiling in a small pot and whisk in stock concentrate. Add bò lát chay and allow to soak until reconstituted, about 10 minutes.

2. Raise heat to high to bring to a boil, then lower to a fast simmer. Allow to cook until all water has evaporated.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry bò lát chay, turning once, until seared on both sides and as crisp as desired. Allow to cool slightly. (You can also do this by adding oil to the same pot you simmered the bò lát chay in, if it's large enough for them to fit in a single layer.)

4. Dice the bò lát chay and set aside.

For the beans:

1. Soak beans in enough cool water to cover by several inches overnight; or, quick soak by placing them in a pot with enough water to cover, bringing the water to a boil, removing the pot from heat, and soaking for an hour. Drain.

2. Add beans, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 1-2 hours, until beans are tender. Drain and remove onion, garlic, and bay leaf; reserve cooking liquid.

For the bacon:

1. Heat water to near-boiling in a small pot and whisk in stock concentrate. Add bò lát chay and allow to soak until reconstituted, about 10 minutes.

2. Raise heat to high to bring to a boil, then lower to a fast simmer. Allow to cook until all water has evaporated.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry bò lát chay, turning once, until seared on both sides and as crisp as desired. Allow to cool slightly. (You can also do this by adding oil to the same pot you simmered the bò lát chay in, if it's large enough for them to fit in a single layer.)

4. Dice the bò lát chay and set aside.

For the dish:

1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf and fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

2. Add onion, garlic, peppers, and oregano and cook, stirring often, until onion is golden brown. Add black pepper and rice and stir to combine. Toast for 2 minutes.

3. Add beans, bean cooking water, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes, or until rice is done. If the rice is not cooked at the end of this time, add another few tablespoons of water and cook for another few minutes.

4. Add vinegar and ‘bacon’ and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar. Serve warm.

[morethansalad]

Crisped Yuca con Mojo (Vegan)

[terrence-silver]

Would old man Terry still smoke his signature Cuban cigars?

---

Why'd he stop?

Because it went out of fashion.

(See the above ads. Can you imagine anything similar today?)

In the 70's and the 80's, a Cuban cigar (or just a cigarette in general) would've been a sign of decadence and masculine power; it is what every Senator in his cabinet during his spare, private time alongside every coked out, upstart Yuppie on Wallstreet, every would-be Gangster Mafioso, every Banana Republic dictator and of course, Terry Silver, would smoke. Politicians, would perhaps, secretly indulge the vice, seeing as how Cuban cigars couldn't even be imported into the US up until a certain time, making them even more of exclusive of a habit. Just look at old advertisements. Men smoking in a manly fashion while, optionally, a nearby woman swoons and looks on. It's fun! It's sexy! It makes the ladies drop their panties, you men! You would be surprised how many plain, old Americana style scenes with Cowboys smoking I've found while researching a reply to this question. It meant something then that it doesn't mean now. Today, it is almost comically associated with the (quite literally cancerous) evils of Capitalism to the degree that if you asked a literal kid to draw you a corrupt rich man, they'd probably draw Monopoly man with a top hat and a cigar. Heck! Most public places don't even allow indoor smoking and you're relegated to a separate smoking area and still, people will stuck their noses up at you the entire time even so. What I mean to say is --- times changed and so did attitudes. So happens that Terry Silver lived long enough to witness these changes and I think he stopped smoking somewhere in between the fiasco that took place between him and John post tournament loss in 1985 and those thirty something years they weren't close. Long enough for cigars to go from a symbol of power to a symbol of something disgusting people collectively would rather not be around because it stinks and makes you sick. Gives you bad breath. And Cancer. It used to be cool. It used to be badass. Nowadays, it comes with a little message on the bottom of the box that says 'Smoking Kills!'

Terry Silver went through a (temporary) re-brand.

He changed the way cultural sensitives changed, as I keep on repeating.

Turned into the image of the ''acceptable'' type of the model rich man for the new, 21st century was meant to look and act like for a brief spell. Mellow. Clean cut. Vegan. Considerate and practicing 'mindfulness'. Someone very much in favor of attending therapy, seemingly sworn off of his formerly rotten ways, and in fact, completely tucking them away. A champagne Liberal fundraising apps for the poor from his multimillion dollar beach patio mansion. You see what I'm saying? Cigars --- they don't fit into that whole image, in fact, they completely clash with it. So, he discarded them, the same way he discarded many things that would come off as 'problematic' in the current day and age, shedding his skin and becoming a 'different' man to hide in plain sight, being the ultimate chameleon that he is, always adapting to his surroundings.

I do firmly believe he still has a stash of vintage cigars somewhere, in some golden or silver elaborate, decorative box he hasn't touched in actual decades, in some locked drawer or safe, as a keepsake. Perhaps he even lights up in his more mature age, for old time's sake, seeing it as a sign of authority, refusing to go down as some sad, old man once his existential crisis kicks in as the years advance and advance, taking the reigns of control and picking a poison of his own choosing to rot him from the inside, kicking up his legs on a work desk and smiling to himself.

Who knows?

Nobody's ever there to see him do it, just the way he would want it too.