By Joanne Camas A six-foot-six, 275-pound guy baking dainty cupcakes is an incongruous picture, but many things Israel Idonije does break the mold. Idonije, an NFL veteran, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Canada, was recently honored at the White House for his humanitarian work. His foundation works with kids in his hometown of Winnipeg, Chicago, and West Africa, and he’s a visible presence at his all-star camps for inner-city youth. Defensive lineman Odonije has played for the Chicago Bears for 10 years and took the field in the Super Bowl with the team, but has just signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions. While his foundation will remain headquartered in the Windy City, you can imagine Izzy, as he’s known to kids and friends alike, will find time to brighten lives in the troubled Motor City too. The Detroit Lions start training camp for the upcoming season tomorrow, but Odonije managed to find time to answer some questions for Epicurious by email. I know food’s always been a big part of your life – for example, you helped your parents collect food for needy families when you were a child. Does it surprise you that so many families in this country are “food insecure”? It doesn’t surprise me about the amount of hungry children and families in the U.S. It is a sad and unnecessary situation — there is so much wasted surplus. It would be wonderful if there were a system in place to get the surplus food to people in need. Your foundation does a lot of great work with kids. Do you include healthy eating programs? The Israel Idonije Foundation focuses on five keys to life success. One of those keys is self-awareness. Who are you? Who do you want to be? Through self awareness we have the opportunity to discuss living a healthy lifestyle and the role that healthy eating plays. I hear that you love to make cupcakes. Why’s that a favorite thing, and how did it start? I love banana bread. So I make banana bread cupcakes with a blueberry cream cheese icing. It started with watching and helping my mother bake — pies, bread, cookies…you name it. Do you eat them all (hey, you’re an athlete, you need energy!)? Or do you take them to share with your teammates? I eat half and take half to the office or give them away. And do your teammates think it’s ironic that such an athletic man bakes? LOL. I think a lot of the guys cook. What’s your favorite recipe? Two favorites that I love to eat but do not cook are pounded yam and Ogbono soup, both of which are Nigerian recipes. I also love a glass of Chapman — another Nigerian favorite!! Do you cook any other specialties or family favorites? With my eyes closed, I make a great cedar plank salmon with miso glaze, shepherd’s pie, and turkey lasagna. What do you like to eat before a big game? I eat…<div …read more

Source: Epicurious