Welcome to my new blog. Here I will be sharing some of the recipes I have been developing over the years to maintain a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. And let me tell you, everytime I prepare any of these recipes, people RAVE!!! – even the meat-eaters. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Why the name, Karma-Free Cooking? I’ve been asked what does it mean… well, here it is:
The law of Karma is a universal law, just like gravity, you don’t need to know it or believe in it to be affected by it. Another way the law of karma is also known in the Law of Cause and Effect – for every action or thought there is a reaction of equal proportion. There’s good actions that generate a good reaction and not-so-good actions generating equal and proportionate not-so-good reactions.
Most people associate the word “karma” mainly with the not-so-good reactions derived by the not-so-good actions. So, among my vegetarian friends, we coined the phrase “karma-free” when we do things that will not yield a negative karma to ourselves.
That’s how Karma-Free Cooking was born.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Please share with me, and all others visiting, your thoughts. That way we can all learn from each other.
KarmaFree Cooking 
So glad I found this site! It’s awesome!
¿Donde consigo las recetas en español?
Estan excelentes
KFC – Pueden verlas en http://karmafreecookingenespanol.wordpress.com. Estoy en proceso de traducir la gan mayoria, pero desde el mes pasado, he tratado de postearlas en ambos idiomas a la misma vez. Gracias por visitarme y que KarmaFree Cooking sea un recurso para brindarle variedad a tu dieta vegetariana.
you have no idea how much this site has helped me! Thank you so much-Om Shanti shanti shanti
wow i love this website thank you
firstly i found this website by google , but really i am so happy to find it , this webcite helped me a lot i took many recipes and information from it, i am good in Arabic cooking specially in Marrocain cooking bit i had no idea about European or American food but from now i had, thank you it s great website
Are all the cheeses you use rennet free or do they use synthetic rennet?
Thanks!
KFC – When I purchase cheeses I read the labels well. I do not buy any cheese that says plainly RENNET or artificial colorings on the label. I have purchased cheeses saying VEGETARIAN RENNET and have also purchased cheeses at the Murray Cheese shops in NYC that use thistles instead of rennet as coagulants. Hope this helps…
Hello!…nice post…mmmm panas!!!(breadfruit)…
I’m so lucky…I can taste your kfc…
KFC – Definietely!!! Locals have their priviledges…
Madelyn, I like your site, but your whole “karma-free” thing is just completely incorrect. Karma refers to ramifications of ALL actions, not just bad ones. By not eating meat, you are creating GOOD karma for yourself because you are not contributing to the suffering and slaughter of animals.
Nothing in this world is “karma-free”!!!!!
Trust me on this one – I am Indian and a well-read Hindu so I know the intricacies of karma.
KFC – Yes Cassie, you’re right. That’s exactly what I mention in this post. The term karma-free was coined among friends to denominate something that was OK to eat . We also know and understand we create good karma when we do good deeds. Karma-free is just a fun term that creates a nice alliteration when combined with the word COOKING. And that had little to do with Karma, that’s just Marketing…
This is an amazing blog. I seriously want to try all of your recipes. Thanks!
I love you web. Is something need to start the change that I am looking for .Thanks and it was a pleasure to meet you in the Center in SJ.
I stumbled onto your website by accident — and I’m so glad I did. Your posts are inspiring. Although I don’t think I can give up meat entirely, I am encouraged to lead a healthier lifestyle by incorporating some of your recipes. Thank you!
Madelyn,
For whatever reason, I have been becoming deeply reflective lately. I find I am seeing the truths that my upbringing did not allow or even imagine. I do not know why it has taken me so many years to even consider that we all are part of a much larger whole. I know I am not going to become a vegan or even a lacto vegan in a day or even a month, but I clearly see that this is the right path. I think as the father of 6 children it is my duty to discover the truths that will help them to live better lives. I am going to start with a few days each week of lacto vegan dishes and meatless foods for all three meals.
welcome Tim!!!! I hope KarmaFree Cooking is a great tool to help you discover some new ideas on how to live a healthier better life. These are all based on my experiences… feel free to visit and comment/question often.
Madelyn,
thank you for the warm welcome. Do you have some getting started meal ideas for me that you would think that my family would embrace? I am sure you know that my wife is haitian and so plaintain, rice, beans, are already a huge part of our meals. The sauces are always meat-based however and so this needs to be replaced with spice. We use habernero almost daily so hot is great. We have already stopped eating beef, and pork. I think I can be fairly progressive with the rest of the meat groups as well but i think three meals, three days vegan, is a start and while I know this is still offensive to the non-meat eating world consider the roadblocks of being brought up entirely in a meat-eating culture.
Of course that any steps in leading a more vegetarian, meat-free lifestyle are steps in the right direction. the path to becoming a vegetarian is different from everyone. some people decide one day they do not want to eat/consume any more animal products. Some of us, do it in a more gradual way. Any which way, it has to come from within. This is not a desicion that someone can make for you.
I invite you to peruse all you want on my recipes directory sister site to search for all the recipes I have developed so far… some of the ones your wife might enjpoy are – Stewed Potatoes and Stewed Chayotes. These were inspired from the flavors of stewed chicken (pollo guisado) my aunt used to make for us. I am not much of a bean person, but my mom’s Lentil Soup recipe is amazing. I love to make it with lots of pumpkin. Very apropos today on Halloween. I have also learned to appreciate chickpeas or garbanzo beans. So, she might also enjoy this take on a Spanish favorite, Garbanzo Cocido. And the ultimate side dish, for me, are fried sweet plantains… I like to bake them with butter, cinnamon and vanilla. But you can also mash them into a pastelon filled with creamy spinach. I also like to fill pastelones with a soy picadillo, my vegetarian version of a grown meat “bolognese”. I hope your family enjoy these and many other KarmaFree Cooking recipes… 🙂
Hi There. I work with Freshandhealthy.org and a local operator who lives in San Juan. He is trying to bring more healthy foods to the people of Puerto Rico along with my assistance. He will be placing several healthy and natural vending machines in college campuses and businesses over the next few months. Like Whole Foods or Trader Joes in a box. I was just out there with him securing some locations for him and with him. Puerto Rico needs more healthful choices and people to have access to them, even just to try. Together we are bringing FHV to Puerto Rico. Check out http://www.freshandhealthy.org and see what we do. I am SURE you will appreciate what we do and how we do it! We are like-minded individuals and health foods are coming to Puerto Rico it is just taking some time to get there.
I am fascinated with your blog’s name. ‘Karma’ is actually a hindi (Indian) word. It means deeds or actions of living beings. There is nothing bad about it. There are good deeds that is good-karma and bad deeds that is bad-karma.
Loved your blog. You have so many delicious recipes. Thank you.
totally agree Vini… nothing bad about Karma, it’s the law of cause and effect. but so many people associate the word “karma” with the repercussions of bad actions/thoughts/words which inspired me to the alliterative name KarmaFree Cooking. I think I tell the story of how the blog’s name came about right here.
Love this! Hey, check out the similarity in our names and style 😉 Keep on bein awesome. xoxo
Love it! We are so similar 😛 keep on bein amazing! xo @ http://culinarykarmacmg.blogspot.com !! ❤
Gracias Carly!!!!! keep on visiting!!!
Hi there, just found your blog because I am looking for vegetarian cooking classes but I live Aguadilla, PR and for what I see there really is nothing on our side of the island. Too bad but will begin reading your blog for more inspiration on eating healthy. I am a newbee only been 2 years vegan..
Hi,
We watch our son’s intake of sugar and foods that are high fructose free. I went into a Spanish grocery store and found a 24 oz block of unrefined brown sugar. Now have no idea how to use it. I make almost everything we eat from scratch and use fresh veggies. Having a 15yr old who is on the track team and loves all vegetables which is a great thing is bugging me to see how this sugar is used. Help!!!!
To be honest, I have never ever used that type of sugar. I have bought something similar, RASPADURA, but it’s sold in granulated form.
I Googled and I found this link… i think it might help you. Apparently you can shave it and use it in granulated form or you can take a small chunk, boil it with equal amounts of water to create a syrup and use it as a syrup in recipes. http://food52.com/hotline/6505-anyone-know-what-to-do-with-columbian-panela
read Adriana’s ideas BELOW!!!!!
I find piloncillo in small servings at Walmart and I use it for syrups, cooking pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Colombian panela is the same as piloncillo sometimes I use that if I cannot find the Mexican version. The flavor is more intense than normal brown sugar.This panela or piloncillo is great for preparing syrup for pancakes, just add the piloncillo, 1 cup of water, 2 cinnamon sticks and 1 orange cut in rounds with the skin, let is simmer until getting a syrup, it is delicious!
Gracias Adriana for sharing your experience with this unrefined brown sugar. We do not have it in Puerto Rico, but I will certainly look for it in my travels.