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Top 10 Mom’s Favorite Recipes

I love my mom to death… we disagree on many things, we argue, but we also have tons in common. We both love to travel, to shop, to decorate, work on home projects, and we have also a mutual love for yoga, meditation and the spiritual lifestyle.

And what do you do to honor and celebrate someone who has giving you everything but also has everything she needs?? You cook for them… because everyone is bound to get hungry sometime and especially if they ask you for something in specific.

Sometimes, when my mom and I go to The Boys Farmer’s Market in Florida, she will see products/ingredients and tell me, “Madelyn… Why don’t you make this tonight?”

So to honor all my mom’s cravings I want to share some of her favorite recipes in KarmaFree Cooking. The ones she requests over and over and over again. Maybe YOUR Mom will enjoy them as well.

Spinach Pinwheels

Cottage Cheese Dip

Tofu with Snow Peas and Bean Sprouts

Quinoa Pasta with Fresh Baby Spinach and Lemon

White Lasagna with Spinach

Spinach-filled Mushrooms

Tomato Bruschetta

Asparagus Tart

Whole Wheat Bread Budín

Pumpkin Cuatro Leches

Apple Crisp

This is a list of 11… but the cottage cheese can’t be called a recipe, but believe me, If I have cottage cheese and chips and my mom passes by, she will undoubtedly stand guard in front of me and eat my stuff until I tell her to stop.

Tags: #karmafree, asparagus, cheese, cottage cheese, food, Goat Cheese, Mom, mother's day, mushroom, pasta, spinach, tomato, Vegan, vegetarian

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Categories appetizers, main courses, snacks

Hawaiian Vegetarian Festival

26 Apr

Manolo gave me a challenge… Why don’t we plan a Vegetarian Festival with the flavors of Hawaii?? Hawaii?? Why?? I asked. He replied: “Well… I did this Rice with Pineapple the other day and I think it’s pretty awesome… so I thought it would go well within a Hawaiian-themed festival.”

Just like Manolo… he gets an idea in his head, and then the rest of the world needs to accommodate to it. “Oh… and the decorations would look so pretty!!!! Don’t you think, Madelyn??” And that’s how the idea about this Hawaiian Festival came about. Because… I have never been to Hawaii, Manolo has never been to Hawaii and the closest we have been to something truly Hawaiian are our friends Kenny and Tim, who one is from Hawaii and the other lives currently in Maui.

So I went to the internet and social media to gather some ideas of what a traditional Hawaiian Luau would be like and how could I make it into a vegan, gluten-free affair. My friends were enthusiastic about the idea and recipes started to flow. What surprised me the most was that many of the ingredients in Hawaiian/Polynesian cuisine are the same as in Puerto Rican cooking – taro root, breadfruit, sweet potatoes… with a few unexpected twists, such as nori, gomasio, rice vinegar, and macadamia nuts…

During the next few weeks I will be sharing with you the menu of this Vegetarian Hawaiian Luau. But this post will serve as an anchor and summary of all the recipes served that Sunday at the Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand. Let’s all travel through our taste buds…

Alohas and Mahalo!!!

Lomi Tomato

Longrice Soup

Poi

Tofu Mushroom Poke

Lau Lau

Eggplant Musubi

Roasted Breadfruit with Spices

Haupia with a Carob Drizzle

Banana Mango Bread

Lilikoi and Grapefruit Juice

Tags: #karmafree, breadfruit, coconut, Devanand, food, Haupia, Hawaii, Lau Lau, Lilikoi, Lomi Tomato, Longrice Soup, Musubi, passion fruit, pineapple, Poi, Poke, Puerto Rico, Vegan, vegetarian, Yoga

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Categories appetizers, beverages, desserts, main courses, Salad, side dishes

Green is for Spinach…

2 Mar

I did not grew up eating “greens” … I only knew spinach was something “kinda gross” that Popeye ate out of a can to become strong and powerful.

I can’t recall when my perception of spinach changed, but I am thankful it did. Spinach is now my go to salad green, especially baby spinach, that’s so ready available in every supermarket nowadays.

So in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to celebrate my love for spinach. Cooked, raw, frozen and thawed… all this recipes take advantage of the goodness of spinach. I hope that if you’re still on the fence about spinach, to give a few of this recipes a try… they might change your mind too.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries

Spinach Salad with Figs, Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Spinach Fried Quesadillas

Spinach Pinwheels

Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

Spinach Croquetas

Smoked Gouda Rissotto with Mushrooms and Spinach

Bucatini with Goat Cheese, Spinach and Tomatoes

Spinach and Almond White Lasagna

Kick-butt Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Quinoa Pasta with Baby Spinach and Lemon Vinaigrette

Sweet Plantain Canoes Filled with Creamed Spinach and Pine Nuts

Tags: cheese, food, green, March, mushrooms, pasta, spinach, St Patricks Day, vegetarian

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Categories appetizers, main courses, Salad, side dishes

If I had a Valentine… what would I cook for him?

15 Feb

I love going out to dinner to a nice, fancy restaurant as much as the next girl… especially, if someone special is inviting. But experience has taught me that on Valentine’s Day or around that date, it’s the WORST TIME to go out to dinner. There may be some exceptions, of course… but usually during this time, restaurants are extremely crowded, putting extra pressure on all the staff.

To me, it’s more romantic to plan something special at home. Make something you know you’re extremely good at and that you know your partner will love – for the awesome flavors, but also for the effort and care you put into it. Besides, when you have dinner at home… dress code is optional. 😉

Unfortunately, this year, I am spending Valentine’s weekend with a nice construction crew who’s remodeling my tiny, little kitchen into a very chic and modern tiny, little kitchen. And to top it all… no romantic Valentine for me this year.

But… let’s play pretend. If I had a romantic Valentine to invite over for dinner, what would I cook for him to let him know how much I care?

This is my menu…

Start with a Spinach, Arugula, Figs and Blue Cheese salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Main course would be the exquisite Baked Pasta with 4 Cheeses, that usually floors anyone who has it for the first time.

On the side, and because we’re in Puerto Rico, I need to have sweet plantains with vanilla and cinnamon.

And for dessert, I would make a batch of Carob Syrup to dip some strawberries in… I would even add a pinch of cayenne to keep things interesting.

Do you like my menu?? What are your go-to dishes if you want to show someone you care?

Tags: arugula, carob, cheese, easy, food, pasta, spinach, strawberry, sweet plantain, Valentine, Valentine's, vegetarian

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Categories desserts, main courses, MY EDITORIAL, Salad, side dishes

Fried Mushroom Tacos

2 Dec

Tacos can be made much more interesting if you play around with the fillings and cheese… and making the tortillas golden brown and crispy. I have never been a fan of the hard pre-made taco tortilla shells, but I do enjoy crunchy things. So using the magic of olive oil and a skillet, tacos can become a much more interesting dish.

I used mozzarella and parmesan cheese here… but you can certainly use your favorite cheese combination. I have also used goat cheese, manchego cheese and even the trusty cream cheese.

This is another recipe available in Spanish on the Qué Rica Vida website… If you’re interested, you can read the recipe in Spanish here.

FRIED MUSHROOM TACOS

3 organic sprouted corn tortillas

1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 cup grated mozzarella or Italian blend cheeses

½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Kosher Salt

Freshly grated Black Pepper

Olive Oil

You’ll be able to make 2 tacos at a time using a large skillet, but you need to make them in staggered steps. I consider 3 tacos is a good serving portion for one, but if you think you are better off with 4, just add one more tortilla and adjust the rest of the ingredients. This is more a method than a recipe…

First we cook the mushrooms in advance – in a large non-stick skillet over medium-hi heat add a drizzle of olive oil and place the chopped mushrooms Toss them well so they coat themselves with the olive oil. Organize them in a single layer so they all have the chance to caramelize well. Grate the 2 cloves of garlic on top of the mushrooms. Strip the leaves of the thyme sprigs and add them to the skillet too.
After they’ve browned well on one side, toss and move them around so they get a chance to brown on a different side. After they’re browned and have shrunk considerably in size, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel to get rid of small pieces of mushrooms.
Return the pan to the burner, add another drizzle of olive oil and place one tortilla… flip it over on both sides so there’s some of the olive oil on both sides.
Place some of the shredded cheese on top of the tortilla. Now place about 1 tablespoon of cooked mushrooms over the cheese. Place little bit of Parmesan cheese over mushrooms.
Carefully, fold tortilla in half so you end up with a half moon filled with mushrooms and cheese. Flip the tortilla a few times so that it gets golden brown on both sides.

While one taco is getting golden brown to the side of the pan, you can use the remaining space to heat up tortilla #2 and #3 and so forth.