Archive | MY EDITORIAL RSS feed for this section

Sublime Vegan Restaurant Review

18 May

I have a thing with vegetarian and vegan restaurants…  the fact that their food usually is filled with so many substitutes or tries to use so many “exotic” ingredients that the flavor is not there.  That’s why I sometimes prefer to just go to traditional restaurants and navigate through their menus to find something delicious yet still suitable for me to eat.  Funny… but sometimes I’ve found a great meal in a steakhouse…  the best baked potatoes and salad you’ve ever tasted!!!  But that’s another subject…

Last month I was in Miami with my mom visiting my sister and coincided with my mom’s 67th birthday.  My sister decided we should celebrate her by going to dinner at a vegan restaurant in Ft Lauderdale called Sublime.  I have heard of this restaurant before, but hadn’t had a chance to go up there.  And from my feelings above, I was a bit wary of what we would find there…

The ambiance at Sublime is really nice… low lights, nice décor, small tables for 2 or 4…  like any fine dining restaurant should be.  The music was nice and the bar area looked really nice.  Sorry I do not have pictures because the low lighting does not allow for nice pictures with or without flash.  Sublime is a vegan restaurant… so even though they do not serve any animal products or any eggs or dairy, they do serve alcohol and chocolate, which are not included in the line of vegetarianism I usually follow.  Just wanted to clarify…

It’s so refreshing to go to a fine dining restaurant that you know that you can eat EVERYTHING on the menu… it’s now a matter of what you like and what you’re in the mood for… not a matter of what can I have, what questions should I ask the waitress, will it have bacon?  But still, I was careful to check out if the food will taste good…

The menu is large… but not unmanageable.  They had appetizers, a “sushi” menu, salads, pizzas and main entrees.  I ordered a “Sublim-ade” which was their featured non-alcoholic drink – really delicious limeade.  I can’t remember if I had one or two.  We were in the sharing mood, which was wonderful for this article – I had a chance to taste what Vanessa (my sister), Wichi (my bro in law), my mom and I ordered… and this is what we had:

 For appetizers:

Crispy Eggplant Rollatini

We ordered this to share for all 4.  This was really good even though the cheeses in the filling were not made from milk.  The eggplant seemed it was fried in panko breadcrumbs.  It was not hot in temperature, but it was really delicious.  I would have ordered another one just for myself had I known what you’ll learn later on…

 

Soup of the Day – lentil vegetable soup with chickpeas

This is the only thing I did not taste. Wichi liked it a lot; so did Vanessa.  The taste was very authentic according to them.

 

Florasian Sushi Roll – made from rice, tempura avocado, vegenaise, mango and toasted coconut.

My sister ordered this for herself because she’s “eating for two”. She wasn’t planning to share, but she was in for a surprise. 

I do eat often regular vegetable/vegetarian sushi made at traditional Japanese sushi restaurants, so I have a good comparison point…  this tasted interesting, to say the least.  My sister tasted the coconut, I did not.  Nor did I taste the mango.  The avocado was good, but I never knew if it was tempura or not.  What difference could it make???  To me these sushi pieces were too chewy for my taste…  I would not order them again.  Sorry…

For main entrees, we had:

Pizza Margherita Classico

My brother-in-law ordered this… I was also considering it too.  The taste was good – the tomato sauce was a bit sweet, the basil super fresh and the “mozzarella cheese” did not taste plasticky.  Now, the crust left a lot to be desired… and to me, the best torture test of a great pizza is the crust.  It was kind of soggy and burned.  So it was OK, but we’ve had better.

 

Portobello Stack – a Portobello mushroom cap filled with sautéed spinach and topped with slices of red potato.  It was served with gravy and a side of “smashed” cauliflower.

My mom ordered this…  and this was very delicious.  I really enjoyed the few bites I had.  I am not a fan of gravies, so I found the taste a bit bland.  The spinach and mushroom had enough moisture that the dish didn’t feel it needed a sauce.  Now, the cauliflower did need a bit of help.  It was dry and bland.  It felt as it was raw cauliflower shredded and put on the plate.  It did not taste as if it was cooked, mixed with something liquid to soften – like “milk”, “butter”, “sour cream”, or stock at least.  Maybe that’s the purpose of the gravy on that plate.

 

Sublime Loaf –a mock “meatloaf” made of lentils, brown rice, water chestnut, accompanied by Israeli couscous and grilled asparagus

My sister ordered this…  I was never a fan of meatloaf when I ate meat, so I have no real point of original comparison here.  To me it was no show-stopper…  it tasted OK with the not-so-interesting gravy mentioned before, definitely not something I would order the next time around.  The Israeli couscous tasted just like plain boiled pasta without any seasonings or flavorings – a missed opportunity in my opinion. And the grilled asparagus, to me, were the best thing on the plate.

By process of elimination, what did I order???  You might be asking yourselves…  Well, I originally ordered the Ravioli – house-made pasta, spinach “ricotta”, slow-roasted tomatoes, garlic confit, herbs…  doesn’t it sound good???  I was soooooo looking forward to the roasted tomatoes and garlic confit…  Well, something happened in the kitchen that they could not bring me the ravioli.   They had me order anything else I wanted from the menu, compliments of the chef.  When I was perusing the menu, two things jumped at me…  the side dishes, so I ordered the mac and “cheese” with the olive oil mashed potatoes.  I figured if I ordered side dishes, the plates of the other people would not get too delayed.

     

NOT!!!  I have a master’s degree in whipped potatoes with olive oil…  I make these for myself all the time.  These mashed potatoes tasted NOTHING like the ones I make.  They looked old, mushy, and were bland.  I had to sprinkle salt from the salt shaker and I never do that in a restaurant.  But these were REALLY bland.  And at some points it seemed as if these were left to dry for a while in a kitchen corner, because they tasted dry, dry, dry.  Apparently the olive oil they use there is neither Spanish nor Italian… because I could not taste it at all.

And the macaroni was a complete mistake… it was bland and you could taste the “cheese” was not real cheese at all.  And I have made vegan pastas before, I know they’re a challenge, but you can achieve success if the right ingredients are used.  Not here… we all tried it and no one liked it at all. 

 

Now for the desserts… this was a celebratory birthday after all, so we needed some sweets to finish off the night.

Strawberry Cheesecake  

My mom ordered this one because she is a strawberry fan.  It tasted really delicious and we enjoyed the strawberries were mixed in with the cheesecake and not just something on top.  The almond crust was also delicious.

 

Chocolate Nirvana Cake

Like I said, the restaurant and some of my dinner companions are chocolate lovers.  And me, being a choco-holic in a “12-step separation program”, we ordered this chocolate cake.  It had a coffee-flavored Kahlua “butter creme” and dark chocolate ganache…  I only had a few bites because it is not often I can taste cakes without eggs in any restaurant… so a little chocolate was not going to stop me.  This cake was awesome…  one of the best things we had all night. 

Our compliments to the pastry chef… certainly.

So, after all this review, what’s the VEREDICT:

Sublime is OK, just not awesome.  I will go back again and try some of the other dishes on the menu… but now knowing what to stay away from.  I would like to try those ravioli the next time, certainly… and maybe some of the other appetizers.  The frito mixto certainly was calling me a bit. 

But if you’re in the Ft Lauderdale area or just visiting like we were, give Sublime a try.  Just stay away from the mac and mashed potatoes, OK??  Deal…

 

1431 N. Federal Hwy., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304
954-615-1431

Tags: , , , , , ,

Grapefruit Benefits

13 May

My Tití Carmín has an orchard of beautiful grapefruit trees…  These trees are the most prolific grapefruit trees I have ever seen.  They are giving fruit almost all year-round.  So even though we are currently in citrus season, these trees don’t know what that is.

I have always loved oranges, but not so much grapefruits.  When I was little, I had tried some canned grapefruit juice that was just awful.  But all that changed when I tried the juice from my Tití’s grapefruits.  These grapefruits are juicy and sweet.  And they like to proliferate, because they’re filled with seeds.  Tití would make juice for me and at the beginning she would sweeten it a little, making a “grapefruitade”.  She would squeeze the juice for me and bring it already in a bottle. 

Now, every time we visit Tití Carmín, we return with bagfuls of grapefruits; sometimes enough grapefruits to make about 96 ounces of pure juice.  Now I just drink it straight without any need to sweeten.

And that got me thinking… about the bountiful of health we have in our hands.  I have once heard that nature gives you everything you need to be healthy at about 20 feet around where you live.  Tití Carmín lives a bit farther away than 20 feet from me, but the access we have to these grapefruits made me want to think what benefits we are getting when I consume this delicious juice…

Here’s some of the research I did:

              

  • Contains high levels of Vitamin C to protect against colds and flu and drinking a freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice helps also relieve sore throats and soothes coughs. The vitamin C also helps to strengthen and maintain the elasticity of arteries and helps to reduce water retention and swelling of the legs during pregnancy.

 

  • The pectin in this fruit has been found to be effective in reducing the accumulation of arterial deposits keeping arteriosclerosis at bay.

 

  • It has lots of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, B complex, E, K, Calcium, folic acid, phosphorus, and potassium.

  • Nutritive phytonutrients and antioxidants that help fight cancer. Studies show that lycopene-rich foods, like grapefruits reduce the risk of ovarian, cervical, breast, prostate and colon cancer.  And when eating or juicing grapefruit, peel off the skin but leave as much of the albedo (the white pith part) intact as possible as it contains the highest amount of valuable bioflavonoids and other anti-cancer agents.

 

  • A certain compound found in grapefruit helps reduce the excessive production of cholesterol from the liver. A Harvard study revealed that drinking one glass of grapefruit juice or eating half a grapefruit daily lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by 33 percent. And another study indicated specifically that red grapefruit reduces levels of triglycerides.

 

  • Grapefruit has a fat-burning enzyme and can help to absorb and reduce the starch and sugar in the body. It is widely consumed by people who are trying to lose weight. A Johns Hopkins study found that people who had two servings of grapefruit or grapefruit juice daily along with a low-fat and low-calorie diet lost an average of 19 pounds over a period of 13 weeks. Cool, huh?

       

  • Sometimes, when using certain medications doctors recommend avoiding grapefruit juice because supposedly the grapefruit halts the metabolism of these drugs.  Doctors may tell you that grapefruit is the cause of toxicity, but in fact, it is really the drugs that are causing the toxicity.  The abundant source of limonoid and naringin in grapefruit increase the function of detoxifying enzymes in the liver and will reject synthetic man-made drugs. These enzymes help to recognize alien compounds which should not be in our body, treats as toxins and makes them more water soluble to be excreted easily from the body.  

 

  • I was pleased to learn that grapefruit has many digestive benefits too… just like lemons and limes, even though it has an acid taste, its juice promotes good digestion and actually has an alkaline reaction after digestion by increasing the flow of gastric juices. This has a profound effect in the treatment of acidity in the digestive system that causes a host of other health problems.

 

One last curious thing… It is called a grapefruit simply because it grows in clusters, like grapes.  I did not know that as a fact, but check out this photo… the do gow in clumps and that’s why they always have three indentations because they cant be completely round growing next to the other.

 

 

 

I hope you learned as much as I did of all the benefits this awesome elixir has.  Now you can toast with a big glass of grapefruit juice and confidently say “To your health!!!”


Grapefruit

Tags: , ,

Mario Batali supports Meatless Mondays in his Restaurants… NOT!!!

10 May

I recently read through an email I received from the Meatless Mondays campaign people that Mario Batali now joins the Meatless Mondays movement by offering at least 2 vegetarian options in all his 14 restaurants across the US every Monday.

         

 

This is the quote straight from the press release:

“The fact is, most people in the U.S. eat way more meat than is good for them or the planet,” maintains Batali. “Asking everyone to go vegetarian or vegan isn’t a realistic or attainable goal. But we can focus on a more plant-based diet, and support the farmers who raise their animals humanely and sustainably. That’s why I’m such a big believer in the Meatless Monday movement.”

“Every Monday, there will be at least 2 vegetarian dishes served, such as pasta or pizza.”

 

Photo from www.mariobatali.com

Initially sounds like a great idea and initiative… no?  Hey, big chef Mario Batali is making this big statement.  However, when you think about it in detail… is it really???

I don’t think so!!!!!

 I like the exposure the Meatless Monday is getting by associating with Mario Batali.  And in all honesty, I like Mario Batali’s TV shows, his recipes and hey, I have eaten at several of his restaurants already…  However, committing to have at least 2 options in a menu, which on average has between 60 and 70 items to choose from, represents a mere 3% out of the total menu options without counting desserts.  Not a big change or statement in my opinion. 

 To me, ANY successful restaurant that wants to cater to a wide audience should AT LEAST have 2-3 vegetarian/meatless options EVERY DAY!!! Not just on Mondays…  I know I like to eat out any day of the week.  I am sure all other vegetarians also feel this way…   And please notice I say vegetarian-suitable options, not just meatless… because the vegetable soup made with chicken stock or the pasta made with pancetta drippings or veal stock does not count and does not qualify to be on the Meatless Mondays list, in my humble opinion.

 Now, if Mario would have said ALL 14 restaurants, or maybe even just some of them, ONLY OFFER vegetarian/meatless dishes all-day Monday, every Monday, now that’s an initiative truly embracing the Meatless Monday’s concept.  Eradicating meat dishes from all restaurants on Mondays would demonstrate his true commitment and would make a real statement and impact on the environment and on public opinion.   But just 2 dishes on each menu?????  Give me a break…

 And why does Meatless Mondays agree to this??  Just to ride on the curtails of Mario Batali’s fame and media-draw?? 

“We’re delighted that Maestro Mario is helping to move the movement,” declares Sid Lerner, founder and chairman of Meatless Monday, an initiative of The Monday Campaigns. “If anybody can entice meat lovers to enjoy their veggies as well, it’s Batali!”

Because if I were Sid Lerner, I would try to work my charm to convince Mario to go big or go home.  I think the statement above is just using Batali’s fame to promote the movement.  And not lobbying to get Mario and his restaurants to do more is just wimpy in my opinion.

 And a question I would like to pose Mario himself…  Do you embrace Meatless Monday in your personal daily diet??  Do you cook meatless dishes every Monday at home?  Do you teach your children that meat-products are not necessary in a healthy daily diet and that they’ll start with Meatless Mondays??

 Now that’s something inquiring minds like me want to know…   Please feel free to share your comments about this news here.  I will make sure the Meatless Monday people get the message from me and you.

 Thanks in advance.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Adobo Alternatives

12 Apr

I need my food to be seasoned well…  us Puerto Ricans love savory dishes.  Not to be confused with spicy.  We do not typically use chilies or hot spicy peppers in our cooking, but we do season our food well with adobo – a mixture of spices, herbs and salt that give Puerto Rican food is unique flair.

I mentioned you how to make your own adobo mixture here… but if you’re too lazy ( like I have been known to be) or you feel you want to try things before investing in making your own mix, there are a few natural and vegetarian alternatives you  can try from your local health food store.

        

 

Both Spike and Herbamare can be found in your local health food… these are made from natural ingredients, sea salt and without adding any chemical preservatives.  I have been using both for a number of years now.   I use them to season stews, rices, mushrooms, veggie burgers, etc.  Give these seasonings a try… you’ll see how your food will bring you even more enjoyment…  Bon Appétit!!!

Tags:

A Love Letter – An Open Letter to Samadhi

10 Feb

My friends,

My spiritual Guru gave me this letter written by him for me to share with you and the rest of the world.  This is not any regular chain letter…   This is a very special letter he wrote – it’s super powerful and I still get teary eyed when I re-read it.  I know him and I know Samadhi personally, and I am confident this letter will reach her sooner rather than later…

A great gift to celebrate TRUE LOVE on the month when we usually celebrate just romantic love…

With lots of my love,     

Madelyn. 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A Love Letter – An Open Letter to Samadhi

 To my dearest Samadhi:

Samadhi Shanti Om                                                                                                                                             By Luis F. Rivera, MD

You don’t know how many twists and turns and more turns I have given to start this letter.  Maybe because I wanted the words to come out straight from the heart splashed with musical notes straight from the intellect and accompanied by the purest of loves that could ever be expressed by emotions and feelings. Unfortunately, words are not capable to manifest the subtler expressions from within, just as life is not capable to express the immortality of the soul.

Four years Samadhi… we were together for the first four years of your life.  It was a profound love, Divine, indescribable and unique.  A love so pure that it wouldn’t allow even the emotions or feelings to touch it.   A love without attachments, but it encompassed in its interior the mystical and powerful force of God himself.  A love so clean it enveloped the sweetness a father feels for his daughter, the tenderness a grandfather feels for his granddaughter and the friendliness a Guru feels for his disciple.  And on occasions, I will confess to you your eyes clearly manifested the presence of God in his feminine aspect, emanating through the eyes of an innocent creature.

We loved each other.  You know, God knows we loved each other with sincerity and when we were together the whole world around us would stop, the clocks no longer told time and the roses stopped perfuming.  For four years you were my daughter, my granddaughter, my friend, my disciple and my little sister.  You were the light that still is lit, a burning torch that will never burn out, a sun that warms up the universe, a star that never dies.

No girl, don’t be confused.  I am neither attached nor obsessed with you.  It’s only love, the majestic force which unites all hearts and that persons never want to see or hear or feel.  It’s only love, which makes life turn, the powerful force most people are afraid of and almost no one is brave enough to feel.    Don’t ever forget love only knows how to love.   Love knows nothing of analysis, and it doesn’t know anything of analytics or logistics.  Its sole function is to love and it knows how to do it very well.

I never thought a friendship so intense was possible amongst two persons of so extremely different ages:  more than 50 years difference.  We were united during four long and short years.  Three years and ten months to be exact.  And during that time, the world turned differently.  During that time the universe stopped in a sigh.  I do not know how it happened, but in that instant, I transformed from the insides out and I turned into a child just like you and I would look through your eyes and I felt you could also see through mine.  It was something magical; there are really no words to describe it.  We lived a fantasy then, a world of dreams where we played and laughed and we truly laughed, from the heart, with bursts of laughter that cut through space and reached God transforming into celestial music.

I don’t know what happened when we were together. We found ourselves, we would melt, we would intertwine and with laughter and tears, with wonder and happiness we expressed the satisfaction we felt to be together again.  You have no idea how grateful I am you were born, that you accepted to be next to me all this time and for loving me they way you did.  You gave me as a gift four years of your life and I enjoyed them by your side to the fullest.  That’s why I feel filled with you and I do not resent anyone the fact we were separated from each other, because without being part of your physical family, your parents shared you with me trustingly and without reservations… with sincerity.  At times you would call me “papá” and then, as a joke, you would look me in the eyes and I would look into yours and we would burst out laughing, tickling one another. 

You know, I never wanted to get married or have kids of my own.  In this lifetime, I was not born for that.  I still stand by it.  I was born to be free and to dedicate myself to the spiritual life.  Marriage would have been a ball and chain that would ruin my life.  Then, just as a ray of light cuts through space, you arrived and took over my heart without even asking for permission.  You came in without knocking at my door and without being seen wiggled yourself in between the meadows of my life and left my heart out in the open.  You know my girl, when people turn older and they become adults they’re in a hurry to forget about their childhood… and you… you broke the locks at my doors, you entered softly and in silence to the deepest parts of me.  And with a mischievous look, you allowed the light to enter.

I want to restate, just in case the doubt arises in any morbid mind, this is a healthy and sane friendship, innocent and pure, clean, without any blemish; tender and mature at the same time.  Incapable of being damaged or of damaging anything or anyone.  So craftily, you made me remember what it was to be a kid, you made me know their intelligence, their wisdom, their concerns, their fears.  And you made me value, admire, respect, and love them with all my heart.  Thanks my little friend for entering my heart and playing with it.  Thanks for destroying it and rebuilding a new heart for me… a bigger one, stronger and more beautiful one.

What a shame that when we turn into adults we forget the greatness of children, their spiritual depth and their beautiful relationship with God.  My sweet baby, you gave me experiences I’ve never had before and for that, my heart bursts with gratitude.

To this day, I still do not understand why we got separated.  Maybe with the excuse of protecting you, due to jealousy or envy or to who knows what.  If the reason is they wanted to protect you from me, let me just affirm to you that no one in this world, not even your parents, have had the power to protect you as intensely as I have.  Nobody in any of the three worlds would even dare do you any harm.  In my respect, I would never be capable of hurting a Divine manifestation like you.  That’s how I perceive you, even if the rest of the world just sees your physical aspect.  In reality… I don’t get it.  There has been no communication; I only know that to this day I have not known anything else from you.

You know what’s the only thing I regret?  The few last times we saw each other, when it came time to say goodbye, you desperately ran into my room yelling me “Close the door!!!”, with teary and jumpy eyes.  And you latched on to me in fear… and I was so clumsy, so stupid, not to understand the message you were giving me.  We would not get to see each other in a long time.   You were sensing what was about to happen and I didn’t notice.  And I regret not giving you the longest hug of my life at that moment.  It’s important you remember this, my sweetheart: I never abandoned you or will abandon you ever.  You may never get to read this letter; or maybe when you do get to read it I may not be present in this material plane.  But the moments we spent together will most certainly transcend this material world and they will travel the universe and will never be any separation.  Ever.

Those who might read this letter might think I am sad, but it’s not true.  I am happy.  I just wanted to tell part of an important event in my life so it’s never forgotten, so future generations remember you the way I remember you.  I do not know, my good girl, the good or bad things some may have told you about me.  That’s just the purpose of this letter, for you to have my version of what has happened so you can build in your mind a whole picture by the time you need to make a decision.  Because I assure you, the time will come.

To sum up, the Supreme Being gave me the Grace to have you by my side for four years and I am grateful to life for that great opportunity.  I love you a lot and forever, and no matter what happens, I will be by your side be it in this or another dimension, as much in the present as in the future.  The future is yours; I know you will reach the purpose for which you were born.   Cheer up.  Walk firmly… directly towards the finish line.  I will be waiting for you there.

Your life will be beautiful, I can tell.  But it will also be filled with obstacles, challenges and trials.  Many of those obstacles we will place ourselves across your path, those of us in charge of your spiritual development, with the purpose of you having  the opportunity to surpass them and by doing that, you will grow, mature, and will rise above all the misfortunes of life.  You will be well protected, but nonetheless develop your subtle abilities of discerning when you need to think with your heart and when to think with your brain.  Don’t be afraid, as you grow, your intuition will be stronger and purer and your steps will be firm and secure.  Trust in yourself and the world will surrender at your feet.

Maybe in a little while you will no longer remember me, but there are imprints of me deep in your unconscious that will never be erased, just as you have left imprints of you in me that will never be erased either.  We’re one, you know… near or far, we are one, an indivisible one, unique and absolute… and separation is impossible.

My girl (I call you as such, because no matter your age, you will always be my girl), parents think the children they engender belong to them and they can do onto them as they please, but that’s not true.  Children belong to life; they belong to the universe and in essence to the Supreme Being.  Parents are merely an instrument through which children are born.   They are only channels by which children are brought into this world.  Just that.  But you, my lovely, you are my spiritual daughter even if other parents engendered you, even if your material parents hurt or refuse to accept it.  Because of that, since you were born you demonstrated a great affinity towards me and such a deep love capable of stirring up jealousy and envy in some.  You recognized me since you were born and I recognized you even before you were born.  I can’t understand why human beings choose to complicate things so much.  Happiness is only found in the simplest things in life.

The modern world is a world without love.  And because it doesn’t know love, it also doesn’t know peace.  That’s why I wish this love you and I have lived will light up the flame of love asleep within each human being, so parents learn to value the blessings they’ve received by becoming parents and for them to love their children wholeheartedly; and for children to love and respect their parents without reservations and with all their soul, just as we have loved each other.   I am certain this letter will shatter barriers, will unite hearts and will awaken even the most hidden love in the heart of humanity, giving fruit throughout the universe for all centuries to come.

Pure love does exists, Live it!!!

Distance is just like the wind: it puts out the small flame, but enlivens the large one.

 

With divine love,

Luis F. Rivera, MD
PO Box 416659
Miami Beach  FL  33141
 

If you wish for me to be reunited once again with Samadhi, please forward this letter to the 5 people you love the most.  Thanks a lot.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →