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Mandoline

23 Jul

I have been fascinated with madolines since I first saw them…  I even bought one but was intimidated of using it until a year after I bought it.  Now, I can’t stop using it… 

 

Even with decent knife skills, using a mandoline will ensure you’ll have very even, professional looking slices of whatever you want to slice.  I have used it for several dishes shown here in KarmaFree Cooking, like:

Comme Çi Comme Ça Salade Niçoise – I used it to slice the carrots and the radishes

Eggplant Parmesan

Creamy Potatoes

 

Eggplant Stacks

And most recently…  

Potatoes à la Angie

 

There are many mandolines available in the market.  I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it shouldn’t have cost me over $25.  I bought this one because I did not want to spend over $100, as some models are, for something that I wasn’t sure if after all I was going to give a whole lot of use to.  I’ve been known to want some gadgets for a long time and then finding out that I do not like them after all.

The one thing I need to stress a lot is to be VERY CAREFUL with the blade.  My version is an inexpensive one and its blade is super sharp.  I once tried to catch the mandoline on its way to the floor and my finger met the blade…  I won’t go into the details, but I still have a scar in my finger.   Always use the handle to manage whatever you’re slicing and NEVER EVER try to catch a sharp falling kitchen utensil… let it drop to the floor and pick it from there.  Never try to catch anything sharp in mid-air.

That’s my nugget of wisdom for the day…

Rex Cream @ Isabela

9 Jul

A few weekends ago,  I went on a weekend trip with my friend Rosani to the beautiful town of Isabela, located in the northwest side of Puerto Rico.   Isabela is where my grandfather’s family is from. 

We loved visiting Isabela when I was younger – to visit the family and to go to the beach.  Isabela is a surfer town so there are beaches for everyone.  We stayed at a nice resort, but we are locals and do not like to be confined to resort world.  When we went into town, it was sooooooo hot that my body only craved cold things instead of lunch.  That’s when we discovered this little ice cream shoppe called Rex Cream.  The place is called and it’s located in a side street off the Plaza.  Their ice creams looked like gelatos, but they are all done with milk, cream or water.  None of them include eggs.  These were sooooooo good that we went there 2 days in a row.

Rosani ordered Coconut the first day and Corn the second.  Here’s a picture of the Corn ice cream.  Can you see the pieces of yellow corn?  They can garnish them with cinnamon if you like.  They tasted creamy, sweet and made of real stuff… none of that crappy artificial fillers.  We have a place in Lares that supposedly was where the corn ice cream was invented… Rosani’s palette says the Isabela version is way better.

I went for something tangier – Tamarind and Passion Fruit.  Mine were more like sorbets.  Super tangy, super refreshing…  I ordered Tamarind the first day but the second day I got a combo cup.

Every time we went, we walked over to the Plaza to sit on a shaded bench and eat our ice creams.  Unfortunately, the feeling was not too lasting because the heat would melt our ice creams really fast.  But they’re sooo good, it was all worth it.

If you’re ever in the Isabela area, stop by Rex Cream and have a delicious ice cream in my name…

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2008 Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities

20 Jun

The 2008 sexiest vegetarian celebrities were announced today – new British singing sensation Leona Lewis and Anthony Kiedis, lead singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Leona Lewis apparently has been a vegetarian for a long time now… and she evens goes to the extent of not wearing any clothing, shoes or handbags made from leather or suede.  For Anthony, being vegetarian is a more recent lifestyle change.  He decided to try a vegan diet after a doctor recommended it for his son.  And after learning additional information about the depleting ocean ecosystems and the horrible meat industry practices… he says he’s sure he’ll never go back to eating how he used to.

PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, conducts each year an online voting to determine who the sexiest vegetarian celebrities are.  The lists for both male and female are looooong.  Here are some of my favorites:

Bryan Adams  – he used to be my “boyfriend” when I was in High School

Michael Bolton – I just love him and his music…

Noah Wyle – from ER fame

Joaquin Phoenix – He’s so sexy…

Ruben Studdard – from American Idol Season 2 fame… goes to show you that not all vegetarians are skinny (or maybe it’s a new thing for him…

Paul McCartney – my mom’s favorite Beatle

Rupert Everett – from the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding

Shania Twain – I think she’s awesome…

Carrie Underwood – from American Idol Season 4

Kristi Brinkley – my favorite Cover Girl

Vanessa Williams – she’s so wicked in Ugly Betty

Pink – love her music…

 

 

Check them out…

If you want to be as sexy as these celebrities… maybe you would like to try being a vegetarian for a while.  PETA encourages people to Pledge to go Veg for 30 days.   And PETA will forward you with information, snack info, where to eat out and more…  hey, you already have me as a resource too.

And stay tuned for next year’s event.  Maybe you’ll be partly responsible for the sexiest vegetarian celebrity for 2009.

Don’t inhibit yourself!!! – Part 3

14 Jun

Ok – how much vegetarian junk food there is?!?!?  Lots. 

This is part 3 on a series on Vegetarian Junk Food…  check out the previous installments – Part 1 and Part 2.

Gelatin

Back in the day I was a Jello junkie.  My favorite flavor is orange, but I would make them in all flavors.  One large package a day sometimes, especially when I was home on vacation.   Ever since I learned gelatin comes from the bone marrow of animals, I had to say goodbye to Jello and to many other sweets and goodies made with gelatin.

But last year I discovered these Natural Desserts Jel desserts in a Whole Foods in one of my many business trips to the US.  I bought a few flavors to try.  I was skeptic at first, but believe me… these ROCK!!!!  After not having a gelatin for so long, these taste pretty similar to the original.  Because they are natural and do not contain artificial colorings, the colors are not as intense, but the flavors are.  You make them exactly as you would regular gelatin.  I still prefer the orange flavor, but the strawberry and raspberry ones are pretty good too.

 

It also comes in unflavored version to use in other savory applications… I have not tried it yet, but I am confident that it’ll be as awesome as the flavored ones.

 

Chocolate substitutes

I am a chocolate girl.  And when I had to give up chocolate I thought my world would end…  But then Carob entered my life.  I will be honest with you, even though my mom now kills for a piece of carob bar candy, I personally don’t go for the stuff.  If it doesn’t taste like or better than the real thing, I don’t eat it.   There are good brands out there, but I do not know them by heart because I usually buy them only when I am traveling and if I can’t see the packaging I am lost.

But let me tell you… I use carob chips in my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and I can’t tell the difference.  I have drank hot chocolate made with carob powder and evaporated milk and it’s to die for.  I have worked with the carob powder on cake and brownie recipes and it’s amazing.

                                                                                                      

My point being… not need to deprive yourself totally of chocolate-like desserts when there’s carob around…  even if you still dream of a piece of Hershey’s Kisses in your lips.  I know the feeling…

 

Candy

And to conclude this series, candy…  who doesn’t love a gummy bear or a jelly bean?  I was never crazy about them, but these Surf Sweets are a good compromise for the Skittles and Starburst I used to eat at the movies.  The bag is small, so it fits in any decent purse when going to the movies.  I particularly like the Fruity Bears because they have a sugary coating on top of the gumminess… they’re like those orange slices, but in various other flavors.  If they would make them only in orange flavor, I would buy several every week…

 

Marshmallows…  I never ate a ton of marshmallows, but how much you miss them when you hear about smores, the topping over a sweet potato dish on Thanksgiving and several other seventies delicacies my mom used to make with tinned fruit salad.  Ohhhh, and the rice krispies treats we all love so much…  we already found a way to make these treats without the need of marshmallows.  But once in a while, if you do crave something sweet and mellow you can go online and get them.  They might be available at a Whole Foods, but because we do not have one in Puerto Rico, the ones I get are online…  check these out.  These are vegan so they’re super safe to eat.

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed my series on vegetarian junk food…  it’s been really nice to share with my friends at the Yoga Center and with you all too.

Blue Cheese Polenta – To celebrate the Top Chef finale

12 Jun

Yesterday was the finale of Top Chef Chicago, from my sunny Island of Puerto Rico. 

I was rooting for either Stephanie or Richard to win.  To me, these were my favorites from the get go. 

                                       

They have both been extremely creative and innovative in their cooking, but what captured me from both was they were always nice, civil, collaborative and very complimentary to all their partners.  Here’s a few examples:

  • I loved the episode where the chefs had to work based on words from the Second City Improv troop and no one wanted to work with Richard because he had just won immunity and how cool he and Dale worked together making the winning dish for that episode. They collaborated well and they complimented each other’s work and ideas…
  • I loved how during Wedding Wars and Restaurant Wars both Stephanie and Richard were teamed together and they collaborated with other team members to ensure no one from their team was going home that week. Nobody was trying to take credit for anyone else’s ideas, no one wanted to steal the show… they just wanted to win for the team’s members’ sake.
  • I believe that in the Wedding Wars episode specifically, Richard won the elimination challenge and without hesitation he said he wanted to give the win to Stephanie. Stephanie then suggested they split the prize of a $2,000 Crate and Barrel gift certificate.
  • I loved during the first part of the finale, when Stephanie assigned sous chefs to everyone that she chose based on which sous chef who would get along with each chef, because she wanted the kitchen to be harmonious.
  • How Richard in last night’s episode asked Stephanie to draw knifes first… another gesture of his gentlemanliness.

They are plain ol’ nice people… and I believe that your intention and feelings are transferred into what you’re cooking and therefore experienced by those who eat your food.  I am very happy that in the final in Puerto Rico, the first female Top Chef was crowned – Stephanie…    

And to Richard… I am confident that in great Top Chef and American Idol fashion, he’ll get as much exposure and experience as much success as Stephanie.   Look at Sam and Marcel from Season 2 and at Casey from Season 3.  I will stay tuned to see what he’ll do next.  I may have to travel to Atlanta soon to try his cooking… maybe some not-so-perplexed tofu in green curry that please… does not taste like beef.  If you saw the show you know what I am referring to.

Well…  after all that, I wanted  to watch the show while eating some food worthy of the Top Chef finale show…  I debated if I was going to do something Puerto Rican or something more gourmet… I think I landed somewhere in between the two.  I made Blue Cheese Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and a Tomato Salad.  I am telling you, this Blue Cheese polenta is a knock-out and super simple and quick to make. 

My initial inspiration was drawn from a recent post from my dear friend Kathleen at Kathleen’s Vegetarian Kitchen.   I saw it and then yesterday, I improvised from what I remembered. 

 

 

BLUE CHEESE POLENTA

1 ¼ cup of half-and-half
3 tbs quick cooking polenta – I used Colavita brand that cooks in 5 minutes
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Ground Pepper
2 oz of Danish blue cheese – of the blue cheese of your choice
A few Marcona almonds to garnish – or any other toasted almond will also work
  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the half-and-half to almost a boil.  Season it with salt and pepper while you’re waiting for the temperature to rise.  Be careful not to over-salt, because you’ll later on add Parmesan and Blue cheese which are both salty.
  2. Whisk in the polenta and continue to whisk until the polenta starts to thicken.   When it starts to thicken, add the Parmesan cheese.
  3. Remove from heat and add the blue cheese.  Stir to combine so the cheese melts in the polenta.
  4. Serve and add the almonds as garnish.

 

I am telling you… this polenta ROCKS!!!!!   It’s super creamy and super tasty.  I had polenta before and I was not a great fan.  Now I am willing to make this for company.  I see a dinner party in my future…

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