KarmaFree Cooking

I posted this question a few days ago in a blog I quite enjoy visiting and commenting in – Serious Eats. It’s not vegetarian, that’s why is not part of my BlogRoll.

Since I became a vegetarian, I was told how hazardous to our health was to cook on aluminum – cookware or foil. So, when I moved by myself and was buying all my kitchen stuff, I bought all stainless steel pots and pans. To me, it was something easy to do and would in the long run, not compromise my health.

However, I have not been able to replace my rice cooker. My rice cooker has been with me since 1992. My mom gave it to me as a present when I moved to Chicago for grad school. I have made any kind of rice you can imagine there – white rice, now wholegrain brown rice, rice with corn, rice with vienna sausages, now rice with tofu dogs, rice and vegetables, you name it… So I posted a question onto the Serious Eats TALK section to see if someone more foodie than I am could help me locate the rice cooker of my dreams – without the aluminum insert.

The responses have been many. But what surprised me most is that people were asking me WHY I wanted to eradicate cooking in aluminum. I guess thats one of the by-products of these community blogs where people share their opinions rather than aswering the question at hand… and even though I was surprised, I am also glad because the question sparked a discussion on the pros and cons of the different cookware and their health risks, if any.

My position and recommendation – to avoid using aluminum when cooking. Aluminum has been associated with the development of Alzheimer’s Disease, osteporosis/softening of the bones, imparied kidney functions, memory loss, among others. My POV – if changing my pots and pans can help avoid these risks in any way… why not do it???

I use now stainless steel, glass, pyrex to cook. I line baking sheets with silplat or unbleached parchment paper. I confess, I use aluminum foil sparingly, just because of the convenience.

I included a link to my question in Serious Eats and let me know what’s your POV… and if you know of any rice cookers without aluminum inserts… I will really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

When I decided to become vegetarian, I was clear and sure I did not want to constantly eat food that resembled the animal products I was consciously not going to eat.  And even more,  I was never a fan of traditional chicken nuggets when I was not vegetarian.  So when I was offered to try vegetarian “chicken” nuggets I was not interested.  My friend insisted in buying me a bag to try…  and the rest is history.

This is not something I eat frequently.  But there are some times you want a snack, something to nibble on – you know, the munchies…  and when that time comes, these veggie nuggets usually hit the spot.  Here’s a photo of the packaging for your reference.

They’re super easy to make.  I just put them in a sheet pan sprayed with some canola oil spray and into a 400 degree toaster oven.  In 15 minutes or less, you’ll have crispy and tasty veggie nuggets.  Enjoy them on their own or with MayoKetchup sauce for dipping. 

The catch… I have to buy them when I travel to NYC’s Chinatown.  I have not seen them anywhere else. 

Hi my karma-free friends!!!!

I am back from my days off.  It’s funny, but for someone who enjoys cooking and eating so much and has this food-related blog, here I am coming back from a holiday of fasting.  Yes… you read right.  I spent the last 7 days of the year at a yoga spiritual retreat without eating solid food – only drinking water, lemon juice and honey. 

To me, this is the best way to spend the last few days of the year… it brings you closer to the real meaning of Xmas.   Celebrating our spiritual side of life and away from the commercialism that Xmas has turned to be.

Even though it may sound weird to you at first, it’s the best way to finish and start the new year.  We prepare 3 days prior to the start of the retreat…  we go from eating everything, to eating only salads, fruits and natural juices.  Then we go to fruits and juices, finally ending just with juices prior to the start of the retreat. Also, the night before the start, we do a big “cleansing” to clean out our digestive tract as much as possible… Some people do it by drinking pure pear juice, but I do it by drinking a gallon of coconut water and pure kiwi juice.  If you’re ever constipated, drink a 1/2 gallon of coconut water in one sitting… it works for me.

We spend the 7 days from Dec 25 until Dec 31 in “mauna”, or being silent, trying to eventually learn to actually silence the mind.  I have to be honest… my mind keeps cooking everyday, thinking of new recipe ideas, menus, etc.  You’ll be able to see and read the results of all my “cooking” ideas from the retreat.

We meditate for 9 hours everyday, in 2 hour intervals.  We get up at 3AM, start meditating from 4-6AM, rest 2 hours, meditate from 8AM-10AM, do hatha yoga, meditate again, and so on until we go to bed at 9PM.  And every-time we start a rest period we need to drink about 10-12oz of water with the juice of a 1/2 lemon and 2 tablespoons of honey.  This is a great way to rest, detoxify your system, because your body’s energy is not spent talking or digesting food… therefore it uses all its energy to cleanse, eliminating a lot of toxins accumulated during the year.

It sounds hard core, but it really is fun.  We then start talking and eating again when we say goodbye to the 2007 and hello to 2008.  Here’s a photo of some of us after welcoming the new year.  We are all at least 2 lbs thinner.

I belong to the Devanand Yoga Center and we have centers all over Latin America – our GuruJi runs the centers in Puerto Rico, New York and Miami.  Here I include the addresses information if you’re interested in seeking more information.

http://www.yogadevanand.com/

NEW YORK
QUEENS
USA Devanand Yoga Cultural Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 680090
Corona, NY 11368
Tel.: (718) 426-4643
Fax: (718) 426-6237

MIAMI, FL

Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand
115 B S.W. 107 Ave.

Miami, Florida 33174
Tel.: (305) 867.4755
Correo Electrónico: devanandyoga@bellsouth.net

PUERTO RICO
Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910
Tel.: (787) 273-0236