KarmaFree Cooking

I first learned about Zen Burger by reading the Serious Eats brother blog – A Hamburger Today.  They mentioned how they were a truly vegetarian fast food joint.  I always have my doubts, so I visited their website and even forwarded an email to their management to make sure their ingredients were OK for all types of vegetarians to enjoy.

Their reply confirmed that they only used Vegenaise as their veggie mayo, that most their products were soy based, they also have veggie patties, and none include eggs.  I was sooooo happy. I immediately put them on my TO VISIT list the next time I was in NYC.

You will find Zen Burger in Mid-town Manhattan on Lexington Ave. between 45^th and 46^th streets.  It looks like a regular fast food joint, but it is so much different than any fast food joint I have visited, starting from the sign at the door.  Love it…

I first visited the place without looking to eat there at the moment.  So I talked for a little while with one of the cashiers (I was lucky it was early and no one was ordering anything at the time…) We discussed the menu, the food, how the food was made and the secret Zen sauce.  She was not allowed to tell me the ingredients, but when I saw it, I just “guessed them” right away.   She was relay nice and gave me reassurance of what I should order.   Here is a copy of their menu for your reference.

Inside, you can see that everything has an environmental twist to it.  All the napkins are made from 100% recycled materials and the TV screens communicate messages on the advantages to the environment on eating less meat.  Even the tray liners have educational messages.  They are appealing to the environmentalist in all of us… enticing you to eat vegetarian because it’s good to the earth and the environment… the humane part is just a by-product.  I think it’s a good approach.

But after you get those environmentalists in the door… how does the food taste???  I ordered the Zen Burger with fries and a drink.  The friend I made at the register told me it was their most popular item on the menu and as such it was delivered to me in less than 30 seconds.  I do not kid you.   It’s a soy based patty with onion, pickles, lettuce and tomato and it also has a Zen Sauce – which is like a mayoketchup.  Let me tell you, it tasted like I remember the BK Whoopers.  The looks of it were not the best, but the taste was really good, and the fries were delicious too. 

As you can see from the menu above, they have a wide variety:  they have “chicken nuggets”, fish fillets, BBQ patties and many other sandwiches very reminiscing of other fast food joints, but here you can order without hesitation or reserves that it was made in the same area as other meat products.  I love that…

I mentioned Zen Burger to a friend and she highly encouraged me to eat here.  She is a non-vegetarian and has lunch At Zen Burger frequently thanks to a vegetarian co-worker.  She told me she eats there not only because of the proximity to her office, but because the food is really good.

I encourage you to visit Zen Burger.  It’s a vegetarian fast food joint.  Expect good fast food.  It does not have

I wished I had stayed in NYC a bit longer so I could have tried some other menu options…   I guess I’ll need to plan a trip to NYC sooner rather than later, no??

I am a huge fan of the Serious Eats site… because it’s based in NYC, many people talk about the wonderful Union Square Green Market.  I’ve seen sooooooo many pictures and read so many blog posts about it that I knew I wanted to visit the instant I planned my trip to NYC. 

The market is located at Union Square Park on Broadway between 17^th and 14^th Streets and it’s active every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.   Just take the Subway – 4, 5, 6 – to Union Square Park station.  I’ll be honest, that even when I lived in NYC I did not frequent that area much and on this trip I went 3 times to Union Square and the East Side of 14^th street.  It just “reeled me in”. 

The market is beautiful…  it includes stands for organic vegetables, organic fruits, organic  breads and many other baked goods, organic dairy and cheeses, honey, jellies, pretzels made by singing Mennonites…

I was enthralled by the varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  We just can’t get them here like that…

Look at the wonderful colors of eggplants, squashes and baby artichokes.  They even have flowers…

Check out all the varieties of lettuces and salad greens.  We are lucky here if you get a few varieties of lettuces besides American and Romaine.  Although…  I did buy 2 heads of Boston Bib lettuce the other day at Costco for under $4.  I was in shock and I hope they keep bringing them.

I liked that all the stands were identified with a sign giving you information of the farm, where they are located and some of their philosophy and culture.  Also, I was amazed to know that as part of the food stamps program, people in NYC get Farmer’s Market Checks to encourage lower income people to buy fresh produce at locally sponsored farmer’s markets instead of just buying canned and processed foods.  I believe this is a great initiative and should be adopted by many more states, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

You know I HAD to buy myself something.  I could not leave empty handed… so I bought myself JELLIES – A Garlic and Rosemary Jelly and a Horseradish Jelly.  You’ll definitely see those in upcoming recipes.  All made naturally with sugar, pectin and whatever the jelly tastes like.  I am planning on making a bruschetta or a salad dressing with the jelly… among many others.  All these were ideas given to me by the wonderful lady in the photo from Beth’s Farm Kitchen who makes the Garlic Rosemary Jelly.   She is at the market on Friday’s and Saturday’s.  When I looked for her on Wednesday, she was not there… just in case.

I had read that many restaurant chefs, including celebrities Mario Batali and Bobby Flay, visit the market frequently to make purchases for their restaurants.  Well, I saw a photo of Mario at the Pink Himalayan Salt stand, where the guy told me Mario is a regular client of his.  I did not see Bobby Flay, but I did see several chefs of Tom Colicchio’s restaurant Craft purchasing cart-loads of produce there.  So now you know when the menu reads “market fresh vegetables” or something similar, they were probably at this market making their purchases that same morning.

I am telling you – If you live near NYC or just go for a short trip, you need to visit Union Square Market.  These are the things that make me want to move back into NYC again. I only wished I would stay longer and had facilities to cook so I could buy some of that wonderful produce.   One can only wish and hope…

When I learned about my trip to NYC, being the planner that I am, I made a list of things that I wanted to do/visit while in the city.  I hate it when, for lack of planning, I can’t do certain stuff.

I have been a Martha Stewart fan for years – I have subscribed to her Living magazine for almost 15 yrs now, subscribed to her Wedding Magazine for years (I stopped the subscription because I thought that was what was jinxing me from getting married, but apparently that was not the real reason…),  her website is at the top of my Favorites list, half of the things in my kitchen are from the Everyday collection at Kmart (and the only reason to visit that store in my opinion) or the more recent Macy’s collection,  I have her show on season pass on TiVo and even tried to try out for her version of The Apprentice.   I have always admired her sense of style, her commitment to quality, her taste level, her inability to tolerate mediocrity. 

So as soon as I had my dates to be in the city, I searched to see if there were tickets available for her show tapings.  I sent an email with my desired dates and the reason why I wanted to attend.  About a week later I received a confirmation that I was invited to be an audience member for the show.  Our invitation was for October 7^th, when they would tape the show that would air on Friday, October 10^th. I was SUPER EXCITED, to say the least!!!

I went with my friend Karen, whom I met at the Conscious Gourmet cooking seminar last year.  We were both hoping the show would have a predominantly cooking theme.  We got there early as the invitation requested.  Everybody was super excited to be there.  We were definitely all Martha fans – as soon as people were seated inside the studio, they started to chant Martha’s name. 

I was a bit nervous to be honest.  I have been on TV before, in front and behind the cameras many, many times (due to my job in marketing).  I have had the chance to meet many celebrities – local and from the US.  But I was about to meet one of my idols – not only in the culinary, but also in the business sense.  I was afraid I would break down like that girl in the Next Food Network Star did when she got the chance to meet Martha in person.  I knew I would not get that close, but I am emotional and was not sure how I would react in her presence.

I was surprised at my reaction, the exact same way I was surprised by Martha’s demeanor and attitude towards me and the whole audience during the taping.  After being pumped up by Joey Cola, a comedian who receives you and talks to the audience before Martha shows up, Martha came out and did not address or acknowledge the audience until AFTER the 1:30 hour taping.  She was super serious during the commercial breaks and we even got a sense that she was not enjoying what she was doing.  I am sorry, but it is hard to be enthusiastic about someone when you’re left waiting for a hello for over an hour.   

This is me to prove I was there at the same time as Martha… we were not allowed to take pictures at any point throughout the taping.  I did get to sneak a few…

I understand Martha is a very polarizing entity – people either love her or hate her.  I have always been on the loving side.  I have always identified with her because I feel we are both perfectionists, oriented to detail, we want to exceed people’s expectations. And many times people,  that vast majority of people who do not strive to seek excellence at all times,  misunderstand that drive and passion.  I still believe so, however, I was very put-off by the way she ignored her live audience during the show taping. Not even a hello or a “thanks for coming” comment.  She did it at the end, but doing it then did not have the same effect as if she would have done it at the beginning.  Not doing it at the beginning set the wrong tone for my whole experience.   

I saw the actual edited show this past Friday…  I can honestly say that she looks and feels better and more welcoming on TV than on set.  I guess my expectations were high, but how can saying hi to the audience before a show taping be called high expectations… 

But the whole experience was not a complete bust.  I was excited when the chef/owner of wich’craft made some peanut butter cookies that did not contain any eggs.  I was almost sure that if they cooked something it would be something I would not be able to try and to my surprise, the cookies were AMAZING!!!  They were made with white flour, but still they were delicious.  I also received copies of 2 books written by the guests of the show that day. 

I am still a Martha Stewart fan.  I still want to buy her set of plain water glasses from Macy’s.  I have not done anything to my Season Pass… but my experience of seeing her in person was a bit bittersweet.  I hope we have the opportunity to meet again and to be able to create more memories that will blow this experience right out of the water…  maybe she was having a “not-so-good-day” like we all sometimes have.  I should not be so critical… but if her people are checking out the blogs and run across this post, I hope they recommend her to just say HI to her audience before the start of taping and the tone for the whole experience will definitely be more positive… 

I still love Martha and chant, in the privacy of my home,  MARTHA!! MARTHA!!!  MARTHA!!!!

When I travel, I try to buy only things that are not available here in PR.  And when I go to NYC, I actually have a list of things/groceries I am buying.  I have an expandable suitcase and it always returns full. 

I discovered Grand Central Market, on Lexington Ave. and 42^nd street,  about 7-8 years ago when I was working for a multi-national company on US Hispanic marketing and I had to travel to NYC almost every 2 months.  Right smack in the middle of midtown Manhattan is this small, but super varied market filled with delicacies galore.

I was walking on Lexington Ave. and tried to walk into Grand Central Station and instead, I walked right into the market.  There are stations from the best purveyors in the city… there’s a cheese stand from Murray’s cheeses, there’s a Greenwich Produce stand, and more… and even though most of the stands do not cater specifically to vegetarians, I can certainly appreciate their commitment to excellence and quality.

For years, I have bought my sun-dried tomatoes at the Grand Central Market.  It’s the only place where they have dry sun-dried tomatoes without added sulfites… at least the label only reads tomatoes and salt as the ingredients.  I hope no one is lying to me.  

I always visit the Murray’s Cheese stand.  I always ask about which cheeses they have that are made without animal rennet.  I love people there do not look at me weird when I make this request and are actually super helpful and informative.  And after all that help and tastings, you are bound to walk out of there with at least one cheese in your bag.   And the cool thing, they also have fruit cakes/bars that go very well with their cheeses.  My mom loves their fig and date bars.  This trip, I had a thing for pistachios.

I love their fruit and vegetable stand.  Everything always looks super fresh and tasty.  I was taken by the nice variety of mushrooms – in little quantities, perfect to make that one special meal.  Shitakes, enoki, cremini, portobellos, chanterelles, oysters, etc.  Look at the price on the portobellos… in PR I would have paid almost $6 for portobellos and they never look that fresh.

I almost bought pomegranate seeds…  I told you I am on a pomegranate kick and these are not available like that here…  But I exercised some restrain and left then there.  You can also find “exotic” fruits… like LEMON FRUITS, which we call here QUENEPAS, not spelled with a K, like the label says.  These ones can definitely be bought in the streets here in PR, particularly in Ponce when they’re in season during the summer months.

I urge you to visit the Grand Central Market the next time you visit NYC.  It’s a little market but full of surprises and variety.  I am sure you won’t be able to walk out empty-handed…

I recently returned from a week-long trip to NYC.  I love NYC… the energy, the vibe, the people, the food.  I used to live in NYC about 15 yrs ago…  how time flies.  I still consider NYC the Capital of the World and, as such, it has the best of everything and the worst of everything.  I returned home to San Juan because there was a point in my life when I was focusing on that worst side… now I choose to concentrate on the best side of NYC.  And I love it…

I love the corner markets full of produce and seasonal flowers…  I love to see all the produce out there for people to buy and cook that same night.   

I love to use efficient public transportation and to shop through the streets of a city… without having to go inside a mall.  My dad taught me how to move in NYC using the subway and buses at an early age.  At the time, I did not know how handy that has become when I turned into an adult.  I am the go-to-person to direct people when they’re traveling in NYC – I even gave a class to a friend of mine this time around on how the streets and avenues are organized…  she lives in NJ and I live a 3:30hr flight away.

I love its cultural side and almost always try to visit a museum or see a musical.  My favorite museum is the MoMA.  I tried to get tickets to see In the Heights, but my schedule did not allow it.  In previous trips, I was able to see Wicked with its original cast twice, the first time on the second row dead in center stage, Avenue Q, The Producers, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Hairspray, Cats, among others.

It’s sometimes hard to believe, but when I lived in NYC I did not appreciate its diversity in food.  Now, even though I am vegetarian, I have a better palate and better appreciation of its restaurants and markets available in the city.  Something I definitely love about NYC is how open and accepting they are of vegetarians.  Not only are there many vegetarian and vegan restaurants to choose from in almost any neighborhood in Manhattan, what I love is the availability of vegetarian options in many non-vegetarian restaurants.  Here is an example of a restaurant in 14^th street with 7 vegetarian sandwich options – exactly like in PR, huh?

I met with a friend from my days of living in Chicago, he suggested we had lunch at Josie’s, located on 3^rd Ave and 36^th street.  To my surprise, the menu included about 7-8 options for me to choose from – from soups, to sushi rolls, burgers made with soy or portobellos.  Something that caught my eye was the Juice Bar, where you can create your own freshly squeezed juice made from up to 4 of these options – apple, bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, ginger, spinach, tomato or arugula.  I ordered their Butternut Squash soup with organic basil/pumpkin seed pesto, labeled as vegetarian and dairy free and a delicious and refreshing Mango Lemonade.

In the next couple of weeks I will be sharing with you my visits to various NYC markets, my visits to several vegetarian restaurants and some other adventures in this trip.  What’s your favorite place or thing about NYC??  I would love to hear what u think…