White Truffle Mac and Cheese

22 Feb

I loooooove Mac & Cheese… and now that I am grown-up, I look for ways to make mac & cheese but with twists and turns that will still satisfy the cravings, yet also attend a more upscale audience.

I have seen on various Top Chef and Barefoot Contessa episodes how a little bit of truffle butter can give you the essence of truffles without the steep price.  Hey… still, a little container of truffle butter is not cheap at $7 each, but it’s not as expensive as shelling out $$$ for the real fresh truffle.  Which, to be honest, I do not know if they’re available here in Puerto Rico.

I have been intrigued by the flavor of truffles ever since I had a delicious mushroom risotto with a drizzle of truffle oil at Pikayo’s Restaurant here in San Juan and more recently in a trip to NYC where we had a delicious vegetable cassoulet with truffle butter running thru it.  Truffles have a flavor very difficult to explain for me… I guess that’s why I prefer, if you can and dare, to experience it.  That’s why they’ve invented a name for this flavor – umami. 

So I have adored this little tub of truffle butter in the fridge since before Xmas time… and a few weeks back I said ENOUGH!!  I am making something with this butter!  And to celebrate the love I feel for my friends, I invited them over to a small Valentine’s dinner party.    

 

WHITE TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE

About 4 cups of mushrooms, sliced – I used a combination of white button and cremini mushrooms
3 tbs of butter
About 3 tbs of extra-virgin Olive oil
1 pound of elbow or penne pasta, whole grain preferably
1 small container of truffle butter
A little bit less than ¼ cup of whole wheat flour
1 quart of milk
About 1 cup of gruyere cheese, grated
About 1 cup of Italian Blend of cheeses, shredded
About ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
Sea Salt and Freshly cracked Black Pepper

 

  1. First we cook the mushrooms… in a large skillet heat the regular butter and a bit olive oil to prevent the butter to burn too quickly and sauté the mushrooms.  I had to do this in batches because my skillet is not that large.  When you place them on the skillet, move them around to make sure the butter/oil coats them, but after that leave them alone.  Do not touch them for a while and allow them to cook and get browned on both sides before seasoning them with salt and pepper.  Set them aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt generously and cook the pasta until al dente for about 6-7 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, we create the cheese sauce for the mac & cheese… in a medium sauce pan add the truffle butter… the smell will intoxicate you, in a good way!!!  When the butter melts, add the flour in small increments.  I scooped out ¼ cup, but I did not use it all.  Whisk the flour into the butter to create a smooth paste and allow it to cook for a few minutes to make sure the flour doesn’t taste like flour in the sauce.
  4. After about 3-4 minutes, add the milk to the flour/butter paste, called a roux by the cooking gods.  Whisk away to make sure you have no lumps and to thicken the milk and crate a creamy béchamel sauce.  Bring to a boil for the sauce to reach it’s creamy consistency.
  5. Remove sauce from heat and add the grated cheeses slowly, whisking as you add to make sure they melt perfectly.
  6. When the cheese sauce is ready, drain the pasta well, return to the same pot and add the cheese sauce.  Add the reserved cooked mushrooms and mix well.  Transfer to a greased 9” x 13” baking dish and top with some extra grated Parmesan and Gruyere cheese.
  7. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes at 350F until the cheese on top gets browned and crusty.

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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.

Meat Free Mondays Movement

8 Feb

My friend Carolina sent me an email with a newsletter from GOOP, Gwenyth Paltrow’s site to promote wellness… in her own words: “Goop is a newsletter that will usually come once a week. I will be sharing recipes, my personal travel notes, the advice that I get and follow, and so much more. GOOP is constantly evolving”.  my friend Carolina subscribes to it and shared it with me.

 This week’s GOOP newsletter highlights Meat Free Mondays – a movement created in the UK back in 2006 to promote vegetarianism as a way to contribute to the health of the environment and the planet .   Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters Stella and Mary are the founders of this movement and actively promote it around the world. 

Meat Free Mondays now has a US following with its own website called Meatless Mondays…   and KarmaFree  Cooking wants to join in the action too.  I have always seen this blog as a vehicle to educate that a vegetarian lifestyle if not difficult  to follow and that incorporating more recipes like these into your regular rotation you’ll be able  lead a healthier lifestyle. 

This is a recommendation I always make to my non-vegetarian friends.  Just incoporate in a conscious way more vegetable-based main courses into your recipe rotation.  Change your mentality that your dinner plate in centered a piece of animal protein…  that’s just not necessary.

That’s what Meatless Mondays is trying to carry out, to share with all environmentally-concerned people that going veggie once a week is not so difficult after all and it has an exponential positive effect on the environment too.  If you are into recycling, maybe even driving a hybrid car… why not giving Meatless Mondays a try??  You will not regret it… 

Thanks Gwenyth, Sir Paul and Carolina fr bringing this to my attention.  I’ll try to do my part to help spread the word…

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Healthier lifestyle changes for 2010

3 Feb

Now that we’re in February and the Xmas season in Puerto Rico is over… now I can start thinking about my new year’s resolutions.  This year I have included as part of my resolutions:

  • To exercise more – that’s why Santa left me at my sister’s house the P90X exercise program that I started last week… and to do more hatha yoga , which is a different kind of psycho-physic exercises to which I attribute a lot of my health benefits in my life…
  • To eat one big Green Salad a day – I have been lazier about this one in the first few weeks of the year…

       

My belief is you can’t create a huge list of resolutions that you might be overwhelmed in keeping.  If it’s too many changes in a short amount of time, something will have to give.  I found myself saying this over and over again the last few weeks – to friends and acquaintances who all are seeking better health, more fitness but sometimes lack the self-discipline to achieve long-lasting changes.  That was the inspiration for this series…

About 5 years ago I gave my friend Ana Yolanda a Xmas gift… when she asked me she wanted to be thin like me, I told her she needed to make small changes in her regular lifestyle that will bring her and her family health on a long term basis.  Her ways of Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers have worked on the short term to lose some weight, but nothing proved to provide her with any long-term results.  Her experience with my Xmas gift… well, I think it had more to do with her attachment to certain foods and certain habits.

What I am about to share is something I have experienced first-hand… This is not necessarily scientifically proven, but these are changes I implemented in my own life and I have seen results – results of a healthier, slimmer and more energetic me.  I will share with you what I wrote to Ana as a Xmas present and I have given to many other friends when they seek my advice on how now I am healthier and in better shape than I was when I was in college.

There are some words of wisdom:

We can’t expect different results

by always doing the same things the same way.

 

The moral of the story:

To get different results,

we MUST make some behavioral changes

– we must do things in a different way.

When I returned from living in NYC, I was still the same 5’ tall I am now, but I was wearing a size 8.  I have not always been like that, but since I adopted a healthier lifestyle I have really seen a difference in my health and what my regular normal weight is.  Now I regularly wear a size 0 and XS clothes.

I want to inspire you to make some lasting changes in your lifestyle and for them to stay with you for the rest of your life – so you can in turn educate your children the same way and create a generation of healthier and more active kids.  I do not pretend you turn into a full-fledged vegetarian if that’s not your choice.  But I do ask you to ADOPT ONE MONTHLY CHANGE.  Only one.  I have heard that if you implement a change for 15 days straight, it becomes a habit.  That’s my goal – for you to adopt 11 healthier habits into your lifestyle during this year.

I would like for you to forget about weighing yourself…  Your new gauge will be how fit you feel, if you have more energy, how many less colds you have gotten in the year compared to before, if you happen to have to buy yourself new clothes because the ones you have feel somewhat looser…

I know I should have shared this with you back in January, but heck… the idea came just now and I do not want to wait until next year’s resolutions to share:

 

ELIMINATE SOFT DRINKS

To me, it’s necessary to eliminate all soft drinks from your diet because they have no nutritional value whatsoever.  You need to ingest foods/drinks that will provide some sort of health benefit.

Why?

  • You need to drink plenty of water to alleviate any constipation, a great cause of many ailments
  • Soft drinks have no nutritional value
  • The sodium in sodas only make us retain water
  • The chemicals in soft-drinks adversely affect our kidney function

So instead of drinking a soft drink, you’ll now drink:

Water

  • In every fast-food out there you can order your combo or sandwich with a bottle of water.
  • Try at least to drink 6 glasses of 8oz of water…  it’s not optimal, but it’s a start.

Juices – preferably natural.  I try to buy fruits when they’re in season and make the juice myself… but I know we are always pressed for time so when I buy prepared juices…

  • Read the labels to avoid purchasing juices with added sugars
  • Some brands to try:
    • Lotus Pineapple Juice – from a container, not the can
    • Tropicana Orange Juice
    • Caribik Sun Passion Fruit Juice
    • Simply Orange or Simply Lime
    • Mott’s regular and Natural Apple Juices
    • Martinelli’s Unfiltered Apple Juice
    • Apple & Eve’s juice boxes – for those who have kids and needs portion control.  I love the Fruit Punch and Berry varieties.

              

Also, when I go to parties, they usually have these juices as mixers for drinks, so I usually order a glass of Orange Juice, Grapefruit or Pink Grapefruit Juice or Cranberry Juice instead of the typical soda.  And Simply Lime with crushed mint leaves and added fresh lime juice tastes just like a mojito…

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HashBrown Spinach Casserole

25 Jan

I already shared this version of a hash brown casserole with you guys… but this version really came about as a clean-out my fridge recipe.  I was tired of seeing the bag of hash brown potatoes in the freezer, a small container of French Onion Dip, the spinach, the shredded cheeses. 

I challenged myself to cook with stuff that was already “opened” – no need to open a new package of anything to save in the fridge.

 

HASHBROWN SPINACH CASSEROLE

1 lbs (about 1/3 a bag) of frozen hash brown potatoes, somewhat thawed
About 1 cup of frozen cut-leaf spinach, somewhat defrosted too
4oz of French Onion Dip – you can use one from the store or make it yourself
2 tbs plain yogurt
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend – Asiago, Mozzarella, provolone, etc.
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
  3. Place the mixture in an oven-proof dish bake in oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potato is fully cooked and the top is golden brown.

 

No need to salt this dish in my opinion… the times I used additional salt, even a little, it turned out salty.  The dip and the cheeses will provide plenty saltiness to the dish.

Try this with my Watercress Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing… super yummy.

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