Tag Archives: Centro Yoga Devanand

Vegetarian Fast Food for Father’s Day

17 Jun

This coming Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day and KarmaFree Cooking will be participating in the Vegetarian Fast Food Festival hosted by the Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Vegetarians like me get the fast food cravings once in a while…  but fast food does not have to be synonymous with fatty or nasty.  Vegetarian Fast Food can be made healthy and nutritious, with a few simple ingredients and twists.

So join me at the Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand for a super fast food fatherly lunch filled with goodies such as – Veggie Burgers, Fries, Onion Rings, Vegan Mac and Cheese (who ever said mac&cheese was fast food??????), Ice Cream, and many, many more…    I really hope they’re planning on having natural sodas too!!!! 

I will be in charge of the Veggie Hot Dogs and maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe I can also make some of my now famous Bacala-Free-Tos – because the criollo fast food scene needs to represent as well, no???

 

Vegetarian Fast Food Festival

Please join me this coming Sunday, June 21 starting from 10:30AM at Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand for a super fast, super delicious and nutritious.   If you need directions on who to get there, please let me know in the comments section or just call 787-273-0236.

Hope to see you there!!!

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A Vegetarian Xmas Cooking Class at Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand

3 Dec

The Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand will offer this coming Sunday, December 7, a Vegetarian Xmas Cooking Class featuring typical dishes from the Puerto Rican Xmas menu.  “This is our way to teach our community that you can celebrate a typical Puerto Rican Xmas, with all the traditional flavors we love but without the need to harm any living creature.  Also, our students will taste for themselves how delicious and accessible vegetarian cooking can be – made with the exact same ingredients all Puerto Ricans love so much.” shares Carmen González, who will lead the cooking class.

Clase Cocina Devanand - Diciembre 2014 - Navidad Vegetariana

 

The vegetarian cooking class will be from 1PM to 5PM.  Participants should bring their own apron and where to take notes.  The Vegetarian Xmas Cooking Class is only $20 per person and it’s a donation to the Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand.  Spaces are limited.

The Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand is a non-profit institution offering Mantra Yoga Meditation and Hatha Yoga.  They also provide orientations via seminars on vegetarian cooking, stress management, relaxation workshops, breathing techniques and other natural and positive practices.  The Center is located in Calle 13 SO #824 in Caparra Terrace.  You can find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CentroCulturalYogaDevanand.  For more information call  787-273-0236.

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Why am I a Vegetarian??

10 Sep

This is a post for all you readers who live in Puerto Rico…

This Sunday, September 14 the Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand is celebrating one of its signature Vegetarian Dishes Festivals…   presenting over 10 different vegetarian dishes completely karma-free to show how delicious vegetarian lifestyle can be. Kinda like the same thing I try to do here in KarmaFree Cooking.

Fest Platos Veg Sept 1A

 

The activity will start at 10:30AM with the Ofrenda de Amor, where we give God or the Supreme Being (however you prefer to call the higher power) in gratitude for all the blessings we receive each day.  It’s a practice taught at the Centro Yoga Devanand since its inception over 30 years ago, teaching how to be grateful without asking anything in return.  Afterwards, there will be a 30-min group meditation, followed by the short lecture “Why am I Vegetarian?” given by a group of Yoga Center members who will share their reasons and journey within the vegetarian diet and lifestyle.  It’ll be fun because you’ll be able to ask them anything you have on your mind about living as a full-time vegetarian in Puerto Rico.

To close out the activity, the greatest vegetarian buffet ever!!!!  With 10+ vegetarian dishes to choose from… or not to choose from, because certainly you can eat a little bit of everything – from salads and soups to natural juices and several desserts too!!  The donation for the activity is $15, which is much more economical than going out for lunch at any restaurant in San Juan.

I am planning to donate one of the dishes for the buffet… I am still deciding on what to make.    So if you would like to taste delicious vegetarian fare and meet me in person in the process, go by Centro Cultural Devanand on Sunday and you’ll be certain to have a great time with all of us.

If you need any additional information, please write me right here in the comments section or you can call the Centro Cultural Devanand at 787-273-0236.  And if you’re on Facebook, please click on GOING at the event page.  Hope to see you there!!!

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Vegan Gluten-Free Crepes

28 Apr

A few weeks ago, the Yoga Center celebrated an International Festival of Vegetarian Dishes.  I wanted to contribute by making something that is traditionally considered a “forbidden” food for vegetarians out there, but at the same time that it would be easy for me to make.

I have made crepes time and time again, but out of spelt flour, which is a cousin of wheat.  Most people with wheat-intolerance deal well with spelt, but many people at the Center are avoiding wheat and gluten altogether so if I wanted to make a dish everyone would enjoy, including our Master, I needed to make something gluten-free.

This was my contribution to the Festival…  vegan gluten-free crepes filled with macerated strawberries and decorated with a drizzle of carob syrup.  This was my homage to Didier and the delicious sweet and very popular crepes he would make for me at the Alliance Française a few years ago.

 

Egg-free crepes

VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CREPES

1 ½ cups gluten-free flour
4 tbs coconut oil
2 cups almond milk + 6 tbs
½ tsp salt
4 ½ tsp egg-replacer
More coconut oil to cook the crepes to oil the pans

 

  1. First, prepare the egg-replacer mixture in a small bowl mixing the egg-replacer and 6tbs of almond milk.  Whisk well together and set aside.
  2. In a blender, add the flour, 2 cups almond milk, salt and egg-replacer mix you prepared earlier. Blend well until all ingredients form a smooth batter mixture.
  3. Refrigerate the crepe batter for at least 2 hours.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.  I cannot stress this enough…  if the batter is not rested for at least 2 hours your crepes will be full of bubbles and they will cook uneven.
  4. When you’re ready to use the batter…  move it around and see if it has the consistency of a light pancake batter.  If it’s too thick, add ¼ cup of water or more almond milk to make it thinner.
  5. Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tbs coconut oil and spread out using a paper towel.
  6. Pour one ladleful of batter into skillet into skillet, turning and tilting skillet as you’re pouring the batter.  The idea is to coat the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of batter.  Don’t be discouraged if the first few ones are not as you expect.  It took me a few tried to get the right rhythm of ladle and skillet.
  7. Loose the edges of the crepe using an off-set spatula.  You’ll see the crepe bubble a little, very similar to pancakes.  Loosen the crepe delicately from the pan using a silicone spatula.  When you can move the crepe loosely by just shaking the skillet, after about 1 minute of cooking, flip the crepe using the silicone spatula.
  8. Cook on the other side for about 30 more seconds.  Just slide the crepe out of the skillet onto a plate lined with wax paper.
  9. Repeat the process all over until you finish the crepe batter.  Pass the oiled paper towel once in awhile in between crepes, as needed.

In my belief, these crepes were a COMPLETE SUCCESS!!!!  But I will let the people who actually tasted them give their comments and tell you all about them in their own words.  People… I am counting on you!!!!

Vegan Gluten Free Crepes

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