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Today we turn 6…

Today KarmaFree Cooking turns 6… and to be honest, I can’t believe it’s been this long. I still remember clearly that afternoon when I was plopped on my couch and decided to start a blog. I told myself… “Heck… How difficult can this be?”

Well let me tell you that hard work it is… It takes time – time to decide what to talk about, time to write about it, time to take pictures about it, time to cook for it… heck, I will not bore you with the details. But with all that time invested, also comes great satisfaction. It is an awesome feeling to read your comments here and on FaceBook on how much you like the recipes, how much you’re learning, how supported you feel… If in the end I get to inspire at least one of you out there into seriously consider the follow a vegetarian lifestyle or at least learn to appreciate the vegetarian lifestyle, my karma-yoga has been done.

This year I’ve traveled quite a lot… and I know you might feel a tad neglected. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to share are many recipes or commentaries as I usually do. And for that I apologize… profusely. You have no idea the amount of pending material I have on my computer., but your patience will be rewarded.

And as we usually do on our anniversaries, we recap our most popular recipes in the last 12 months. Nice to know these oldies, but favorites, still withstand the test of time. Thanks again for your readership and support. I love you all!!!

How to Peel and Eat a Mango

Pasteles in Banana Leaves

Yuca with Cuban Mojo

Natural Cold Remedy

Kick-butt Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Tags: 6, anniversary, blog, blogging, celebration, congratulations, food, recap, recipes, vegetarian

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Categories MY EDITORIAL

But where will I get my protein?

30 Sep

Don’t be fooled by people who discourage your vegetarian lifestyle claiming you’ll be protein-deficient…

Check out all the sources of protein available from non-animal sources. Learn them… for your own benefit and to answer those skeptics you’ll find along the way.

Other sources of protein are:

Nuts and Seeds – almonds, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, quinoa, chia, etc.
The milks of such nuts and seeds – like almond milk and sesame seed horchata…
Other beans besides lentils and black beans – red kidney beans, pinto beans, pink beans, white beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans, fava beans, green beans, etc.
Brown rice – and when combined with beans, it is a complete form of protein.
Whole grain pastas – I am guessing the spaghetti in the chart above means whole wheat, but let’s make that note here then. Regular semolina pasta is not rich in protein, but the whole wheat or whole grain kind is.
Spirulina – Spirulina is an algae found in certain lakes. And in dry form it’s 60% protein… I have taken it in tablets.

And… excess protein is harmful to our health regardless if it’s animal or vegetable protein. So be mindful not to exceed the necessary daily requirement. If we sin, it’s usually because we exceed the necessary protein intake. By knowing which foods provide which amounts of protein we can plan accordingly and try to avoid the excess.

So, don’t worry about your protein intake… there’s plenty of protein going around and in the vegetable world there’s way more variety than what people really think.

Tags: almond, beans, brown rice, food, lentil, peanut, protein sources, quinoa, spirulina, vegetable protein, vegetarian, whole grain pasta, whole grains

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Categories MY EDITORIAL

Parsley Dressing

27 Sep

There’s more to curly parsley than just a chain restaurant garnish… Just like there’s more to my friend Tania than meets the eye.

This is a recipe I learned from her. Tania is a hair stylist but, every time you go to her salon, you get your hair done and your tummy full. The last time I was there she fed me lunch… and as any typical yogi would do, half the plate she gave me was salad. But this salad was special… it had a special dressing.

Tania tells me this parsley dressing is her go-to salad dressing at home. It’s super easy to make and she always has a bottle of it on top of her kitchen counter. I bragged so much about it to another friend in our running group that Tania had to make a dressing batch just for this other friend to try.

I have been dreaming of making salads with this dressing for a while now… and this is my homage to Tania’s Parsley Dressing. I hope I make it justice. A bottle of this is standing on my kitchen counter as I type!!

PARSLEY DRESSING

1 bunch of curly parsley, thicker stems removed and coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove

½ tbs kosher salt

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup water

This is the time to take out your immersion blender… I first used my food processor, but just a bunch of parsley is too small to use a large processor. Tania makes it in her Vitamix blender…

In a glass measuring cup measure the olive oil and the water. Add the garlic clove, salt and the coarsely chopped parsley to the large measuring cup. Start pureeing with the immersion blender until the oil emulsifies and turns creamy.
The measuring cup is nice because the spout will help you decant it into a bottle where you can keep the dressing for future use.

The dressing is chunky… but it’s super flavorful. Pour it over a green salad or even boiled potatoes or rice. It’s very, very versatile.

This is a great use of all that curly parsley that goes on sale frequently. I tend to prefer flat-leaf parsley in recipes, but for this preparation, curly works just fine.

Tags: dressing, food, garlic, olive oil, parsley, Salad, vegetarian

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Categories Salad, sauces

A new Tip on Mangoes…

25 Sep

I already showed you my favorite way to peel and eat a mango… it’s actually one of, if not the MOST popular post on our blog!!

But, have you ever peeled a mango to find out it was still under ripe? What do you do with it? Do you throw it away? Do you eat it still unripe?

Just cover it in plastic wrap and leave on your kitchen counter to ripen, just as if it had the skin on still. The outside will get dark, it will not look all that pretty, but in a matter of a few days, you’ll be able to peel the outside again and the pulp will be ripe and delicious as if you never peeled it in the first place.

Wish I had some pics to share… but I wanted to share this tip today after having for breakfast a fresh and perfectly ripe mango that I originally tried to enjoy for the first time last week. It was DE-LI-CIOUS!

Tags: delicious, easy, food, fruit, mango, ripen, tip, unripen, useful, vegetarian

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Categories basics, breakfast

The Vegetarian Professional Jet-Setter Strikes again…

24 Sep

I’m here!!! I’m here!!! I have not fallen off the face of the Earth!!!

The first part of 2013 has been incredible to me… I had the chance to visit so many places – India, Panama, Peru, Miami… those you already knew about. But I just got back from a trip to Spain doing the Camino de Santiago and a week in Paris. Collectively, I think in the first 8 months of 2013, I’ve only been in Puerto Rico for about 3 months total. I told ya once… be careful what you wish for, because just like the Daughtry song says, “you just might get it all… and then some you don’t want”.

I have been craving some normalcy… some time at home, by myself to write and share with you all the wonderful experiences I’ve had. But doing 3 spiritual trips in less than 6 months takes a toll on you. My mind has not been in the writing mode. That’s why I’ve been kinda quiet lately. If you follow me on Facebook, at least you’ve gotten a chance to check out some of KarmaFree’s recipes from our archives… But my spiritual guru told me it would be like this for a little while. Trying to get a grasp of normalcy while all the experiences and blessings of all these spiritual trips actually sink in. Please bear with me…

I’ve already shared with you some things about Peru – what to buy when you visit and my experience drinking Coca Tea in Cusco. I’ve also shared some of the experiences in India – about sugar-coated fennel seeds or the many ways Indians eat their lentils. But I have not had the chance to tell you about the awesome natural treatments we did in Panama, some of the great vegetarian restaurants we went in Peru or some of the delicious recipes I learned while in India. Let me tell you… I got sweets you will looooooooove!!!! You’ll hear about the experience and the recipes in the weeks to come.

You’ll also learn about my experience of walking the Camino de Santiago or St. James Way… If you’ve seen the movie The Way with Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen, you know what I am talking about. This was my 3rd trip to Spain and I keep learning so much and discovering this country’s gastronomy has to offer. I will also try to show you how I handled walking 114kms in 5 days on a vegetarian diet!!!

And Paris!!!! My lovely, lovely Paris!! If I was in Spain, how could I not hop over to visit my beloved Paris?? This time around I went by myself and got to eat and experience some of my old favorites, but also got a taste of some new things I have been meaning to try… like those lovely falafels at L’As du Falafel that everyone raves so much about.

Thanks for sticking around… thanks for being patient with me. I promise I had all you guys on my mind wherever I was… India, Paris, Spain, Miami, Panama, Peru and even here in my lovely kitchen in Puerto Rico. I will try to make you all feel like you were all there with me…

Bon virtual voyage!!!! Bon Appetit!!!