Tag Archives: food

Home Remedies – Water for Headaches

4 Jan

It’s been over 14 years since I’ve taken any analgesics to take care of a headache.

When I started to attend our Yoga Center, I learned, or developed an awareness, of how many side effects chemical medicines have. They “cure” one thing, but damage 10 others.

So for many years now I have subscribed to the idea of using natural remedies as much as possible to treat the cause of my illness or discomfort versus just tending to the symptom. Most traditional medicine today is more concerned about treating the symptom that reaching to the root of the problem.

Let’s take headaches for example… I bet many of you pop up a few Tylenols or Advils anytime you feel a headache coming in. I’m not talking about migraines or anything more severe. I am talking about common everyday headache, possibly at 4PM, after a tough meeting or during the traffic jam while you’re trying to reach home.

I have experienced that most of the headaches I experienced where mainly due to DEHYDRATION. The water I was taking with the Tylenol, not the pills themselves, were the solution to what I was having. Just drinking a few glasses of water whenever you might feel you’re coming on with a headache might save you from taking many, many pills over the course of your lifetime.

Try it… and if it works, just try to avoid the headache all together by drinking more water every day.

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Cocina Abierta… Not Vegetarian, but very delicious options indeed

19 Dec

Cocina Abierta is one of the most popular restaurants in the San Juan/Metro Area… they have a Facebook Page and very loyal following. It’s been open for little over a year now and it was last week the first time I was able to eat there.

Martin Louzao, an Argentinian residing in Puerto Rico for a few years now, is the chef/owner of Cocina Abierta and he happens to be my neighbor too. I remember him arriving in his apartment with huge bags from Marshalls telling me all this new equipment was for the new restaurant he was opening soon, that I should visit him to try his food. If the food he makes tastes as good as the smells that came out of his apartment… this was going to be a delicious experience indeed.

It has taken me over a year to visit him because every time I had tried to eat there, the place was full. The concept… an open kitchen where all the guests can see the cooks at work. The menu, super dynamic… they work off what’s seasonal and fresh. They have a few favorites on the menu, but it changes constantly according to the chef’s whimsy and inspiration.

Last week I needed to have a working lunch meeting and decided I wanted to try if Cocina Abierta was available. They now have a lunch menu and some of the options caught my eye. This is what I had:

Arugula Salad with dates, goat cheese, parmesan flakes, almonds in a balsamic vinaigrette. Proscuitto not needed at all.

Feta and Spinach Ravioli with grated fresh tomato and Genovese pesto

I debated if I should have had the Pumpkin Risotto with parmesan cheese, onion marmalade and petit pois, which can be requested to be made with vegetable stock for vegetarians like me, but decided the ravioli seemed lighter fare for lunch.

The Arugula salad was one of the most delicious salads I’ve had in a long time. It’s extremely memorable and worthy of recommendations. I almost licked the plate clean. I divided one salad with my friend Angie, but the next time, I will order one just for myself. It’s that good… just as good as Bobby Flay’s Gala Apple salad and that’s a lot said right there.

The ravioli were pillowy and light. And the sauce was more like a dressing than a sauce per se. A little fresh tomato, very fruity olive oil and a dab of pesto atop each ravioli. The portion size was healthy, but I could have eaten a few more, certainly. Out of gluttony, of course.

The next time, I will try to order their Eggplant Ravioli with pine nuts. They were not available the day I visited… good, so I have something else to look forward to on my next visit.

Cocina Abierta is certainly not a vegetarian restaurant, but they make vegetarians feel welcome and understood. Thanks Martin for a wonderful lunch and hope to be able to visit sometime soon to taste some of your wonderful and delicious creations.

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Pasteles Assembly How-To…

16 Dec

I’ve noticed how your continued interest in how to make vegetarian pastels in banana leaves… one of the ultimate Puerto Rican Xmas delicacies. For some weeks now it’s the most visited recipe here in KarmaFree Cooking.

I have not ventured into making pastels this year… but the other day at the Yoga Center they were making batched of mini-pasteles for one of our recent Anniversary celebrations. So I decided to take some pics and help you a little bit if you want to try to make them yourself.

Make MASA and Filling

You create a filling with your favorite ingredients. The picture here includes textured soy protein, potatoes, mixed vegetables stewed in a tomato based sauce. You can use my recipe here for inspiration.

The Masa is mostly made with yautía, green banana. But you could add pumpkin to it or make them with ground up yuca. I tend to prefer yucca pastels a lot. They end up yellow that’s how you differentiate them.

Now we wrap the pasteles…

STEP ONE

Place a piece of butcher’s paper in frint of you. Place a piece of banana leaf (you could buy these in packages already at the store or a plaza del Mercado (farmer’s market)). you can’t use a banana leaf straight from the garden.  They need to be cooked off (amortiguadas) first.

 

STEP TWO

Spread a bit of canola/annatto oil to the leaf.

 

STEP THREE

Add a spoonful of the masa onto the banana leaf and spread a bit.

STEP FOUR

Add some of the filling on top of the masa.

STEP FIVE

Fold the butcher’s paper from the end that’s closer to you and bring it over to meet with the other side of the butcher’s paper that’s farthest away from you. This will make the masa fold onto itself and envelop the filling.

STEP SIX

Complete the wrapping of the butcher’s paper like a deli sandwich… unite the ends of the butcher paper and fold in ½” folds towards the pastel until it makes a somewhat tight package. Then, fold the side underneath the pastel and place aside.

STEP SEVEN

Sorry I was not able to take pictures of this step… but you need to tie with a kitchen twine. Use the same method as if you were tying a roast… Here I found a few videos from You Tube to help you learn how to tie your pasteles. You can do them individually or in “yuntas”, in twos. I like them individual because you can cook exactly how many you need, rather than in twos.

I apologize in advance for all the typos in the text in this video…  if you know Spanish, you will notice them.  It’s shameful…  but I like the way they present how to tie the pastel.  This one  is a single pastel… while the top one is in a “yunta” or duo…

Note to self… make a You Tube video making VEGETARIAN pasteles. Only people making meat-based pasteles have recorded themselves and we need to change that. Pasteles are just as delicious and just as traditional made with a vegetarian filling.

Hope you enjoy a very safe and joyful Xmas season… filled with everything that’s good and healthy to create a plentiful 2012 and beyond.

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Vegetarian Edible Xmas Gift Ideas

15 Dec

I love giving edible gifts, not just for Xmas, but year-round. I like the idea of giving something of yourself to someone you appreciate and love. Making something is like giving a little piece of you. You took the time and effort to make something – something that’s unique and it’s worth way more than the sticker value.

I like the idea of giving “consumables” as gifts… things you use and experience, rather than accumulate. Baking cookies, making jam, creating your own soap… concert tickets, dinner at a restaurant, an afternoon of cooking or even a night under the stars. I have made a conscious effort to get creative and give “experiences” as gifts for many years now. And food is certainly something we experience with all our senses.

I have given all these as gifts at one point or another recently. Here are a few of my best ideas…

Coquito – I already made 2 batches of this Puerto Rican version of eggnog this Xmas season and I think I am in to make some more tonight to give as gifts to my yoga friends. The spice in the tea I mix in has all the pep you need to not miss the alcohol at all. It’s the perfect thing to bring to a party and share with friends…

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Cranberry Jam – This is so easy to make… and you can store it and give it away in pretty glass mason jars. I also recycle many of the glass bottles where the jams and butters I buy come from and re-purpose them when I make batches and batches of this. My gringo friends love this jam… I hope they post a Comment to confirm this fact.

Rosemary Almonds – These are salty/sweet and oh so delicious!!! Lots of brown sugar and butter goes into making them. They keep for awhile and are super easy to make. They’re inspired by the Union Square Market nuts… you could also use Tarragon if you’re into the licorice flavors.

Carob Granola – using Carob instead of chocolate chips, this makes a great vegetarian snack to nibble on while going on a “parranda”.

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Brown Rice Krispies Treats – These are made with brown rice puffed cereal and almond butter to make them vegetarian. Marshmallows are not very veggie-friendly…

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Cherry Carob Cookies – I love making these cookies for the holidays… They started as a Martha Stewart recipe I adapted to avoid the egg and the chocolate. With a few substitutions they’re now vegetarian and as delicious as I remembered them originally.

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Carrot Cupcakes – these are soooooo easy to make. And to me carrot cake goes well year round. I have made these for sell and they’re always a great hit. A few carrot cupcakes in a glassine bag will always be a welcome gift.

Hazelnut Praline – This is like making your own candy. It’s delicious as a nibble or snack… and provide the best crunch to any poached fruit dessert. You could make this with any nut, I also enjoy almonds a lot in this application.

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Vegetarian Grocery Shopping in NYC

28 Nov

When I travel, I love to shop for stuff I can’t find in Puerto Rico. Even if things are really, really cheap, I will not purchase it during a trip if I can find it back home. Suitcase space is too precious to invest in things I do not have to carry back home in a suitcase and risk spoilage or spillage.

But during my recent trip to NYC, 90% of what I bought was food items!!!! When I took everything out of my suitcase, I felt as if what I had done in NYC was grocery shopping. Here is a sampler of what I purchased:

Le Pain Quotidien – Brunette Praline Butter and 4 Red Fruits Preserves

I love eating these when I visit Le Pain Quotidien restaurants. And they’re organic too!!!

Union Square Street Market – Raw Milk Goat Cheese

We bought this cheese from Ardith Mae. She sells all things GOAT MILK – goat’s milk, goat’s milk yogurt, raw milk cheeses and pasteurized milk cheeses too. She has a great website and I totally love the pictures of her happy goats. They’re super duper cute…

Sorry, no pictures available for this raw milk cheese… we were so hungry that my mom opened up the wrapper one night and we snacked and snacked away. My bad that I forgot about all of YOU during our hunger attack. We bought a Colby style cheese that was truly delicious. We enjoyed it with spelt bread, organic butter and slices of avocado in an open-faced sandwich. Divine!!!!

Union Square Street Market – Raw Whipped Honey

I learned on this trip that honey is generally cooked before bottling… never imagined that. I always thought bottled honey came straight from the bee hive. According to Andrew, the raw honey guy over at Union Square Market, raw honey has more nutrients and beneficial qualities because it has not been tampered with. He has been featured in a variety of media, including the Martha Stewart Show. I bought the whipped version because it seemed like it would last me longer than the regular liquid kind… we’ll see about that!!!

Union Square Street Market – Beth’s Farm Kitchen Jellies

I have looooved their Garlic and Rosemary Jelly for years now. And this time around I also bought their Sour Cherry Preserves. I wanted to try one of their sugar-free spreads, but they have an expiration date and I can’t be rushed into eating anything…

Yummy Earth – Pomegranate Pucker Candy

This is my favorite flavor of lollipops from Yummy Earth… and to know I do not have to “weed” out all the other flavors I don’t enjoy as much is a real treat…

Whole Foods – Maple Almond Butter and Honey Almond Butter

I still have not tried these, but I loved the sampling packaging. They are also available in jars, but I wanted to try them first before committing to a whole jar. Besides, I knew I was going to purchase the Le Pain Quotidien Praline Butter already… so I was careful not to overload on the same type of product.

Whole Foods – Fig and Almond Cake

This was something my friend Rudy requested… or more that he mentioned he likes and I tried to please him with a little treat from NYC. We are now waiting for the right piece of manchego cheese to enjoy this with… YUM!!!

Grand Central Market – Sun-dried tomatoes

I have bought sulfite-free sun-dried tomatoes elsewhere, but as you can see from the label, these sun-dried tomatoes do not contain any sulfites either and stay softer than any of the other sulfite-free tomatoes I have bought in the past. They do offer other goods there and they list sulfites in the ingredient list, such as dried apricots or dried pineapples. So I trust them when they only list tomatoes and salt as their ingredients.

May Wah Vegetarian Market – Chicken Nuggets and Spare Ribs

I do not make these much at all… but they are great when you want a quick snack. And I will try to share Tania’s recipe for rice with vegetarian spare ribs. It’s a tad greasy, but that’s what makes it so similar to traditional cooking. I had it the other day and it was “finger-licking good”.

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