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KarmaFree Cooking is nominated for Best Food Blog by Blogs by Latinas

Today is election day and we should ALL exercise our right to vote.

Many people around the world do now enjoy this privilege and it’s the only way to get your voice heard. If you do not vote, in my opinion, you do not have the right then to complain about the state of your city, state or country. So regardless of your affiliation, get out and VOTE.

And now that we’re all in the voting mode I want to share some great news… KarmaFree Cooking has been nominated as BEST FOOD BLOG by the Blogs by Latinas organization.

I am one of three nominees and people should vote for the one who they believe is the best candidate. I actually know “virtually” the other 2 candidates… they’re nice, but if you’re here reading this, you’ll know how much nicer I am!!! 😉 And I have all you to thank, my fans and friends here and on FaceBook, who nominated my blog for this award.

So here I am campaigning for your vote… please click here and scroll down to find the Best Food Blog category and please select KarmaFree Cooking. This would be one fo the best gifts you can ever give me as we approach our 5th anniversary tomorrow.

Vote ASAP as voting closes tomorrow…

Thanks a lot… and GRACIAS MIL!!!!!

Tags: awards, blog, contest, food, Hispanic, latina, latino, vegetarian, vote

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Categories MY EDITORIAL

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Veggie Bites of Wisdom #19

6 Nov

Tags: charlize theron, food, quotes, vegetarian

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Categories Veggie Bites of Wisdom

Pumpkin Soup

5 Nov

This is the way my mom makes pumpkin soup… We make it locally with pumpkin, but then again, in Puerto Rico you just go to the store and buy PUMPKIN. But in the US, you can’t just go to the store and buy a piece of pumpkin… Below you’ll find a Puerto Rican pumpkin.

Photo Courtesy of the blog La Vida en Mi Patio – http://lavidaenmipatio.blogspot.com

In the US there are plenty varieties of pumpkin. This was a challenge for us when my little nephew started eating vegetables because we were not able to find a pumpkin that was the same as the pumpkins we find in Puerto Rico. So we learned that the closest varieties are actually a KABOCHA squash or a butternut squash.

This is a Kabocha Squash
Photo Courtesy from the blog Apple Pie, Patis, Paté – http://www.applepiepatispate.com

So we have made this recipe using Puerto Rican pumpkin, Kabocha squash or butternut squash… it’s really more a method than a recipe. But you get my drift, no? They do look similar on the outside, no???

PUMPKIN SOUP

2 lbs of Kabocha squash or Caribbean Calabaza– about 4 -5 cups, peeled

1 large onion, chopped in large chunks

½ large green pepper or 1 medium one, chopped in large chunks too

1 clove of garlic, peeled

2 -3 cups vegetable broth

Water, if needed

A large pinch of oregano

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

I always do this eyeballing the ingredients… here is how I measure things for this recipe.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add a little drizzle of olive oil and add the onions, peppers and garlic clove. Sautee a little bit to soften the vegetables.
Add the pumpkin to the pot. Mix it all well. Add enough vegetable stock to almost cover the pumpkins. If the 2-3 cups of vegetable stock are not enough, add some water. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano.
Cover the pot and allow the mixture to boil. When it reaches a rolling boil, turn down to a medium low to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked thru and very soft.
Check the seasoning. Add a bit more salt or pepper if you feel it needs it.
With an immersion blender, puree the contents of the pot to create a pureed soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the pumpkin and liquid CAREFULLY in batches to a blender to blend…

Garnish with a few toasted pumpkin seeds. This is completely optional…

My mom doesn’t even use the olive oil when she was making this for my nephew. She just dumps everything in the pot and cooks it all together, then she purees. So you could even make this without oil.

If the consistency is too thick for you, just add a little bit of more vegetable stock or even water. But then check for seasoning to make sure it still tastes delicious.

Let me know how you like this… OK??

Tags: easy, food, pumpkin, recipe, soup, vegetarian

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Categories appetizers, main courses

The Spice and Tea Exchange in Boca Ratón

2 Nov

Gotta love social networks… many people complain that FaceBook is the tattle-book, or as we would say in Puerto Rican, the “chota-book” because it informs people everything you’re doing. I guess that’s true if you are one of those that like to share your stuff with your friends.

I try to use FaceBook judiciously, but I’ll admit I like to check-in to places sometimes to “brag” a little about where I am and what am I doing. Sometimes it’s just because I know (or would like to know) the reaction I’ll get from people knowing what I am doing. This is exactly what happened last week when I was in Boca Raton…

I mentioned I was in Boca Raton training for a ½ marathon and I was running 13 miles… the longest distance I have ever done ever. That was my point – to share with my running mates that I was running with them from a distance. But FaceBook does not discriminate who sees your posts, so my friend Jill in NYC saw the post and, being the foodie she is, her comment to me was not “Go Madelyn” or “OMG 13 miles!!!”, it was more, “Hey you need to go over to Mizner Park and visit the Tea and Spice Store”. It was a very refreshing comment amongst the sea of cheerleading comments beneath my post.

I believe all things happen for a reason… so after my 13 mile run, I went out with my sister to do some shopping and, where do we end up??? At Mizner Park indeed… no plans for it whatsoever. We went looking for another store which actually has closed and moved a few years ago. And to not let the trip be a complete waste of time, we went into The Spice and Tea Exchange to see what Jill was so excited to recommend…

OMG!!! This store is AMAZING!!!! The smells are intoxicating in the best way possible…

They have sections of Herbs and Spices, Salts, Sugars and Teas.

The manager, Mary Lou, helped me navigate the store. It’s not difficult, but she opened up her favorite condiments and would tell me what they’re good with. I could not help myself and did a little retail therapy. I bought:

Brown and Yellow Mustard Seeds

to try and make my own grain mustard

Chardonnay Smoked Salt

to roast vegetables or mushrooms with a smoky flavor

Black Truffle Salt

to season mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, popcorn and just about anything…

Raspberry Sugar

Recommended with plain yogurt, over cookies, over oatmeal, to decorate the rim of a glass à la margarita, but with champagne or sparkling wine.

Sweet Onion Sugar

to be used to caramelize with roasted vegetables

Florida Citrus Salt Blend

a blend of rock salt and citrus peels that comes in a grinder. I was told it’s great to season asparagus and spinach.

My sister also got into the action… she bought a tea assortment and tea steeper.

If you live in Boca Raton or near the area, you should visit this store. They have a website so you can peruse all their products and if you want, Mary Lou will ship whatever you want your way.

I know that I will make it a point to visit the The Spice and Tea Exchange more often during my travels to Florida. Thanks Jill for the recommendation and thanks FaceBook for connecting me and my friends in real time. This is a wonderful world we live in…

Tags: Boca Raton, florida, food, Mizner Park, retail, shopping, spices, tea, vegetarian

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Categories MY EDITORIAL, Travel

Pumpkin Juice vs. Butter Beer

30 Oct

Last Summer I had the chance to visit Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. This was my first visit and I went expressly because I wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Happy Potter. I have been a huge fan since the first book was published. I even got my mom and several girls from the Yoga Center on into the saga.

I was not interested in any other part of the park… I left my dear friend Aniette and her kids behind so I could enter and enjoy every bit of nook and cranny of the Harry Potter section of the park. It was literally magical to enter into Hogsmeade and seeing the Hogwarts castle from afar.

And right at the entrance of Hogsmeade is the Butter Beer and Pumpkin Juice cart. We HAD to try these beverages and check out for ourselves what Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the students at Hogwarts loved so much about these.

Butter Beer is served on “tap” in either frozen or over ice versions. We wanted the over ice because we were told we would enjoy its flavors more and we would get more ButterBeer for our money. Pumpkin Juice is sold in prepackaged bottles right off the cart.

The Butterbeer tasted like cream soda with a thick layer of whipped cream on top. It was sweet, bubbly, refreshing, and very worth the time we stood in line to buy it. The pumpkin juice tasted like a very sweet mulled apple cider with spicy punches of cloves and cinnamon. Maybe too sweet and spicy for my taste.

I very much preferred Butter Beer over the Pumpkin Juice. I wish I had had a few extra Butter Beers instead of shelling what I paid for the fancy bottle of the Pumpkin Juice.