Hi!
I guess it's just my style of writing. Other words could have been used, but the word seemed to be most suitable for the message I was trying to convey. I chose it since the preparation of the foods is very important in Hare Krishna cooking...they emphasise that it should be done in a spiritual consciousness, not just slapped up quickly and mindlessly. Therefore, although I thought about using the words you suggested ( and others), they didn't seem quite appropriate for the context.
Cheers, Carolyn.