compassionate women

Red Lentil & Kale Stew

January 3, 2018 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Y’all, it’s actually cold in South Texas! ❄️🌨☃️

It’s been cold and rainy off and on these past couple of weeks, and we even got snow one morning! I’ve been drinking lots of homemade hot chocolate and snuggling with my foster dog, Opal. Then I remembered this warm, hearty soup I made not too long ago and thought it would be the perfect recipe to post.

This delish soup is my version of Kimberly Snyder’s Red Lentil and Carrot Stew. When it comes to soups and stews, I like to keep it simple, and I’m not a big fan of cooked carrots, so I changed things up just slightly. Make this savory soup for your friends and family, or store in the fridge and have ready made meals! Full of nutrients, fiber, and protein, this Red Lentil & Kale Stew is the perfect cold weather meal!

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Forgotten Small Towns in South Texas

November 25, 2017 by Jillian 4 Comments

A year ago today I moved from Beaumont, Texas to the southernmost tip of the Lone Star state in a region called the Lower Rio Grande Valley. About a couple weeks into the new move, my friend asked me to tag-along with him when he went location scouting to some of the nearby small towns. He was trying to get a film produced in the area, and found a local retired teacher to give him a tour. Since I had my Nikon, my friend asked if I would take photos of the locations on the tour.

I remember I had to wake up super early, which made me really grumpy. Plus, it was cloudy and humid outside. But I love small towns, so I was excited to see what the day had in store for us. The teacher giving us the tour knew the history of each town we visited, and since he grew up in the area, he knew most of the local families that had lived there for generations.

We met up with the teacher, climbed into his pick up truck, and set off on a maze of small towns in the Rio Grande Valley. We mainly focused on the towns of Delmita, McCook, and San Isidro, but saw a lot of cool places in between. Many of these towns were so tiny that you’d miss them if you blinked. Some felt like ghost towns. Others were a mixture of historic and modern. But all the towns contained beautiful, old, abandoned buildings. Here are my favorite photos from our tour 📸

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Activated Charcoal Nice Cream

November 16, 2017 by Jillian 1 Comment

I’ve only made this recipe twice, but I’m already obsessed with it! If you follow my blog, then you already know that I’m addicted to nice cream (aka ice cream made with bananas). I’ve experimented with several different varieties, and maybe it’s just the idea of eating charcoal colored ice cream, but I love it 🍦🐘

What is Activated Charcoal? It’s a fine black powder that is made by burning organic materials such as wood, coconut shells, peat, olive pits, etc. This process “activates” the substances once they reach a certain temperature and changes their internal structure. The health benefit of activated charcoal is that it latches onto toxins and chemicals in the gut and keeps them from being absorbed. That’s why hospitals have been known to use it in treating poison victims.

Activated Charcoal can be found in numerous beauty products, supplements, and even as a homemade tooth whitener and face mask. But have you tried it as a natural food dye? When added to banana nice cream, it becomes a gorgeous slate color and doesn’t add any weird flavors. Just creamy, delicious, healthy ice cream 😋

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Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes

November 7, 2017 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Us vegans are all about the raw cheesecake right now 🍰 I see gorgeous photos from bloggers, instagrammers, and foodies of creative and mouthwatering vegan desserts that are mostly or completely raw. A lot of these desserts are cashew based because when you blend cashews with water or milk they become super rich and creamy. And obviously, it’s a lot healthier to use cashews than butter, eggs, and dairy.

When I went to the grocery store recently, they had raw cashews on sale so I decided I would try my hand at the raw cheesecake thing. I had only attempted it once before. I made blueberry cheesecake squares topped with a hard chocolate shell. It tasted delicious, but did not come out very photogenic. I decided to stick with something simple this time around. I had fresh rosemary lying around and felt like it would go well with cheesecake. It lets the decadent cheesecake flavor take center stage, with bursts of rosemary coming through every bite or so.

For the most part, I follow the general recipe that people use for raw vegan cheesecake. The main difference is that my mini cheesecakes are crustless. I didn’t have the ingredients on hand, which usually include dates and nuts. But they’re just as delicious without it! And these mini versions are the perfect serving size because these cheesecakes are rich rich rich! 💸💸

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Yaqui Animal Rescue

October 11, 2017 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I first heard about Yaqui Animal Rescue while walking through one of the buildings on my university’s campus. I noticed handmade signs directing people where they could drop off donations for the group. I soon found an event that Yaqui was having near campus and decided to go check it out. After meeting lots of cute dogs at this event, I learned that the group rescues all kinds of animals: horses, donkeys, bunnies, cat, pigs, chickens, geese, and more! When they invited me to visit the ranch, I immediately said yes!

The Yaqui ranch is located in Sullivan City, a small town in South Texas. The founder of Yaqui, Sonia Venecia, purchased the property in 2004 for the sole purpose of using it as a no-kill shelter for animals in need. It once belonged to her grandparents and was a working ranch. Sonia decided to name her new rescue group after her grandmother’s ancestors, the Yaqui Indians.

I brought my camera along to observe life at the Yaqui ranch. It’s pretty much an animal lover’s dream. For me, there’s nothing better than being able to watch animals be animals without the threat of harm or exploitation. I wish all animals could have such a peaceful experience on this planet.

Check out the photos from my recent visits to this awesome rescue ranch, plus a short video (directly below) detailing daily life for the beautiful creatures that reside at Yaqui Animal Rescue 🐷🐰🐮

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Red Lentil & Kale Stew

Forgotten Small Towns in South Texas

Activated Charcoal Nice Cream

Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes

Yaqui Animal Rescue

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