healthy Archives - Page 12 of 13 - Compassionate Women

Eating Vegan-ish in Seoul, South Korea

December 23, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Last week I spent a couple of quick days in Seoul, South Korea exploring the Hongdae District. That’s where Hongik University is, so this area of Seoul is very modern and artsy. Walking along the main drag of the district, I sort of felt like I was in New York City. Seoul is just a quick 2 hour plane ride from Beijing. Once I cleared customs, I took an escalator straight down to the subway and hopped on. I was welcomed by snowfall when I emerged from the subway station near my hostel, which was quite magical, then it quickly turned to rain and my shoes were soaked (which was less magical).

In general, Seoul was very clean and friendly. Most of the places I went, the locals knew at least a little English, and they were very smiley and giggly. Even though I braved the intensely cold weather, it was difficult to get around and explore as much as I had hoped to. However, I enjoyed trying new foods and searching for options that were healthy and tasty. Here’s what I came up with!

My first evening in Seoul, I found an “American salad bar & grill” called Ashley’s, which actually turned out to be an upscale buffet restaurant. There was indeed a salad bar, as well as different fruits, yogurt and granola bar, pizza, tofu sushi, apple coleslaw, make-your-own noodle soup, and a section of meat dishes. Obviously, these aren’t all vegan friendly but I was able to make do and went back to the buffet like 4 times! They also had a wine bar, your basic soda options, as well as brown rice green tea and a non-alcoholic wine tea which was interesting. There was also a self-serve espresso machine, which I loved!

The next day was unbearably cold, so I decided just to hit up a 7-11 and purchase several small food items for lunch. 7-11 is everywhere in Seoul and Beijing, and I’m assuming in many other Asian cities as well.

They had a selection of familiar drinks that I could easily get back in America, so I decided to try something new. I saw this Oriental Raisin Water and gave it a try. It didn’t taste like raisins necessarily (the picture on the bottle makes it look like it comes from a berry?), I’m not quite sure how to describe it. It wasn’t too strong of a taste, barely sweet, but overall I liked it. Maybe it tasted tea-ish?

[Read more…]

Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

November 20, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I love alfredo sauce. I love it too much. I’d put it on everything if it was socially acceptable. Unfortunately, not only is it heart attack in sauce form, but because of the massive amounts of dairy it contains, alfredo sauce is a very cruel food choice. If you aren’t already aware, the dairy industry is one of the most horrific and abusive places for an animal to be. Plus, dairy is very unhealthy for humans to consume. It’s an inflammatory, which is why our bodies aren’t made to consume it, and therefore causes a myriad of health issues including cancer and heart disease.

But wait! There’s hope for all you compassionate, alfredo-sauce-loving people out there. A brilliant woman named Lindsay over at Pinch Of Yum created a plant-based version of this creamy sauce. She even created an eCookbook dedicated to creamy cauliflower sauce recipes! To clarify, Lindsay’s recipe does call for 2 tbsp of butter and 1/2 a cup of milk, but I loved the idea of using a vegetable as the base instead of dairy, so I decided to completely veganize it! And it’s super easy!

First things first, let’s briefly discuss the benefits of eating cauliflower:

It contains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has been shown to kill cancer stem cells.
Sulforaphane also improves blood pressure and kidney function.
Cauliflower contains nutrients that help prevent inflammatory responses in the body (inflammation causes disease).
One serving of cauliflower contains 77% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C.
It’s also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.
It contains choline, which supports healthy brain development.
Cauliflower aids your body’s ability to detox.
The fiber promotes a healthy digestive system, and the sulforaphane protects the lining of the stomach and also prevents bacterial overgrowth in the stomach.
It’s packed with antioxidants.

Wow! This cruciferous veggie is quite the superfood, am I right? And enjoying it in a creamy sauce form makes it even more awesome. Let’s get started!

[Read more…]

Vegan & Gluten Free Banana Nut Scones

September 23, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t love a good scone? That’s one thing I missed when I switched over to a gluten free, vegan lifestyle. There was a bakery in Austin that had the most amazing chocolate chip scones and I miss them, but now that I have a foundation for plant-based scones, the possibilities are endless! I originally found this amazing recipe on CookieandKate.com and it was so delicious looking (and easy) that I had to try it. The scones came out great! I’ve tweaked the recipe so that’s it gluten free and vegan (original is not gluten free), added one minor ingredient, a couple of other small changes and bam! – scones that are yummy, healthy, and cruelty-free. I’ve made this recipe so many times – I’ve tried it in scone form, muffin form, and full on cake form. I have to say the scones are still my favorite.

First things first, toasting the pecans. It calls to toast them in the oven on parchment paper, but of course I never have parchment paper (sigh…) so instead I used coconut oil spray on the baking sheet and it worked perfectly. After 3 minutes, pull them out of the oven and chop them up. I don’t get too focused on chopping them finely, otherwise my OCD will kick in and it will take me an hour just to chop the pecans.

[Read more…]

Vegan Mexican Taco Salad

September 3, 2014 by Jillian 3 Comments

So I was going to write a post about something else this week but I’ve been thinking about food so much lately, that I couldn’t help but post another recipe! Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. When I walked into my kitchen the other night, starving, there was barely anything decent to be found. I had some leftover black beans in the fridge and that got me thinking about what I could whip up with them. I ended up creating a tofu crumble reminiscent of ground beef or turkey, with sauteed onions, the black beans, and salad fixings. And it was so, so good! It took twenty minutes at the most and filled me up without leaving me feeling heavy. Ready for this super simple, quick, nutritious meal?!

This recipe starts out very white, but don’t fear, it ends up very colorful! I cut up some thick slices of white onion and put them in a pan with a splash of olive oil on medium heat. I let those sizzle for a couple of minutes. Take any kind of tofu you like. I used the Trader Joe’s Organic Sprouted Tofu Extra Firm, it works the best for crumbling and having a ground meat consistency. This particular brand is in the refrigerated section. Use your hands to crumble it into the pan and give everything a quick stir. You can turn the heat down to low or med-low.

Next I added seasonings: Cumin, chili powder, and paprika. I wait to add the salt and pepper until all the ingredients are in the pan. It’s easier for me to see how much S&P I need when everything is mixed together, but do whatever works for you.

[Read more…]

Red Lentil Hummus

August 24, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Lentils make the world go ’round. That’s my new motto. I don’t know how I didn’t discover them sooner. Lentils belong in the legume family. They are low in calories but high in nutrition. They help lower your cholesterol, which means a lower risk of heart disease. In fact, lentils keep your arteries nice and clean and are also high in magnesium, which is good for your heart. We could stop right there, that’s plenty of reasons to eat lentils, but there’s more! Lentils contain that magical substance we call fiber. Fiber keeps our digestive systems in tip-top shape and removes all the toxins from our bodies, as well as regulating our blood sugar levels and combating heart disease. Yay for fiber! But back to lentils. Lentils are a good source of protein, they increase energy, and leave your tummy feeling full and satisfied. Plus, they’re very simple to prepare and cook.

I love hummus, but sometimes it can be heavy and make my stomach feel overloaded. Chickpeas are good for you, but they do increase insulin levels. I’ve tried zucchini hummus and broccoli hummus and I’m not a fan of either. I do enjoy white bean hummus, but again it spikes your blood sugar levels. What to do? What to do… That’s where red lentils come in.

Aren’t they pretty? They don’t exactly look red, more of a coral or orange color. I almost want to glue them to a tray like a mosaic instead of eat them (maybe for a future post?). But let’s get started on the recipe! You should be able to buy red lentils at any health food store. There’s no need to soak them overnight like nuts and seeds. I rinse and drain my lentils while I’m waiting for the water to boil. You cook them in a 1:3 ratio of lentils to water. For me, one serving of red lentil hummus is 1/3 cup of dry lentils. That means I cook them in 1 cup of water. Once I toss them in the boiling water, I wait a moment then turn the heat down to simmer and cover with a lid. Green lentils usually take up to 45 minutes to cook, but red lentils only take 15-25 minutes. Let them simmer and check on them occasionally. They are done once the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft. I take them off the heat and let them cool a moment, then I spoon the cooked lentils into my food processor.

[Read more…]