I just returned home to Texas after a six month stay in Beijing, where I was teaching English to little kids and cultivating my blog. Before I went, I imagined that being a vegan in China would be fairly easy. Even though China has adopted a more Westernized diet in recent years (lots of meat and dairy), I figured it would be pretty easy to find plant based dishes.

Boy was I wrong! All I ate the first two months I lived there was rice with vegetables because that’s all I could find in the way of vegan options. That got tiring after a while and didn’t give me an array of needed nutrients. Eating out was wreaking havoc on my digestive and immune systems because the quality of food is so low in China, plus they tend to over-do it with the oil. I was always sick, had headaches, couldn’t sleep well, and felt tired and light headed. I decided to stop eating out, get a blender and food processor, and make all of my meals at home. What a difference!

For anyone that plans on being abroad for an extended amount of time, here are some suggestions for quick, easy meals that are healthy and plant based.

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