plant-based Archives - Page 6 of 7

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.

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Be Beautiful Inside and Out, Part 1

September 12, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about what humane beauty products are, why it’s important to choose them, and some ideas on how to go about that. I decided to do a three part series so I can go into a bit more detail about the everyday products that most of us use, include some homemade substitutes, and remind everyone how easy it is to make the switch over to humane. I mean, if it’s so easy, why wouldn’t you?!

Nail polish – I love to paint my nails. I’ve been doing my own nails since I was a small child and I always get compliments on them. However, I never stopped to think that toxic chemicals could be in my nail polish. But, oh, they are. The majority of nail polishes contain the following: toluene (which is neurotoxic), formaldehyde (cancer-causing preservative), & dibutyl phthalate (or DPT, which interferes with reproductive hormones). Yuck, right? And just like your skin, your nails absorb whatever is put on them. Plus, many nail polish brands test on animals. Yuck again. Check this link out for a list of vegan nail polishes, it contains a lot of well known, easy-to-find brands on it. However, it’s important to find out if any of the brands contain the toxic trio (I’m very happy to report that OPI does not, which is great news, because I love them!) Best way to find out? Do your research. It’s so easy these days to find information on the internet, just make sure it’s a legitimate resource. I wouldn’t necessarily go to a product’s website, because products that claim they are chemical free, actually are not. I would check out websites like EWG’s Skin Deep as well as search for studies that have been done on products outside of the company. Your nails can look fabulous without harming your health or harming animals!

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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.

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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.

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Picking Humane Beauty Products

August 17, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

For nearly my entire life, I never put much thought into what beauty products I bought (cosmetics, facial & body products, perfumes, etc). That is, until I learned that reading the ingredients label isn’t just for food. Furthermore, I’d always known in the back of my head that many companies tested their products on lab animals, but I didn’t really know what that meant or what was actually going on. I’m sure some people feel relief when they know that a product is tested on animals first. But studies show that testing on animals is pretty much useless and most large companies today only test on animals because it saves their butt if they ever get sued. It may make their product seem safer, but there’s a much better way to tell if a beauty product is safe or not – look at what’s in it. If there’s a bunch of ingredients that you can barely pronounce, that means it ain’t natural and if it ain’t natural, it shouldn’t be slathered, dabbed, or rubbed into the largest organ on your body. Your skin absorbs everything you put on it. Putting chemical, unnatural, and man-made ingredients onto your skin is almost the same as eating them. The best rule of thumb is this: If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.