Hi, gang! Hope everyone is doing well and staying well during the onset of the winter season. If you have not yet read how I stay well and fight flues and colds, you absolutely MUST to protect yourselves. I promise you that what I talk about is tried and true--I just got over a cold in less than 48 hours myself! YES, you can beat a cold in 2 days NATURALLY! You can read following articles to learn the trick of the trade: Comfort Food--Vegan Bread Pudding, Staying Well During the Flu and Cold Season and Treating Colds and Flues Naturally. It is certainly not something your doctor will tell you about, but it sure works like a charm every time.
Today I would like to introduce you to Cindy Cullen. Cindy is a graduate in Restaurant Management and also a formally trained chef, who created the site CulinaryArtsCollege.org to share her graduate life experience. As students couldn't find the right Culinary college for themselves while trying to make a career in Hotel Industry, so Cindy created this site to inform them about the educational process, their degree options, some pitfalls to watch out for, and what to expect when attending a culinary arts college. As a well trained chef she is acquainted with different cooking styles and recipes of different regions. She also has the passion to write about different culinary art colleges , foodie people and food available around the world.
Cindy contacted me a few weeks ago and we started to talk about her writing an article about Unprocessed Vegan Foods--a theme right up my alley. It was very refreshing to hear a mainstream chef understand vegan diet, so I wanted her to write an article and offer a scrumptious recipe to my readers, which she was excited to do. When I read the article I was tickled pink--Cindy shares same views on eating unprocessed whole foods as I do! So, without further ado, here is Cindy.
Looking for Foods with Unprocessed Vegan Ingredients?
Some people are born vegans, and for some it’s a choice they make as they grow older and assume responsibility for their well-being and health. I belong to the second category – I took the vegan route soon after college. It was more a decision based on health reasons than a conscious effort on my part – I was a near-vegetarian all my life, and when I became allergic to dairy, I decided to become vegan. However, turning vegan did not really improve my overall well-being, simply because I was eating too many foods that were processed.
The trouble with processed food is that:
• They’re stripped of all or most of their natural nutritional value
• Additives like salt, sugar are included, both of which are not good for your body
• Preservatives and chemicals are used to increase the shelf life of processed goods
Most of us buy processed food because they’re convenient; they save us the trouble of cooking full meals, and they’re delicious because of all the additives. But if you’ve sworn off processed food and are a vegan, don’t worry that your food choices are limited. There’s much you can do and much you can make:
• For starters, don’t look for ways to spice up the taste of your food – if you’ve sworn off dairy and meat, don’t go searching for dressings that purport to be “creamy” yet “dairy-free” and soy that’s processed to taste like “meat”. You’re only fooling yourself into thinking you’re eating healthy.
• Avoid buying ready-to-eat foods, even those that have the vegan sign emblazoned on them. Cook all your meals at home where you’re in control of all the ingredients. And if you don’t have the time to cook every day, make large batches every weekend and freeze them in smaller sized portions.
• Choose organic, local or seasonal vegetables and fruits – they may be a more expensive, yet they’re fresh and free from pollutants and chemicals that are as bad as the chemicals in processed food.
• Don’t eat out unless you’re sure your food is completely vegan – some dishes have butter, cream or grated cheese added to them, and these are dairy products as well as processed food.
• Add spices like turmeric, sage, rosemary and thyme to your food and reduce the amount of salt – a dash of lime is tasty too and much healthier than salt.
• Learn how to make sauces, gravies and dressings from scratch – it’s easy once you start making them, and you avoid all the preservatives that are present in the store-bought alternatives.
• Don’t buy ready-made juices and soft drinks – make your own smoothies at home from fresh fruit.
• Browse the web for innovative recipes that don’t use processed or non-vegan ingredients, and don’t be afraid to experiment. When it comes to food, anything goes as long as it’s edible and healthy.
Just to help you along, here’s a simple vegan salad recipe that’s made out of unprocessed ingredients. You will need:
- One cup cooked wholegrain pasta (if you don’t want pasta, you can replace it with boiled chickpeas)
- Four cloves of garlic
- Two cups of chopped basil
- A few walnuts
- Two chopped ripe tomatoes
- Six to eight ounces of silken tofu
- Salt to taste
Mince the garlic and nuts in the blender; add the tofu, basil, salt and a few tablespoons of water and blend thoroughly. Toss the pasta (or chickpeas), tomatoes and the sauce, sprinkle a few nuts and chopped basil on the salad, and serve.
When you boil the chickpeas, don’t throw away the drained water – instead, use it to make vegetable stock that you can add to your soups and to thicken your gravies.
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I don't know about you, but I am salivating just reading this recipe. I will have to make it this week for sure!
Thank you, Cindy!
Folks, Cindy welcomes your comments under this post.
