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Hummy Yummy!

During this vegan journal adjusting definitely is a regular thing. I’m now three years in and I had to do a lot of tweaking because of my allergies. I noticed that my face started breaking-out and I then knew I needed to do more cooking at home and stay away from the pre-processed foods. I also cut out the products that state their vegan yet the product was processed in the same facility that produces tree nuts, milk, eggs, and other allergens and non vegan products. Once I done that I noticed a change in my face break outs and had a lot more energy. Below is a hummus recipe that I found and the changes that I made to it. You do not have to follow the recipe to a T. I made it numerous times and added different ingredients each time. Have fun with it and enjoy!

Let’s Talk Magic

I have made many attempts in making hummus before I found this recipe and I finally got it right. Growing up my mother never measured anything out I learned to also follow my insist and taste as I go. Below I put the most basic recipe for making hummus and substituted some ingredients.

Directions

I took about a cup and half of chickpeas and placed them in room temperature water for 24 hours. I rinsed them off, added to a pot of boiling water with Himalayan sea salt. Once they were soft I placed them in the food processor with a 2 cups of the water left over and added the rest of the ingredients before starting the food processor. Add as much water as needed to make a creamy consistency.

1 Cup Chickpeas.

⭐️I Used 2 1/2 Cup of Chickpeas

1 Strip of Kombu

⭐️I Used 1 Sheet of Seaweed Snack.

1/4 T Baking Soda

⭐️I left out this ingredient

3 Cloves Garlic (Crushed and Skinned) 🧄

⭐️I Used 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/3 Cup of Tahini

⭐️I Used The Vegan Curry Tahini half of the small jar

2 Teaspoon Lemon 🍋

⭐️I Used 1 Teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar but left it out the next time.

3/4 Tablespoon Salt🧂

⭐️I left out this ingredient because the two cups of boiled water had Himalayan sea salt

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 🫒

⭐️I Used 2 Tablespoons of Sesame Seed Oil

⭐️I Used 1/2 Cup of Unsweetened Cashew Milk 🥛

1 Dash Garlic Powder 🧄

⭐️ I Used A Dash of Onion Powder 🧅

1/4 Cup Fresh Herbs 🌿

I Used 1/4 Cup of Fresh Parsley Fresh or Dry

Finish by adding smoked paprika and olives.

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🌱Raw Vegan Journey 🌱

I’ve been vegan for a year and four months and I must say I think I’ve been doing amazing. I always said to myself that I would one day start taking steps to be a raw vegan. Becoming a raw vegan is extremely hard. I tried it for almost a week then decided to go back to what I ate before which my stomach didn’t agree with. I decided I would try it for a month and see what happens. My first meal was all raw veggies and fruit, the picture is the third day and I did add lentils and steamed the mushrooms and onions. I’m taking baby steps, I’ll let you guys know how I’m doing after a month.

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They Deliver and it’s Vegan!!!

For a few months I ordered my meals from Purple Carrot. It seems as though a lot of people are trying out the food delivery services. My friend was the one who gave me the idea. She orders from Daily Harvest for her soups and smoothies and Hello Fresh for her meals. I wanted to tryout the two but there’s a lot of cross contamination with there vegan options. I decided to do my homework and find a place that was 100% vegan. With all my searching Facebook picked up on it and I noticed Purple Carrot on my timeline. Isn’t technology great?! I clicked the link and it took me over to the Purple Carrot website.

Of course I did some reading before signing up to make sure it was vegan. Cost wise it was a little more money than the other food delivery services but it was definitely worth it. It works weekly and you don’t have to receive meals every week, it gives you the option to skip meals. With each meal it gives you enough for two people, for example if I ordered 6 meals I’m actually receiving 12 meals because it’s only me. Each of your weekly boxes comes with a booklet with all the meals you purchased with directions on how to cook each meal from start to finish. The meals are absolutely delicious and easy to make.

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Addicted to “So Delicious”

This brand (So Delicious) has a ton of vegan options. I love their ice cream options and still on the hunt for their cashew milk. I’ve tried the cookie dough, cashew milk french vanilla ice cream, and my new favorite is the salted caramel clusters ice cream. Now if you aren’t a fan of cashews I don’t think the salted caramel option ice cream is for you but the cookie dough one maybe the perfect fit. I found this ice cream in Harris Teeter and local grocery store such as Food Lion. I also found this brand in Shop and Stop while I was visiting New York. You can find this ice cream in the ice cream freezer. I hope you try it out and love it as much as I do.

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It’s Soooo Delicious

I’ve seen this brand gracefully floating through my Instagram timeline and decided to look into it. I was excited to see that they make some very attractive looking sweets. From pineapple flavored yogurts to ice cream sandwiches and cashew milk. The thing about being vegan that you must always remember is that just because a label says dairy free doesn’t mean that it’s vegan. A lot of products will state on the label that “This product was produced on equipment that produces dairy products and tree nuts.” Also just because something is dairy free doesn’t mean it’s free from animal products. Although I saw that this brand was dairy free I just assumed that it had an ingredient that wasn’t vegan but thought it would still be okay to follow and recommend to my vegetarian friends.

Fast forwarding to my mini vacation to New York. I had the absolute worst craving for ice cream but had no idea where I would find vegan ice cream. One night I was at the grocery store (Shop and Stop to be exact) and decided to give into my cravings. I skipped happily down the ice cream aisle yet prepared for disappointment. To my surprise there were a ton of vegan ice cream options, they even had the Noda brand ice cream I always purchase. I grabbed the Noda’s Cookies and Cream but something told me to not settle and continue searching. The So Delicious brand caught my attention. My mouth watered when I saw cashew milk. I have a deep love affair with cashews! I looked on the back and noticed the vegan sticker but didn’t get my hopes too high. I read the ingredients and found that I’d be able to give it a try, I placed the ice cream into my basket and proceeded to checkout.

Once I made it back to my friends apartment I showed her my findings. I took a spoon out the drawer and gave the ice cream a try. Not in a million years did I think it would be so amazing. It was perfectly sweetened and creamy, giving your tastebuds something to enjoy. I recommend everyone give this ice cream a try, it definitely holds true to its name So Delicious!

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It’s a natural hair thing.

I’ve been natural going on six years now. What does that mean? I’m glad you asked. Being natural means your hair is free from all chemicals. I use to perm and straighten my hair all the time. I died my hair back to back and didn’t take care of it. Once I took a break from all the dying and perming I noticed that my hair was extremely heat damaged and wouldn’t soak up any moisture. I would perm my hair every four to three months to get that pin straight hair texture, which was terrible because you’re only suppose to perm your hair once a year. There is a difference between african americans perms and caucasians perms. Perms for African Americans straighten our hair while perms for caucasians make their hair curly. Once I started using the same things I put into my body onto my hair I noticed that my hair became healthier and grew back a lot faster. Avocado oil, coconut oil, and vitamin E oil work wonders on natural hair. Something that I tell people is to not put things in their hair that they wouldn’t put inside of their bodies.

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Go nuts for Coconut!!

If you’re like me and have a allergy to almonds, coconut is a great alternative. Every morning for breakfast I make myself a nice bowl of oatmeal. I use to cook my 1/2 cup of oats with 1 cup of water but I switched it to 1 cup of coconut milk. It gives me the calcium I need and satisfies my hunger. This brand has actually became my favorite brand. I can’t seem to find it in my local grocery store but it’s always in Harris Teeter. For those of you who aren’t near a Harris Teeter try Trader Joe’s or any Whole Foods store. They also have a vanilla flavored coconut milk with no sugar added, which blends beautifully when baking cookies. It did take some adjusting to the taste at first because I never had coconut milk until I went vegan, I thought I might be allergic to it because of my tree nut allergy. I hope that you find this helpful!

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What do you mean it’s not meat?

Tofurkey in my opinion tastes nothing like Tofu. I’ve been looking for a replacement for meat on those days where I’m longing for a steak and I’ve found it. Harris Teeter never seems to let me down. I wanted to make a chicken salad and went on a hunt to find a meat replacement. I came across these already seasoned and slow cooked Tofurkey packages. I purchased two that day and added one into a salad as is and it tasted really good. The texture felt just like meat and it was perfectly seasoned. The second package I decided to add into a Stirfry and it tasted just as good warmed on the stove. Other than it tasting amazing hot or cold it also contains protein. If you’re not a fan of barbecue or garlic they also have a package with just pepper and lightly salted. Don’t be afraid to pick some up and give it a try.

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Chips & Chips Please!

You know those days where you desire something salty with a little crunch? These are my favorite snacks when that cheat day rolls around. Although these chips do not state that they’re vegan the ingredients in them are vegan. Another important thing that I don’t think I mentioned in my other post is that you have to make sure that your food choices were not made in a facility that produces dairy products because cross contamination is the same as eating non vegan foods. I’ve been vegan for almost a year now and as soon as I eat something that contains dairy or meat products it makes me feel sick. Because the movie theaters do not carry vegan options I like to bring my own chips, popcorn, and a bottle of water. Oreos are also vegan but doesn’t mention it in the ingredients. These chips and other sweets are what I consider as accidentally vegan friendly because I don’t think they meant to make them that way.

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Popcorn & a Movie?

Who doesn’t enjoy a nicely perfectly popped bag of popcorn? I love popcorn while binge watching a television show or during a relaxing time at the movie theater. Movie theater popcorn was something I had to give up but I had given it up before I became vegan. My female best friend is a black belt in karate and a heavy gym activist (is that even the proper term?) and she’s always into trying healthy meals. Skinny Pop was something she recommended to me as an alternative to the buttery delicious I would usually devour. At first I was hesitant but when I tried it I couldn’t believe it was vegan and gluten free. The next popcorn I accidentally ran across while doing my grocery shopping. They actually were all out of the Skinny Pop so I decided to give the Boom Chicka Pop popcorn a try and if you’ve read my previous post I fell in love with it.

This just goes to show you that you don’t have to give up the things you love when you become vegan.

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It Forms From Earth!

I’ve been working on paying attention to not only what I put inside of my body but also on my body. This brand Skinny & Company makes 100% organic products from coconut oil, Argan oil, lavender, rose petals, and many other natural oils. From deodorant, essential oil‘s, lip balm, mouthwash, and their raw coconut skincare oil they have it all. The only product I haven’t tried is the mouthwash. Everything else I have and fell head over heals in love. The raw coconut oil makes your skin feel extremely soft and hydrated, which is perfect for the harsh winter weather. Lotions and body butter never really worked for me, which sent me on a hunt to find a product that does. I was actually watching an interview with Angela Basset and they asked her what products does she use to keep her skin glowing. She answered with excitement that she only uses Skinny & Company. I decided to look it up and it peaked my interest. I ordered some in April for my friend and I and haven’t used anything other than it since.

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Tofu For You!

I think becoming vegan has given me tons of funny stories to share. This one is my experience with Tofu. I think I’m going to start by explaining why this brand is one of the best. Remember that when you become vegan you have to find foods that have the protein that you need, which is why it’s important to read labels. Not only do I read every label but I also have a nutritionist who helps me make sure I’m getting everything I need from the foods I eat. There was another Tofu brand that I use to buy but switched to this one. I honestly had no idea that Tofu even had protein until my nutritionist brought it to my attention. Another fun fact is that if you have Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina you are 100% covered for all nutritionist appointments, that means you don’t have to pay anything.

I think I should make this story short. I went to one of my favorite vegan restaurants and ordered Tofu Fingers, which were absolutely amazing. I thought I’d attempt to make it at home. The ones I made were horrible they were mushy and burnt. I decided to ask someone who worked at the vegan restaurant for advice on how to make them. I had done everything right except for draining out the water inside of the Tofu. She told me to place paper towels or a towel under and on top of the block of Tofu once you take it out of the packaging and sit something heavy on top of it for a few hours in order for the water to release from the Tofu and into the paper towels. I did a much better job but it’s still not as amazing as I want it to be

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Stumbling Across Awesomeness!

Not only is being #vegan a challenge but my immune system decided at ten years old it wanted to be picky. At least that’s how I think allergies came about. I inherited food allergies from my father so since I was ten I’ve been label reading. My allergies consist of certain tree nuts and berries. I know it’s terrible. Almonds are the number one thing I need to avoid at all cost, which is kind of humorous because almonds and almond milk is in a lot of vegan products and foods. I’ve had the hardest time looking for vegan cookies other than Oreos.

It was a busy Wednesday afternoon when I decided I’d go grocery shopping before class. While grocery shopping I saw this brand of cookies that I had high hopes it would contain a ingredient I wouldn’t be able to eat, causing me to put the cookies back on the shelf. To my surprise not only were the cookies and granola bars vegan but they were all clear of #treenuts #allergyfriendly. I was so excited to stumble across this awesomeness in a box that I purchased more than I should. Moral of the story, don’t give up on searching because you never know when you’ll stumble across awesomeness.

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It’s A New Vibe!

I recently moved into a new apartment, which we all know moving can be a pain. I’ve always been the kind of person to fix things myself and somewhat of a handyWoman. Before I moved in I did a walk through with one of the women who work in the office. She told me that there was a black sticky glue like substance in the dryer that the cleaners will work on removing, if not the dryer would be replaced.

Moving day came and went and the next day I decided to do some laundry. I looked inside the dryer and noticed that the sticky substance was still in there. The woman at the office told me she had placed an order for a new dryer. Like I said I like fixing things myself. I thought about what could possibly remove this out of the dryer. I first tried baby oil and warm water, which was somewhat working. Then I thought “Baking soda works for just about anything.” I added together baby oil and baking soda, and went at the glue with a toothbrush and in a matter of minutes my dryer looked brand new. That just goes to show you that it doesn’t hurt to experiment a little.

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It’s A Cheesy Cheese World!

One thing I didn’t want to give up was my love for #cheese. I think it started when I was young and blossomed as I aged. To me cheese went great with everything so how could I give up on my number one companion? I think that when we hear substitute we think there’s nothing like the real thing. Like I said before you really shouldn’t go could turkey and jump into being a vegan right away. I did my research and tried out restaurants and found that #vegan cheese does exist.

The brand of vegan cheese in the photo above can be found in any Harris Teeter. At first I searched at my local grocery store but had no luck. This cheese is located in the veggie fridge where they keep all the fresh not frozen spinach and other greens. It’s the fridge placed next to the fruits. There are other options such as cheddar but I found that the pepper jack and parmesan are my absolute favorites.

I have made mushroom and onion soup with pepper jack cheese, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, baked macaroni and cheese, and so many other cheese favorites. Give it try and let me know what you think, I hope this post was/is helpful.

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Pretzels anyone?

These have to be my absolute favorite!! The pretzel and peanut butter combo work perfectly together. I have a friend in New York who is always recommending new treats for me to try and these were at the top of her list. The first place I searched for them was at Food Lion and had no luck. I decided that giving up wasn’t an option and went to Harris Teeter but they were all out. I needed to pick something up from CVS and without even trying I found them. I was surprised yet happy that I had found them accidentally. One thing I can say about being vegan is that you have to be extremely opened minded simply because you will try all kinds of new things on a regular basis. I think that being vegan actually made me want to try new things.

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New Jersey good eats!

Whenever I make my way to New York for a visit with friends and family, it’s a must that I stop at my favorite vegan spot in New Jersey. Simple Green Cafe has a warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. The staff members are attentive and greet you with a smile. I absolutely love the food!! The first photo of the wrap is from March of this year and the empanadas are of earlier today when I made it into town. I took my boyfriend this time around to show him that vegan food is just as good and my friend the last time around. They both enjoyed it just as much as I did and couldn’t believe that they weren’t eating meat. In my hometown in New York there’s only one vegan spot in the actual town. If I wanted different options I would have to drive 20 to 35 minutes to the nearest vegan spots.