If you ask me what my favorite snack is, I would have to say my own home-made energy bar. The first time I ever ate an energy bar was when an American friend gave me one as a gift. Back then I wasn’t into fitness so I had zero knowledge about those things, and in China we simply don’t have such products. The one he gave me was a small 100g chunk, looking like a hard pressed mass of ingredients, and very dense. On the package there was a picture of a guy climbing rocks. So you know it’s not a common relaxation time snack, but something to eat when you need fuel but don’t have much time.

I definitely need these bars now as I exercise more so I decided to make my own as I can’t afford to buy imported ones. The only disadvantage is that you have to freeze them and eat them quickly, otherwise if you leave it on the counter for too long, it’s going to be mushy. :( I would have to experiment to find ways to make a drier version. But for now, I really enjoy my fresh energy bar.

 

Hummus is one food that I loved when I first tasted it. It’s a common dish in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Hummus is Arabic for chickpea which is the main ingredient along with lemon, garlic and tahini (sesame paste). It has a rich taste and is full of protein, iron and Vitamin C and it can be eaten with shredded raw vegetables as a dip and it also goes well with pita bread and tortilla.

I normally cook my own beans and peas but chickpeas are an exception; raw chickpeas are expensive here so I buy the cans to save time and energy. Hummus is one of the oldest foods and dates back to the 13th century when it first appeared in a cook book in Egypt. Isn’t it amazing to think that after all these years people are still eating it? ;-)

 

If you are a vegan baker, apple sauce is definitely not a strange ingredient. It is often used as a healthy alternative to both butter and sugar. People often ask me what’s the exact amount and I can’t really answer as there is no formula; you need to investigate how the ingredients function in the original recipes. Therefore, I think, the best way is to look for well designed and tested vegan baking recipes already incorporating apple sauce.

Veganism is a new concept in China so unless you have the budget to buy imported apple sauce, you have to sacrifice a little of your time to make your own, but it’s very very simple and requires very little cooking skill. You don’t have to buy the best apples. I sometimes buy apples that are being sold off cheap because I know they’re still good inside, and it can save me some money. ;-)

Freshly made apple sauce is amazing. I often eat a small bowl while it still warm right after it’s made. Its sweet, fruity taste and soft texture appeals to anyone from babies to seniors. Besides using it to bake, you can also use it as spread on toast, mix it with vegan yogurt or ice-cream, or a dip for fruit skewers.

 

A while ago I read somewhere, that it’s better to eat five small meals a days than three big meals. I guess it depends on your personal habits. For instance, I tend to get up early, so between three main meals it would always be nice to have something small to eat. ;-)

So today I made this simple dip to go with some raw julienned vegetables using natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter tends to have a separated layer of oil, and needs to be stirred and mixed before serving, but it is much better than the normal commercial kind which incorporates partially hydrogenated oil into the product to make it more consistent and perhaps to prolong the shelf life. I am not sure whether the hydrogenated oil is already banned in the west, but it’s still widely presented in the Chinese market. The very fact that hydrogenated oil is one molecule away from plastic just makes me really want to stay away from it. So do check your peanut butter ingredients label before you purchase it as you don’t want to have an unhealthy afternoon snack. ;-)

This mild dip goes really well with olive oil and rosemary crackers (I didn’t make them, I found these in the Italian food section and they turn out to be vegan too!). I bet if you treat a tofu-hater to this dish it would be a success, just don’t tell them it’s made of tofu! ;)

 

 

As a child I spent a lot of time in hospital suffering from different ailments. The doctors kept giving me antibiotics which in turn weakened my immune system making me susceptible to further illnesses. I was never very well; often caught colds and found it difficult to keep up with my class mates in physical activities. So gradually I became a couch potato! I led a sedentary lifestyle; I would spend my days sitting at home, reading, watching movies or listening to music, running outside was never on my to-do list.

That all changed after I became a vegetarian. I learned the connection between wellness and lifestyle. Now I include exercises as an indispensable part of my daily lifestyle. I don’t want to be a couch potato any more. Speaking of potatoes, I just made those delicious potato oven fries. They are a healthy version of French fries, and they taste even better than store-bought ones. If you happen to be watching football games these days, these could be a perfect companion to your beer, though, after that, get some exercise, you don’t want to be a couch potato, do you? ;-)