Bayit and Garden: March 2014

ב"ה

Fruit Compote

When I was younger, my Mom, in order to not throw out old fruit, would make compote. She did this by cutting up the old fruit, cutting away any really bad areas, and stewing the fruit.

As my diet changed and adjusted (as a vegan), I decided that I didn't need to wait for the fruit to be old to make compote. And, recently, when I finally found another sugar-free soy yogurt, I've been using the compote with the yogurt.

Compugraph Designs Spoonflower Site

For fruit themed fabric designs, click on the graphic to get Compugraph Designs' Spoonflower site.

Compote

Ingredients

2 Apples diced
2 Pears diced
2 Each diced:
Peaches
Nectarines
Plums
Assorted berries, fresh or frozen, 1-2 cups
Sweetener of your choice to taste (I use stevia)

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a put with a good cover. Put the pot with the fruit on a low heat, with a pot simmering ring underneath. Let the fruit simmer, stirring about every 1/2 hour, until the fruits is all cooked through. Let cool and keep in a container in the refrigerator.
This compote is good with soy yogurt and by itself.

More Fruit and More Flavor

Today, July 18, 2012, I tried an experiment. I made some yonanas with just 6 pieces (1/2) frozen bananas (3 whole bananas), and about 1/3 bag of frozen peaches to make Yonanas. I then took a large (mixing) spoonful of Compote, and put the compote on the Yonanas. It was delicious. It was like having a fruit sauce on soft-serve ice cream, but with no ingredients other than fruit (and a bit of stevia and spices). (In this batch of compote, which is more or less different every week, I used a piece of sugar free dried papaya, snipped into small pieces, an apple, a pear, three fresh apricots, a nectarine, 1/2 fresh mango, some stevia to taste, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon -- and, when it cook a bit, I added a bag of frozen blueberries.)

Give it a try -- I was amazed at how delicious it was.

Yonanas Split

For those of us who love Banana Splits, this is a great (added) sugar free vegan substitute.

Ingredients

1 Banana

Compote (see above recipe)

Yonanas (see the recipe on this blog)

Instructions

Split the banana and lay it on the bottom of a bowl. Take 3 scoops of Yonanas and lay them on top of the banana pieces. Spoon compote on top. Enjoy!

Fruit Themed Designs from Compugraph Designs on Zazzle

Here are four samples of products with fruit themes available at the Compugraph Designs Zazzle Store:

compugraphd
Tu BiShvat Seder Tie

compugraphd
Citrus Fruit Canvas Bag

compugraphd
\"Pineapple Slice\" Tie

compugraphd
\"Veggie and Grapes\" Tie

ב"ה

Healthy Vegan Breakfast

Spending 8 hours in bed, after having not eaten for 2-4 hours, means our bodies have gone 10-12 hours minimum without nutrition. This is why eating breakfast is so important.

Our bodies are not designed to go without fuel for very long, so we need to replenish them after such a long break. In this meal, we need to have a good balance of Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats. A cup of coffee just won't do it!

Lots of people skip breakfast in the mistaken belief that skipping a meal can help them lose weight. This is not a good idea. Your body has been sleeping and, hence, fasting for hours. You need to nourish your body with the building blocks of a healthy body. You can do this without meat, dairy or eggs to fill yourself up, get yourself going and get your body off to a great start each day.

The latest research revealed that if you don't eat breakfast, your metabolism remains sluggish, similar to sleeping levels of caloric burn, until you eat. I don't know about you, but I'd rather get my metabolism going in the morning.

What should a Vegan eat for Breakfast?

I've been a vegan for a large part of my life. I went vegetarian in 1977 and vegan in 1989. I've been through a lot of changes in my diet (yes, I can eat wheat, no I can't eat wheat, can't eat any grains, etc.). I currently don't eat wheat at all, nor do I eat rice (even whole grain). I just added oats back to my diet. This all has to do with food sensitivities.

I try to get protein for breakfast -- I do this with the help of mung bean noodles. I currently mostly eat mung bean noodles with oatmeal or millet grits (or buckwheat cereal). I add to this dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, mango, cranberries, apricots -- all without added sugar) and spices (cinnamon for sure, and sometimes ginger, nutmeg, cloves and/or allspice). I use one cup of unsweetened almond "milk" (almond breeze or silk) and some filtered water. I cook these ingredients until it's soft and cereal consistency. I add chia seeds (for omega 3 fatty acids and protein), a bit of stevia (to taste) and some more almond "milk". This makes a hearty breakfast. It's also a big breakfast and it keeps me full for a while (plus I eat less during the rest of the day).

Another breakfast I've eaten is dried fruits and spices and stevia with Oat Bran Flakes (sweetened with fruit juice concentrate).

Another good quickie breakfast is unsweetened soy yogurt with added fruit (I either add compote, which I make earlier -- in a pot with a good cover, I take whatever fruit I can find, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, etc., add frozen mixed berries, a bit of stevia (and sometimes cinnamon and other spices) and cook this slowly (on a very low flame) until it's cooked through -- or I add my own homemade stevia sweetened "jam" -- I take a bag of frozen blueberries, strawberries, mixed berries, etc., put it in a pot with a good cover and cook it slowly as above). I also often add a bit of stevia. To "up" the protein, add some fiber and add some omega-3 fatty acids I add chia seeds.

Cereal for Breakfast

Don't worry, eat healthy!

I have been a vegetarian since 1977 and a vegan since 1989. I've always been a breakfast person and breakfast to me has almost always been cereal. My favorite when I was young was Cheerios. I used to like Cheerios with bananas and white raisins and skim milk. I switched over to soy and rice milk when I became vegan, but I stuck with Cheerios.

I would often eat hot cereal too. My favorites where Ralston, Maltex, Wheatena and Oatmeal, all whole grain cereals. I often used to mix cereals (Maltex and Ralston made a great combo as did Wheatena and Ralston) and add light brown sugar and a bit of skim milk (again, I changed to soy or rice milk when I went vegan).

I currently cannot eat wheat or added sugar, so all of the above cereals, except Oatmeal, are out (though they're still pretty good choices for a healthy breakfast). My breakfast choice these days is barley grits or oatmeal cereal (or a combination of the two) with 2 tablespoons mixed chopped nuts (I use walnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/16 to 1/8 of a teaspoon maple extract, and, sometimes, a bit of ginger and/or cloves -- I cook all that and then add stevia (for sweetness -- you can use whatever sweetener you use) and almond "milk". I also recently started adding protein to my breakfast (see "High Protein Breakfast" recipe at the end of this lens.)

On Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath when we are not permitted to cook) I substitute Food for Life Ezekiel Cereal (either plain or almond). I add cinnamon, stevia, nuts, maple extract as above and I also add dried fruit-juice sweetened blueberries, cranberries and sometimes other dried fruit (like raisins or dried cherries) and sliced banana.

On all days, I often add two-four tablespoons of chia seeds (I love the taste and they add omega-three fatty acids). If you're making hot cereal, don't add the chia until you put the cereal in the bowl -- cooking them denatures the omega-three fatty acids.

Weekday (Cooked) Breakfast Cereal

Serves: 1
Total Time: about 5-10 minutes
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Ingredients

1/8 cup barley grits
1/4 cup oatmeal (not quick cook or instant)
1/8 cup chopped mixed nuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16th to 1/8 teaspoon maple extract
1/8 teaspoon each cloves and ground ginger (optional)
1 1/2 cups filtered (or bottled) water

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a small pot (preferably stainless steel) and boil up, stirring "as you go". Lower the heat and continue cooking and stirring until it's almost as thick as you want it. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit a few minutes.
You can add whatever sweetener you like (I use stevia -- it's calorie free and healthy). If you don't have sugar issues, you can try honey, agave nectar or molasses if you like. Sweeten to taste.Top with 2 Tablespoons chia seeds and/or a bit of (unsweetened) almond "milk", if desired.
(You can also make this with 1/4 cup steel cut oats instead of the barley grits and oatmeal -- this would require longer cooking, though)

High Protein Vegan Breakfast

A few weeks ago, my medical practitioner told me I shold eat more protein. Then, he turned around and told me to avoid grains for now (I've been through this before, but I digress). While difficult to deal with these limitations (as a vegan and as someone who likes "cereal" for breakfast), it's not impossible. I came up with a way of dealing with this and, in the process, gave myself a tasty start to the morning. If you can't get "Explore Asian Authentic Cuisine" Mung Bean Fettuchini near you (there's only one health food store in my area that carries it) you can get it by clicking on the above link.

Serves: 1
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 20-30 minutes
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Ingredients

50 grams (1.75 ounces) "Explore Asian Authentic Cuisine" Mung Bean Fettuchini
1 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla "milk"
1-2 tablespoons almond or other nut butter (unsweetened
all natural
organic)
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1/8-1/4 teaspoon organic cloves
1/32-1/8 teaspoon maple extract (non-alcoholic)
stevia or your choice of sweetener to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)

Instructions

Place the almond "milk" into a small saucepan (pot). add the next 4 ingredients. Bring to a small boil. Add the noodles and simmer until the noodles are cooked (3-5 minutes). Turn off flame, stir and cover and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Add sweetener (and, if adding, chia seeds -- which are high in omega-3 fatty acids) and more almond "milk" to taste. Eat, and enjoy.
This breakfast has over 20 grams of protein.

Compugraph Designs Spoonflower Site

Spoonflower is a place where a designer can design his/her own fabric. I have some designs on fabric there -- click on the picture to see all the fabric designs.

Compugraph Designs Arts Now Site

"Arts Now" is another "Print on Demand" site. They have a nice collection of products, including the one pictured here (with veggies on it). Click on the picture to see this product.

Compugraph Designs Printfection Store

In addition to our Cafe Press and Zazzle sites (see modules above), we also have a store on "Printfection" which includes cutting boards (good wedding or housewarming gifts), mugs and cups, tees, etc.

This mug is only one of several mugs at our store:

Compugraphd Printfection site

(Click on the picture to go directly to this product's page)

Designs from Compugraph Designs on PrintPop

Old Technology: Computer Graphics - The juxtaposition of the early 20th century phone with vinyl records from the 1950s and beyond reminds us of how far we've come in a few generations.
Neon New York: Computer Graphics - New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world. But, it does have a lot of Neon.
Jerusalem Skyline: Computer Graphics - Jerusalem is the confluence of three major world religions, all are represented in this piece.
4 Patterns Mosaic: Computer Graphics - Four different patterns with rainbow pastel colors on a light purple background.
Film Noir: Computer Graphics - Inspired by Film Noir, this piece, with strong colors on a black background, brings the art up to date
Love Vinyl: Computer Graphics - This graffiti inspired Love design with a vinyl effect is perfect for Valentine's Day
Blue Background Flower Star: Computer Graphics (Corel) - Flower Star on a blue background.
G-d Bless the USA: Computer Graphics (Corel) - In the Bible, in Genesis, G-d tells Abraham that He will bless Abraham's children and those who bless Abraham's Children with be blessed.