Plant-Based on a budget - update

To me, this is as important as anything. The truth is there are too many recipes that are overly fancy, and before you know it, you end up thinking you really need all that to live plant-based, but you don't. You can start very simple.

I will discuss some sites here and leave you with some suggestions based on conditions in our own neighborhood.

Here is one great site:
https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/food/groceries/eating-vegan-on-a-budget/

but the best one is perhaps Plant-based on a budget, just like the title of this article.

But, there are plenty of ideas. It starts with buying in bulk wherever suitable.

I always like to point out that on our street in the Bangladeshi stores, there is an absolute feast of staples available...

• 10 lbs brown basmati rice $12-15
• 10 lbs onions $1.99 - $5.99, depending on the grade of onions and with seasonal variations
• 4 lbs red lentils $3 or 2x4 lbs for $5.

 And here is a wonderful suggestion from Costco:

"People say they can’t afford to eat healthy, and it makes my eyes roll. At Costco, a 25-pound bag of pinto beans costs $8.97. I can eat for year off that bag.” (Dan Buettner, National Geographic) #Parentingtips #HealthyEating pic.twitter.com/8CkXmnKkCB

— Elizabeth Wallace (@ElizaWallace27) October 26, 2019

Once you have those kinds of things in stock, and some condiments, the sky is the limit and for your other veggies you buy whats on sale/in season, and of course various fruits in between.

You start your days with steel cut oats, 30 Oz is still $3.29 at Shoprite, and I make it with a constantly varying set of fruits, usually starting with a Granny Smith Apple, and some Blueberries, some raisins and goji berry, and whatever else comes along - I usually add a banana as well.
I usually decorate it with balsamic vinegar (4% acidity) and hemp seeds.

You can also work wonders with frozen vegetables of various kinds. Or, when I find some great vegetable on sale, I might cook ahead.

Serious Oatmeal

As I have been discussing serious oatmeal with some people, I will share my process here...

First, this was today's version:

Serious Oatmeal

Two day prep

I usually prepare Oatmeal for two days at a time. I take one measuring cup of steelcut oats (I get them from ShopRïte, at $3.29 for 30 Oz of organic oats), and prepare it overnight in my trusted Zojirushi NP-GBC05 rice cooker. It is ready for me at 6:30 AM with the timer.

Then I add:

• a shredded Granny Smith apple, 
• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 1 tbsp goji berries
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp cocoa nibs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
   

and I let that sit on "keep warm" for min 5 mins.

The daily plate of Oatmeal

Then I save half for next day and I serve the other half, fixed up as follows (in this case):

• a ring of berries (stawberries, raspberries, etc.) and other fruit (today it was Raspberries and Starfruit)
• a sliced banana sometimes even more fruit (I love me some jackfruit).
• a tbsp of hemp seed (part of my Omega-3 for the day)
• A drizzle of Balsamic vinegar.

And here is another version:

Serious Oatmeal also, but with Strawberries

A note, you do not want to O/D on Omega-3. Too much is no good, what matters is the proportion between Omega-3 and Omega-6. Personally, I use 2-3 tbsp a day of hemp seeds, milled flax seed, or chia seeds. That seems to be about right for me. Individual mileage may vary, so consult with your plant-based doctor at the time of your physical ;-)

In Praise of Balsamic Vinegar

OK, how to use balsamic...

Well for breakfast, I make a porridge from steelcut oats, with fruit, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

During the day, I snack on chopped, steamed kale, often with some cubed boiled sweet potato, and also with some balsamic vinegar.

My salad dressing is usually started with balsamic one way or another.

One of my favorite 'daily' balsamic vinegars is Colavita Organic Balsamic Vinegar and here locally, I can get it at the Key Foods on Unionport

Colavita Organic Balsamic, and Braggs oil-free salad dressing

The Balsamic was $6.39 for a 16.9 Fl. Oz. bottle, which seems reasonable to me.
They also had Braggs oil-free salad dressings, which seem worth trying. Those were $7.19 each, so that's only for Sundays and holidays ;-).

You can get really fancy with Balsamic. At the Plantstock conference last year we discovered BemasandPas,  and their infused balsamics are out of this world. This year, we were in Virginia Beach, and discovered Savor the Olive and I am still enjoying some of the vinegars we bought there. Their stuff was out of this world.

Here is a good site for balsamic vinegars in NYC: The 15 Best Places for Balsamic Vinegar in New York City

You want to visit these places after you win the lottery... top quality Balsamic vinegar can be expensive, like good wine. I sometimes find that I can double the pleasure by mixing it with a bottle of my regular Colavita Organic BV. I leave that up to everyone's personal taste. Some will think it is sacrilegious.

Whatever you do, enjoy.

Steel cut Oats at Chang Li Supermarket

Finally, Chang-Li Supermarket has started to carry Steel Cut Oats:

Quaker Steel Cut Oats

Note that they also have 3-minute Steel Cut Oats, but as long has you have a good rice cooker, you should not have any problem.

From a standpoint of nutritional value, note that the following sequence would apply:

1. Steel Cut Oats
2. 3-minute "Quick" Steel Cut Oats
3. Old-Fashioned Oats
4. Quick Old-Fashioned Oats

For diabetics what is important to know is that the pure Steel Cut Oats would also have the lowest Glycemic Index.

Oatmeal with berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries), is super health, and I like it with a shredded green apple and lots of cinnamon and topped with a tablespoon (or two) of balsamic vinegar.

Steamed Kale, Sweet potato, with balsamic vinegar

After that, I have a "desert" of steamed kale with boiled sweet potato and again dressed with some balsamic vinegar.

P.S. In general, everyone who is on any medicine should discuss their diet with their doctor, for once you go on a whole foods, plant-based diet, your doses can often be reduced. This is especially true for diabetics. Recommended literature is:

• for heart patients: Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.
• for diabetics: Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Preventing and Reversing Diabetes.

Of Oatmeal, Balsamic Vinegar, and Birdsbeak Paring knives

Today it was a day for oatmeal. Now, in this household, every day is a day for oatmeal... but today was a special day, for strawberries were $1 per box in our neighborhood, and it was time to stock up, so here were the results for breakfast.

This was steelcut oats, made with almond milk, some raisins, an shredded apple, loads of cinnamon (mixture of ceylon  and cassia cinnamon), topped with strawberries and some balsamic glazé.

Somehow that makes it seem like spring has sprung, but actually today it was colder outside. Still, no reason not to celebrate an early spring inside...

Meanwhile, also a good opportunity to research more on the health benefits of balsamic vinegar, here from articles on Healthline and New Health Guide:

• Lowers cholesterol
• Supports weightloss
• Improves circulation
• Anti-glycemic, diabetes-friendly
• Reduces hypertension
• Improves skin 
• Anti-oxidant
• Helps fight cancer
• Lowers Heart-attack risk
• Pain reliever
• Helps digestion
• Good for bone-health

The bottom line is balsamic vinegar is healthy as all get-out and in the case of oatmeal it is a great way to add some rich flavor, and avoiding sugar. One of the core tenets of #WFPB is no ADDED Sugar, Oil, or Salt.

In short, besides the great taste of balsamic to top off your oatmeal, you can use it in salad dressings, I spice up my kale snacks, (sometimes I combine them with some sweet potato, which is fantastic with balsamic). Lastly, it is a great preservative, which is one reason I like to take a reverse doggie-bag of kale with sweet potato with balsamic when I have to eat at restaurants I don't trust.

Some good videos:

and more:

and even more:

And, for good measure, yet one more:

And again:

In short, oatmeal is the breakfast of champions.

Use Case for a Bird's Beak Paring Knife

Cutting the crowns out of strawberries and slicing them in this case in 1/8th wedges is perfect work for a bird's beak paring knife. Along the way, if there are any bruises, you can cut them out precisely with the fine tip of a bird's beak paring knife.

MAC Knife Chef Series 2-1/2" Bird's Beak Paring Knife (PK-25)

As usual, MAC knives are superbly sharp and retain their edges for a long time. Some stubbornly call the bird's beak paring knife a "turning knife," based on the tourné-cut in French cuisine. I never do any tourné cuts, but I have plenty of little jobs where a bird's beak paring knife is just what the doctor ordered, and prepping these strawberries was just one of the many.

On Oatmeal

Key Foods on Unionport recently has offered steel cut oats from Quaker Oats, on occasion they may also have Bob's Red Mill.