Blue Dog’s Blog

Flax has been cultivated for its fiber and seeds since 3000 BCE. Charlemagne passed laws requiring its consumption because it was considered to be so healthy. And with good reason, too, it turns out. Flax contains high levels of lignans and omega-3 fatty acids, the health benefits of which include:

• Reducing inflammation in illnesses such as asthma, arthritis, and migraines
• Promoting bone health by helping to prevent excessive bone turnover
• Reducing the formation of blood clots which potentially reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke for those at risk
• Reducing the risk for colon, prostate and breast cancers
• Lowering blood pressure
• Lowering cholesterol levels
• Relieving constipation
• Stabilizing blood sugar levels in diabetics
• Preventing the blood vessel spasm that leads to migraine attacks
• Promoting relaxation and restores normal sleep patterns
• Reducing the severity of asthma by keeping airways relaxed and open
• Improving chances of conception for those women trying to get pregnant
• Restoring hormonal balance in perimenopausal women
• Lowering the risk of Dry Eye Syndrome (DES)

I’ve made it part of my daily breakfast (see below) and even if it didn’t help with the above, it’s filling and tastes great.

Loom Knitting

When loom knitting with flax yarn, remember to knit loosely because the yarn has little elasticity. It is a not a yarn for beginners to knit with. For intermediate to advanced knitters, remember to follow the guidelines for good loom knitting habits on Loom Knitting Help and you will have a much easier time knitting with this yarn.

Becky’s Breakfast Granola

Most store-bought granolas are not good for you because of the amount of added sugar and hydrogenated fats. My granola has no added fat and the sugar used, agave syrup, has a lower glycemic index and load than most sweeteners on the market. Even so, the agave syrup can be omitted if you’d prefer. While this breakfast is not low in calories, it is high in protein and fiber. It’s also high in omega-3 fatty acids which has the many wonderful health benefits noted above. If you are not used to eating a high fiber diet, you should begin to incorporate flaxseed into your diet 1 teaspoon at a time to avoid flatulence and bloating. Be sure to drink enough water during the day (6-8 cups).

We can all feel the price of foods squeezing our wallet. A recent study done at the University of Washington confirms that the cost of healthy foods has skyrocketed compared to junk foods. The cost of organic foods is even higher so many people have become smart about which ones they purchase. The grains, nuts and some fruits listed below are on the list of foods to consider purchasing as organic because they are loaded with pesticides. Please keep this in mind when preparing the granola.

I make my granola in a dehydrator but you can spread it out on cookie sheets and bake it in the oven as well. Be sure to store your granola in the refrigerator once it’s done.

This granola tastes great with soymilk.

14 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup oat bran
• 1 cup chopped deglet noor dates
• ½ cup organic raw blue agave syrup
• Flaxseed

Optional:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• &fract12; cup each of other dried fruits

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the oats, wheat germ and oat bran together.
2. Heat the agave syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds and pour over the grain mixture. Mix well. Lumps will form as you mix.
3. Add the chopped dates and other optional ingredients. Mix well.
4. Spoon the mixture onto the dehydrator trays.
5. Set the dehydrator to 145º and keep it on for 2-7 hours.
6. Put in the glass or plastic container and store in the refrigerator.
7. Serve with 2-4 T of ground flaxseed.

If you go through the granola quickly, you can add the ground flaxseed before putting the container in the refrigerator. Ground flaxseed goes rancid quickly though so it’s recommended to add it at the time you eat it.

Nutritional Information

Per 1 serving (1/2 cup granola + 2T ground flaxseed)
Calories	339.43 kcal
Protein	9.43 g
Carbohydrates	37.18 g
Sugar	8.45 g
Fat, total	12.86 g
Saturated	1.00 g
Monounsaturated	1.79 g
Polyunsaturated	5.28 g
Fiber	8.78 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Iron	3.08 mg
Sodium	6.21 mg
Calcium	70.71 mg

The filling for this low-fat pumpkin pie recipe has approximately half the calories of a typical vegetarian/vegan filling made with honey/agave and one-third the calories of a traditional filling made with eggs and condensed milk. This decrease is due to using stevia. If you don’t like the taste of stevia, use 2/3 cup honey and no soymilk or 3.5T agave and ¼c+3T soymilk. When purchasing your pie crust, be sure to purchase one that does not have hydrogenated fats. It will be easier to make this recipe if you have a food processor with a plastic blade or a blender.

Low-fat Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients

• 15 oz can of pumpkin or 2 cups cooked
• 2 1/4 c okara (from 2 batches of soymilk)
• 1/2-2/3 t stevia
• 2/3 c soymilk
• 1 t vanilla (only if the soymilk is not vanilla)
• 1 T pumpkin pie spice
• 1 unbaked 9″ pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Place the okara and soymilk in the food processor or blender and process until smooth.
3. Add the pumpkin, stevia, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla (if using) and blend well.
4. Pour into the pie crust.
5. Bake in oven for 1 hour. The filling will still be soft when done.
6. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. The filling will firm as it chills.

Nutritional Information

Per 1 serving (1/8 pie filling)
Calories	56.25 kcal
Protein	2.34 g
Carbohydrates	9.81 g
Sugar	3.7 g
Fat, total	1.16 g
Saturated	0.24 g
Monounsaturated	0.21 g
Polyunsaturated	0.47 g
Fiber	2.89 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Iron	1.35 mg
Sodium	10.54 mg / 146.05 mg (salted / unsalted pumpkin)
Calcium	51.99 mg

There’s a lot of talk about adding soy protein and isoflavones to your diet. Usually, there is 1mg isoflavones to 1g of soy protein. In case you’re not sure how much soy protein is in the various soy products, here’s a chart to help you. It may vary a bit depending on the brand but this will give you a good estimation.

Soy Product	Serving Size	Grams (g) of Soy Protein	Milligrams (mg) of Isoflavones
Miso	1T	2	7
Soybeans, green, cooked	½ c	11	50
Soybeans, roasted, plain	¼ c	15	78
Soymilk, plain, fortified	1 c	10	43
Soy Flour, defatted	¼ c	12	42
TVP, dry	¼ c	11	33
Tempeh	½ c	16	53
Tofu	½ c	10	25

To also help you along your way, here a recipe for making soymilk in a soymilk maker. The one I use is a SoyaPower by Sanlix.

Vanilla Soymilk

This is a very smooth tasting soymilk that makes approximately six servings. In addition to the soymilk maker, you’ll need a gold coffee filter, wide mouth funnel, and glass pitcher. I highly recommend Frigoverre pitchers as they have a hermetically-sealed lid. You can purchase these pitchers from Chef’s Catalog, Village Kitchen and GreenFeet. Do not use a plastic pitcher to store your soymilk in.

Ingredients

• 100 grams soybeans
• 2″ piece of a vanilla bean, cut into 4-6 pieces
• 10-15 drops of liquid stevia such as SteviaClear
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Rinse and soak the soybeans overnight (8-10 hours) in the refrigerator.
2. Drain and rinse beans. Do not worry about removing the hull from the beans.
3. Fill the pitcher of the soymilk maker with filtered water until it reaches a halfway point between the two water level marks on the side of the pitcher.
4. Place the beans in the soymilk maker’s filter and attach to the soymilk maker per your manufacturer’s directions.
5. Place the soymilk maker’s head onto the pitcher. Lock the latches if your maker has them.
6. Plug the power cord into the soymilk maker and then into a power outlet.
7. Push the Start button on your soymilk maker. The machine will start by heating the water and then it will grind the soybeans. After 15-20 minutes, the machine will beep to let you know that it has finished and the milk is done.
8. After hearing the beep, unplug the power cord from the power outlet and then from the soymilk maker. Set the power cord aside.
9. Unlock the latch if necessary and lift the head off of the pitcher. Place the head aside and let it cool.

Once it has cooled, store the okara in the refrigerator or freezer for another recipe. You can also use okara in place of eggs in some recipes.

10. Using a spoon, slowly stir the milk in the pitcher to help the foam dissipate.
11. Put the salt, stevia, and vanilla bean into the glass pitcher. Place the funnel in the glass pitcher and the gold coffee filter on top.
12. Pour the milk into the glass pitcher through the gold coffee filter.
13. Allow to cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information

To increase the calcium, add calcium carbonate to your soymilk after it has cooled. You can purchase the supplements from your local pharmacy. It is also available for purchase from VeganEssentials. You will need to shake the soymilk before each use to distribute it.

Per 1c Soymilk
Calories	78 kcal
Protein	6.77 g
Carbohydrates	4.12 g
Sugar	0.97 g
Fat, total	3.81 g
Saturated	0.487 g
Monounsaturated	0.927 g
Polyunsaturated	2.387 g
Fiber	1.2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Iron	1.09 mg
Sodium	88 mg
Calcium	59 mg