Let the Unnecessary Chafing Begin!

The husband and I apparently decided at some point that we are going to partake in the Austin Marathon next February.  For the next 30 weeks, I'm totally Hal Higdon's devout follower.  If anyone wants to join in on the fun, I made a more printer-friendly version of Hal's Novice Supreme plan available HERE.  

26.2?  Challenge, accepted.

<insert inspirational photo montage here>

Finishing strong at my first half marathon in Virginia Beach, VA in March, 2008

Crossing the finish line of my first full marathon in Portland, OR in October, 2008

</inspiration>

2008 was kind of a glory year for me.  I finished 7 half marathons and 2 full marathons (even landed a trophy for taking the Athena category at Portland).  I PR'd several times in 2009 breaking an hour in the 10K and pulling in a 2:13:34 half marathon.  Then, I kind of fizzled.  I kept running 5K, 10K and half marathon distances randomly through 2010... even got married at a marathon in 2011.  2012 and the first bit of 2013 was full of more regret than rejoice, and even though I kept taking home finisher medals, I was crossing the finish closer to the cutoff time than one would like to admit.

It took a long time to realize what was holding me back.  Truth be told, I think I'm still trying to figure all of the factors out.  In the meanwhile, I'm going to focus on fixing a few things around here.  

Awhile back, I doodled this in a journal one night when I was really feeling down and out.  Work sucked.  My relationship was rocky.  Finances... pssht... no comment... 

By "Comfort Zone," I mean locked in my house, on my couch, with my blankie, beer, and Shih Tzu.

Point is, I have the coping skills of a dung beetle.  I'll just keep shoveling the same old crap around until I collapse, then wake up the next day and do the same thing over again.  

So, I did something about it.  Slowly, but surely.  We started working on the communication barriers in our relationship.  We moved into an exponentially cheaper neighborhood.  I even landed a new job that has great promise and already motivates *slash* inspires me to develop myself mentally, physically, and emotionally.  In the spirit of keeping positive momentum, I think returning to the glory days of sweat-wicking urban loin cloths, over priced sneakers, and lust for finisher's bling is totally warranted.

Game on.

The "Taste not Waste" Guide to Veggie Lovin'

I have to admit, I'm a total produce whore. There is nothing better than a fresh clump of tomatoes, bell peppers, and berries to help boost a meal!

After many failed attempts to eat all the things before a science experiment erupts, I finally found advice that is actually effective!  Behold:  The Mighty Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse!!!!

 

 

 

All you have to do is fill a big bowl with cold water, splash a few tablespoons ACV into the bowl, then let produce soak 15-30 minutes stirring/flipping occasionally to ensure optimal ick-removal.

 

Does it work?  Well, let's just say I've never had a clamshell of blueberries last in the fridge longer than a few days after purchase.  After doing my ACV rinse, I was still snacking on these babies well over a week later.  A few of these tomatoes are still red and firm on the vine in our garden window 10 days later.  Green bell peppers don't have a shelf life in this house, we are total addicts and devour them instantly.  But this wash took off all of the waxy residue without scrubbing or soap! 

 

I am so in love with creating light and refreshing refrigerator pickles like my signature kim chi.  It has increased my ability to "waste not" just having the option of throwing random veg in vinegar and spices and hoping for pickled goodness later!

 

 

 

 

Now that I have sufficiently made myself hungry, it's totally nosh time!  Later!

 

-Che Angela

Cilantro Lime Protein Bowl

The husband and I completely demolished a huge bowl of this magical dish. It's so light and refreshing that it was just not destined to hit the Tupperware.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup quinoa

2 medium tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 bell pepper

2 cans black beans, rinsed

1 lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon diced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper, and salt to taste.

(I would have totally tossed in some red onion, but it wouldn't be me if I didn't forget at least one vital ingredient)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook quinoa per package instructions then chill.  Chop up all of the veg, juice the lime, then toss in oil/spices. Strain then rinse beans thoroughly.  Mix all ingredients together.  Nosh.

 

 

Back on the Saddle!

I took a mini-hiatus from tom-foodery courtesy of several high-stress situations that happened to pop up over the course of the past few months.  At the risk of sounding like a whiney little brat, life just hasn't been very fair (inner child talking).  Nothing too massive, just a combination of little things that make the big things more challenging.  As a result, I have taken this opportunity to seriously think about what is important to me and my family.  It is also very obvious to me that the "big things" that take up so much time and energy out of my life have nothing to do with my own personal goals, aspirations, or ideal life I picture in my mind's eye.

See, my situation right now is a common thing I see a lot of my friends and family fall into.  At some point, we reach a fork in the road and we take it.  Before we know it, the sinking realization that we are going the totally wrong way sets in and one has to decide, turn back?  Or keep going?

I picked the fork that put me on a gravel path traveling uphill with a bunch of people standing on the sidelines screaming at me to hurry up.  No matter how hard I try, I keep slipping back down hill and every time I make progress upward, something or someone makes a point to drag me right back down again.  Physically, emotionally, professionally, financially... I'm drained and it's time to turn back.

I'm back on the saddle, baby!

My urban chariot, Victoria

With everything going on, I wanted to take a minute and post a little about some of my favorite things this month.  One of the things that brings me great joy in my life is fresh, living food.  It has been lovely enjoying the lush bouquet of late winter-early spring greens and even indulged in some new veggies that I cannot wait to gush about.  My favorite so far is the watermelon radish!

Gizmo T. Cat appreciating the artful display of watermelon radishes atop my kim chi, black bean, and greens salad (strange, I know, but all of the things sounded delicious)

One of my favorite signs of spring is witnessing the return of the butter lettuce in my local grocery.  There is little to nothing more decadent than a plate full of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and veggie protein/quinoa stirfry to wrap up in butter lettuce and nosh!

Definitely a fun yet messy meal!

It wouldn't be life in Austin without a few tasty breakfast tacos!  One of my favorite places to nab some breakfast is Mi Madres on Manor Road.  The avocado taco is super delicious!

Don't forget the salsa!

I tend to keep a bag in the freezer to collect all of the refuse from vegetables that can be boiled down into a tasty and healthy vegetable broth.  This month's batch was especially colorful and vibrant with bok choy, napa cabbage, 3 kinds of kale, carrot ends, watermelon radish trimmings, and bits of onion.  March's veggie broth also included an exotic mixture of spices from the local Indian market on Brodie and Wm Cannon.  I toasted cardamom, fennel, and coriander seeds in the bottom of my dry pan before adding all of the veg and water.  A cinnamon stick and a few stars of anise rounded out the flavor palate nicely!

...and it wouldn't be a happy morning in our house if I didn't have a selection of juicy, ripe Texan grapefruit!  My favorite recipe right now is juicing grapefruit, ginger, and kale then adding chia seeds for a little extra oompf!

It's sad to look back at the past few months and realize that the only thing I've really done that was adventurous enough to mention today was add ginger to my breakfast juice.  It's about time I rejoin the land of the living.  More later, much love to all!

Bean and Potato Waffle Latkes

I was cleaning up the kitchen when I suddenly had the hankering to dirty the waffle iron I just got done washing.

There are a slew of recipes for waffle hash browns out there on the interwebs that immediately intrigued me.  I do love me some potatoes.  Some leftover beans in the fridge added a little more nutrition and I even was able to use up the last of the jalapeños before they went bad.  Score!

I was only cooking for myself at the time, so multiply this recipe by how many Latke waffles you want to create.

Ingredients:
1 medium Red Potato (2-3" diameter -- I suppose you could use the frozen kind, but I only had the real thing)
1/4 cup Vegan Re-fried Beans
1 Jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1/8 cup chopped Red Onion
1T Red Wine Vinegar (Malt Vinegar would have been so much better)

Directions:
Thoroughly wash the potato then shred with a grater.  It looks super ugly at first, but don't fret.  You'll want to put your shredded potato into a strainer and rinse thoroughly to get all the starches rinsed off.  Press the water out of the potatoes then add to mixing bowl.  Dump in all of the other ingredients, use fingers to mix all of the goodness together.  Once evenly mixed, spray preheated waffle iron with cooking spray then pour in the goodness.  Allow to cook until browned (mine took a little over 8 minutes, I just waited until I smelled all of the delicious goodness wafting out of the iron)

They turned out oh so pretty and totally delicious!  Next time, I will have to garnish with salsa or something equally amazing.

Jalapeño Cornbread Waffles

Hello and Happy SuperBowl Sunday!  We don't particularly care so much about football as we do the trashy American foodstuffs that normally comes out en masse during one of the most American of American days.

Who is playing, anyhoo?

A co-worker of mine has been working on downsizing her belongings.  Much to my delight, I found out that she's one of those "kitchen gadget hoarders" who is trying to reform.  Therefore, I was able to score some items that I wouldn't normally spend money on because I know they will go to the back of the kitchen cupboard reserved for the graveyard of pots, pans, and random blenders that don't quite blend right.  The most coveted item out of the pay load was a Belgian Waffle Maker, lightly used, and perfect for a table for two!

I've been tempted for awhile now to purchase a waffle iron, however, I was not really convinced we would ever use one.  We're not really tempted by sweets, but I have seen some savoury recipes floating around Pinterest lately that sound intriguing.

This morning I decided to take the plunge and make something "waffley."  None of the recipes I could find sounded all that great, so I took the plunge and basically threw a bunch of random ingredients into a bowl and stirred.  The end result turned out crispy and delicious!

Ingredients
1 cup Masa Flour
2 cups Water
1t Baking Powder
1T Sea Salt
1T Ground Black Pepper
1 Flax Egg (1T ground flax, 3T water)
2T Olive Oil
2 Fresh Jalapeños, chopped
6 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Mix, chuck in waffle iron.  Let it cook in waffle iron until brown and crispy.  My waffle iron took about 15 minutes per waffle to cook this nosh all the way through.  I chose to garnish mine with some good, old fashioned Canadian Maple Syrup.  The mixture of sweet, salty, garlicky and spicy surprisingly did it for me. 

Behold, the magical Jalapeño Cornbread Waffles!
 

Collard Green Chips

Yes, I play with my food #smittenforthemitten

I had a beautiful bunch of collards in the fridge that were begging to get noshed.  Basically, I washed, trimmed out the stems, then tossed 1lbs of greens in 1T hot sesame oil  then baked until crispy at 250F.

In retrospect, I should have thrown in some proper sesame seeds and such to add a bit of crunch and flavor.  Great snack!

Kim Chi Time!!

I have been itching to try to make my own kimchi for about a month.  It really amazed me how hard it was to find Korean pepper, gochugaru, in South Austin.  When finally presented the opportunity (excuse) to go to North Austin, I jumped at the chance to check out a proper Korean market.

I knew I was in the right place when instantly greeted with more napa cabbage than I've ever seen in one room.  It was kind of hard to not be immersed with authenticity with the quintessential Korean grandmother scolding her unruly brood of grandkids with only "that look."  Seriously, home girl meant business.  Even I felt ashamed for some reason.

Whilst perusing the aisles, I was suddenly overwhelmed with options.  What?  An ENTIRE LANE just for SEAWEED?!?  Pretty sure I squeed so loud I put kids in a candy shop to shame.  I picked up all kinds of vegan goodness on my way to the spice aisle:  Shirataki noodles, inari pockets, fancy nut oils, dried seaweed and kelp.  I got these cool little wonton wrapper things that I'm  not really sure what I'm going to do with.  Then finally, FINALLY... my precious.  GOCHUGARU!!!!

This magic spice is sold both in a pre-mixed paste and in dried "only pepper" form.  I opted to get the pepper flakes as to avoid all the unnecessary preservatives in the pre-made goo.  It's also 1/4 of the price and super easy to make your own paste anyways.

Here's how it all came together...

Ingredients:
1 head Napa Cabbage (2-2.5 pounds)
1/2 cup Salt (I used sea salt)
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
10 medium cloves of garlic
1/8 cup roasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup Gochugaru
1T Local Raw Honey

Wash, trim, then halve the cabbage.  Cut out core.  Slice the half into 3 lengthwise sections then coarsely chop into 1.5ish" strips.  Salt thoroughly, rubbing salt into each leaf.  Let sit, covered for 2 hours (or however many episodes of Supernatural that was).

Rinse cabbage thoroughly, allow to strain while preparing the paste.  Chuck the vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds, gochugaru peppers, and honey into the food processor, mix until paste-like.  Use hands to coatall of the cabbage with the spicy paste in a large bowl.

Transfer the cabbagy goodness to a large resealable jar or a gallon sized freezer bag.  Really pack it in there, trying to get all air pockets out.  Let sit on counter for 5 hours then transfer to the refrigerator.  Apparently this stuff keeps for about 3 weeks in the fridge!  Not that I think it will last that long... look how pretty it is...

I even treated myself to a new bowl to enjoy kim chi goodness in!  I love pandas!

Alright, time to get back to work :-(...  Laters xoxo

Vegan Cowgirl Queso!

One of my favorite things about Austin is the never ending list of amazing Tex Mex restaurants that are more than happy to put a bowl full of melted cheesy goodness in front of me. Oftentimes they get inventive and put a bunch of other things in it and call it a kitschy name. My personal favorites from my carnivorous days are Kerbey Lane's Cowboy Queso and Hills Cafe's white queso with brisket.

It's awfully sad that cheese makes me feel so awful. I was feeling quite emotional today and ended up picking up a cheese pizza. I had 2 small pieces and I now feel like death. This, my friends, is why I love cooking vegan.

So, after this crappy week I deserve a tall beer and a huge bowl of my very own Vegan Cowgirl Queso!

1/2 wedge of Jalapeño Garlic Havarti Daiya vegan cheese
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1 chopped avocado
1 medium chopped tomato
1/8 cup chopped onion
Small bunch of chopped cilantro
1T lime juice

I just crumbled the Daiya into a microwave safe bowl then dumped in the delicious little black beans. After 1:30 in our 1100w micronuker, the beans were chillin in a creamy sea of awesome. Top it off with the chopped medley of veg and you have the perfect bowl of vegan gluten/soy free queso!

Bon appetite! Arriba! Arriba!

Magical Bento Salad!

I love creative, compact ways of transporting fresh, healthy foods.  This little bento from Itzy Ritzy is not only cute, but incredibly practical for the hungry herbivore...



First, I chopped up 1/2 of a large (8") cucumber and put in the largest reservoir.  I poured on my choice of dressing (this time I used some sesame ginger leftover from yesterday's beet-pocalypse).  Usually I'll put my red onions in this reservoir as well, however, I knew I would have meetings all afternoon and didn't want to rock the onion stank.  Marinated cucumbers are one of my favorite additions to salads and this box is perfect for making sure the dressing doesn't leak into other reservoirs that may contain more fragile elements that don't hold up well to dressing.

I used the other two reservoirs in the bottom level to measure out a bunch of alfalfa sprouts, quinoa, and tofu.  At that point, I figured my salad could use a little color, so I quickly chopped up 1 carrot to toss on top of my veggies!

Please note:  You will fit way more tofu in the box if you cut a pre-measured chunk that fits in the box then chop it up after.

The upper deck of the bento is perfect for mixed greens and raw nuts.  Today I put in a fistful of organic, locally sourced spinach with some nori shreds and 1oz raw almonds.  MMM.  This is going to be great with the sesame ginger dressing!

Mmm... you know you want me...

The end result was a massive, filling, nutrient dense meal that appeared to be 3x the size of my compact little bento.  It's like the clown car of lunchboxes!

My only regret is that I did not season the tofu or quinoa.  It really made the salad quite bland despite the 1T of sesame ginger that spent all morning collaborating with my delectable cucumbers.  I think next time I'll have to put more love into the protein pit of my bento!

This meal is roughly 400 calories, 22 carbs, 29g fat, 24g protein per MyFitnessPal.

What's in your salad?

I find it oddly hilarious that I posted a picture of Gizmo's litter box on my food blog.  I fail at photography and/or presentation.

I do have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of salads.  Every once and awhile I'll look in my fridge and think "What I am I going to do with beets,  a quarter jicama, a handful of sprouts, 2 carrots, and some spinach?"

Well, I am pretty sure y'all can guess what happened.

This turned out very lush, flavorful, and filling.  Here's what I threw in my salad...

2 small (2" diameter) organic beets

1 handful homegrown mint

1T of some store bought sesame ginger dressing

1/4 large (4" diameter) jicama

1 handful fresh, local Texan organic spinach

1 handful organic alfalfa sprouts

2 chopped organic carrots

1/2 large (8" long) organic cucumber 

1/4 cup crushed raw walnuts

I threw the beets, mint, dressing, and jicama in the food processor Ninja thing and chopped the mixture coarsely.  Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to "mingle."  Chop up all of the other goodness and throw into a monster sized bowl.  Set in front of litter box to snap photo for all to see.

I'm stuffed!  Now it's time to get back to work!

Sesame Tempeh Stir Fry

Behold, the power of Tempeh.

One of the benefits of living in Austin, TX is the fact that being vegan isn't all that much of an anomaly.  I now have more vegan/vegetarian friends than meat eaters and even my carnivorous beauties appreciate a good green meal.  Most of the eateries in the area offer a variety of options for different palates and you don't feel like a complete douchebag asking for a gluten-free vegan option unless you're dumb enough to waltz into an Olive Garden.

It didn't really occur to me to count my culinary blessings until I found myself on an airplane to Michigan last week.  Let's just say I'm happy I packed extra Go Raw Live Pumpkin bars.

Do you know what they feed vegans in Michigan?  They don't.  I swear if one more waitress asked me "are you sure you don't want cheese on that?" I was going to go into a long winded rant about what cheese does to my digestive system (it's that kind of sexy talk that lands the hotties, I'll tell ya).

No worries, challenge accepted!

In effort to expand my parent's protein options into the realm of "plant based", I did my best to teach the 'rents how to prep and pamper some Tempeh into a filling and flavorful stir fry.  

Magical Ingredients

1 Brick Tempeh

3T Sesame Oil (1T for marinade, 2T for frying)

2T Rice Wine Vinegar

2T Tamari or Soy Sauce (I went with low sodium Tamari)

Hefty dusting of some kind of spice mix.  The one I used had garlic, pepper, coriander, and a bunch of other shit that I do not recall.  I don't tend to measure, I just let it rain on a dish.

Mixed Peppers (I used 1/2 of a Red and 1/2 of a Yellow Bell Pepper)

1 Medium Sweet Onion

5-7 Cloves Fresh Garlic, chopped

Rice and Green Beans to garnish :-).

Mom put the rice on to cook.  She has always bore the designation of expert rice maker.  Seriously, in all 32 years (33?  Ugh, I can never remember...) of my existence I do not remember her ever f*%!ing up a pot of rice.  Ever.  I guess there is a first for everything :-P (love you Ma).

While the rice was on the stove (sucking :-P), I crumbled the tempeh into a bowl and tossed with 1T sesame oil, the vinegar, tamari, and spice mix.  Covered and allowed it to hang out in the 'fridge whilst I chopped the veg. 

Mom steamed the green beans in a separate pan while I sauteed the tempeh mixture in 2T sesame oil in the wok until it browned up a bit.  Added the veg and garlic in after tempeh browned.  Cooked until the veg started to sweat and the rice was... um... doneish.

The end result was not my best dish ever, but at least it was quick, easy, and super tasty-healthy!

    

Black Eyed Peas: Mo' Money Mo' Power Protein Bowl

Many families share the honored tradition of enjoying a big bowl of black eyed peas on New Years Day.  My parents believed in the legend that a bowl of black eyed peas would bring luck to those who ate them for the entire year.  Apparently adding greens offer a huge boost by bringing the added bonus of wealth.  Kale + Cabbage = Dolla Dolla Billz, yo.

No wonder we were dirt poor.  It's what was missing in the peas.  Yo.  Ok, I'll stop now.

Even on my own I've managed to conjure up some kind of lucky bowl.  Some years were fancier than others, but even a quick Amy's bowl will do the trick in a pinch.  Of course, that's also the year our car was stolen in Canada, so meh... just to be safe, I think I'll make a proper batch.

I think I shall call it my....

Mo' Money Mo' Power Protein Bowl

1 pound dry Black Eyed Peas

2 cup Quinoa

3 large Carrots, chopped

3T Sriracha (or more if you do not value your tastebuds)

4 quarts (16 cups) Water

1/2 large Sweet Onion, chopped

1/2 head of Cabbage, chopped

1 bundle Kale, chopped

3T minced Garlic action

Salt/Pepper (if you're into that kind of thing)

I am using a 6 quart pressure cooker for this recipe.  There is no reason you cannot use a normal pot, but cooking times may vary.

Thoroughly rinse peas and discard any that have the ungodly ability to float.  Check to make sure no stray pebbles or other debris ended up with your delectable little nuggets of joy.  Pour into pressure cooker/crock pot/pot pot with the quinoa, carrots, Sriracha, and water.  Cook on High (or medium high on the stovetop) for 2.5-3 hours (peas and quinoa should be tender but not mushy).

Add all of the other ingredients, let cook for 10-15 minutes.  Let stand for 10-15 minutes to give the concoction a minute to think about what it's done and to allow all of those wonderful flavors time to collaborate.

Isn't it purdy...

Happy New Year!  May luck, love, and good fortune come to us all!