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!

Creamy Rosemary Potato and Kale Soup

Have you ever heard of a different way of preparing an old favorite and wondered "why in the hell didn't anyone tell me this before?"

My favorite partner in nerdery at work just BLEW.my.mind.

She suggested I roast my potatoes and other root vegetables in the oven before throwing them in to a recipe like soup or mashers.

Huh.  Never thunk of that.

We've been growing fresh herbs on our back patio in a container garden, so fresh rosemary, oregano, and basil is just  begging to garnish a dish.  So, I picked a crapton of rosemary (hence the name) and got started.

Creamy Rosemary Potato and Kale Soup

6 medium Red Potatoes
1/4 cup Rosemary
1/4 cup minced Garlic
3T fresh ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 massive bundle of Organic Kale
1 container unsweetened Almond Milk
1 1/2 cup Water
1/8 cup Cornstarch
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.

The first matter of business is to infuse the olive oil with herby goodness.  I put all of the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl then poured the olive oil on top.  After stirring violently with a fork, I let it sit to the side while I chopped up potatoes!

I cubed the potatoes into happy little morsels then tossed in the wonderfully herby oil.  I evenly spread them out on a cookie sheet and baked for 25 minutes at 400F.  It filled our home with such amazing aromas.  It was hard to not gobble these little taters up...

Now, I have to admit.  I have never, ever attempted to cook with cornstarch before.  I was raised to make cream sauce with butter and flour, like a proper young West Michigan lady should.  So this was treading new waters for me.  *EEEEK!*

I dutifully mixed 1/8 cup cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold almond milk while the remainder of the milk warmed on the stove with the water.  When the mixture came to a boil, I stirred in my cornstarch concoction and continued to stir slowly until it returned to a boil.

When my soup base reached a creamy, happy texture, I added my chopped kale and roasted potatoes and let simmer for 15 minutes.

After all that simmerin' I decided to toss in another 1/8 cup garlic and way more sea salt.  It could have done without, but I'm a garlic freak.  Here is the end result:

Hearty and delicious!

I wish I could say it was love at first bite, however, my palate still hasn't adapted to veganhood :-).  After a couple of bites though, I was totally into the texture and flavor.  I am going to go ahead and call this evening's dish a win!

Tabbouleh Time!

Vegetarian dishes from the Middle East are so flavorful and refreshing.  I love tasting a dish that is so healthy,  you can feel the goodness with every bite.  Tabbouleh is one of my favorites because of the unique marriage of flavors that occurs.  Each bite is an adventure in flavor!

Allergen Buster:  If you're feeding anyone with a gluten intolerance, substitute the bulgur with quinoa.  I promise it will turn out just as amazing!

Come to think of it, I could have used a healthy protein punch that only quinoa can offer... perhaps I should conjure up some kind of quinoa salad later... hrmmmmmm... I don't know why that thought made me burst into maniacal laughter.  Let's just roll with it...For now I bring you the magic of TABBOULEH!!!!!

Recipe inspired by the directions on the back of Bob's Red Mill Bulgur.

1 1/2 cups Bulgur
1 1/2 cups Water
1/4 cup Mint
1/4 cup Dill
2 cups Parsley
2 Green Onions
1/2 medium Red Onion
2 medium Tomatoes, seeded
1/2 Lemon
1T fresh ground Black Pepper
1T Sea Salt
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

Boil 1.5 cups water, pour on 1.5 cups bulgur.  Let sit for 1 hour.

Pulse all of the veg/herbs in food processor until properly chopped up (or, if you're not as lazy as I am, use a good old fashioned knife).  Squeeze the lemon juice all over the mixture, add salt/pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.  Stir, cover, refrigerate.  Let it hang out until the bulgur is done chillin'.  This will give all of the wonderful flavors time to intermingle.  Mix in the bulgur, refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

Lazy Food Friday: Cream of Buckwheat

Behold, the power of BUCKWHEAT!!!!

Growing up in our household meant eating a lot of collard greens, corn bread, and proper down-south buttery gut-attack GRITS!  I came across this box of Cream of Buckwheat at our area Sprouts market and thought it sounded like an interesting thing to try.  It's definitely more nutrient dense than your average hominy grits and is really fun to say.  BUCKwheat.  *squee*

Preparation is easy:  Boil 1.25 cup water.  Throw in .25 cup BUCKwheat.  Reduce to low heat, allow to simmer (stirring often) for 10 minutes.  Put in a pat of Earth Balance, salt, pepper, CHOWDOWN!!!!

Perfect for a lazy food Friday!  It's simple to prepare, tasty, and even friendly to our gluten intolerant friends out there.  I give this two eager thumbs up!

The Epic Morning Power Smoothie!

Hi, I'm Chia and I'm a smoothieholic.

Hi Chia...

Driving in to work this morning, the world's coolest partner in carpooling admitted that she requires at least 2 hours after waking until she even *felt* hungry.  This makes me insanely jealous, because I feel like I was born hungry.

It took me a long time before I found the perfect foundation to a well-nourished day:  The Power Smoothie!  There are several variations to this recipe that I indulge in, but this is by far my favorite.

Here's what y'all need:

- 1 medium (2-3" diameter) organic beet

- 2 large (7-8" long) organic carrots

- Metric crapton (about 2 proper handfuls) organic baby spinach

- 1 frozen banana

- 1 serving of your favorite protein shake.  My personal favorite is Garden of Life's Raw Protein Powder.  When choosing a powder, make sure it's both safe (click here for some help from Food Babe) and does not contain any hidden non-vegan ickery (click here for help from Vegangstaz on making sure nothing that came from a beaver's butt is in your food).

- 1 oz of your favorite raw nut - best if soaked in water overnight (it just blends better).  I love adding raw almonds into my smoothies!

The first thing I did this morning was pull out my mighty Breville Compact Juice Extractor and fed it beets and carrots.  Check out the gorgeous sunrise I concocted on this incredibly gloomy day:

I added this wonderful juice to the banana/spinach/protein powder/nut concoction that was chillin' in my Ninja blender:

After the Ninja had properly kung-fu'ed the daylights out of my drinkable salad, I had one perfectly pulsed breakfast treat!  I poured it into one of my re-purposed kombucha bottles for portability (reduce, reuse mofoz!)...

I coupled my cocktail with a Go Raw Live Pumpkin Bar.  This was a lovely pairing that kept me going until lunch!  Yay raw energy!

Will Work for Zen

0730: Wake up, sit peacefully for 15 minutes breathing. This will inevitably wake the cat, dog, and husband. They will all want love at the same time. Forfeit meditation in exchange for kisses.

0745: Go Raw Spirulina Energy bar with a big glass of water. Take vitamins. Try to recreate meditation time on the toilet. This will induce cat's super door opening powers. Husband will complain of full bladder. Curse lack of forethought when going with the 2/1 condo instead of a 2/2. Resign oneself to try meditation during walk with Shih Tzu.

0800: Walk dog. Zen music on, crisp breeze, and delicate sunshine dance around us peacefully. Breathing adjusts to the pace and a calm begins to... Escalate to blind rage as loud mouthed neighbor with antichrist chihuahua comes around the corner. Heart palpitates as every fiber of thy being tenses. Just don't make eye contact. Don't. Look. Neighbor excitedly runs over. Evil chihuahua bark permanently ingrained in head. Neighbor makes about as much sense as Boomhauer on King of the Hill attempting to emulate Fran Drescher from The Nanny. Spend next 20 minutes asking God to never do that to me ever again.

0830: Attempt to regain feeling in frozen extremities. Save walk in handy MotoACTV. Watch eats all workout history and crashes. Pick up iPhone and write whiny blog post for 15 minutes. Realize legs fell asleep and now cannot resume upright position.

Bulgur Holidays Continued!

I would like to premise this post with the fact that this is indeed, the UGLIEST dish I have ever made.

But it's pretty darn tasty and nutrient packed.

I had a lot of dolma filling left over from yesterday's adventure, so I decided to put it to use with some of the portobello mushrooms and tofu I had chillin' in the good ol' icebox.  Here is how I "repurposed" some creativity:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dolma Filling 

4oz Portobello Mushrooms

2oz Cubed Extra-Firm Tofu

Drazzle of Olive Oil

1T Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1T Sriracha

Assembly Instructions:

Set stovetop to medium heat and throw a sauce pan on that hot little burner.  Drazzle the bottom of sauce pan with Olive Oil.  Dump all aforementioned crap in pan.  Cover.  Walk away until sizzling and hot (5-8 mins).

Quick, easy leftover utilization!  Turned out super tasty and filling!

Merry Motivation!

Last week I made the conscious decision to commit to making three simple things part of my daily life:  Veganism, Activity, and Learning.  I am a firm believer that those who succeed, PLAN!  So, although I'm not jumping headfirst into these daily endeavors, I have been more attentive to what I need to be successful.  For example:  We are slowly working all non-vegan foods out of the house and replacing them with plant based goodness.  Basically, I'm working under the premise of "once this crap is out of my fridge, I'm not buying any more."  I'm hoping the gradual transition to veganism will only make me stronger in this pursuit.  I'm already finding myself reaching for the veg more than the cheese, so emotionally I think I'm doing the right thing to prepare myself.

To put it in the words of one very wise BFF: "You are a horrible vegan."  Yes, I am.  I've hopped on and off the vegan wagon so many times my grass sucking hippie friends (hi LL *waves*) probably don't believe I'll last a week on an entirely plant based diet.  But I want to be a grass sucking hippie so bad.  I hate how lethargic and awful I feel after eating even the smallest portion of chicken, cheese, whatever... but for some reason I keep going back to the teat of the mammals.

The routine of intentionally phasing foods out of the house has been therapeutic.  It has helped me become more creative in the kitchen as well as conscious of how much better I feel after vegan meals vs. non-veg meals.  This method has basically helped me reinforce my belief that this is the right choice for me and only strengthens my convictions.

Tomorrow I start running with more regularity.  I already picked out my outfit, conjured up a new play list, and found my lucky socks.  My calendar on my phone has been updated with the next 13 weeks of scheduled runs/workouts.  I also blocked off time for myself on my work calendar to ensure I can do self-care throughout the day, even if in 15 minute blocks.  A 15 minute a day tabata workout is way better than sitting there letting my posterior widen.

The pursuit of "learning" has thus far been the easiest.  I have picked up a book every day in addition to spending time doing actual research online on random topics.  This morning I downloaded an app that will help me be a little more organized in my bird watching (bird nerds unite!).

So, the whole point of this post was to contemplate ways to promote momentum towards these three simple life changes becoming a daily fact.  I am incredibly driven by waving shiney objects and/or proverbial "carrots" in front of my face.  With that in mind, I bought myself a "commitment present"that I have been lusting over since checking it out at the library:  Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero.  She is also one of the masterminds behind the coveted Veganomicon cook book.  I love this book so much and have already learned so much about making delicious vegan wares.  I cannot wait to conjure up my own batch of kim chi as soon as I locate the spices Ms. Romero prescribes.  All in all, best commitment present ever.

On January 31, 2013 I will ask myself these questions:

1. Have you been a dutiful vegan this entire month?
2. Have you logged at least 60 miles walking and 60 miles running this month?
3. Did you post at least 20 blog entries this month?

...then I will sit down and write an old school paper (circa 1996 Mr. Roberts Research Writing style) about something I learned that month.  If I successfully can answer to the affirmative on all three questions and feel like I did my best to enhance my mind, I will treat myself to this very special running top:

This awesome mp3-friendly long tank is offered by Gracie's Gear.  She is an incredible, inspirational coach and entrepreneur and I would be tickled to finally don something she designed out on the trails here in Austin, TX.

Monthly I will conjure up a new set of questions/criteria for gifting something new to myself.  If successful, I will allow myself one of the following:

1. Aqua Jogger Belt and Floatation Sandals
2. LifeFactory Water Bottle
3. A new bike seat that is a little more ergo, like this. 
4. Punching Bag (I haven't really researched brands, but I want one!)
5. Membership with one of the local farm CSA's
6. New pair of blue tooth headphones - I haven't had the best of luck in this arena.  I have tried 3 different models and all failed within a month of purchase.  The first pair, died in 3 days.  
7. A new bathing suit - something cute with whimsy like this -->
8. A culinary-driven camping trip. When The Husband and I first started dating, he took me camping for my birthday.  Some of the best meals I made for him came out of that campfire :-).
9. A weight set for home.  I've always had a certain stigma about weight training in public.  I should start picking sh*t up in the privacy of my own home.
10. A trip somewhere completely unnecessary.
11. Enlist in a formal running training group like Tough Cookies.

Ok, I have my carrot in sight.  Time to get real ;-).  Much Love!