February in Food

Our kitchen didn't produce a high number of outstanding meals in February. Being busy meant turning to old stand-bys and only making a few adventurous dinners. But here are some recipes that stand out.

Black Bean Cakes with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce from Annie's Eats.


















My only complaints here were that this recipe took kind of forever and it has eggs in it, so it's not properly vegan. But they were SO flavorful! And I'm glad to have made the avocado cream, which is just lime juice, mashed avocado, and greek yogurt together. Dream come true.


Endurance Crackers from OhSheGlows.





















When I made these, I felt like I'd performed a magic trick! Chia seeds + water + time = glue. These are gluten free, soy free, nut free, and vegan. Just a bunch of seeds hugging each other in a delicious cracker. I think I'd add a little more salt and pepper, just because I expect a cracker to be salty. They were delicious and we'll definitely make them again. I loved taking them with some hummus for my lunch.



Quarter Pounder-Style Beet Burgers from Post Punk Kitchen.


















These may look and sound a little strange, but I cannot wait to make them again. We both drooled over these burgers. The texture is great, and they look disturbingly similar to ground beef! Cast iron worked perfectly to give them a little browning, and they held together better than any veggie burger I've made. This is my new favorite veggie burger by far.



Beet Bourguignon from Green Kitchen Stories.




















John has a thing for the real version of this dish with the beef, and when I saw a beet version, he was ready to try it. Neither of us is big on beets, but after the burgers went so well, we figured this preparation might also be good. It's basically just a stew made with wine - what could be bad about that?
I think we both wanted to tweak this recipe slightly. It calls for 8 beets, and we felt that was too much labor and too much beet. Four would be plenty, and we would up the mushrooms. Big slices of portobello give this a meaty flavor and texture, especially when combined with the lentils. We served it over mashed potatoes. I think I would also up the herbs (more thyme, especially as a garnish) and wine (maybe 1.5 cups instead of 1, and definitely an additional splash with every re-heat). Still, we were both pleased with it and it was a delicious way to end a cold, damp day in February.



I'll leave you with two images from our trip to Bloomington a couple weeks ago. First, this onesy I saw in the window at Greetings. Excellent.

















And last, John and Mark in the on-going arm wrestling battle. Even though John has built up a lot more upper body strength, he has yet to beat Mark. Ultimately, Mark has a fierce desire to win that John cannot seem to match. This month's battle took place at Nick's where we watched the IU basketball game with my mom and some other IU people. It was a great trip to Bloomington and I'm glad that we'll have more and more reasons to return there soon!

Run It/Walk It for Chris Brown 5K

A week ago, John and I ran the Run It/Walk It for Chris Brown 5K in Fort Wayne, hosted by IPFW. It was a cheap, flat alternative to the Really Chilly 5K in London this time of year, and it was actually above freezing. Running in the sunshine in February is such a luxury!

























As an additional challenge, the 5K was timed but overall place didn't matter. They awarded prizes based on how close your finish time was to the entered time.

























John entered a time of 22:30, a goal he felt was a little out of his reach beforehand. But he finished in 22:15 - a new PR! I hoped that was close enough to the entered time for him to place, but there were other guy runners who finished within 2 seconds of their entered time, and the winner finished exactly at the time he estimated, something like 17:37. Crazy.























I entered a time of 28:30, assuming that my PR wasn't the most realistic estimate for a winter race, but hoping I would beat it nonetheless. But this time, everything worked in my favor and it was a fast race! I'm not sure what to make of my time. The 5K was not chip timed, but they had a timer calling out the time-per-second at the finish, and we were told to write down the time they told us so they could figure out who was closest to their estimate. My official finish time was 27:28. But I started past the middle of the pack, so I didn't cross the starting line until at least 2-3 seconds after the official start. Also, the rules of the guess-your-time game forbade everyone from wearing watches, so I couldn't time myself. That makes my time about 3 seconds or so behind my PR from last fall, 27:23.








I think I could fall asleep in a forward fold like this.


















But I'm really pleased with how consistently I ran! I wasn't exactly gunning for PR and I've only consistently been working on speed for about 2 months, so I think an improved 5K time is within my reach this year. And moreover, it was a strong, pain-free race.

Other highlights: a good friend of mine from elementary school, Allison, was there with her husband and another of my old classmates, Drew. I was behind Drew for most of the first 1.5 miles. When I finally pulled up next to him, and he recognized me, I realized I needed to spit. So right in that moment, I had a look on my face that said "Hi, I might throw up on you." But I managed to keep from spitting on him, and I finished just about 15 seconds behind him. It's nice to see old Fort Wayne friends at local races. We also got to hang out in the new, posh IPFW Field House. Everything at IPFW is newer and nicer than when we first moved here, and especially since I moved away. They had tons of food after the race, and everything was very well run!

Winter 2012 Foods

I realized that recently I haven't posted much about food. How can this be?!
So as I've done in the past couple of months, I'm giving you a list of recipes and links that we've liked since the 2nd semester started. All of these were successful, though not always by the same standards.

Dilly Stew with Dumplings from the PPK.


































This was a combination of things I love: rosemary, biscuits, dill, and creamy stew. The roux makes it seem like it has cream in it and the biscuits, carrots, and potatoes soak it up while they cook. John was skeptical of this recipe because apparently he "doesn't like chicken n' dumplins" (what kind of southerner is he?!), but he loved this. We both did. Served with a salad, I didn't feel bad about eating several creamy-coated dumplings.


Italian Seiten Sausages with Tomto Sauce. The sausages are from the PPK and are also in her Vegan Brunch cookbook.
Sometimes John and I just have pasta with jarred sauce for dinner, sometimes with a few added veggies like mushrooms and zucchini. And sometimes it falls so flat as to be unappetizing. But this dinner was really great. The Italian version of the PPK sausages is wonderful and spicy with the right amount of red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. We fried them separately in a pan before adding them to the top of this jarred pasta sauce with zucchini and 'shrooms. All the flavors worked together so well, and the sausage turned out just right. Yes, the involved several steps and a bunch of ingredients, but most of the cooking just involves steaming them and walking away. Two thumbs WAY up for this meal.



















Peanut Butter Swirl Pancakes from Oh She Glows.

These were my reward for losing 2 pounds since Christmas. I have a ways to go before I meet my ideal weight range, but it's do-able. Last time I lost a bunch of weight, about 2 years ago, I limited dessert to once per week - and then I made a point of eating something awesome, like cupcakes "for my students." So these pancakes were the treat recently. I made them on a Friday night for breakfast-for-dinner, and they turned out well! The first couple of swirls I made were too big because I cut too big a hole in the bag. But when I needed a second batch of the swirl, the hole was smaller and the designs were more manageable. Also, who knew that peanut butter combined with applesauce turns into peanut butter frosting? That's exactly what it tastes like. Add a few chocolate chips to this and you'd have actual dessert, aka, My Usual Method for Making Pancakes for Dinner.







































Orange Cranberry Lentil Quinoa Loaf and Mashed Potatoes from Daily Garnish.
First, the mashed potatoes weren't from DG - I made them up. And they were decidedly not vegan, with a couple tbs butter, a splash of milk, and about 2 tbs Greek yogurt (I know people always say it tastes like sour cream in these contexts, and I doubted them until this week. Delicious!). They were perfect with this "loaf."
The nut loaf did not behave at all like a loaf when I cut into it, but we didn't really care. It's delicious and full of good-for-you foods. I think if I were to make it again (and I probably will), I'd make it in a casserole dish and just call it a casserole rather than fooling with the loaf pan. Do not skip the salsa on top. We spooned on more after serving it - the salsa really takes this up a notch.



















Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles from the PPK
Can you tell I'm in love with the PPK as of late?
A couple weeks ago, hell froze over when all 25 of my students turned their assignments in on time, stapled, and with shockingly few mistakes. I don't think this has ever happened, so I rewarded all 26 of us with treats. This cookie recipe is a whole lot like the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes in the PPK's cupcake book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Instead of chocolate extract I subbed some coconut extract. With a 1/2 tsp of cayenne, these were even spicier than the cupcakes! They went over well with my students and I had a couple to share with my beloved office mate afterward. Also, like most PPK baked goods, they only take one bowl. I'll definitely make these again.


























Pad Thai from Eat, Drink, and Run
Finally. I have wanted to make Pad Thai for years as it is one of my favorite foods to order at restaurants. It's oily and indulgent, great for a night when you want to have something like restaurant food without having to leave the house or order take out. I followed Shelby's recipe but omitted the shrimp, and I wished I had upped the tofu to compensate for it (I also at fish sauce, because we still have some. Once it's out, I will quit eating it). This recipe is delicious and it made us want to make Pad Thai all the time.



















Lasagna Cupcakes from Framed Cooks
A friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook a while ago and John and I immediately started drooling at the thought of lasagna cupcakes. It turns out, wonton wrappers make excellent lasagna layers! I had a couple of hiccups while making these. First, they made fewer than the recipe indicates, and I ran out of cheese. Conversely, it may be that I put way too much cheese in each one. They were also greasy and indulgent, like the Pad Thai. Alongside a salad I could almost pretend it was a healthy dinner! They'd be great party food. If you click the link, note that the author of this recipe also has one for macaroni and cheese cupcakes. That would be seriously good party food for our next potluck.



















Last but not least, we made this super flavorful Mushroom and Leek Soup from Closet Cooking. We made it once in Fort Wayne and it was a big hit with my parents, too (obviously we are a mushroom-loving group of people). Roasting the cauliflower adds so much flavor. It's perfect for a chilly winter night.


















Here's to a cloudy Groundhog Day! It turns out that Canada has their own groundhogs for the occasion, and Wiarton Willy did not see his shadow. Spring is immanent, I'm sure.

"Random Girls Weekend in the Desert."

For a while now, the universe's policy is to only let me present papers in pleasant, small towns no one's heard of (unless you live in Warrensburg, MO, in which case, it was nice to visit you!). And Kansas City. Oh, and New Orleans. I guess this is a recent trend.

And this year, the trend continues. I got a paper accepted to the Frederick Loewe Symposium on American Music at the University of Redlands, in Redlands, CA.

However, this time, there is one key difference:






The night of Sargibso's graduation from IU, after many rounds of Sink the Biz.


















Fabulous picture from his wedding 5 and a half years ago.















I get to visit Sargibso and my brother! Redlands is only 65 miles from Los Angeles, and I get to make a whole thing out of it!
This is only a preview post since the conference isn't until March and I'm really excited about it. I applied to a lot of conferences this year, and I'm so happy that this one has accepted me. Besides getting to see everyone I know and love in L. A., I get to leave the snowy tundra of southwestern Ontario and go to warm, sunny California. My choice to apply was only somewhat strategic. I also get to present with a bunch of people who like talking about 20th century American music. Sargibso is going to go with me for the conference itself, and she gave me the title for our trip: "random girls weekend in the desert." Because that's where Redlands is.

Win and (dorky) win.

Abby's Favorite Blogs - January 2012

A picture-less post! Brace yourselves.

Reading blogs is one of my absolute favorite ways to, among other things, kill time, find recipes, and get motivated to run. But my blog reader has changed a lot since the early days of my blog reading habit. My collection has gravitated toward less omnivore/baking and more vegan, everyday food, and several running-themed blogs. At the moment I subscribe to 114 blogs, some of which I read every time they post, and some I skim to see if I want to file away their recipes. I affectionately refer to them as "my stories."

Here are some of my favorites that I've added within the last year or so, in no particular order.

Cheaper than Therapy
Marie, who writes about running and sarcasm, lives in Indianapolis and her posts make me laugh every single time I read them. She recently had a baby, so her format has changed somewhat. I get the sense that before her pregnancy, she mostly posted about her running mileage and beer. She also has a great ability to make fun of other blogs, especially the healthy living variety. I heard about her blog via another fun running-and-humor theme site called Eat, Drink, and Run, written by a woman named Shelby who has a talent for making entertaining illustrations out of MS Paint (<-- seriously, click that link for a funny post), and who also mostly posts about her mileage and beer. These two are my favorite running related blogs, though I also immensely enjoy BrieFit (she and the other running blogs are some of the only people I know from the internets that I think I would actually want to be friends with in real life). And last but not least, I also like Peanut Butter Runner, since Jen's activities make my exercise routine seem so modest, and reading it always makes me want to run or go do some yoga. Or get a golden retriever.

Young House Love
I've written already about how A Practical Wedding is making me so happy these days. Another in my "DIY" reader category is Young House Love, that Carla initially sent to me. These people are inspiring because I know how little money they spend decorating their house. That, and their ideas are both functional and aesthetically appealing. They also have a chihuahua and a pretty cute toddler. I would probably never attempt most of the projects they tackle (like putting in their own giant tile backsplash or knocking a whole through their dining room wall to create an open floor plan). But I like to get smaller-time ideas from them (like these Christmas ornaments) and they've got a good sense of humor about what they do.

Two other food-and-health related blogs I like:
Oh She Glows and Daily Garnish, both of which I found out about Kira, who is still my ultimate source for finding cool blogs.
Oh She Glows (Angela Liddon) makes a lot of delicious vegan food, including a lot of less-bad-for-you desserts out of stuff I usually have on hand. She also takes some fabulous pictures when she travels. And she lives in Canada! We share a love for Bulk Barn, I think.
Daily Garnish (Emily Malone) writes about her adventures as a new mom, running, and developing vegan recipes that I almost always love. John and I make her food all the time and we're rarely disappointed.

And finally, two others unrelated to food:
Cabin Porn, that I first saw on Facebook just this week. Gorgeous pictures of cabins I wish I could live in or at least hang out in for a while. John and I like the especially modern/postmodern ones. So cool.

Socrates Pondering. This one is written by my cousin Corey who currently teaches English in Korea. He posts things about his travels there, or other issues that occur to him. And by him, I mean his cat, Socrates, who writes the blog in the first person about "his friend," Corey.

Last but certainly not least, a quick shout out to my cousin, Halley, who recently started blogging about cool vegan restaurants in Chicago at Chi City Vegan. Why can't I move to Chicago and eat like that all the time?


So that's what's relatively new on my feed reader.
What about you, Internets? What are your favorite blogs? I'm always looking for new ones!

I like bags.

I'm currently looking for a new day bag. My regular bag has become something of an eyesore and I'm looking to upgrade to something more professional. Given my proclivity toward stuff, I've spent the better part of a day looking for bags that meet my requirements. I have three simple needs (read: wants).

1. Laptop ready
2. Relatively small
3. Look professional

I've had a lot of bags in my life. Some were big, others small, some backpacks, others messengers. When I go to conferences, I usually switch to an old soft leather attache case that has room for my macbook (in an incase sleeve). After I stopped conducting all the time, I switched to a backpack for my then new laptop. Now that I'm in the latter stages of graduate school, I need less room for stuff, and I'd like something that set me off a bit from my students while still having more personality than your standard briefcase. Having said that, I'm not sure if I want to give up the comfort of a backpack. Basically, I want a bag that is a lot like George Clooney: high quality; good looking; stylish; and well-built.










See what I mean? (source).







I've narrowed it down to three bags. Each meets my size and laptop requirements, and each has its own pros and cons.

(Source)

1. Incase Compact Backpack
The Incase backpack offers several features I love. It's slim and sleek, and has enough room for what I have in mind (book+laptop+charger). I trust the brand and it's relatively cheap ($80). On the other hand it's still a backpack, and I'm not sure it looks that professional. While certainly a step up from what I currently have, I'm not sure I would use it a conferences or (hopefully) job interviews while wearing a sports coat or suit. The guys over at Carryology, a blog devoted to bags (yay!), mention it in their list of favorite versitile backpacks. It's a fun, well written blog, and especially useful if you're into outdoor stuff like hiking.

(Source)

2. Tokyo Backpack by Lexdray
One of the most all around impressive backpack I've seen so far the Tokyo Backpack has loads of great features such as locking zippers, numerous pockets, a great laptop sleeve, and includes a rain cover. Carryology gave it a rave review (with a few minor quibbles) and really made me want one. Having said all that, $450 (that's four hundred and fifty dollars in US currency) is a lot to pay for a bag, especially one that's made of synthetic materials and manufactured in China. I'm not saying that nothing good comes from China, just that I would like to know that my money is going toward well treated workers who can browse the internet for bags as easily as I can. I would probably use it every day, though I'm still not convinced of its conferenceability. What? That's a word.

(Source)

3. 2Unfold Laptop bag by Hard graft
This is the real deal. High quality Italian leather with wool lining, this bad boy looks like a really neat bag. It can be treated as a shoulder bag big enough for gym clothes, a laptop, and a book, or it can hold a 13" Macbook Pro (my next computer) and fold over on itself for a smaller footprint. I found one lengthy video review as well as another short review by Carryology. As mentioned in these reviews, this bag can be turned into a backpack, but the video review makes me extremely skeptical that I would ever choose to do that. It also has a really cool aesthetic and I'm sure I would be the only kid on the bock with one. Did I mentioned that this thing is $600? While that's a lot of money (read: shit-load), I would probably have this bag for the rest of my life. I suppose the question is whether I would always have a 13" computer. Probably, but who knows what the future holds?

So there you have it, my current bag wishlist. All in all, I might get myself the Incase at some point, and ask for the 2Unfold for Christmas or graduation or something. Ultimately, I don't spend a huge amount of time at conferences, and I could totally use the backpack for most of my regular life.

Iron Strength

I wanted to write in more detail about the Iron Strength work out I've been doing as part of my New Year's resolution to incorporate strength training into my running/exercise routine. Carla sent it to me just after New Year's and I've been doing it 1-2 times per week since then. Like I said before, I can only really do less than half of it.

The routine alternates between upper body and lower body exercises, with squats, push ups, lunges, arm curls and the like. You can watch a very even-tempered young woman named Meghan perform the whole thing on Runner's World while the doctor who designed it explains each move. Her contented facial expression made me think the whole thing might not be as torturous as it sounded, but I was wrong. It's much harder than that woman's face lets on.





I think this is called "Rows from plank."














I'll list the cons first.

• It made me so sore the first time I did it that I could barely walk the next day. In fact, the act of sitting down was extremely painful, and it took a few days to recover. Ultimately this is probably a pro, though, because I think it's effective.
  
• It's long and doesn't emphasize stretching much. I know it's a strength routine, not a yoga class, but I can only devote so much time to it on the off days from running and I prefer to stretch a little more. So I usually add my own.
  
• The biggest con is that, because of my wacky motion sickness issues, I can only really do some of it anyway. Single-leg plyometric squats are definitely out, as are the Mountain Climber, lunges, sit-ups, and "Legs Down. " That still leaves 4 of the seven sections for me to do.

Trying to look happier about it. I LOVE rows from plank LOL!!!!!!
















And the pros:

• It's hard (also a con, I know). I feel really challenged by it every time, but it's not so hard that I dread it or give up completely.
  
• I can do it at home with a yoga mat and my weights.
• The online videos are pretty helpful and I feel like I know exactly what to do for each section.
  
• Since I can do it at home while listening to NPR on the interwebs, I can customize it and omit things that make me sick, or do fewer reps of things that I'm not ready for. And even though I can't do about 3 of the 7 exercises, the other 4 are hard enough to make up for it, in my opinion.
• Certain parts, like the "rows from plank" (good God), have already gotten easier, and that progress encourages me to do it again.
• Someone posted a pdf of the whole work out in the RW comments, so I just open that when I want to do it rather than writing it all down myself or watching the videos. If you'd like a copy, I can email it to you.
  

After a couple of the work outs I've made this tasty fruit smoothie:







The giant bag of frozen strawberries from Costco: it makes winter bearable.













Combine in a blender and serve:
1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
5 frozen strawberries (or more if they're small)
1 cup almond milk, or non-dairy milk of choice
2 tbs peanut butter
2 tbs ground flax seeds