Gym Christmas Day 6

Gym Christmas Day 6!

Work out: 4-ish miles of speed work, including warm up and cool down. 

• A little over a mile warm up
• 6 X 400 meters at 2:10
• 90 second recovery interval
• A little under a mile cool down

I'm never sure of the total mileage, but it took about 41 minutes. 

I've slowed my 400s down to 2:10, instead of 1:58 or 2:00, in order to focus on form. Speed work outs are actually the easiest on my foot, probably because my form is actually good. Now that I've realized that it's easier to run with proper form when running a bit faster, I've modified my running plan for December: no long runs. I want to do 3-4 mile runs for the rest of the month to give myself time to make those form changes into an actual habit. Three to four miles seems to be the limit of how long I can sustain the right form, in part because I'm not yet strong enough, and also because it's mentally taxing. Meanwhile, my speed work outs will get longer, and I'm cross training a lot. This kind of change is a nice break from training for races, and I know my foot appreciates it.

GYMGO: Socialcize! John and I warm up and cool down together, and we run different intervals on the same track. So close, GYMGO, so close.

Photo: I actually took this sort of crappy photo last night, when we had the Hottie Black-Eyed Peas and Greens for dinner, with mashed sweet potatoes with apple and ginger on the side. I definitely went back for seconds on the black-eyed peas, which, btw, are very simple to make. So far I'm enjoying Appetite for Reduction.*

*I know I'm always on about how great everything from the PPK is, including the books. And I thought I might as well say, lest you get the wrong impression, that I do not get paid or compensated in any way to talk about them. I am just obsessed with their recipes, books, and general website. If Isa Chandra wanted to pay me to review her recipes, that would be just fine. 

Gym Christmas Day 1

Day 1. 

Work out: 30 minutes of Iron Strength, adjusted to make me less motion sick (no mountain climbers, no sit ups, etc). Includes things like squats, push ups, lunges (I did the physio variety I learned last summer), 5 lb. weights, and stretching.

GYMGO Card: crossed off a "Grab Bag" square in the top left corner. I've studied the card and decided that my strategy will be to get the diagonals first.

Photo and food I've eaten today: cranberry + cottage cheese + sweet potato muffins, from the Lean Green Bean, via Djillian. Shown here with some Christmas items.

Oh man, these are good, and super easy. You want to make these muffins.

Side note: you may have seen on facebook that Sargibso's smart and very funny boyfriend, Aaron, was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer. He's started a blog where he can write and make jokes about it. It's definitely worth your time.

November Foods 2011

Instead of a bunch of separate food posts, here's a round up of recipes we tried and enjoyed this fall.

First up: Vegan Broccoli Cheese Pasta Bake from Daily Garnish.

















It's amazing how blended tofu turns into a creamy sauce for this dish. You can use pretty much any shaped pasta and whatever green veggies you had on hand, though broccoli works extremely well. Our only complaint was that this didn't reheat very well the next day. The tofu on the pasta gets kind of hard, even though it was totally creamy the first time. But if you're feeding a large group, I would recommend it.

Next: Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup from Giada (Food Network).

















My friend Katie sent me the recipe for this and I knew we'd both love it. It's basically a lot of sweet potato and broth, but then you mix in marscapone and it turns into magic. I think subbing almond milk and some Earth Balance would be a good way to make this vegan, and I almost tried it (but then I wanted to buy the cheese, so...you know what happened). We will definitely make it again.


ON TO DESSERT!

Numero 3: Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows from the PPK.

















These. are. amazing. I made them for a get together at Bryn and Djillian's house, and they were gone well before I left. I think next time I would make them a little smaller, since some of them were quite large. They are only slightly more involved than a regular cookie, in that you have to roll the peanut butter part into balls and then cover it with the chocolate to make one giant ball, but really, it's pretty fool proof. I'm looking for another excuse to make them because, seriously, these are the best cookies I've made all year.


Four: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
























This recipe isn't on the PPK site, though they do have three other cupcakes up there. I suspect that if you google it, you could find the real thing. They have corn flour and almond meal in them and it gives them a little bit of a gritty texture. The cayenne pepper also gives them a little kick - nothing strong, just a bit - because apparently that's what Mexican hot chocolate tastes like. I've made a couple other recipes from this book, but these are by far my favorite.


Cinque: (Vegan) Pumpkin Pie Brownies, also from the PPK.

















I baked these a little longer than the directions called for, and I'm not sure if it made a difference. The final direction is to chill them for an hour and a half before serving, and at that point the pumpkin layer on top was fully set and DELICIOUS. I love these brownies! One of the taste testers said that they have the consistency of a cheese cake. I kind of went on dessert overkill last week, so I froze individual servings of these brownies. I'm optimistic that they will still be good after being frozen.

Six: Mashed Potatoes with Sage and Rosemary and White Gravy from Daily Garnish.
















Not a dessert, but I did serve these and the brownies along with a few other items on American Thanksgiving. We had a couple friends over for a casual meal and these potatoes were a hit. They have mashed apples in them that add the perfect amount of sweetness. We will probably make them again at Christmas!


And finally, chocolate dipped shortbread cookies.

























This recipe is from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and I first made it the day after we got El Mixo 3000 from Costco (we've been through so much since then, El Mixolito!). Unfortunately I baked them a few minutes too long and they were a little brown. Normally this wouldn't stop me from eating them or giving them away, but they were for a church fundraiser, and they're supposed to look nice so people will buy them. So I did what anyone would do - combine a little melted chocolate with a little milk, dip 'em, and cover them with Christmas cheer. Done and done. I think they sold well!

That's that for fall foods. I'm so proud that this list even includes two non-dessert recipes. It's that time of year again. I have lots more Christmas stuff to write about. In the mean time, it's after December 1st, so crank up the volume on the Christmas music!

Grills Gone Wild

Last week I didn't mention that John and I bought a grill from our friend Emilie.

And it. is. awesome.



















We had little charcoal grill, but we haven't used it much. The new-to-us grill is gas, and we've used it almost every day since we got it.

Here are some of the results.
Portobello burgers with grilled sweet potatoes (based on this preparation), asparagus, and zucchini.

















The mushroom burgers were marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. We topped them with goat cheese and lettuce. Amazing!




Next up: Asian-style Grilled Tofu with an enormous salad.

















We grilled these cuts of tofu on foil so that they didn't stick to the grill and then go up in flames. They stuck a little bit when the marinade caramelized (it was made of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and lime juice), but they came up ok. The marinade was delicious, if a little higher in sodium than I prefer. I had one of the leftover slices on a hamburger bun for lunch the next day. They're pretty tasty.
















By the end of the week we were ready for something non-grilled, so we made pizza with sauce I read about on Dave and Carla's food blog.

















This recipe makes a ton of sauce, so we've made several versions of the same pizza over the past few days: zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms, and goat cheese with some fresh herbs. It might be my new favorite combination of toppings. Apparently the sauce is a copy cat from a pizza place called Palermo's (I'm guessing that's the right place, but if it's not, let me know!). It's a sweet, flavorful sauce, and I'm glad we have so much of it. We even froze some to use again, probably next month during our comps.

And finally, totally unrelated to grilling and pizza, I saw a blog post this week (similar to this one) about torching some bananas with sugar on them as an oatmeal topping that mimics creme brulee. Since John and I have a torch, I felt like I had to try it.








It doesn't involve the grill, but it does require a flame.









They were a little too sweet for my taste, but, what can I say? I can't resist the chance to light my breakfast on fire.



In other news, the weather felt a lot more like spring this week. The purple wildflowers are coming up in our neighbors' yard.





You can see downtown just behind those trees.










Compare with this somewhat similar angle.






Things really have improved.











Though it snowed like crazy for a couple hours today, it didn't stick. Maybe that's how we can tell it's really spring?

Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones

This week John and I hosted what has become a traveling supper club. A couple of friends of ours have each taken a turn hosting it at their houses, and this week was our turn. We decided to do brunch-for-dinner and we used recipes from Vegan Brunch - aka, my new favorite cookbook.

I decided to make chocolate chip scones. Since it was the day before St. Patrick's Day, one of our dinner friends requested something green, so I added a little food coloring.
















It's a little tricky to add food coloring to what is essentially a biscuit recipe, since it's important not to over mix them. It would have made more sense to add the coloring to the liquid ingredients separately. They turned out kind of marbled.





The pilsner glasses are for the mimosas that Emilie brought.










Here's my plate:

• Scones at 1 o'clock
• Roasted sweet potatoes and parsnips with ginger and maple syrup (yum!), along the bottom, courtesy of Matthew.
• Tofu scramble with red bell pepper, made by John.
  

It was a delicious combination of sweet and savory brunch foods. The scones turned out really well. I get nervous about vegan baking sometimes, but this recipe was very easy to do. Fun fact I learned in the process: you can curdle almond milk the same way you'd curdle cow's milk (by adding some vinegar). I'll definitely make these again; there are a lot of possible variations.

This berry scone recipe on the Post Punk Kitchen looks very similar to the one I used, only with berries instead of chocolate: click here!

The weather was amazing here this week, and it looks like we're going to stay above freezing for the next week or so. That means some spring recipes are on their way to our kitchen. Let asparagus season begin!
Do you have a favorite recipe for spring weather? If so, send it my way!

Curried Lentils with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Remember, you know, one post ago when I showed you a soup with lentils and sweet potatoes?




















I present to you: the same ingredients, but separately, and with different spices. The soup has cumin it it. The lentils on their own are curry-style.




















I would describe this recipe, along with the Indian-style cabbage, chana masala, and curried quinoa salad, as your basic Indian food. Only a couple of spices, not too many ingredients, and it's an easy meal to put together on any given week night.

John had to bat my hand away a few times from just eating the sweet potatoes off of the baking sheet, then off of the serving plate, then out of the tupperware. I love them! And it's this time of year that I always remember. When we were planning this meal I said to John, "You know what sounds good with that lentil recipe? Sweet potatoes!" And he said, "Didn't we just eat that same exact thing?"
Well we did. And it turns out, these are two foods that bear repeating...together.


Curried Lentils with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen.

2 big sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped to your liking, as uniform as possible.

2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced in 1/4 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed (we used red, which may have affected the cooking time)
2 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock (or 1 can chicken broth and 1/4 cup water)
3/4 cup chopped cilantro (or more)
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread chopped potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper (or brown sugar, if you'd like them to be more like dessert). When the oven is hot, add the potatoes and bake for 40 minutes, turning once.

While potatoes are roasting, heat oil in medium sized heavy pan, add onions, and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes. Add curry powder to onion-garlic mixture and sautee about 2 minutes more.

Add lentils and stock, bring to a low simmer, then cover pan and cook until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed. Cooking time will depend on how old the lentils are, ours probably took 10-15 minutes max. You may need to add a little water towards the end if your stove doesn't keep the simmer low enough.

When lentils are done (soft but still slightly chewy), remove from heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes while you chop the parsley. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

When autumn comes, I renew my love affair with the sweet potato. It happened last year, and it will happen again. They're so flavorful! They're good savory or sweet! Like regular potatoes, but cranked up to 11!

This soup could easily be made with butternut squash, or the same portion of another squash. It depends on your preference, but sweet potatoes are easy to peel and to buy in a very specific quantity, such as 750 grams.




















I wondered if I would be hungry an hour after eating this soup, but the lentils make it really filling. The recipe made enough for us to have this for three nights, which is perfect for the school year.


















Like a lot of parts of the U.S., we had unseasonably warm temperatures this week that made me feel like it was too hot for a fall soup. But this soup is so good, I just turned the ceiling fan on high and enjoyed it.


Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
from Food.com

• 5 cups chicken stock or 5 cups water (or veggie stock)
• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 medium onions
• 750 g sweet potatoes
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 cup coriander, chopped (or less to your taste)
• 1 lemon
• salt and black pepper

1. Peel and roughly chop the onions and sweet potatoes. They can be chunky since they will be blended later on.
   
2. Combine with the stock or water, lentils, garlic, cumin, cayenne and turmeric in a pot.
3. Cover and bring to the boil. Simmer until the potatoes and lentils are cooked - about 20-30 minutes.
4. Puree the soup, adding in the coriander and the juice of the lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste.