Miss Rachel

The race I did on Sunday was OK: I finished, and I didn’t come in last. I came in 457th out of 480. I walked the first two miles and ran the last (the miles were marked along the course). It was a flat course, and the scenery was beautiful, featuring one of my favorite things: old houses because it was in Old Wethersfield, a historic district in Wethersfield, Connecticut.

It was kind of a solitary race for me. I ran by myself, but I did manage to exchange hellos with a few spectators and a cop near the end who told me I was almost there. At the finish line, they announced my name – wow, way to make me feel special – so I put my arms up in the air. Then I collected a bottle of water, found some shade and managed to lower myself onto the grass and wait for Sweetie to finish the 10K. Even walking as much as I did I was pretty beat: I acted kind of like my dog Blue when I was trying to sit down on the grass afterward. He has 3 “regular” legs and 1 deformed leg so he always kind of flops when he lies down: thunk. I kind of “thunked” down too, and I don’t have a deformed leg. I was pretty hurtin’ there for a while, but I walked today, and I’m feeling much better.

I did manage to make dinner for us Sunday night: curried cauliflower and peas served over “jubilee blend” brown rice. Remember rice? I love quinoa and pasta so much I sometimes forget about rice, but it’s nice now and then.

We had a nice dose of cooler weather last week, but the summer heat has returned full force this week with potentially record-breaking high 90s. Fortunately, I don’t start school until the weekend after Labor Day weekend. Much as I look forward to returning to the beautiful campus, the current weather is not putting me in very back-to-school frame of mind.

In other news, I re-reading The Secret Garden, a book from my childhood and it’s even better than I remembered.

And I’ve bought a “season pass” on iTunes to Mad Men (now in it’s fourth season), and I’m loving it as much as ever.

Tags: Blue, books, cauliflower, grains, peas, race reports, running, summer, TV

So last weekend I said I could not run because of excrutiating pain (from falling on the stairs), but on Monday I tried it on the treadmill, and found the I could run without pain (other than the normal discomfort running causes me). I took a step all prepared to stop immediately, but I didn’t feel any leg pain so I kept going. My thoughts were “Yea I can run” and “Damn now I have to run.” But it was good. And on Wednesday my friend and I met and did our 2.25 mile run on the path, and that felt good too. As good as running can feel for me. I’ve said here before there’s no such thing as an easy run for me and that’s still true.

So tomorrow is the 5K that I had planned to walk because of continuing pain and the way the pain curtailed my training. Now I know I can run without pain, but of course I still did not get the training in so I think I’m going to do some combination of walking and running tomorrow. Tonight before dinner, Sweetie (who is doing the 10K) asked “Are we carbo loading?” and I said as a matter of fact we are. I boiled up some whole wheat linguine, coated it in pesto, and topped it with steamed green beans. There are no leftovers.

And my sweet tooth is still “on” so I made some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I have revised my recipe slightly, using one and one eighth cups of flour instead of one and one fourth. I think the texture is better with slightly less flour.

I hope everyone’s having a good weekend.

Tags: chocolate chips, cookies, green beans, pasta, peanut butter, pesto, running

I don’t know if my tastes have changed because I’ve gone vegan, but I generally have not been wanting sweets as much as I used to since making the switch to a vegan diet. I used to “need” something sweet at least once a day, but now I can go through an entire day or days without eating a sweet – previously unthinkable. That said, lately my sweet tooth has returned a bit, and I’ve been baking to satisfy it.

A week or so ago, I made brownies.

Miss Rachel’s Vegan Brownies

1/2 cup Earth Balance
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 t Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 T water
3/4 cup of flour
1/4 – 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Melt Earth Balance and chocolate together in a sauce pan over very low heat. Pour sugar into a mixing bowl. Once melted, add the chocolate mixture to the sugar and combine. Add the egg substitute and combine. Make sure the flour is “lightened” – stir through it with a fork (or sift it if you’re so inclined) and lightly spoon it into a measuring cup. Blend the flour into the main mixture and then add the chocolate chips if you are using. Grease an 8 or 9-inch pan with Earth Balance and add the batter to it, spreading it out evenly. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 22 minutes. Allow to cool for “a while” (45 minutes?). These brownies are best served slightly warm.

Then this weekend I wanted cookies, and I made some snickerdoodles. I found a recipe by doing a Google search which led me to this entry on a blog called Eat Me, Delicious. Of course, I changed the recipe by using vegan substitutes for the butter and eggs. I also cut the recipe in half, but on second thought I could have made the full recipe because Sweetie and I went through these pretty quickly.  I think I’ll be making them again.

Another thing I’ve been meaning to make this summer with all the blueberries out is some good blueberry cake.  Once again I Googled, and I found this recipe on a blog called Almost Vegan, but I changed the recipe up a bit.  For one thing, I cut the recipe in half.  Cake is best fresh so I wanted something we could finish in a few days, and I thought a smaller one would serve us better.  Then I used rice milk in place of soy milk and water and I added a tablespoon of vanilla extract.  I can also assure you that I did NOT sift the flour even once; I don’t have that kind of patience.  I just “lightened” it as I did in the aforementioned brownie recipe.  I also used brown sugar for the crumb topping, and I kind of “winged” it on measurements of said topping.  I just mixed enough Earth Balance, flour and brown sugar together until in seemed like a good consistency and the right amount. I baked the cake for about 38 minutes.

I made the blueberry cake Monday night and now on Wednesday, there is only one small piece left.  I think I’ll be making this cake again too.

Have you been doing any summer baking?

Tags: blueberries, brownies, cake, cookies, recipes

One of my goals this summer was to run a 5K: train for it and have a good race, beating my time of ~42 minutes (I’m slow, but that’s OK). I registered for one that’s being held next Sunday: August 29th. Training was going OK, but I had not been really trying that hard. I planned to step it up, but then I got an injury. I was all dressed up for a work meeting and rushing down the stairs (at home) in my pumps and then I tripped on the last stair and fell in a heap. Ow. I got a bruise on my knee, but the main problem in that I “did something” to my leg. I’m not sure what I did, but I’m still limping a little and when I tried to run just a few paces on the treadmill last week, the pain was too much and I had to stop almost immediately and just walk.

It’s still not better yet, more than 10 days later, and I’ve come to the decision that I better go see my doctor, and I will give her a call on Monday. I’m guessing it will require an X-ray because my leg looks OK, but doesn’t feel right. The pain is not exactly in my calf and not exactly in the back of my knee, but somewhere around there. In addition to going to the doctor, I’ve also had to accept that I’m going to have to walk the 5K. I feel disappointed about not running the race, but it’s better than not doing the race at all (which I had considered). Besides, if I can get my leg fixed, I can train to run another 5K in the fall. There are tons of 5Ks in the fall, and even though a lot of them are on Saturday when I’m in school (remember school?), I’m pretty sure there are some on Sundays, and I can do one of them.

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On to pizza….

I assure you pizza is something you do not have to give up if you’re vegan. Just leave out the dairy cheese. There are vegan cheese options, including the latest creation, a brand called Daiya that is very good. However, I’ve found it can be really good without cheese altogether. Cases in point…

Pizza with artichoke hearts, red onions and sun-dried tomatoes:

Pizza with pesto, fresh tomatoes and Vidalia onion:

Unlike my feelings about pie crust when I don’t feel you’re really making pie unless you make the crust, pizza crust is something I feel it’s OK to buy pre-made. I buy the dough frozen and then when I decide to make pizza, I put in the fridge to thaw early in the day. I’m doing that right now because we’re having pizza tonight. I’m not sure what the toppings will be, but I’ve been keeping a jar of marinated sun-dried tomatoes on hand at all times for pizza purposes so I think they’ll be part of it. What do you like on your pizza?

Tags: artichokes, onions, pesto, pizza, running, tomatoes, vegan dairy

Started out with coffee. Instant today. There was left over brewed from yesterday (blech!) which Sweetie drank so instead of making a new pot I just went with instant. (Notice my Rabbit Bites mug – love those guys!)

Breakfast was a whole grain bagel with Earth Balance.

I had the day off from work so I decided to attack a project that was long overdue and had been in the back of my mind for months: cleaning the refrigerator. People it was gross. I knew it was dirty, but I didn’t realize quite how bad until I took it apart and cleaned everything. The thing is it is so satisfying to have it done. Now when I open up the door, I just marvel at how clean and beautiful it looks. When Sweetie came home, I made him go look at it right away.

Fab-fridge-ulous!

Lunch was two simple quesadillas: tortillas topped with salsa and Daiya cheese and heated in a non-stick pan.

Later, I got a hankering for a snack so I had some chips and wasabi peas in the midafternoon. No, I didn’t eat the whole bag of chips. There weren’t that many left.

For dinner, I took a bunch of kale out of the Very Clean Refrigerator and chopped it up. It looked so pretty – like a kale forest or something.

Then I braised it with mushrooms and an onion in oil and served it over quinoa. Sweetie and I seasoned our plates at the table with the condiments of our choice.

I haven’t been much on sweets these days, but I felt like having dessert tonight so I had some peanut butter and chocolate chips in a cup (heated in the microwave for about 30 seconds).

And that was my day in food.

Tags: bagels, chocolate chips, coffee, kale, mushrooms, onions, peanut butter, peas, potato chips, salsa, tortillas, vegan butter, vegan dairy

Last Saturday, my mom and sister and I went Passports Restaurant in Gloucester for lunch.

It’s a pretty restaurant with a very charming atmosphere, but I didn’t get a very vegan-friendly feeling from our server. I know waiting on tables is a hard job (I’ve done it) so I always try to be very polite, but I got a sense that the waitress, once hearing that I was a vegan, was focused on what I couldn’t have, and didn’t seem very helpful about what I could have. The veggie wrap was really the only vegan choice, but first the waitress told me I “couldn’t eat” the wrap because the tortilla probably wasn’t vegan. But she checked and found that it was and then offered my choice of sides saying I “couldn’t have” the macaroni salad. She was right about that: I asked her why I couldn’t have that and she said it had mayonnaise in it so I said I’d have the pan-fried potatoes. I also asked her to include any kind of vegan condiment so my plate came with a big dollop of yummy mustard. Despite the limited menu, my lunch was tasty, and I enjoyed being there with my mom and sister.

On the way home on Sunday, I stopped at a rest area to buy gas, and I also noticed there was a farmer’s market advertised. There were only two vendors, one selling produce and the other honey. I like to support local farmers so I bought some zucchini. On Monday night, I cooked it my favorite way, as “fries” in the oven. I served it alongside quinoa and Gardein “Beefless Tips” with barbecue sauce.

I was never a big meat eater to begin with so it’s not something I feel needs to be substituted, but I serve vegan meat products sometimes because they do taste good and offer protein. I try not to have them too often because they’re highly processed. Vegan meat is also usually made from soybeans, and there is a lot of debate now as to whether soy is good or bad, but I think it’s safe to say that too much of anything is not good, and if you’re going to eat food made from soybeans, the less processed it is, the better. Here is an article from vegan author John Robbins that presents a reasonable perspective and debunks some of the most damning claims that have been made against soy: What about soy? It’s a bit long, but well worth a read.

How do you feel about vegan “meat?”

Tags: BBQ, Cape Ann, dining out, family, grains, travel, vegan meat, vegan nutrition, zucchini

I’ve added this video to my favorites on YouTube and watch and listen to it to make myself feel better. Try it and see if it works for you.

I am in Rockport for the weekend. There were all kinds of delays in the traffic due to accidents and construction. A trip that normally takes me under two and a half hours took over four – !!! I was listening to podcasts, but I would periodically turn them off and check out the AM news radio station for traffic updates. Doesn’t every city have one of those? Up in the Boston area it’s WBZ. I don’t even know what it’s call number is; I just scanned through other stations and ended up finding it pretty easily. I learned there was big accident in “Grafton.”

Then since the traffic was so slow, I started surreptitiously texting my sister. She was giving me traffic updates too and then I’d ask her a question like “Where’s Grafton” and she’d give me some oh so descriptive answer, not what I wanted to know at all. I texted back “am I near it?” because that’s where the accident was. Finally I made it off the Mass Pike onto Route 128, and there was some kind of delay there too. Then as a final insult, on my way into Gloucester, there was construction and a subsequent delay on the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge. Oy.

When I finally arrived, the last thing I felt like doing was getting back in the car, but I did want to eat (lunch was a bag of chips procured at a rest stop) so my mom and I headed out to the grocery store. We bought all kinds of vegetables (and Smart Balance Light which I heard is vegan) and then came home and I made us some dinner: boiled beets and gemelli pasta topped with stir-fried Swiss chard, mushrooms and onion. (For dessert, there were So Delicious ice cream sandwiches left from the last time I visited.) It was great having a vegetable-filled dinner with my mom. She loves vegetables and she loves when I cook for her.

Tags: beets, family, mushrooms, onions, pasta, Rockport, Swiss chard, travel, vegan butter, yoga

Katie, the Chocolate-Covered Vegan is featuring “Hug a Fruit” month, and I decided to participate as a challenge. Although I eat some fruit (usually apples and bananas) regularly, fruit is not something that I generally want to “hug.” It’s something that I know is nutritious, and it’s convenient to carry so I do eat it, but I don’t have the love for it that I do for my vegetables. If I were to hug a fruit, it would have to be blueberries. Sweet and juicy, blueberries are definitely my favorite fruits, and they are having their heyday in the grocery store right now. Granted I like blueberries best baked in pie, but they’re also good raw and and they make a great topping for sorbet, along with raspberries.

I guess I like raspberries also.

Let’s give them both a hug!

So what about you? Have you hugged a fruit lately?

Tags: blueberries, raspberries, sorbet

Lately, Whole Foods is sporting and touting a lot of “local” produce. I’m not sure what the criteria for local is because I’ve seen stuff from Maine labeled local and the Maine border has got to be at least 200 miles from here. Still that’s a lot more local than New Zealand or Peru where stuff frequently comes from during the winter months.

Today I found *local* (from Massachusetts) green patty pan squash and I picked up six of them. I cooked them “the balsamic vinegar way” and then served them alongside some whole wheat linguine with pesto. I bought the *vegan* pesto already prepared from the frozen section from a company called Linnabella. I like their website because it explains exactly what you need to know and gives good answers. Such as… how should you thaw it and how much do you use and what do you do with the rest of it once it’s thawed? You can refreeze it! I was afraid I was going to be forced to refrigerate it and use it within a week or something. As delicious as pesto is, it’s a strong flavor and not something I want to eat more than once in a week. Hey, and I just noticed Linnabella’s a local farm too.

Dinner was yummy, and I was pretty tired after my day of doing laundry, grocery shopping and cooking, but I managed to muster the energy to make a blueberry pie afterward – !!! Pie is pretty major for me because the crust is my nemesis, but I’m a baking snob and I don’t think you’re really making a pie if you don’t make the crust yourself. I managed to do a pretty good job (with minimal cracking) of it by rolling the dough between two sheets of wax paper. And the blueberries were local of course (super local – from Connecticut). The pie is cooling now, but Sweetie and I will be sure to delve into a little later tonight.

Tags: blueberries, pasta, pesto, pie, summer squash

So I’ve been struggling with depression lately and felt really shitty earlier this week. Like, I was getting a little scared about how bad I felt, but I persevered and seem to be holding it together pretty well. I did feel like crying once at work today, but then I realized the work stuff I was getting agitated about was really no big deal. As I said, I’m holding it together.

Somehow in spite of the depression I have managed to keep working out. This morning workout regimen I decided to try out a few weeks ago has really caught on. All the good things I’ve heard about working out in the morning – it gives you energy, you get it over with, it kick starts your metabolism – were things I always believed, but the idea of waking up and working out right away just sounded awful to me. In fact, that still sounds awful to me, but waking up and doing my normal morning routine (coffee, blog reading, packing my lunch), and then going to work out is great.

Wednesday is the day I go running with a coworker friend. I was feeling rotten au gratin on Tuesday afternoon, but I IM-d her, and asked are we running tomorrow, and she said yes. Wednesday morning we met and I said I don’t want to do this, and she said, but we’re going to do this. And we did. And by the end of the run I was smiling. Wednesday is running day. Even Anthony Martignetti runs on Wednesday.

Tags: depression, friends, running, TV, working out