I have a confession to make... maybe even many confessions. This has been the worst holiday for me as a vegan or even as a health-conscious person. After 3 days of eating crappy food that I have tried to ensure (somewhat unsuccessfully) was vegan, I feel pretty much like crap. Yucky yucky yucky. The big one was that I ate an egg the other day, willingly, because I loved them before I went vegan. However, I paid for it later with a severely upset tummy and an even more upset mind. Yesterday I ate a traditional food that my mom made for my grandma and I wanted to try it. It had milk in it and my mouth felt weird afterwards with the back of my throat feeling like wheat paste. I have been thinking about doing a fast starting the day after tomorrow for 4 days (ie. until I go back to work). I am going to drink smoothies tomorrow and just eat raw veggies. Even a few days of that would feel pretty good. I guess we'll see. I definitely need to get out of this food funk. YUCK!

Today I read the funniest cartoon strip called "Totally Not Vegan." So I added their RSS feed to this blog. So freaking funny! The latest one is hilarious:

Lately I have become a cooking fool! I have accumulated more cookbooks and am trying out new recipes all the time. It is partially because I am the main cook in our household now and I am also the main grocery buyer. This makes me quite happy in a way. Here is what our meals look like this week:

Sunday:
- tofu scramble with tofu, veggies, and toast (brunch)
- samosas (snack)
- Green Goddess (from reFresh): broccoli, bok choy, kale, swiss chard, soba noodles, tamari sauce, tahini sauce, ginger

Weekdays:
Morning:
- smoothie with pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, 1 banana, frozen fruit, soy milk, hemp oil, and hemp seeds
- oatmeal with apples, sunflower seeds, soy milk, ground flax seeds, soy milk, organic maple syrup

Lunch:
- leftovers from the night before

Suppers:
- African sweet potato and peanut stew with kidney beans and rice
- Lentil curry with coconut milk and peas and rice
- Pasta with tofu and garlic toast
- Tortilla chips with hummus and salsa (as a snack)

Woah! I just read about a woman who makes VEGAN OMLETTES!!!! I must try this recipe soon!!!!

Raw veganism has been an idea that has stumped me for a while. Maybe it's the fact that I love my cooked carbs and figure that it's enough. However, in the past month I have had a couple of very intense conversations with people about the raw vegan diet. With my anxiety acting up more than ever, I find myself drawn to the simplicity of the raw food/vegan lifestyle. I keep hearing about how great it feels and I can't help but want to try it.

However, warnings keep sounding in my head about how I would be able to get the 90g of protein per day required for my training. I would have to eat a LOT of nuts and hemp seeds to make that happen. I have been thinking, though, that incorporating raw foods into my diet slowly might work for now as I make my way to Ironman. So I took the liberty at contacting my local bookstore and getting the books ordered. They won't be here for a couple of weeks, but it's better on my conscience than ordering it from Amazon.


Raw Food, Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow was recommended to me by my former roommate, Heather, who is trying to be mostly raw and absolutely loves it. I believe her since I've heard this numerous times from numerous people. I've also been part of a Raw Vegan Community on LiveJournal for almost 2 years now.


The Complete Book of Raw Food is the other book I ordered. I'm excited about having a good base for learning about preparation and that sort of thing.

I also found a great blog called Raw Food, Right Now. These people are very inspiring and committed to the raw food lifestyle.

I like trying things out to see how it works. I'm not sure how it will work as an athlete, but I guess I'll find out!

Ok. So I know that ice cream doesn't really fall into the category of what a vegan triathlete should eat, but sometimes it's nice to have a treat or reward of some kind. My attention was brought to this homemade vegan ice cream blog by the vegan pictures community on Livejournal. Somebody posted a picture of some mint chocolate chip soy ice cream and it made me so jealous... mint chocolate chip was my favorite type of ice cream when I wasn't vegan, but I haven't eaten it since I turned vegan (and probably for a while before that). So here is a recipe for it! Now I really really really want an ice cream maker! I'm sure I could find one at a garage sale or I could ask around for my friends. From what I've heard, ice cream makers are one of those items that you buy, use once, and give away/sell. So maybe I could get one without paying large amounts of money for it. If I do make it, I'll be sure to report back!

Breakfast of Champions!

Crystal and Luke's oatmeal:
1 c. oats (cooked in 2 cups water)
add 1 cut up apple and some almonds near the end of cooking
sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of hemp seeds
sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of ground flax
add some soy milk

so tasty, so healthy, so filling, and so great!

Two weeks ago, I realized that I hadn't followed up on ensuring that I would be able to eat at the Carbo-loading supper for the Half Iron(wo)man I was doing on the July long-weekend. So I emailed the race director and he gave me the number for the caterers. I called them and left a message saying that I was vegan and needed to be accommodated (I think I also mentioned something about the supper being worth $25, which is what my partner was paying). The race director then called me to tell me that they would accommodate me, but it seemed begrudging. It didn't seem like he REALLY wanted to accommodate me and told me that I was the only person that had requested such a meal. I told him that I knew of at least one other vegan that was coming and that just because no one had talked to him about it, didn't mean that vegans weren't coming but that they weren't eating the food! I suggested that he make an option on the online sign-up for a veg*n meal or meat. He didn't seem very receptive to this, but I think that I will follow-up on this because I have seen it done at other races and can't see why it would be a problem.

At one of the suppers, the chef (I got to meet him personally and he called me "the vegan") told me that they don't advertise the veg*n option. I still don't know why they don't. He prepared a stuffed pepper, which was pretty good. I know that I could have done it better, but it was pretty good. Better than nothing! They only prepared 6 veg*n meals for over 700 participants! I don't know the stats on veg*n triathletes, but it seemed pretty disproportional considering that triathletes are generally health-conscious people.

At the end of the Half IM, I said to the race director after he gave me my finishers medal that vegans can finish too. He laughed, gave me a big hug, and said, "Of course they can!" It was a nice ending to the saga of the food at the Great White North Triathlon.

Race nutrition has always been something that I struggle with. Sports drinks, gels, and protein bars are expensive, taste kind of awful, and are hard on the stomach. However, I've slowly found ways to shave down cost and stomach both the taste and the high calories!

First of all, I eat mostly Clif bars in bulk. I either get my local health food store to order me a whole box of them or I buy them at sketchy Costco. The bulk ones from Costco come in assorted flavours, but I have become quite tired of the Peanut Butter, Chocolate Almond, and Maple Oatmeal flavours. Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite, so I get those from my health food store. They are literally the only "protein" bar that I can stomach, even though its qualities are questionable with a 20:1 calorie to protein ratio. I would try Luna bars, but they aren't as accessible in my city.

Sports drinks are tricky because one can buy cases of them at Costco and other places. However, I go with the powdered Gatorade. I don't like all the sugar while I'm exerting myself, so I water it down a bit. Personally, I like the blue kind (I don't know what flavour that is!).

I started using Gu gels last year when I was racing. Actually, I think I used them first during my half Ironman in 2005 - remember to never do anything new during a race! Last year was the first year that I used them regularly and I remember feeling surprised at how well they worked. I think I used different gels than the Gu gels, but discovered that some of them had caffeine in them and didn't want to have any part in that. I have heard that once you start intaking caffeine, you shouldn't stop during a race. Not only that, but I don't drink coffee and I'm very careful about my intake. Also, caffeine is a diuretic, which seems like a bad idea during a big race. This year, I found that Gu had some promo packs with 3 boxes of assorted gels at a discounted price. I bought the 3 boxes and have been quite pleased with the Chocolate and Vanilla flavours. The Strawberry-Banana might grow on me, but I'm not super impressed right now.


I've been reading Going Long by Joe Friel and Gordon Byrn (better known as Gordo by many people) and I absolutely love it. It is so inspirational and has been filling in gaps of information that I didn't get from my coach. I have also been reading "Nutrition for Endurance Athletes" and it is great! Well, it is very dense and kind of dry - there are no pictures and very few stories, but lots of information. The information that it has in invaluable and I've felt so much better since reading it. Both of these books tell me that I'm not getting enough carbohydrates. In fact, I'm probably not getting enough calories either. With the amount of training I'm doing and the nutritional requirements that I have, I need to eat constantly to the point of being extremely full, which is obviously uncomfortable for actually training! In Going Long, they told me that it is common to get sick after a hard week or even a hard workout because the body is compromised. Apparently this happens to novice triathletes who aren't used to the nutrition and recovery needed after such strain on the body.

So I'm learning a lot, which is great. And here I thought that I was an expert at being a vegan triathlete after only 5 years!

There has been lots of talk at my place about vegan barbecues and the "politics" around being so exclusionary, but we're going ahead with it anyway. This is a recipe that was suggested to me from goveg.com:

Flaming ‘Buffalo Wings’

These extra spicy “wings” will be a hit at potlucks and football parties or on poker night.

1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce (try Texas Pete brand)
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. salt
Vegetable oil sufficient for frying
1 pkg. Chickette or 2 pkgs. seitan

• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the margarine, hot sauces, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook, stirring often, until the margarine is melted. Lower the heat and keep warm while preparing the “wings.”
• Combine the flour, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. • In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat enough oil to fry the “wings.”
• Tear the Chickette or seitan into “wing”-size pieces. Dredge in the flour mixture. Fry until browned, flipping halfway through. Drain on paper towels.
• Toss with the prepared sauce. Serve with celery and carrots sticks and vegan ranch dressing.

Makes 4 servings

Note: If you have leftovers, serve them wrapped in a tortilla with vegan ranch dressing, chopped celery, shredded carrots, and lettuce for a quick lunch.

Flaming Buffalo Wings recipe

Another recipe to try:

Sweet Potato and Kale soup

4 oz. fresh kale - cut out and discard thick veins, coarsely chop leaves.
1 Lg. onion, chopped
3 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme)
2 tsp. olive oil
3 14 1/2 oz cans of veg broth (or 1 1/2 quarts)
2 15 oz cans of white kidney or cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced (the printed recipe called for 12 cloves, and I think that's a misprint. That's too much garlic for this amount of soup--and I like garlic.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a dutch oven, saute onion and italian seasoning in oil until onion is tender.
Add broth, beans, sweet potatoes, and kale. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

BLACKENED TOFU
Yields 4 to 6 servings

The melted butter is essential in this for the right flavor as are the powdered garlic and onions. Because of the extreme heat and volatility of the spices, it's best to cook blackened anything out-of-doors or under a good fan.

2 1-pound blocks Chinese-style firm tofu Salt
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ to 1 tsp. cayenne to taste
¾ tsp. ground white pepper
¾ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
6-8 Tbsp. butter, melted (preferably clarified)

Cut the tofu into slabs about ½ inch thick and set them on paper towels to drain for at least 30 minutes, preferably with a weight on top. They need to be very dry. Mix 2½ tsp. salt and the spices and herbs in a bowl. Brush each piece of tofu with melted butter, then dredge with the spice mixture, patting it firmly into the tofu. This can be done ahead of time.

Preheat the over to 250° and have a platter and spatula at hand. Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove or covered gas grill until it's white-hot, about 15 minutes. Pour a teaspoon of melted butter onto each piece of tofu, then place it, butter side down, into the hot skillet and step back. Wait 2 minutes, then turn it over and repeat on the second side. Remove to a platter and keep in the oven until all are cooked.

I've recently gotten back into cooking new and exciting vegan recipes. I'm thinking that it will inspire me to resurrect this blog. On top of that, I have been reading some vegan blogs and looking at pictures of vegan cooking and am becoming more and more inspired! Seriously, how could one NOT be inspired by this:

Stuffed Bell Peppers from Celine, who I became familiar with from the Vegan Food Pics LiveJournal blog.

Her recipe for the stuffed peppers is as such:
Ingredients:
3 large bell peppers
1 package firm OR extra firm OR super firm tofu, drained
1 medium sized onion
3 garlic cloves [or less if you're not a fan. I happen to be!]
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
herbs, your choice
salt, pepper, to taste
Bragg's liquid aminos OR soy sauce
1 cup breadcrumbs [I used panko style whole wheat breadcrumbs] OR cooked rice OR any other grain
1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed
1 T olive oil or other oil
6 slices tofutti cheese or other vegan cheese [optional]

Instructions:
* cut peppers in half, remove seeds and clean. boil water in a large pot, place clean peppers in them and boil for 5 minutes. remove peppers and let drain well. [do not put away the pot, or clean it, you will need it later!]
* preheat oven to 350F.
* in a food processor, crumble tofu, place in large bowl. in same food processor, chop onions and garlic. add to tofu in large bowl.
* pour out some of the liquid from diced tomatoes can, add to tofu mixture. add all the herbs you want [I used all purpose seasoning from mccormack's, it's salt free], some salt, some pepper, a teaspoon Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce if you prefer, breadcrumbs, black beans, mix well.
* place oil in reserved pot, put tofu mixture in, cook for a few minutes. remove from heat.
* place bell pepper halves in a baking pan [no need to spray it or butter it], fill them up with tofu mixture. there might be leftover stuffing, but you can freeze it and use it again at a later time, that's what I did. or you could simply get more bell peppers to feed more people that very same day.
* place a slice of tofutti cheese on each bell pepper.
* put in oven and let bake for 20-25 minutes. serve hot and enjoy!