Monday, November 26, 2012

HSP Rocket Ride

So, you think you're fast? Join me and the rest of the Hit Squad for the Herriott Sports Performance (HSP) Rocket Ride to see how you stack up against some of the fastest guys in the Pacific Northwest. This group ride WILL put you in The Box, Pain Cave, Hurt Locker or whatever, so don't act surprised when you feel like dying. What better way to start off a Saturday morning in the Seattle winter?

"Saturday, November 3rd  9AM at Log Boom Park in Kenmore marks the start of the Rocket Ride for this season.  Every Saturday at 9am it leaves Log Boom (weather dependent).  The rule of thumb is, 40* & wet = no ride.  Follow us on Twitter to get morning of updates. If the weather is iffy, we make the call by 8am.  The Rocket Ride is the same course every week. It’s just under 50 miles and takes 2-3 hours.  We all meet at the Woodinville Starbucks [after] to have some coffee & swap war stories.  This is a drop ride, so bring everything you need…including game." - hspseattle.com

Friday, November 23, 2012

Quick Fire Friday: Tempeh Salad Sandwich

If anyone is/was a fan of tuna or chicken salad as a child, currently or never but wanted to know what all the fuss was about, this the vegan equivalent. This recipe works as a stand-alone salad or preferably as the base for a sandwich where lettuce and tomato are involved.

Ingredients:

-1pkg Tempeh
-1 stalk celery, diced
-half a red onion, diced
-small handfull of dill and parsley, chopped
-juice of 1 lemon
-.5c (or more depending on how lucky you're feeling) vegenaise
-salt
-artichoke hearts, chopped
-.25c capers

Method: 

"Him: Tempeh salad recipe?

Me: In a bowl crumble tempeh, mix diced celery, red onion, dill, parsley, lemon juice, vegenaise, salt. If youre a baller add chopped artichoke hearts & capers

Him: Flat leaf or curly?

Me: Always flat leaf" 

I say "always flat leaf" or Italian parsley, simply because it has way more flavor. In my opinion, and I know I'm no the only one, curly parsley is almost completely bland. A couple other helpful hints for this recipe include:

-using pickled red onion, mmmm. 
-pulsing all of these ingredients in the food processor to your desired texture, but using your hands is cooler.
-rinsing your capers before adding, they can be a bit briny.

Enjoy. Tune in this weekend so I can show you how my Thanksgiving dinner went and how to make something I'm confident you probably haven't before. (WHAT COULD IT BE??)

Friday, November 16, 2012

Black Friday Group Ride: The Leftover Roll

As some of you may or may not be aware, my favorite holiday is approaching rather quickly and, no, I'm not referring to Black Friday. Vegan Thanksgiving, of course! Time to try and out-do eachother at the potluck parties, yet again. The best part of Vegan Thanksgiving is watching my friends get motivated to put forth the effort of curating a well-rounded (vegan) dish, whom otherwise aren't so comfortable in the kitchen. I'm not a snob when it comes to home-cooked meals, I enjoy devouring them equally. And since the third Thursday of every November is all about being thankful for what you do have while eating and drinking as much as possible, what better way to spend the following afternoon than with a nice bike ride? Good company, swapping experiences of the prior's day coma-induced cuisine, COFFEE and a nice ride to burn at least a fraction of the calorie surplus we all accumulated. Yes.

If you know myself, Bryan Clark Smith (Emerald City Bicycles), Greg Mertzlufft or Ryan Schuetze (Go Means Go) then you are invited to join us on the 1st Annual Leftover Roll. If you don't know any of us, come along anyways and make some new friends.


"After spending your Turkey Day with friends and family stuffing your face and drinking your fill you will be looking forward to the leftovers the next day. Especially The Leftover Roll. Meet up at Fremont Coffee @ 1:30pm, the ride will roll at 2pm sharp.

Expect a casual paced, friendly group ride of about 15-20 miles. Ride will wrap up before dark, but be sure and bring a lock and lights if you plan on staying out after the ride." - via FB


(https://www.facebook.com/events/293257467459455/293425797442622)


-Fremont Coffee Co, 459 N 36th St, Seattle, Washington 98103
-All bikes welcome.

Quick Fire Friday: Tomato Soup

A friend of mine occasionally surprises me with a recipe request via text. Depending on what he's in the mood for and what he has lying around in the cupboards, he'll ask me what to do with them or even something specific. I've decided to share these "quick fire" recipes with my loyal viewers and lurkers. These are simple, non-pretentious, vegan meals that are meant to be nutritious and delicious. To start this series, which I shall call... Quick Fire Friday? I'm open to suggestions, really. I give you Tomato Soup. Method shall be written verbatim as I have sent it via SMS.

Ingredients:

-oil
-salt
-2 cloves of garlic, minced (chopped extremely fine)
-1 onion, diced (white, yellow, or sweet, preferably)
-.25c tomato paste
-apple cider vinegar
-24oz (roughly) canned tomatoes
-12oz water or veg stock
-herbs/spices
-.25c nutritional yeast (small or large flake)

 Method:  

"Him: You got a good tomatoe soup recipe?

Me: Tomato soup.

Him: Tomatoe

Me: In a pot with a little oil and salt brown 2cloves garlic minced, 1 onion diced, then .25c tomato paste. Paate has to get browned too. Small splash of apple cid vinegar to stop the carmelization from burning, then add 2 big cans of diced (or whole if you wanna chop em) tomatoes, 12 oz. water or stock, a little black pepper, cinnamon and fresh thyme.

Me: Boil that shit on high for 15 min, taste and boil down until flavor develops

Me: Add .25c nutri yeast if you got it to enrich.


Him: Yes! Thank you

Me: Think of me when you dip a sandwich in it"

At this point, you should have a chunky and robust soup to accompany a delicious sandwich or just enjoy on its own. If you want to get fancy, stick an immersion blender in that pot and puree or cool, and demolish it in a blender then reheat and enjoy. If you don't cool something before it enters and spins in a blender, the pressure created by the steam trapped in that blender will combust upon "pureeing" and you will end up with hot tomato all over you and your kitchen. But don't take my word for it...