Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Single Pan Meals: Seasonal Eggless Scramble

This time of year there are all kinds produce that can be used in easy applications at home. Don't be discouraged when you're scoping out the Farmers Market or making a routine run to the grocery store and see different colored potatoes, big leafy greens with crazy colored stems, or squash that come in every shape and size imaginable- they're just as easy to cook up in a flavorful meal as any other vegetable.

If you're anything like me, you can appreciate the simplicity of cooking a dish in one pan start to finish. My cast-iron is always up for the challenge. If you don't own one yet, get on it. You can find them at Whole Foods, a camping store or the internet for super cheap.

To make your next produce run a little more exciting, I'm going to share an easily customizable dish that the Mrs. and I ate for breakfast this morning using seasonal ingredients; an Eggless Scramble. I've bolded the vegetables that you could easily switch out for a different variety without really having to sacrifice cooking time.

Ingredients:

-Half a block of extra firm Tofu, crushed
-Handful of sliced Shitake mushrooms
-Half of a Delicata Squash, deseeded and chopped into 1/2" cubes
-Half of some Asian Yam, skin on, chopped into 1/2" cubes
-1 Carrot, peeled until there is nothing left, peels rough chopped
-1 clove of garlic, minced
-3 stalks of Rainbow Chard greens, chopped into bit-sized pieces, stems included
-salt
-pepper
-cumin, oregano, paprika, turmeric (generous pinch of each)


How To:

Preheat your oven to 400*F and get your large pan hot (medium high). Once the pan is pretty hot add a dollop of coconut oil, a few Tb of grapeseed oil and salt. Next it's time to add your squash and yams. Once they start to get a little brown add your garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir occasionally as you mix all your spices with the crushed tofu in a mixing bowl. When the mushrooms look like they're starting to crisp a little it's time to add your tofu. Stir it in there real nice like and throw it in your hot oven.

While your scramble is roasting, take this time to rinse your greens off really well. Its very common to find bugs and dirt all up on them, you don't want that in your mouth. Also, the water on the freshly rinsed greens is going help cook them down in the next step.

After about 5-7minutes pull the pan out of the oven and add your greens. Stir it up so some of the water on them can get into the bottom of the pan and help unstick some of that. Now cover with a lid and place on low heat. This next part is optional but we always enjoy this particular "vessel." Bust out a few corn tortillas and let them heat up in your raging hot oven until they start to bubble. Once they start to form a bubble or two, remove and kill all the heat. You're now ready for some breakfast tacos or and eggless scramble that can easily stand alone.



Sunday, September 22, 2013

Harm's Way

I recently stumbled back upon a Chicago hardcore band that I assumed had vanished from the music world, Harm's Way. They've come a long way. So long, in fact, that Deathwish is putting out their newest EP, "Blinded." Definitely my next record purchase.



One more thing... I found this: http://rottenyoungearth.blogspot.com/2012/03/harms-way.html

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Race Food: Secrets of Racer on a Budget

Since I've chosen to eat a plant-based diet, I have learned that I simply can't rely on whatever town I'm in on a given weekend (or week) to have a few vegan options, or any for that matter. It's not affordable for someone who makes $30,000 or less to race bikes, travel to racing destination, find housing and eat out the whole time. Instead, I race bikes, travel to the race, stay where I can and go grocery shopping before hand. A small ice chest and a juicer is all I need. Here's my typical stage race (3 days of eating like a starved animal) menu for under $50:

-a box of spaghetti
-pasta sauce
-2c steel-cut oats
-small jar peanut butter
-small jar jelly
-baby bagels
-dried rice
-died lentils or if I'm planning ahead I sprout them with mung beans a few days before. Protein bomb.
-2 bunches of kale
-3 yams
-2 crowns broccoli
-package of vegan sausage
-small bag of onions
-3large red beets
-bag of carrots
-3 oranges
-3 apples
-1/4c chia seeds
-trail mix from the bulk section
-banana chips from the bulk section
If I have leftover money, I like to get some brown rice syrup or molasses as a sweetener. Also some greens and Goddess dressing are a plus.

For race specific food, I'll usually score a 12pk of Clif Bars, protein powder and electrolyte drink mix. Please note, that I cook this stuff at home even if I'm not leaving town for a race. It's simple, tasty, and nutrient-rich.

For someone who works out regularly, it's important to notice what kind of mix I've got going on listed above: Carbs, simple and complex for fuel and recovery. Unsaturated fats, for fuel and recovery. Protein for recovery. Friuts and Veggies for crucial vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Now for the good stuff. Breakfast is a must, no skipping, okay?




2 glasses of water.
Coffee.
Oats with chia seeds, peanut butter and a sweetener (see previous recipe here)
Bagel with jelly.
Juice- 1 beet, 1 apple, 1 orange, a few carrots. In order for your body to efficiently absorb all the iron from the beets you need some vitamin C, that's where the oranges come in. Aside from the obvious vitamins and minerals in the carrots and apples, both are loaded with carbohydrates!



 Post race, usually in the car before you head home.
Add water to your shaker with protein mix and chia seeds. Shake and drink.  Also, the drive back is a great time to snack on that trail mix/ banana chips.

For lunch/ dinner I often swap these around depending on my time and mood. This meal is crucial, your body is crushed from racing and needs carbs and protein. You'll need a small meal to replenish, and dinner will need to top off your glycogen stores for racing the next day.

2 glasses of water, atleast.
Pasta (season the water generously, you sweated out all that salt already)
Pasta sauce
In a hot pan with some canola/safflower or olive oil and sea salt add small diced YAMS, chopped ONION, chopped BROCCOLI and VEGAN SAUSAGE. Once the yams start to brown, put a lid on it so the steam will cook and tenderize the rest. Medium low heat and stir occasionally. When the yams are ready in 10 or 15, everything else is. Place atop your cooked pasta and devour.

2 glasses of water, atleast.
Bowl of rice. To cook rice place 1c dried rice in a pot with 2c water (The magic rice ration is 1part RICE : 1.75parts water, but 2parts is easiest and will work fine), a splash of oil and a big pinch of salt, cover and bring to a raging boil. After the boil is met, reduce heat to very low. In about 45 min your rice should be complete. 
Saute (cooked in a hot pan with oil and salt) of chopped YAMS, sliced VEGAN SAUSAGE, chopped BROCCOLI, sliced ONION. If you have some herbs handy, dried or fresh, throw some in the mix. Fresh garlic is also a crucial addition if you have it. Again, when the yams start to get a little browned, go ahead and cover your pan. You want enough oil in there to brown your veggies, and enough moisture in the veggies to kind of steam them too. This ensures the middle of the veg is getting cooked, not just crisping the outside. If you need to add a splash of water, that's totally fine. Taste a yam, does it taste like it needs another 5 minutes? If yes, perfect! Wash and chop the kale (stems and all) into bite-sized peices and mix that in too. The steam and oil will cook it until it's tender. When your yams are just tender enough, the kale and everything else should be too. When it comes to greens, brown means overcooked, bright green means perfect. You can eat it raw, so dont fret about cooking it enough.
Assemble your saute over your rice and dump some of that Goddess dressing on top, it's basically an herbed tahini. 
  
I was too hungry to stop and take pictures of my food this weekend so you'll have to use your imagination. Sorry :)

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Day 3: Cascade Lakes Road Race

Stage 1 of the Cascade Classic is a road race that starts and finishes at the West Village ski resort on Mt. Bachelor. Picture this: Your straddling a road bike in a parking lot with 85 other dudes in 90+ degree heat a 6,300ft above sea level, slamming a 24oz water bottle before you start racing said bike for the next 70 miles around the base of the mountain and a nearby lake or two. Sweaty picture, no? I knew hydration was key, so I took 3 bottles with me- one in a jersey pocket and two on the bike. I didn't know jacking your heart rate up at altitude will mess a dude up, hydrated or not. My job in this stage was to stay up front and follow anyone that wanted to join or start a breakaway. This would give our climber, Max O'Neal, a perfect opportunity to not do anything the whole race, that is until the pack reached the final climb up Mt. Bachelor where he could use his uphill strength to smoke fools to the finish line.  

The idea being if I get into a move that gets up the road with a few others from different teams, the teams left over in the pack who don't have a man in the breakaway will worry that their shot at victory is over so they'll have to work together to chase us down. If a team has a man in the break, they get to sit pretty and let everyone else do the pace-making until they reel them back. Now they're fresh and the team that wasn't represented is tired, and has lost their shot at challenging or matching a final acceleration to the finish line. 




Neutral rollout began as we cruised behind the lead car for the 3,000ft descent down the volcano at 54mph. After about 3 miles the race is on, and the accelerations begin. I spent the first half of the race responding to counterattacks that Brian Hitchcock (HSP captain for the weekend) was instigating. He definitely help set the aggressive tone, so now it was my job to just flow with it. After many attempts, I sat in around 5th wheel or so to recover since it appeared that nobody was ready to let anything go. About 3k before the first feed zone one guy from Audi got away- 1 man is no threat but a few more could be. About 1k before the feed zone, Thorsten informs me that Hitch snapped his chain! FUCK. This put us on alert, so we had to make sure nobody got away without us to allow him to chase back on after the neutral service vehicle fixed him up.

Naturally, while Thorsten and I were moving up to the front, 3 guys separately attacked to bridge up to our lone ranger. This was bad- not in the move, AND we have to pick up the pace to bring them back while Hitch is trying to catch back on. I spent the next 25 miles or so chasing and trying to follow bridge attempts. Unfortunately, for me, I didn't sit in early enough to recover and let everyone else do the chasing, which led to some massive fatigue. We were just getting out of the windy stretch of the course before the final climb when I experienced something I've only heard stories about- double leg cramp. From calves to ass, my muscles began to seize and convulse out of nowhere! One minute I'm at the rear of the pack chatting with my one of our travel buddies, Nate Pitts, eating, drinking to prepare for the hard climb approaching, the next minute I'm whining like a little girl, squeezing my hamstrings as I just coast right off the back of the group. I can't pedal at all. My legs literally wont fucking move and all I want to do is pass out from the pain. I drank 6 water bottles - WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY?

After declining a ride to the finish line by multiple cars (if you dont ride in, you forfeit the race) I was able to dismount and try to stretch my legs. I had to soft pedal for about 50ft just so my legs wouldn't stop working again. Luckily for me there were other bodies up the road, pulled over for some reason, which meant I wouldn't have to ride the final 15 miles or so by myself. The race was now long gone, and my chances at putting myself even close to a GC position were over. All I could do was finish and play domestique (workhorse) for the team. I caught up to the first guy up the road, who also had cramped (for the first time ever) and we road together as we approached the next victim. I told him my teammate, Thorsten, has often cramped up in the past which I assumed was just from not drinking enough water and now I get it. Water wasn't the issue, I really think it was over-exertion. We get up to the next guy just getting back on his bike- it's Thorsten! Speak of the devil. He didn't cramp this time, he got some altitude/heat exhaustion and started puking so he had to pull over until his body was done purging. We were both physically fucked. After playing cat and mouse with other dropped riders up the road, we ultimately road to the finish line together. A Coca Cola from the Illegal feed zone (these are offerings from candy, beer to water or whiskey that fans put on) on the climb may or may not have been taken to save us from passing out.


We finished 17 minutes behind the leader that day. Bummer, but there's still lots of racing to be had.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Cascade Classic Update

Please accept my apologies, I was having issues trying to blog from my iPhone, since the Blogger app is sub-par. It also deleted my entire Day 3 and start of Day 4 post, which is obviously not Pro. I'm off to work, but plan to feed you baby birds later tonight. I was able to snap some pictures in and around race time but definitely not as often as I had intended, but nonetheless, I will do my best to do this weekend justice. I promise, there is no better example of easy, nutritious cooking, than that of a cyclist away for stage racing - there will be recipes. Thanks for checking in.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Day 2: Cascade Classic

 After sleeping in and enjoying a typical morning breakfast of steel-cut oats and copious amounts of coffee we all kitted up (slang for putting on our color-coded spandex costumes) and rolled out the door in search of a hill climb. Yesterday we rode past a nearby butte with a promising ascent, so we located it on the horizon and quickly found ourselves at the base - Pilot Butte Scenic Viewpoint. 

I think it took us around 7 minutes to climb to the top, but I can't upload my Garmin until we get back to Seattle so it's "unofficial" for now. Kat finished with Chris and Rob a little bit behind Ted, Nate and myself, but she had her Strava on and officially has the fastest women's time to the top at 8 minutes and change I believe. Ted is notorious for setting a slightly uncomfortable pace uphill, and since we are at 3500' above sea level, I figured I'd see what it felt like to go a little hard when the air is thin - a slight understanding of what racing down then back up Mt. Bachelor tomorrow afternoon is going to be like. It sucked at first but then it mellowed out when I started to control my breathing. See?
A proper 580' climb only 3 miles from our house. Beautiful. 

After we finished strolling around town and picking up our race info packets for the weekend we headed across town to drop by a BBQ we were invited to by my life homie, Mike Roecklein. He is the Director/ owner of Stage 17- Cylance and apparently has hosted this Cascade Classic BBQ for a 2nd year in a row where little fish bike racers like us can eat, drink and shoot the shit with the top dog fast guys. Today his friends on Team SmartStop (Domestic Pro team) and the Bear Development team (under 23yr old) were invited along with our posse. We really did feel like little fish. However, everyone was super nice and didnt make us feel like minions. Also, we got to stuff our guts with delicious fajitas as we lounged in the green grass of their host house's beautiful backyard. Such a great day to kickoff what is about to be a brutal weekend of racing. 

Did I mention we went swimming in the Deschutes River this afternoon too?
 Check back tomorrow for a race update and what I've been cooking up in this kitchen on our small grocery budget. 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

BMC Cacade Cycling Classic

After a 3rd place result in the Joe Matava Memorial crit on the 4th of July, followed by a 2nd place finish in the Brad Lewis Memorial (Boat Street) crit a couple weeks ago I was barely able to upgrade to Category 2 in time for the Cascade Classic in Bend, OR. I literally got my upgrade approval back the day before registration closed. Last minute. I'm so good at that.

 So here we are. I'm sitting in my living room with an ice chest half-full of produce and snacks, 2 bikes, 2 bags, and a juicer, waiting for Nate Pitts to get here with the van and our posse. I'm actually going to Bend for the CCC! Lots of hard work and self coaching for the past 2.5 seasons has finally paid off. Herriott Sports Performance will be represented by our two juniors, Max "The Missile" O'Neil, and Thorsten Askervold, plus rookie cat 2's yours truly and Ted Schwartz, led by our wise and fearless leader, Brian Hitchcock. 5 swords, each with their own set of skills. I'm really excited to get smacked up by the best cat2s on the West Coast and/or do the smacking myself, with the help of The Hit Squad (HSP Elite team). 

Rides here. Check back in soon for daily updates of the adventure. Additionally I will be using twitter (@ericgantbastard) and Instagram (@excockrell) to update. Thanks for reading. 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Go Vegan 101

My old friend Andy, recently asked me about what practical steps he could take as he heads toward a plant-based diet. Lucky for you, I am going to share some knowledge on the blog so everyone can reference what wisdom I've acquired over the past 8 years.

First, and above all, you will need to start cooking at home 95% of the time. If you already do, great. If not, you can always start today. The reason cooking at home is priority #1 is because it's cheaper than eating out, you can control the ingredients (no mystery fats or poor quality proteins/produce), and it's far more satisfying to cook a meal from scratch than it is to pay someone else to do a sub-par job for you. Cooking is fun. Don't let the fucking food network tell you that if your not a chef then it's crap. I've been cooking for a living for over 8 years- nothing makes me more joyful than a simple, non-pretentious meal that a friend cooks for me (my wife is my friend too). Those chefs you see on TV cook food that was rooted from poverty. Generations ago, people only had a few things on hand because that's all they could afford, so they got really good at cooking certain meals that eventually became classics. Make your own classics with what you have lying around in the fridge and cupboards. Don't sweat, I'm going to share some very affordable and nutritious classic meals that I cook on the regular.

Before I get to that, I'd like you to consider a few things for your health and for the sake of better tasting food.

-Stop buying butter. Get safflower and olive oil. They have vitamin E, unsaturated fats & omega fatty acids, butter is the opposite.
-Stop buying honey and brown sugar. Get brown rice syrup and molasses. They have more healthy carbohydrates, less sugar, and are generally healthier sweetener alternatives.
-The bulk section is your best friend. You aren't going to believe the money you save when you start buying dry goods out of these bins in the grocery store.
-You'll get more than enough protein, I promise. North Americans are missing the point, it's not protein you should be worried about, it's carbohydrates. The typical DAILY N. American diet consists of enough protein to refuel 8 Olympic athletes after competition. Carbs promote an efficient metabolism and fat burning. They human body requires 3x more grams of carbs than protein per calorie. If you are getting enough fats and carbs, you are definitely getting enough protein. Google it, or comment below and I'll give you a "Protein isn't as important as you think" clinic.
-Ditch that iodized salt. Get kosher or sea salt. It sticks to food more evenly and adds flavor, not takes away from it. Not to mention, it contains minerals your body craves. Salt is good for you. Sodium in packaged food is not.

Now, without further ado,  here are some great meals anyone can cook. As always, feel free to experiment and add your own style to them as you get more comfortable.

Breakfast
Steel-cut Oats.
In a pot bring 1.5 cups of water to a raging boil. Add a pinch of sea/kosher salt. Add 1/2 cup of steel cut oats. Bring heat down to medium and stir frequently or else it's going to foam up and spill all over the place. After a minute of taming the foaming beast, for the next 10 minutes stir occasionally. When it looks like the oats have soaked up the water and it looks like watery slop, put a lid on it and remove from heat. In like, 5 minutes, feel free to add 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter (NOT THAT HYDROGENATED OIL CRAP, REAL PEANUT BUTTER) and 1 Tablespoon of unsulphured blackstrap molasses or brown rice syrup and mix well. Transfer to your favorite bowl and enjoy. 

I eat this about every day. If you don't yet know what it means to be "regular," make this a staple breakfast. Also, breakfast is "the most important meal of the day" because it jump-starts your metabolism which gives you energy and promotes fat burning. Here's the nutritional value if you prepare half of this without the peanut butter and sweetener:

The PB and Molasses triple the iron, calcium, carbs and unsaturated fats. Bam!

Lunch
Green Machine Sandwich
On whole/ multi-grain bread spread Vegenaise (yes, I just suggested a packaged food, its far more nutritious than regular mayo and tastes better, found in most grocery stores in the hippie section) and your favorite mustard on both sides. Next add sliced green bell pepper, sliced cucumber, lettuce, clover (or any) sprouts, avocado, green onion (or red, I guess). Close bread together to form a sandwich. Pair with a canned lentil soup from the hippie section of the store or make a soup that I post here on the blog under "recipes" a mixed greens salad with balsamic/applecider/redwine vinegar and olive oil and tomatoes, carrots and apples is also highly recommended instead of soup.

This sandwich has more than enough plant-based carbs to keep you going until dinner. Lunch should always be more filling than dinner. You will burn calories just doing whatever it is you do until dinner, so your food serves as fuel. Dinner should leave you feeling like you could probably eat a little more. If you are full, then you over-ate. You're just going to be hitting the sack shortly after dinner anyways, you don't want the extra food turning to fat.

Once a week, dinner can be had eating out. That is even a bit much. I still think it's important to eat out occasionally, since it serves the purpose of culinary inspiration. Every time you go to a restaurant you are eating food you probably haven't executed yourself. Use those ingredients on the plate and take a shot at your own version.

Dinner
Tacos (a favorite)
-Corn tortillas
-1/4c Sunflower seeds
-1/4c Pumpkin seeds
-1/2 a yam (small chop)
-1/2 an onion (small chop)
-1 clove garlic (minced)
-thinly sliced cabbage/lettuce, tomatoes, nutritional yeast 
Preheat oven to 400*F. In a hot pan with a little saff/olive oil to coat and a couple pinches of salt, add chopped yam and onion. Stir occasionally. When those two start to get some browning color on them, add garlic, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, mix well then immediately put the pan in the oven. *If you are using a pan with a Teflon coat (non stick) and/or something with a rubber/plastic handle - DON'T. Drop $40 at Whole Foods or something and get a 10" cast iron pan. After about 10 minutes, those yam pieces should be nice and tender, so pull it out of the oven and trade it with your taco tortillas. Shake a couple dashes of black pepper and cumin in the pan, stir, and put in your toasty tortillas with your veg toppings. 

The thing with tacos, is that the filling is completely interchangeable with whatever produce you have in the fridge. Always use a fatty protein like seeds/nuts to add texture and substance to your filling. Personally, I like to add a little bit of quinoa and whatever beans I might have around to the above recipe. 

Your body reacts better to occasional and frequent exercise better when it can expect the same fuel every day. This doesn't mean eat the same exact thing everyday, it means make small changes within the same meals. 

Check back soon, I'd like to give an onion cutting clinic to the uninitiated. Yes, that means video. Also, I have Wednesday off, so you can expect a race report from Sunday's Brad Lewis Memorial Criterium race and a recipe or two for summer potlucks or personal meals. 



Saturday, June 15, 2013

Ballard Twilight Crit

Last Saturday, 06/08/2013, arguably, the fastest, most attended criterium race of the year took place on Seattle's home turf. For the uninitiated, most bike racing in the Pacific Northwest takes place an hour and a half North, South, East or West of Seattle-proper. When the weather warms up, the long road races come to an end and short, city-clad crit racing begins. The Ballard Twilight is often the first 4 corner crit to launch what most consider the Gladiator of bike racing-

Imagine your favorite 4-square block of wherever you live and/or hang out. Now imagine it around 7pm in that blissful summer vibe... with the streets closed off so it creates a 4 corner circuit... all the bars/restaurants are busting at the seems... a huge semi-truck trailer transformed into a stage with loud music and an announcer right in the center... and a 100 bike racers lined up ready to try and win $1k and sometimes way more worth of prize money. Have I painted a picture that makes you want to scream at those guys and gals racing, whom you don't even know, to go faster as you drink your favorite beverage with a handful of your closest friends? Even though they're already going 30mph? Cool. That's what happened on Saturday.


I haven't won a race in a while. It's killing me. I'm only a couple points away from earning my Category 2 upgrade, but that doesn't mean shit to me if I can't be the first to cross the line on any given weekend race with guys who want it just as badly as I do. In fact, the ex-Pro's on my team don't recommend upgrading to the Elite ranks until one understands how to win and can execute it well.

With that said, I felt like I was in good form to win. The plan was to sit in the top 10 for the whole race then jump with a move later on or if nothing looked like it would stick, then to attack for the line with 1 or 2 to go. Nothing was going to stick. Whenever a couple of kids would get up the road after a prime lap they would sit up when I jumped across. This happened atleast four times in our 50 minute race. Wussies.


I sat in. With about 5 laps to go, the race started to get really sketchy. People moving up and no teams or players really willing to set the pace. Guys were moving up in the corners when there wasn't any place for them to move into, lots of stop and go. I remember the announcer calling out 3 laps to go, but I couldn't find the lap board for the life of me. I dodeged 2 crashes this lap and was in a haze when we came around the next time. The crowd was roaring and I was feeling fairly fresh. I thought it was the final lap for some reason so I accelerated and emptied the tank. Just before corner 3 of 4, I noticed I had a huge gap - THE WIN WILL BE MINE!!!


The win wasn't mine. I had one more lap to go, luckily I became aware of this right after rounding the fourth corner when I heard the voice over the speakers yelling, "ERIC COCKRELL ONE LAP TO GO"... I was pretty pissed that I made such a rookie mistake, but not so bummed that I still had a good gap and could have corner 3 all to myself again. At the Ballard Crit, the well paved road turns to 100+ year old hand-laid brick on corner 3 then switches to shitty asphalt laid over said brick right after corner 4. Imagine what might happen to someone riding their bike too fast while trying to make a left-hand turn onto said brick road... That's why EVERYONE fights for position to get to that corner first. It looked like it was clearly going to be mine even though I went a little too early. Suddenly a junior racer (under 18yr old), Miles Frank, and a few others jumped me JUST before the corner - and they all crashed. Seriously, they did. I locked up my brakes to avoid having to be apart of the carnage. We were already going 34mph, but luckily I came out clean. As I accelerated to sprint for the line, I had already lost 7 positions - guys behind me were able to take the inside line and not have to touch their brakes. I tried to wind it back up, but didn't have much gas left. 9th to cross the line. Rats.


Lesson learned. Pay the fuck attention to the race, especially when it's the end. I feel better having gone half a lap too early, rather than the typical going too late. All and all, it was a fantastically fun race. I didn't crash. I didn't lose too badly.

Thanks for reading. And a huge congratulations to Jack Stringham (Sofa Kings Cycling) on his well deserved win. Surviving through the last corner is half the battle, sprinting to the line first is the 2nd half. Chapeau.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Looks Like Coffee. It isn't.

I'm going to share a little morning ritual with all of you. Since December of last year, I've started my mornings off with this easy to make, not so easy to drink (at first) beverage I tribute my iron immune system to. However, it's more than immune function, it's also a kick-starter or revival appropriate for anytime of day - Molasses Tea.

It's hardly a tea, but you sip it like one and I want to call it that. Bare with me, as I walk you through the recipe.

You will need:
8-10oz hot water
2 Tablespoons raw, unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon unsulphured Molasses

Boil some water. Pour it in your favorite mug. Stir in your ACV and molasses. Sip. Until it's gone.



The thing about this tea is that it is much like coffee. It looks like coffee. It isn't. The smell alone will wake your ass up. This drink is an acquired taste. If you enjoy it the first time, you're probably kinda weird. My wife watched me drink this stuff for about a month before, she too, was intrigued and started drinking it. I appreciate that most of you probably don't like molasses or apple cider vinegar. However, if you're vegan, anemic or an endurance athlete (or you just stumbled upon this) consider the value of the nutrition this beverage packs:

Molasses (via http://www.wholesomesweeteners.com/brands/wholesome_sweeteners/fair_trade_certified_organic_blackstrap_molasses.html)
Serving Size: measure: 1 Tablespoon  (22g)
Servings per package: 32
Calories per serving: 60
Calories from fat: 0
Total fat (g): 0
Saturated fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 0
Sodium (mg): 0
Potassium: 730mg
Calcium: 115mg

Total carbohydrate (g):14g
Dietary fiber (g): 0
Sugars (g): 10g
Proteins (g): 0
Iron: 15% RDV
Vitamin B6: 10% RDV
Magnesium: 8% RDV

 
Apple Cider Vinegar (Read more here: http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-history.html)

Arguably the oldest cure-all remedy on Earth. Socrates and Hippocrates prescribed this remedy because of it's natural healing properties in the human body. Unpasteurized, unfiltered ACV has that cloudy floating thing in it - The Mother. This is the bacteria that you want. The good stuff.


I challenge you to try this drink for a week and tell me you don't feel better, especially after a night out with some friends, or alone, I'm not judging. I promise your liver and your general recovery from training or life will thank you.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Walnut Herb Vinaigrette

This is a dressing that an old chef and I played with quite a bit. This is a light, nutty salad dressing perfect for this time of year. While we stayed in Tri Cites, Wa for Tour of Walla Walla, we accidentally discovered that it also works great for brushing on veggies that you want to grill! Double trouble.

As of right now, this is my favorite version. All you need is a blender. Then, all you need after that are these things to put in it:

-1 cups walnuts, toasted
-1 cups apple cider vinegar
-1/2 cup water
-2 teaspoons mustard powder
-1 Tablespoon sea salt
-1 shallot
-1/4 cup fresh dill
-1/4 cup fresh mint
-2 Tablespoon chopped chives
-2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, Italian (flat leaf)
-2 Tablespoon  fresh oregano
-1 clove of garlic
-pinch of chili flake

Blend on high and slowly stream in 5 cups of olive oil. It will likely have a green tone to it, good.

This makes enough for a normal person. For a person that fires up the grill often and eats a bunch of salad, this might barely make it through the week. Either way, the shelf life on vinaigrette are months, so don't sweat it. Separation is normal, just shake it up before using.

I'm confident that if you enjoy this recipe you'll find many more uses.

Quinoa

I recently came to understand that most people don't know where to start when it comes to cooking quinoa. "Keen-wah." Perhaps you're an experienced quinoa guru. Perhaps your not? What is quinoa?



My personal favorite recipe...
1 cup water, stock or broth
1/2 cup dried quinoa
dash of olive oil
pinch of sea salt

*According to CalorieCount, 1/3 cup of cooked quinoa has 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein
 
Put all of those things in a pot and bring up to a rolling boil. Drop the heat to very low and put a lid on it. 10-15 minutes later fluff it up and look for any water. Didn't see any? It's ready.

If you want play with eating it not-plain try adding large pinch of a dried herb of your choice. Also consider adding a couple dashes of one of those spices on the back of your shelf that have no idea what to use with.

Pro tip: Just substitute quinoa any time you were going to cook rice for a dish.

Don't stop there either. I really like to rip up some kale, collard greens or chard (after rinsing, of course) stems and all and throw it into the pot when the water starts to boil.

It's really that easy.

Tumblr

I opened a Tumblr.com account so you can follow the blog if you are on there. All posts will just be fwd'd to http://ericgantbastard.tumblr.com/

Cheers,
Eric

Thursday, May 2, 2013

2013 Season is a GO!

I can't believe it's already May! My legs feel like they've been racing bikes for 3 months straight. I suppose they have, though. It's been an eventfull start to the season - I did the first race of both the Mason Lake and Tour de Dung Road Race Series, then Independence Valley RR followed by two events I've never done before, the Vance Creek RR and the Tour of Walla Walla (Wa).

Most of the races have ended in field sprints, and unfortunately, I haven't really spent time and research in developing my sprint. Most of my winter training was spent developing muscular endurance and raising my aerobic threshold - both great for breakaways, not as well for sprinting to line after a long day in the saddle. This yielded pack finishes for me all the way until Vance Creek. Finally, I get to do a race that has an uphill finish. A long uphill finish consisting of rollers and headwind into a 1k climb! Woohoo! My partner in crime, Ted Schwartz, agreed to lead me out for a victory in this race. Francis Atkinson (SCCA/Starbucks Cycling) ended up with a solo victory so it was a race for second. Anyways, Ted led me out, but being that his is the superior climber, he ended up passing me and snagging 3rd. I walked away with 5th. It was close. Fun race, and that result (after being in the breakaway all day then getting caught on the last lap) got me amped up for my first trip to the Tour of Walla Walla. I just finished building my time trial bike, with the help of Bryan Smith (Emerald City Bicycles), and felt like I was in good form to be a GC contender.

Stage 1's road race, ironically, featured a beautiful 3k uphill finish with 30+mph cross/headwinds. "2013, the year of the wind" my teammate "tweeted" recently. Painfully true. The cluster-fuck that formed during an agonizingly slow finish to this stage left me playing bumper bikes 4 wheels back and I never really got to sprint. My friend, Nate Pitts (Recycled Cycles), was next to me during the last 3k and managed to find a hole to escape at the last second so he could snag 4th place on the day. Being stuck behind a bunch of people that suck at riding bikes uphill, when you can do it just fine, is probably the same feeling people get while driving in rush hour traffic.
Hilltop finish in Waitsburg, Wa


Stage 2 was the 9 mile time trial that started at the Walla Walla Community College. Like most TT's, it pretty much dictated the results for the rest of the stage race. Although entirely possible to gain time on any given person in a road race, it is quite difficult to gain time on people that are faster time trialists than you. Fortunately, I fared pretty well during this stage, despite yet another appearance by the feared 30+mph cross/headwinds on the open course. 6th place. 21:35:07, I believe was my time. We got there a little late, surprise right? So I had enough time to kit up, poop, spin around the parking lot for 10 minutes, roll up the the startgate, forget my frame number, sprint to the car, stick it on, and sprint back to the startgate with 16 seconds to spare! I'm an idiot. I really need to get to a TT on time someday, maybe I'd perform even better? Did I mention that I have only ridden my BMC 3 times before this?
Moments out of the startgate.


Stage 3 offered a 9 corner crit course in downtown Walla Walla. Rad course, nice and technical, just how daddy likes it. They did top 10 call-ups before the start so I was guaranteed a nice starting spot for this fast course. Ted and I had plans of our own for the crit, you see. We are both poor people, so we went out to this stage race with less than $100 bucks in each of our wallets. That was our entire budget. I brought an ice chest with vegetables, pb&js and some protein mix - oh and a juicer. This meant we probably couldn't afford gas to get home to Seattle unless we won some cash. Exciting, right? Go for cash primes and a stage win.  I went for a time bonus, got it. I went for a $100 prime, didn't get it. Ted went for a $75 prime, got it. I went for the win, didn't get it. Luckily all I had to do was survive the next day's road race and finish in the lead group to hold on my 6th place in the GC. That would get me like $50 or something.
Sprinting for $100, and not getting it.


Stage 4 was rad. Hills, hills, hills. And wind too, of course. Year of the wind, remember? 64.5 miles and 4,400' of climbing - http://app.strava.com/activities/50051738 not too shabby. Our first time up the first climb we dropped over 60 riders. The race immediately consisted of 20 people, 10 of which were definitely in the top 10 GC. To my surprise, we left behind my favorite race buddy, Jeff Reed (SCCA/Starbucks Cycling) whom was in 3rd overall. Bad for him, good for me. Everyone stayed pretty comfortable with the race ending with 20 of us instead of a select few. They chased everything or would just let one person dangle off the front after an attack at a time. Pretty frustrating. I sucked at the sprinting part of the end of this race, picking slow people to ride behind an all. I learned that if I want to win a sprint, I need to get out there an put my nose in the wind sometimes. BUT HEY! I GOT 5TH ON THE GC! 12 upgrade points towards my Cat 2, and $70 cash.


Yes, that meant we were able to afford gas to go home. It was a good weekend.
Photos via reedkj.smugmug.com