Eating Vegan in Korea and Japan

One of the things many people have asked about our trip to Korea and Japan last month is how did I maintain a vegan diet while we were there. Those countries are heavily reliant on seafood, and even in dishes that are not inherently meat-based, some kind of fish sauce is often used in the preparation.

When planning the trip, the details of how I was going to eat were something that gave me a certain amount of anxiety. Even if vegan-friendly dishes are on the menu, the language barrier would make it difficult to ask the wait staff (if there is any) about them. Some people have blogged about how to travel and stick with a strict vegan diet. That's not what I'm doing here. Before we left home, I decided that the best way to approach the situation was to just do the best I can with it.

Fresh vegetables are easy to find in Korea.

While staying at my sister's house in Korea, things weren't so difficult. For meals that were prepared at home, we generally knew what was going into them. But that wasn't always the case. At one of the open-air markets we went to, I bought a few different items from a kimchi stand. When we served them with dinner that night, I found that one of the big piles of seaweed on my plate was saturated with fish oil. I ate it anyway. It freaked me out a little, but I figured that as long as it was there, I may as well have the culinary experience.

Udon!

The scenario would repeat itself to lesser degrees at various restaurants - the udon might be prepared in fish stock; the baked goods may or may not contain dairy or eggs; the rice and vegetable dish might have shredded dried fish as a garnish. I decided that I wasn't going to let that be too much of a hang-up.

Tofu and bean curd vendor in Pyeongtaek

So did I "cheat" on my diet? I wouldn't say so. When people talk about cheating, I imagine it to mean that there's some forbidden thing they just couldn't find the willpower to resist. But in foreign countries, there are some food dishes that are just intrinsic to the culture. I'm not sure it counts as cheating to make a calculated decision to experience that aspect of the journey despite the fact that it doesn't hold up to the standards we would keep while at home. And the classic definition of veganism allows that the best we can do is make every reasonable effort to avoid the exploitation of animals. It doesn't say anything about having your super-powers revoked just because you can't speak the local language.

Anyway, the short of it is: I didn't want to turn the family vacation into a frustrating exercise in foraging for food in a land where the notion of veganism is as foreign to them as their traditions are to me.

Ad for a Vegan phone (yeah, I know...)

That said, I think it went pretty well. We managed to find soy milk at the 7&I convenience stores (7-11 equivalent, to those here in the US).

Japanese soy milk - the picture of the beans is a give-away, but also look for "大豆" (soy) or "豆乳" (soy milk)

They also had steamed rice and seaweed with sesame oil in the refrigerated prepared foods section. At grocery stores we found everything from fresh produce to breakfast cereal to eat in our hotel room that were known to be vegan. When eating out, there were always tofu and vegetable dishes that appeared to be fish-free. And I discovered that an extra helping of steamed rice does wonders for one's sense of satiety.

Oh... did I mention we found some yerba mate at the street market in Pyeongtaek? The vendor had a big jug of it (iced) and was handing out samples. We bought a bag of yerba which came with a pack of paper filter baggies and instructions (in Korean) for preparing it. Not quite the same as sipping it hot from a bombilla, but it was a refreshingly cool twist on something I learned to love during our visit to Argentina a couple of years ago.

S is for Spring

S is for...

Seeds (and some transplanted seedlings) that I planted yesterday in my community plot at the office. Chard, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Yum!

An pre-sunrise spinning workout on my trainer in the basement - there is an end in sight. I'm so looking forward to riding outdoors again.

Shaving the winter beard, but leaving a sweet trucker 'stache. F says I should keep it indefinitely. My wife thanked me for giving her such a good laugh first thing in the morning.

Slacklining in the front yard after work. (I still suck, but I have fun!)

A special family supper, with sweets for dessert. Sauteed greens, asparagus, roast, and sweet potatoes. And of course, the bunny cake with skittles for the eye and nose.

Vegan roast & sweet potatoes

Chocolate bunny cake

Skiing tomorrow. Seriously, it's a work-sanctioned event - I'm not playing hookie. The imminent end of ski season makes the arrival of spring somewhat bitter-sweet. But there are plenty of other things to do. I can't wait!

Happy Spring, everybody!

A few days of Big Apple

Last night I got back from a few days in NYC. Before I left, F asked me if there were any climbing gyms in New York. "Yeah," I responded, "New York has a lot of everything except wide-open spaces and mountains." One of the things they have a lot of that I love the most is vegan restaurants.

Right after I checked into my hotel on Tuesday night, I headed over to Terri for supper. It's become a tradition of mine to eat there the first night I'm in town. Great-tasting vegan fast food always seems to hit the spot after half a day of airports, jets, and taxis.

The next night a coworker and I met up with a former colleague at Han Gawi, a vegan Korean restaurant. I'd been wanting to go there for a while, but it wasn't somewhere that I really wanted to go by myself. The food and atmosphere were both great.

Thursday was my last night in town, and I was feeling kind of burned out on being around so many people. So I was tempted to just hit the salad bar at Whole Foods and eat in my hotel room. But that would have left me with an evening of staring at the internet in hopes that it could alleviate my boredom. So instead I coaxed myself into walking down to Gingersnap Organics. I first heard about this place from Choosing Raw and have been wanting to check it out. But it's a little out of the way, and I was reluctant to try to drag omni' coworkers to a raw vegan place. So this was a perfect time to go by myself, and it did not disappoint. Nori rolls, a burger, and the most amazing coconut cream pie ever!

While I wasn't working or eating, I mostly spent my time reading and listening to the Enormocast. That's a fairly new podcast about climbing that I recently came across, and I'm catching up on all the episodes dating back to December of last year.

If you're even just a little bit into climbing, go check it out now. I'll wait right here for you.

I decided to send Chris Kalous, the producer/host of the show, an email to let him know that I'm enjoying it. I'm not sure I can really even call myself a climber at this point (almost all of my climbing so far has been in gyms), but I like having these virtual connections to the community. It was a very short exchange, but it caused me to reflect on a few things. And I reached the conclusion that I need to stop making excuses and letting my shyness hold me back from doing something I really want to do. So ignoring the fact that I have almost no free time in my schedule, I headed over to Mountain Project and decided to find myself a climbing partner. So hopefully I'll have rock-climbing stories to tell in the near future.

While I was packing for the trip, I grabbed two small paperbacks off my bookshelf to take with me. One was a Michael Moorcock novel - The War Hound and the World's Pain - that I picked up at a thrift store and hadn't read yet. It was a pretty good twist on the old Grail Quest theme. The other was Neal Stephenson's Zodiac, which I haven't read in ages. So it's been a real treat revisiting that one. One quote that struck me in particular, and belongs here on SPL, is this passage on riding a bicycle at night:

My nighttime attitude is, anyone can run you down and get away with it. Why give some drunk the chance to plaster me against a car? That's why I don't even own a bike light, or one of those godawful reflective suits. Because if you've put yourself in a position where someone has to see you in order for you to be safe -- to see you, and to give a fuck -- you've already blown it.

Cynical, but classic Stephenson Attitude. Love it.

Mmmm, breakfast! Oat bran with chocolate, almonds, and coconut

I recently picked up some oat bran from the supermarket so I could see how it compares with normal rolled oats as a breakfast cereal. After all, oat bran has more protein and fiber than oats, and fewer calories per gram. After having it several times over the past two weeks or so, it's safe to say that oat bran is going to be kept in stock in our pantry.

It could be argued that oat bran is more highly processed, less "whole", than rolled or steel-cut oats, but I'm not going to let that dissuade me from eating it.

So far, my favorite way to prepare oat bran is with cocoa, almonds, and coconut. It has a taste and texture that falls somewhere between candy bar and cake batter. But of course, it's much better for you than either of those things.

• 1/4 cup (a little bit heaping) oat bran. You can get this in bulk at Sunflower (cum Sprouts, anon) or other health food stores.
• 3/4 cup water. It's best to use imported distilled artesian well water. Just kidding. Use the tap.
• ~ 1/4 teaspoon salt (about 4 or 5 good shakes)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 oz. raw almonds (about 24 pc.), coarsely chopped. Also available in bulk.
• 1/4 cup finely shredded coconut. I use some kind of organic, unsweetened, reduced fat stuff, so, you know, I'm sure it's really good for you.
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses.
• 1-2 teaspoons Truvia or other sweetener, to taste.
• ~ 1/4 cup almond milk

Put the first three ingredients into a fairly large soup/cereal bowl. Cook in a microwave on high for 3 to 3.5 minutes. The oat bran and water are actually measured since it only takes one measuring cup, and if you do the oats before the water, the measuring cup is clean when you're done. Also, if you get the ratio wrong the result will either be too pasty or too runny. As always, everything else is usually just kind of eyeballed, though I did measure that stuff out too one time, just to make sure my estimates are close to accurate.

Mix in the remaining ingredients except for the almond milk. Once everything else is well combined, add just enough almond milk to smooth out the texture. This also has the effect of cooling everything off so that you don't burn your mouth trying to eat the piping-hot oats. Because obviously waiting around for it to cool on its own is out of the question.

You may have noticed that this recipe follows much the same pattern as my fudge brownie oatmeal. That's not surprising or coincidental. I love the flavor combination of blackstrap and cocoa. And I don't like doing anything complicated like turning on a stove when I first wake up in the morning, so if a hot breakfast isn't coming from the slow-cooker, it has to come from the microwave. That's unpopular in gourmet circles, but I'm much more the pragmatic type.

I hope you enjoy, if you give this a try, and that it will fuel some kind of awesome adventure. Or at the very least, give you a nice happy feeling before going about your daily grind.

Fudge brownie oatmeal

I've mentioned in the past that I have no real desire to do a cooking blog. There are too many people out there doing way better than I could do. But posting the occasional recipe can be a fun change of pace. Especially when it's something as delicious as desert for breakfast.

I'm calling this my fudge brownie oatmeal. It's a pretty obvious recipe, so I won't pretend like it's the most original thing ever. But it tastes great and is a pretty healthy way to start off your morning.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup rolled oats
2. 1 cup water
3. dash of salt
4. 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
5. 2 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
6. 1 (small) handful of walnuts, chopped
7. 1 1/2 tsp. Truvia OR 1 tbsp. raw sugar OR 1 tbsp. maple syrup. Adjust to taste.
8. About 1/4 cup almond milk

One of the reasons I'm not a good food/cooking blogger is that I'm very imprecise when I cook. The oats and water are the only things I actually measure. All other amounts are eyeballed. So just take those quantities as general guidelines.

Put all of the ingredients except the almond milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Mix it up as well as you can and microwave on high for 3:30 [1].

After cooking, stir it some more. Different oats will absorb different amounts of water, but this usually turns out pretty thick for me. If it seems a little watery, let it sit for a minute to thicken. Then add just enough almond milk to give it a nice smooth texture.

This decadent bowl of yumminess has lots of good things going for it.

The oats provide about 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. There's a healthy dose of calcium and iron, thanks to the molasses. The walnuts give you Omega 3 fatty acids, along with a number of other antioxidants and vitamins. The cocoa powder gives you another dose of antioxidants.

This recipe is vegan and, if you use the right kind of oats, gluten-free. With a stevia-based sweetener, the total calorie count comes in around 400 kcal. Oats and walnuts are best bought in bulk at your local health food store. I think we pay about $1 and $10 per pound, respectively, at Sunflower.

[1] Cook for 3:30 if your microwave has a quick-start feature that makes it easy. Otherwise, you'll save valuable effort by cooking for 3:33. It's easier to push the same button 3 times than to have to search all over the touch pad for that zero. I think I learned this trick from my old friend Kai, but it's been many years ago, and my memory is imperfect.

aniVersary

One year ago, I finished reading Brendan Brazier's Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life and decided I was going to give a vegan diet a try. As with any nutrition book, this one made some pretty big claims, and the only way to verify them was to see for myself.

It wasn't that much of a stretch for me, really. I was already eating a pretty healthy and plant-intensive diet by that point. And I'd been toying with the idea of going vegetarian or vegan for a while. That's probably obvious, since I probably wouldn't have chosen to read that particular book otherwise.

So what started out as an experiment turned into a way of eating that I've decided I enjoy. I've been feeling better than I ever have before, and there are environmental and humanitarian benefits as well.

Here are some of my experiences from my first year of veganism.

It isn't hard. Many people expect that removing animal products from one's diet would be difficult. It really isn't that big of a deal. I eat nearly all of my meals at home or at work, so I have a lot of control over what foods I have at my disposal, and that helps. Sure, you have to pay more attention to what you buy at the grocery store or order at a restaurant. But it's probably a good idea to pay more attention to those things anyway.

And these days, there are so many options out there that you don't really miss anything. So-called plant-based food substitutes aren't going to taste exactly like their animal product counterparts. But if you forget about trying to make the comparison and enjoy the vegan foods for what they are, it's a great opportunity to enhance your culinary horizons.

It makes good choices easier. I used to struggle with the temptation to eat deserts at work that I knew I shouldn't have. Since the sweets our food service makes almost always contain dairy or eggs, I don't even have to think about it anymore. I just have a piece of fruit. There are plenty of vegan desert options out there (Whole Foods has some awesome house-made vegan chocolate chip cookies), but you generally have to make a conscious effort to seek them out. So it's easy to make those kinds of foods a special treat instead of a vice.

As for the main part of the meal, it's a no-brainer to choose healthy foods when the biggest sources of unhealthy fats are eliminated. One could still make sub-optimal choices by overdoing it on refined grains, etc., but I never feel guilty from over-indulging on vegetables. My typical lunch involves a salad of epic proportions dressed with mustard and balsamic vinegar. But I change things up, depending on what's on the menu. Today I had roasted cauliflower, sauteed greens with heirloom tomatoes and portobello mushrooms, and steamed wax beans. To me, that's a great meal.

It makes me feel great. Brazier's book claims that, among other things, a plant-based diet would reduce stress hormones in the body, increase energy levels, improve recovery time between workouts, and reduce the need for sleep by improving the quality of rest. These were the things that I wanted to verify. I don't know about my cortisol levels, but everything else seems to have been accurate.

These days, I get five days of strenuous exercise each week. I run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; I get a good workout on my bike on Wednesdays; and I go hiking on Sundays. Mondays and Fridays are my rest days. And while I can usually still feel the effects of my Saturday run when I'm out hiking, I never feel so fatigued that I'd rather skip any of these activities. So improved recovery time between workouts: check.

Aside from that, I bike to work daily, and I get through the day just fine with no caffeine. I do a fair job of keeping up with the kids and all the other demands of everyday life. Improved energy levels: check.

Given the compromises required between my schedule and those of the rest of my family, I have to do all of my workouts early in the morning before I take my daughter to school. That means having to wake up at 4:30 4 days a week. Lately I find myself waking up at that time on days when I don't have to. Granted, I typically go to sleep around 10:00, but I'm still firing on all cylinders with 6.5 hours of sleep per night. Compared to the 8 or more that I used to require, that's pretty good. Reduced need for sleep: check.

One unexpected side-effect of the dietary change happened within a month or two. I lost interest in drinking alcohol. I mean, I still enjoy a good beer or scotch now and then. But what had been a night cap every night has become a small glass once every few weeks. I might have a beer after a long day on the trail or when hanging out with friends (I don't get out often). But a New Belgium folly twelve-pack lasts in our fridge for months.

It is complete nutrition. People worry about whether a vegan diet can provide everything a body needs. Can you get enough protein, calcium, iron, and B12 without eating animal products? Yes, you can. In the interest of full disclosure, I do take a B12 supplement, but everything else comes from more-or-less normal food. I've had blood tests taken to check for everything that can be checked, and I'm not deficient in anything.

----

A lot of people say that they come to veganism for the health benefits, but they stick with it for the ethics. Having a positive impact on the environment and taking cruelty to animals out of the food supply chain are pretty big motivators. As for me? I guess that is a major part of it too. But now that the experiment is over, I'm really sticking with my vegan diet for the super powers.


Vegan Academy - Unlocking Human Potential from Jack Sam on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving Leftovers -> Cranberry Strudel

We didn't have that many leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast, so it isn't like I'd been agonizing over what to do with all of that cranberry pear sauce. But Saturday morning, I woke up inspired. In my half-wakeful state, an image of some phyllo dough we've had sitting in the freezer came unbidden to my mind. And with it, a resolution: "Today I will make cranberry strudel."

Ingredients for a cranberry strudel.

I sweetened the cranberry sauce with a little bit of honey (I know, I'm a bad vegan), and one of the strudels got some walnuts added. That one ended up tasting better, but my daughter doesn't like nuts, so I wanted to make one without.

About an hour later

The truth is, the idea was better than the outcome. I've never made a pastry of any kind before, so I'm not being too hard on myself. But there were a few issues (aside from the fact that the strudel split its side open in the oven).

• I'm not sure if butter would have behaved differently than the Earth Balance spread, but that's largely an academic question, since I will not eat butter.
  
  
• There was something missing. My taste buds say that it may be salt. Whatever was lacking, it's more pronounced in the pastry without walnuts.
• The sauce soaked into the phyllo too much, I think. The layers in the lower half of the strudel are indistinguishable - it's just cranberry-soaked dough.

Still, they turned out edible, and it was a good idea and a good experiment. If anyone has any tips for how to do better next time, I'd be happy to hear them.

A Beautiful Thanksgiving

There are many things I am thankful for, not the least of which is that I live in a state where we can have the most beautiful weather in the middle of November. On this Thanksgiving day, when Americans take some time to spend with family and reflect on those things for which we are most fortunate, the only thing I could wish for was that more of my family could be present.

I had looked forward to getting some extra sleep, but that was not to be. I got paged around 5:00 this morning for work, and while it wasn't anything that required immediate action, I couldn't get back to sleep. So instead I sat enjoying some quiet time before the rest of the family woke up.

Then, I cranked up the blender and made a terrible racket, preparing the desert for what turned out to be a marvelous Thanksgiving feast.

A feast for four

The menu included

• Cranberry Pear Sauce
• Spicy Braised Sweet Potatoes
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Steamed Asparagus
• Tofurky Stuffed Roast
• Pumpkin Pie with a Ginger Snap crust and Whipped Coconut Cream

The kids also had some ham, but aside from that, the whole meal was vegan. And with the exception of the pie crust, it was pretty healthy, as far as feasts go.

We washed that down with a bottle of Malbec from Nieto Senetiner given to us by my colleagues in Argentina, and some sparkling peach juice for the kids. I know that a white wine would have been better paired with the food, but drinking a gift wine seemed appropriate for the occasion.

Vegan Roast with pumpkin, mushroom, and zucchini

My beautiful family

Pumpkin Pie!

During my quiet time this morning, I read a blog post from Seth Godin which I thought was absolutely lovely. I wish I could copy it here, but I wouldn't feel right about doing that without permission. It's worth the two minutes of time to read.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Office pudding

For some reason I've been really lazy about finishing up the Argentina series. I guess I've been letting too many other things take up my time. There is more of that to come, I promise. But not right now.

I want to share a pudding recipe that I've been making at the office. Well, "recipe" might be a little grandiose a term for it. But it tastes really good and is pretty healthy. Mind you, I work in an office with a well stocked micro-kitchen, and I also keep a few special ingredients in my desk drawer. And if you think I'm talking about booze, you're wrong. That stays on top of the desk. In the drawer, however, I keep a box of Roastaroma tea, bottles of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, stevia extract, blackstrap molasses, and a can of vanilla Biochem Vegan Protein powder.

Coupling some of these things with foods that are available around the office, I'm able to make a decent "banana pudding." Here are the ingredients:

• 1 banana, well ripened
• 1/2 cup soy milk (at home I use almond milk), sweetened
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 tablespoons of something crunchy. Usually a blend of seeds & nuts, but sometimes granola or some other kind of cereal.
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
• a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon

Only the first three ingredients are really necessary. Everything else is optional, though I really recommend not compromising on the crunchy part. Molasses can be an acquired taste, and it doesn't do much for the pudding's appearance, but I love the flavor as well as the extra minerals it provides.

All you have to do is mix all the stuff together in a bowl and eat it, but that doesn't make for very interesting blogging. So I'll share the one small innovation I have to bring to the table, as it were.

Our micro-kitchen has these flimsy disposable forks that aren't very good at mashing up bananas. So here's the secret that took me months to discover: you can mash the banana by hand while it's still in the peel. You'll want to do this quite gently so as not to break the skin open prematurely. Work the banana radially rather than length-wise until it's good and mushy. Then you can either peel it as usual, or just break the stem end open and squeeze it like a pastry bag.

So there it is: office-expedient banana pudding. Simple, delicious, healthy.

Argentine Adventure, Part 2: Eating

Bodegon Criollo, Bs.As. (non-vegan)

I was a little worried about how well I would be able to deal with the food in Argentina. It is a nation known for its love of meat, and what I'd read about vegetarianism and veganism there did not make me feel very optimistic. It turned out much better than I had expected. With some planning and searching, I was able to make out alright. And we had a few very good vegan dining experiences.

One thing that's worth knowing is that restaurants in Argentina keep different hours than what I'm accustom to in the US. Most restaurants open for lunch, but then close for the afternoon and reopen around 7 or 8 p.m. for supper. That's a later meal-time than we usually have with the kids, but then, we were also three hours ahead of Colorado time, so our schedules were kind of out of whack anyway.

Food is less expensive in Argentina than it is here in the States. Entrees at good restaurants were typically in the neighborhood of $50 or $60 AR, which at current exchange rates is under $15 USD. Some of the main dishes were a little more expensive, but at non-vegan restaurants, I wasn't looking at those very much. Though tap water was generally potable, we didn't eat anywhere that served it. If you ask for water, you buy a bottle or two for the table.

On nights where we couldn't make the restaurant hours work, we stopped by supermarkets and had improvised picnics in the hotel room. Without a means of heating food, these meals were a little tricky and less than stellar. But it worked out pretty well.

On the recommendation from my coworkers, I picked up some crackers and cookies made by Granix, an Argentine company that makes healthy grain-based products. They feature ingredients like chia and flax (lino in Spanish). The crackers, paired with a soy cheese spread that I found at the supermarket, were very good.

These are some of the vegan or vegetarian restaurants that we visited:

BIO - a small, all-organic bistro in Buenos Aires. We ate here on our first night in town. It was pretty far from our hotel, but we loved it. The food was great, and the staff were very friendly. Either we arrived a bit early, or the neighborhood is a bit sketchy. They kept the door locked while we were there.

BIO, Buenos Aires

Sana Sana - my coworkers in Rosario took me here for lunch one day. It's another small venue with nice patio seating in a residential area. I had a really good stir-fry, or wok, as you'll see it listed on the menu.

Rotiseria Vegetariana - an Asian vegetarian take-out buffet in Rosario. (I don't remember exactly where this was, and the name is fairly generic.) This provided one of our hotel room picnics, though the food would have been much better if we'd been able to heat it up.

Rotiseria Vegetariana, Rosario

Verde Te Que Quiero Verde - on the upper level of the Palace Garden shopping center on Rosario's Cordoba pedestrian mall.

Granix - an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet by the company that made the afore-mentioned crackers. In Buenos Aires, it's in a shopping center off of Florida street. I had lunch here with coworkers on our last day in town.

Picnic - vegan fast food. We didn't actually get to eat here. It's in a banking district where everything is closed on Sundays, which is when we tried to go. It's essentially across the street from Granix.

I actually saw a few signs that there is a healthy population of Vegan militants in the area. On the bus ride to Rosario, I saw a building on the road-side with "Meat is Murder" spray-painted on the wall. And I saw two different "Go Vegan" graffiti in Rosario.

Go Vegan!

So while I expect that Argentina will continue to be famous for its beef and barbecue traditions, it's definitely a place where a determined vegan can have a good time and enjoy some wonderful meals.

Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox

One of the values that I like to cultivate in myself and instill in my family is an appreciation for the rhythms of nature. The seasons mark the progress of the year as we move along the time-lines of our lives. Our forebears celebrated holidays marked by observable phenomena, both terrestrial and celestial. It's something which resonates with me more than most of the other holidays that mark the modern calendar, so I feel like it's a tradition worth upholding. The world in which we live is worth celebrating.

Throughout the week, my wife and kids have been putting up seasonal decorations around the house. And today is the first (official) day of Autumn!

We didn't do anything too elaborate in our observation of the Autumnal Equinox, but after work, my daughter and I made a delicious Harvest Bread for this evening's desert. It has apples, carrots, and zucchini. Given our modest carrot harvest, and the fact that our apple tree isn't producing any fruit at all this year, only the zucchini was home-grown. But that took little away from our enjoyment of this tasty Fall treat.

I hope the crispness in the air inspires you to do something adventurous, make something warm and comforting, and otherwise find reasons and ways to celebrate life.

Whirlwind Weekends

The last couple of weekends have been packed full of little things that add up to a whole lot of fun.

August 6th was the (rescheduled) Lookout Mountain Hill Climb race. As expected, I came in toward the front of the middle of the pack (15/40). But I'm pretty pleased with my time: 21:25, which is a new PR for the course. My family was able to get up to the top and cheer me through the finish line. All of the other riders I talked to had similarly positive experiences.

Later that afternoon we went to the Adams County Fair, where we looked at the chickens, turkeys, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, and horses. I didn't want to spend a whole lot of time on the rides, but the kids did get on the carousel and a boat ride, and my daughter and I went on the ferris wheel.

The next morning I got in a nice recovery ride on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Loop. That afternoon I attended the volunteer orientation for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge - the new stage race here in Colorado starting on the 22nd of this month. I'm going to be working security on the Denver end of the final stage on the 28th. I wish I could take the whole week off of work and see more of the race, but it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to squeeze in much spectating.

Since the Lookout Mountain race was the last one I signed up for this year, I'm trying to get back into running. I got in three runs throughout the week, but I'm having to start at low mileage and work my way back up. Back in the winter, I was up to about 13.2 miles, but now I'm doing 3 to 5. That's no surprise, though, and running in the heat is a pretty different experience.

On Saturday the 13th, F and I took a canoeing class at the Boulder Reservoir presented by Avid4Adventure. It was pretty terrific. I've been wanting to look into canoeing or kayaking for a while now, and this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about it. And it was my daughter's first time in a small boat.

The class started at 8:30, and my wife and son were coming along for the ride. Since there wouldn't be much time for fussing with breakfast, I made some steel-cut oats overnight in the slow-cooker. Steel-cut oats take forever to cook, but they have some nutritional advantages over rolled oats. This is one of my favorite ways to have a hot breakfast waiting for me when I wake up.

• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 4 cups water
• 2 apples, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 or 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Truvia sweetener

(Note: I don't actually measure the salt, cinnamon, and sweetener, so those amounts are just guesses.)

Before going to bed, spray the slow-cooker bowl with cooking spray to reduce sticking. Then mix all of the ingredients and cook on low. Get a good night's sleep. In the morning, stir well before serving. This makes 4 pretty good sized bowls full.

Obviously, there are endless variations on this theme. You can use chia seeds, blackstrap molasses, carob or cocoa powder, any kind of fresh or dried fruit, etc. And the leftovers taste good cold too, so don't feel obligated to eat it all in one morning.

Today (Sunday) I got up early and did one of my favorite rides in the Broomfield/Superior area which will soon be appearing in my Road-biking Denver's Northern Suburbs series. While I didn't get to do everything else I planned on doing today, I got some yard work and other errands done and made some salsa after supper. I'll wait until it has had a chance to sit and let the flavors combine before declaring it a success and posting the recipe.

The coming week has some more adventures in store. More about that later.

Recipes from the weekend

I got to do a fair amount of cooking over the weekend, some of it turning out quite good. I'm not very good at plate presentation, so I didn't take many photos.

Quinoa with Almond "Cheese" Sauce
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/14/cheezy-hummus/

I made a batch of the "Basic Vegan 'Cheeze' Sauce" from the link above, using almonds instead of cashews (because that's what we had on hand). This was mixed in with some steamed quinoa. I thought it was really good, but my wife wasn't into it. It seems she just doesn't like nutritional yeast.

While it's quite healthy, the cheese sauce is also very calorie-dense. So if you're concerned about that kind of thing, you'll want to take it easy. I had to finish my wife's serving in addition to my own, and what little was left went on top of my salad. So I ate the whole thing in one meal. Oops.

Black-eyed Pea Masala over Quinoa
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/08/black-eyed-pea-masala/

This was just a way of using up the leftover quinoa and a half a bag of black-eyed peas that have been sitting in the pantry for a while. It was well received, at least by my wife and me. It isn't the kind of thing that the kids are into.

Roasted balsamic onions
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/BalsamicPearlOnion.htm

Inspired by a similar dish they served for lunch at work one day, I made this with young onions from our garden. I didn't try giving any of this to the kids either, but my wife and I both enjoyed them.

Onions from our garden

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
http://www.choosingraw.com/butternut-squash-and-apple-soup-a-rawcooked-comparison/

We had a baked butternut squash in the fridge that needed to be used, so I pulled this recipe out of my bookmarks. I had just started to prepare supper when the power went out, so after a good deal of grumbling, I got my improvisational juices flowing.

Since the squash was already cooked, I expected to deviate from the recipe's instructions. I sliced the apples (using just 2 Galas) and planned to saute them in Earth Balance and cinnamon. Fortunately our gas grill has a side burner, so I moved the cooking operations out to the deck.

After the apples cooked for a little while, I added the squash and a tablespoon or so of rehydrated dried onion flakes to the saute pan, along with 1/2 cup of water. Once that had cooked for a few minutes,  I added 2 cups of Rapunzel broth and the other seasonings, minus the black pepper and plus a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses. I wanted a little sweeter flavor, and I'm a total blackstrap addict.

All of that was cooked down pretty well, but far from smooth. Fortunately the power came back on just in time to puree the soup in the blender before serving. Even my 21-month-old son loved it, eating a couple of bowls of soup while largely turning up his nose at the PB&J sandwich served on the side.

Turkey Hot Dog Stirfry

Hot dog stir-fry

This is something my daughter and I have made together a couple of times over the past week. We used her favorite vegetables - baby carrots, bell peppers, and spinach - along with the chopped hot dogs. The carrots (julienned) and peppers (finely chopped) go in first, with a tablespoon of oil. When they start to become tender, add the hot dogs. After those are heated through and starting to brown, put in about 1/2 cup of water, maybe less, and a couple of handfuls of spinach. Cover and cook until the spinach is fully wilted. Then remove the lid and continue to cook until the water has evaporated.

Since this was just for the kids, we didn't use any seasonings. My son picked the hot dogs out and left the vegetables, but my daughter had no trouble cleaning her plate. So while I have no idea what this tasted like, I guess it was good enough.

Overnight Oatmeal
http://ohsheglows.com/2010/04/08/easy-vegan-overnight-oats/

I love having oatmeal for breakfast, but during the summer a hot breakfast isn't always what I want. So what could be better than cold oatmeal? There are endless variations, but this is what I did most recently:

• 1/2 cup old-fashion oats
• 1 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1/4 cup dried cherries

Just put that in a bowl, stir it up, and stick it in the fridge overnight. When you wake up in the morning, a tasty, filling bowl of cold oatmeal is waiting for you.

Road trip

My family and I just finished a road trip across much of the country to visit family and friends. Our travels took us to Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Indiana. I brought my bike along so I could get some riding in. It's a great way not only to stay in shape during a vacation, but also to get a more intimate look at some of the areas we passed through. It's also a lot easier to make it through a day of driving if I've gotten a good workout before hand.

Of course we had some memorable meals, both great and not-so-great, along the way.


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Kansas

We left Denver in the afternoon, so our first stop for the night was in Colby, KS. Supper that night was at the Village Inn. After interrogating the waitress for a few minutes, I managed to cobble a vegan meal together out of side items, including a piece of pita bread which was not on the menu.

The next morning I got up and rode my bike around on the back roads. As would be expected, the terrain was quite flat. But it was very windy, so about half of the loop was spent fighting the headwind, while the other half was spent cruising along at a good clip.


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Even though this route was mostly on US highways, traffic was pretty light. And the vehicles that did pass me always kept a respectful distance. I got half-heartedly chased by a dog while heading south on US 83, and County Roads J and K are hard-packed dirt and gravel (or American pavé, as I like to think of it) east of I-70.

While leaving our hotel, my helmet and gloves got left in the hotel lobby. Pro tip: when your 5-year-old says she wants to help carry things out to the truck, make sure she doesn't get side-tracked along the way.

Missouri

We ate the second evening's supper in Columbia at Main Squeeze. This place was great, and I look forward to stopping there again.

After eating, we drove a while longer until we got to our hotel at Weldon Spring, MO, near St. Louis. This area has some small rolling hills, and there was a wildlife preserve near our hotel which offered some decent riding in the morning.


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Traffic wasn't bad on these roads, and the scenery was pleasant.

We had lunch at Saffron Bistro in Cape Girardeau, MO. There was a pretty good selection of vegetarian options on the menu. And while the waitress didn't know much about it, the manager was very knowledgeable and helpful in working out vegan modifications. I had the drunken rice noodles with tofu, with instructions to use salt and water instead of chicken stock. It was excellent.

Tennessee

We arrived at my father's house in Tennessee the next day. We had been planning to have a cookout with all of the family on Saturday, July 2nd. I made some stuffed portabella mushrooms which, if I do say so myself, were delicious.

• 4 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• 2 handfuls of almonds
• Green onions
• Ketchup
• Salt and pepper

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Set the mushrooms on top, stem-side up, making sure the tops of the mushrooms get coated in oil. Drizzle some more oil and vinegar on top and let it soak for a while.

Crush the almonds in a blender and transfer to a bowl. Add about 1/4 cup of ketchup, chopped green onion, salt, and pepper. Mix, adding enough balsamic vinegar to moisten the mixture a little bit. It should be pretty thick and hold together well.

Spoon the filling onto the mushrooms and spread it out. Transfer the mushrooms from the pan to a grill at low/medium heat and cook until heated through and the mushrooms become tender. I wasn't paying very much attention, but I think it took about 15 to 20 minutes.

Market Fresh Produce, Jackson TN

Our grocery shopping took us to a wonderful little place in Jackson called Market Fresh Produce where we got some fruits and vegetables. We spoke to an old woman who said the place was owned by her family and had been in business for 56 years. She had been working there since she was a little girl.

I also stopped in at Bicycle City in Jackson to buy a temporary replacement for the helmet and gloves left behind in Colby, KS.

During our stay in Tennessee, I got out for a ride to see the countryside and another interval workout just before we left.


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I've been wanting to ride the roads of this area for quite some time. It's fairly flat around there, but whole area is very pretty.

Our outbound trip included lunch at Tin Angel in Nashville. It was actually a really good restaurant, but it wasn't what I was expecting. For some reason it turned up in a search for vegetarian restaurants, but the selection was pretty thin. I ate a black bean burger and ignored the fact that the focaccia bun couldn't have been vegan.

Kentucky

From Tennessee we caravanned with my sister up to her house in Kentucky. On the way, we stopped for the night at Cumberland Falls State Park. The cabin we rented there was very nice and easily fit all eight of us. There was a trail head leading down to the falls right beside our cabin, so that evening we walked the mile or so down to the falls. When we arrived there was a ranger giving a talk about snakes at the visitors' center, so we stopped in to listen to the tail end of that.

Cumberland Falls, Kentucky

We ate a late supper of salad in the cabin. Breakfast at the lodge restaurant the next morning was pretty good and reasonably priced.

After arriving at my sister's house, I pulled up a map and began planning a ride for the next morning. I don't know how many people take advantage of it, but Kentucky boasts some very beautiful roads and hills which make for premium cycling.


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I was a little concerned that the narrow roads would prove problematic, but there was very little traffic. I think I got passed by six or seven cars on the whole ride. Tate's Creek Road runs along side a creek (as one might expect) and through tunnels of trees arching overhead.

For a time I worried that I was going to miss out on some of the hills which rose abruptly to either side of the road. But then I turned onto Highway 1156, startled a turkey vulture which was gnawing on an unfortunate rabbit in the road, and I got to experience one of those hills in all its lung-bursting glory. The rest of the ride was rolling, but nothing quite so severe as that first climb.

On our way out of Kentucky, we stopped at Good Foods Market and Cafe for an early lunch. Good Foods is a lot like the Whole Foods chain, in that it's a grocery store with a cafeteria-style eatery where you pay by weight. It was a little out of the way and chaotic with the kids, but the food was good.

Indiana

From there, we headed in the general direction of home, stopping in Indiana to see an old friend of mine. After another hotel-room supper, we went over to his house and hung out for a couple of hours. It wasn't nearly enough time to get properly caught up, but it was a very good visit. He has a daughter one year older than F, and they got along famously.

Kansas (again)

The next day found us lunching in St. Louis at Govinda's vegetarian Indian buffet. While the selection was small, the food was tasty, and it was probably the cheapest meal we had on the whole trip.

We stopped for the night in Topeka, KS. Upon checking into our hotel, we headed down town to have supper at the Blue Planet Cafe. It turned out that a large section of the down-town area was closed off for some kind of Mexican festival parade, but we were able to park and walk just a few blocks to get to the restaurant. We did have to skip the parade in favor of eating before the place closed.

When we got there, we discovered that, due to a live music event going on in the back room, the menu was limited to a few items they had prepped ahead of time. Still, we got a great meal, and the place was very kid-friendly. The owner came over to our table for a little while and chatted with us. She said that when she was living in California and was making cross-country trips, keeping her daughter fed was troublesome. So when she opened Blue Planet, she determined to make sure kids could get good fare.

Epilogue

On the last day, we had a picnic lunch at a rest stop, finishing off most of the vegetables and other food we had with us. We stopped by the hotel in Colby, KS, and got my helmet and gloves, which were held at the front desk for me. And at 3:03 p.m., we crossed the state line into Colorado.

Except for the cabin at Cumberland Falls, all of our hotel stays were at Holiday Inn Express locations. I mention this not because there's anything in it for me (there's not), but because we've had good experiences at nearly every one of their hotels we've gone to. Their suites, having a king-sized bed and a pull-out sofa, are perfect for a family our size with young children. And the complementary breakfast is very convenient, if somewhat lacking in vegan variety.

So that's our big mid-summer road trip. For all the family and friends with whom we have parted ways, we miss you all already and can't wait until we're able to see you again.

Rainbow Restaurant, Fort Collins

Last Sunday we met a friend and her daughter in Fort Collins for lunch at The Rainbow Restaurant. None of us had ever been there before - it was just something C. found on Google Maps that she thought would satisfy everyone's tastes and dietary requirements.

It was a bit of a wait to get a table for six people, but the weather was pleasant, so we hung out on the front walk and let the kids run around and play. It was well worth the drive and the wait. Their Sunday brunch menu was pretty impressive, and they have many vegetarian and vegan options.

I've never really thought about having to distinguish between a child-friendly restaurant and a child-savvy one. Based on this experience, the Rainbow is definitely the former. Everyone was very friendly and willing to accommodate the kids. They just weren't always sure how to do it. That's fine. It was easy enough to switch from a booth to a normal table that worked better with the high-chairs. And the glass of milk brought out for my 1.5-year-old son was quickly replaced with a disposable cup with a lid.

My main course was a vegan sweet potato burrito, which was huge and delicious. The normal version of that burrito comes with eggs and cheese, but tofu can be substituted for egg for free (tempeh comes at an additional price), and I think there was soy cheese standing in for its dairy counterpart. I also ordered steamed vegetables and a fruit cup. Both were made with fresh produce and tasted great. The waiter looked a little uncertain when I ordered the two side items, but my appetite was up to the challenge. By the time I finished (and had some of my friend's hashbrowns), I was pleasantly stuffed. I followed the meal up with a cup of spiced orange tea, which tasted just as great as everything else I had.

The pumpkin bread French toast ordered by my wife and our friend looked delicious. My daughter had a quesadilla and fruit cup, while the boy just got a fruit cup and shared some of his mother's food. As a bonus, the total bill was quite reasonable. I'm looking forward to eating there again some time.

While I wasn't really very hungry when supper time rolled around, I still worked up the motivation to make and eat some really good mango lentil curry based on a recipe I recently found. Yum. The house still smelled like an Indian restaurant the next day.

Happy Spring, Everybody!

Today is the Vernal Equinox, the first official day of Spring. While it's likely that we in Denver will be seeing a few more cold days before warm weather is here to stay, it's still a good time to celebrate.

Yesterday while C. was off at the Phoenix Asylum working on some paintings, the kids and I spent some time outside. While I cleaned up the flower beds a bit, F. sang a little song calling for the plants and animals to wake up from their Winter sleep. I was excited to see that we have crocus already in bloom and daffodils soon to follow suit.

After lunch, we went to the craft store to get some supplies to make decorations for our Spring-time celebration. I felt like we were channeling my mother's spirit while we built bird nests and painted little wooden eggs. My mother was an amazing home-maker, and loved to make decorations for every season of the year.

This morning we attended a birthday party at the Butterfly Pavilion (what could be more Springy than butterflies?). After we got home, it was time for my long-awaited ritual shaving of the Winter beard. I started growing it out around the Solstice back in December, and it did a good job of helping me stay warm while snowshoeing and commuting to work on my bike. But it feels great to have a smooth face once again.

Goodbye, Winter beard.

It's good to have my face back.

While C. was preparing our meal, the kids and I went out in the back yard and played for a while.

M. making a funny face

F. showing me a "moon rock."

Our Equinox dinner was delicious! We had broccoli and quinoa frittata, steamed asparagus, roasted root vegetables, and an awesome rabbit-shaped carrot cake. I'm going to have a tough time trying not to over-do it on the leftovers for the next couple of days.

Mmm, carrot cake. Great job, C!

So here's wishing you and yours a beautiful, fruitful Spring.

Delicious Things

While I've always been capable of it, I never used to spend much time cooking. Recently, though, my obsession with eating (or more accurately: fueling the rest of my life) has turned into a series of hacking sessions, trying to optimize great food on the nutritional dimension. And it develops good will from the wife, who doesn't mind letting me prepare some meals from time to time.

I've been enjoying a few really tasty things lately that I thought I'd share.

Tea

I started drinking more tea when I decided to cut back to 3 cups of (caffeinated) coffee per day. I've really gotten hooked on Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea. It's one of the few teas that my desensitized taste buds can appreciate with no additional sweeteners or flavorings. However, a few minor additions really puts it over the top.

I put an ounce or so of skim milk in the bottom of the cup along with a dash each of cayenne pepper powder and allspice, and a few drops of stevia extract sweetener. Then put in the tea bag and hot water. (Douglas Adams teaches us that you should put the milk in first.) It's really spicy and makes a great after-dinner drink.

Soup

I've tried two very good soups recently. The first was an Avocado and Broccoli puree, which I made straight from the recipe, more or less. I halved the recipe, since I didn't expect anyone else in my family would eat it (wife is allergic to avocado; daughter is a really picky eater; it turned out a little too spicy for my son.) I did use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. And I used cayenne pepper powder instead of chipotle (it's what I had on hand). For a garnish, I used roasted red and yellow bell peppers. The result was an incredibly creamy soup (with no cream), and the green, red, and yellow colors were just lovely. I had no trouble eating the whole thing by myself.

The second soup that I made was a variation on Gena's Roasted Cauliflower and Parsnip Soup. By the way, Choosing Raw is quickly becoming one of my favorite food blogs. Check it out.

The changes that I made (aside from halving the recipe) were that I used a large turnip instead of parsnips; pearl onions instead of shallots; basil instead of thyme. Again, that's just what I had on hand. And since I'm not vegan, I used plain fat-free yogurt instead of rice milk. Three out of four family members enjoyed this one (like I said: daughter is really picky.). That's a pretty good result in my books.

Smoothies

Liquid breakfast is a good way to go before an early-morning workout, or if you just want to supplement normal breakfast with something that tastes like a milk shake. There isn't much to it. I've been having fun just dumping lots of things into the blender and hoping that I don't wake anyone else up at 5:30.

I bought a bunch of over-ripe bananas at a discount, peeled them, and stuck them in a freezer bag. We also chopped and froze some strawberries. So this morning's version went something like this:

• 1 frozen banana, chopped
• 3 frozen strawberries, chopped
• 1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon organic peanut butter*
• 1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa
• 1 packet of stevia-based granulated sweetener (I've been using Truvia brand).

* I'm not trying to be snobby by specifying "organic" here. But when I compare the ingredients of "normal" peanut butter to an organic/natural variety, I feel a lot better about the latter.

The result was almost like soft-serve chocolate ice cream, thick enough to eat out of a bowl with a spoon. I put a little bit of cereal on top for texture.

I frequently do something more fruity. Maybe half of a banana, and a half-a-handful of every type of berry we have on hand (blueberries, raspberries, grapes, etc.). When I do this, I usually throw in some baby spinach, just for fun.

These smoothies are something that the whole family enjoys. The boy gets his cut with some extra milk so he can draw it through a sippy cup.