The runaround

I feel like I've been moving non-stop since last I posted, with travel, work, and extracurriculars.  I've been busy devoting myself to marathon training (5 weeks out, now!) which generally involves running, eating ravenously and being tired a lot of the time, so I haven't updated the blog in a while. But let me take a moment for a quick photos recap:

I went to Boston at the end of last week.  It was a last minute work trip and very short, but I did manage to see a tiny corner of the city:

Walking the two blocks from the Back Bay train station to my hotel after returning from a conference at Holy Cross in Worcester (which is not pronounced at all how it looks).

And came down with a nasty case of food poisoning, just in time for the cross country return trip. Let's just say throwing up in an airplane bathroom is tops on my never again list.

Back home this week I had some yummy dinners and other food, for example, I discovered that Whole Foods carries this amazing local sorbet brand, Scream Sorbet:

We had Broccoli and Celery Soup on Sunday.  I can go either way on pureed soups.  Sometimes they're too thick and remind me of baby food, but this one was just the right consistency:

Tuesday was Seitan with mushrooms and spinach from Veganomicon (too lazy to type up the recipe, but it's pretty good, and you should buy that cookbook already!):

Kevin went to a joint bachelor/bachelorette party for his co-worker and her fiance on Thursday, so I made my go-to "home alone" dinner - baked sweet potato, sauteed greens and Trader Joe's vegetarian chili:

Oh, and I ran a bit. 18 miles so far during the week, and I'm gearing up for a 20-miler in the morning, hoping to be done before the rain is forecasted to start at 10am.

For my weekday runs I start around 7, so that I can do 5 or 8 miles before work. I do love the perspective and feeling of accomplishment a morning run can give; and even though I run the same handful of courses, I appreciate moments when something you've seen a million times takes you completely by surprise, like the freshly planted tulips and daffodils in this little park by the ocean:

Happy weekend, and happy spring!

The A Type

I don't mind a little clutter. Papers on the counter, clothes on the bedroom floor - no big deal to this girl. But there are a few things I go full-blown type A over, including loading the dishwasher, packing for trips, and really anything involving airports.

I have this irrational fear of starving to death on an airplane. I travel a fair amount for work, usually across at least a couple time zones, which tends to mean either flight times and meal times overlap or meals are lost in the time change. And sitting in one place for very long makes me majorly snack-y.  So the hunger and stress and fear of missing a meal combine and magnify one another.

The vegan thing has made planning ahead more imperative, since there aren't always many vegan options at the airport, and often consist of french fries and/or chips.  For example, today I'm flying from San Francisco to Boston (about 5 1/2 hour flight) so I packed a few snacks (Yes, I'm that obnoxious seat mate who pulls a seemingly endless amount of food out of her carry on.):

Kale salad with radishes and baked tofu, carrot sticks, almond butter and raspberry preserves (ab&j) sandwich, crackers, cashews, dark chocolate.  Ok.  Maybe I went overboard.

Yes, I'm an evil waster of baggies.

I also had my return flight and snacks while in Boston in mind, so I stashed some additional snacks in my roller bag:

More crackers and cashews, plus oranges and an energy bar.

So now I'm sitting around the airport waiting for my flight (why yes, I did get through security more than an hour before my plane starts boarding) thinking I should probably find somewhere to get more snacks.  And eating my ab&j sandwich... all this sitting made me hungry!

Yosemite!

Sometimes you don't realize how badly you needed to get away from it all until you get away from it all.  

We bought a Groupon back in October for a two night stay in one of the cabins at at Evergreen Lodge, just outside Yosemite.  I waited a few weeks to actually book our stay, so by the time I called, the next available nights were in March. It seemed like such a long way away, but it was amazing how quickly the time passed.  

We picked this particular weekend because Kevin works what they call a 9-80 schedule (meaning he works 80 hours in 9 days instead of 10, so he gets every other Friday off) and this past Friday was one he did not work.  I took the day off, and after a morning bike ride (Kevin) and a bit of work/packing/etc (me) we headed out towards Yosemite.  

The traffic wasn't bad, but we made stops for lunch, and at REI to get me some hiking pants (plus a bonus bikini:  http://www.rei.com/product/828641/carve-ryder-bikini-top-womens and http://www.rei.com/product/846234/carve-janie-reversible-bikini-bottoms-womens) so we didn't get to the Evergreen until after 4pm.  

Because it is the off season, (hence the half price Groupon deal on the cabin) things were pretty uncrowded, although the area of Yosemite closest to the Evergreen (Hetch Hetchy) was closed due to snow on the road.  The areas where we were, however, were lovely.  No snow, and mid-60's during the day.

Our cabin was very adorable and quaint without being rundown:

The neatest parts were the electric stove heater inside (which I did not photograph) and the porch out back, equipped with chairs for relaxing and savoring the view (or reading and drinking wine):

Kevin's socks!

My new hiking pants!

There was a tavern and a restaurant at the Evergreen, which was nice, because it's about 45 minutes from anywhere else, and you can't cook for yourself because it attracts bears (or so they say!).  The food was nothing to write home about, and I had more than my share of fried potatoes between the dinner and two breakfasts we ate there, but it was better than nothing.

On Saturday we headed down to Yosemite Valley to do some exploring, and so that I could get my 18 mile training run in.  The views were not too shabby:

Kevin was there!

And me too, in my running ensemble!

Kevin went for a hike up to Yosemite Falls while I spent almost 3 hours running a loop and a half of the Yosemite Valley.  It was nice because there's one road into the valley and one road out of the valley, and they loop together so I did a reverse loop, facing traffic the whole time.  Most people seemed a bit surprised to see a runner coming at them, but also very polite (ie. no one threw anything or honked or yelled at me).  I was pretty proud of my pace (9:30 minute miles) especially since I ran without headphones for the first time in a while (since they aren't allowed in my marathon, and I wanted to mimic those conditions - great scenery, no tunes) and at 4,000 ft above my regular running elevation.  My knee did start to bug me a bit towards the end, but I'm hoping it was a product of having to jump off the road to avoid cars.

After lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel (a bit overpriced, but the waitress was super nice, and when I requested no dairy on my veggie sandwich she asked "Oh, are you vegan?" and made suggestions as to what I might or might not be able to eat, which was sweet.) we headed back to the Evergreen, and did some lounging, hot tubbing, and reading.

All in all the vacation was a success.  We got to relax, enjoy nature and drink wine outside (what more can you ask for, really?).  Can we do it again next weekend?!?

Spring has sprung!

Living in a place that generally lacks seasons, I feel a little spoiled sometimes.  When much of the country is digging out from under the latest snowstorm, we often have some of the nicest days of the year - mid-60's and sunny.  Sometimes there is wind or, like this morning, fog, but it often serves to make the view that much more spectacular on an early run:

The most exciting attribute of season-less-ness, for the realm of this blog however, is that our CSA doesn't stop or even diminish in quality during the winter.  The veggies we get are generally more "wintery" - a lot of root vegetables, hardy greens and fennel, but this week, I knew it must be spring, because we got, among other things, asparagus and green garlic. I had never actually cooked with green garlic before, but as soon as I saw those two items, along with lemons on the list for yesterday's delivery, I knew my mission was clear.  Spring risotto!

I have had a love affair with risotto since I first learned to make it, probably about 5 years ago.  It's comforting, and methodical, and once you get the process down, you can swap out ingredients to suit your needs.  I used to make a barley "risotto" with red beans, and I've made mushroom risotto and risotto with pesto, but today's version was by far my favorite, because of the fresh, springlike feel.

First you prep your ingredients:

Very important, because once you start cooking the risotto, you can't venture far from the pan, because you need to stir almost constantly.

Saute your onion/garlic in some oil for a bit (for me, this time it was actually fennel and green garlic, but I often use leeks or plain ol' white or yellow onion) then add your rice (short grain arborio rice is traditionally used.  I mixed in some farro, and in the past have used barley as well). Then you add your other veggies (if they need a while to cook, like my big fat asparagus, and my peas) and a bit of wine and start stirring.

You will also want to have 4 cups of warmed stock in a pot over low heat, so that you can add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition.  When you have about a cup of stock left, you can add your herbs and/or veggies like spinach which don't need very long to cook (I added thyme, fennel leaves and lemon zest).  Once all the stock was added I stirred in some toasted pine nuts and took out my dinner and leftover portions before adding parmesan to the rest, for Kevin.

This was the first time I made risotto without cheese (for me at least) and I loved the bright, clean, springy flavors!

That's not French!

Now, I hope this doesn't offend my French readership (Hi, Aunt Marilyn!) but I have never had Boeuf Bourgiugnon. It has always seemed either too fancy, too beefy, or too involved for me to make at most points in my adult life.  And I've never had occasion to order it at a restaurant.  It seemed as though my bourgiugnon ship had sailed.  But then I happened upon this recipe in The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen for Seitan Bourguignon, and it seemed like the perfect dish for a Saturday night in.  Not authentic, I'm sure, but interesting enough to pique my curiosity.

And it turned out great! (Of course it did, otherwise I wouldn't be writing about it!) Although I made the mistake of not reading the recipe thoroughly enough when I decided to make it, and didn't realize it took 2-2.5 hours to prepare (mostly marinating and simmering, not active work).  Good thing we had a late lunch!

Seitan Bourguignon
from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
by Peter Berley

Now, I have not had the best luck with evenly reducing quantities across a recipe so that, as in this case, a 6 serving recipe becomes a more manageable 4 servings, but I think I got it right this time!  :)

1 large bulb garlic, cloves peeled and left whole (I got Kevin to help me with the garlic peeling, since it added to the overall time before I could get dinner on the table)
3/4 cup olive oil (no joke, but it will be worth it, I promise!)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups dry red wine, preferably from Burgundy (we got a perfectly nice bottle from our neighborhood wine shop for $15, and you still get to drink half a bottle!)
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
Salt and pepper to taste
2 strips orange zest
1 lb seitan, cut into 1 inch cubes (Berley really wants me to make my own seitan, but it's relatively easy to find good stuff in the store, and so much easier!)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced into bite sized chunks
1 celery rib with leaves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp flour
3/4 lb cremini or white button mushrooms, halved if small, quartered if large
Chopped parsley for garnish

This first part is going to sound ridiculous and unnecessary and time consuming, but don't skip it!

In a small pan over medium heat combine the garlic and oil and simmer.  Reduce heat to low and poach the garlic until it turns pale gold, about 20 mins. Strain the oil into a glass container, reserve garlic.

In a large bowl, whisk together the wine, soy sauce, mirin, 3 Tbsp garlic oil, salt and pepper. add the fresh herbs and orange zest. Add the seitan, cover the bowl and let marinate 1 hour at room temperature (This is the part I didn't read so well ahead of time.  I probably only marinated for 30 mins, but it turned out just fine.)

In a heavy, flame-proof casserole over med heat, warm 2 Tbsp of the garlic oil. Add onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion softens, about 5 mins.  Add the carrot, celery, tomato paste and flour.  Cook for 5 more mins, stirring often.

Pour all but 1/4 cup of the seitan marinade over the casserole, and stir well.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 40-50 mins.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the veggies simmer, toss the mushrooms with the seitan, leftover marinade and 1/2 Tbsp garlic oil.  Spread this mixture in a single layer in a baking dish or sheet pan.  Roast in the oven for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned.

Remove the herbs and orange zest from the roasted seitan, add the seitan-mushroom mixture to the pot and stir to combine.  Add the reserved poached garlic (I chopped this so there weren't whole cloves of garlic floating around) and a bit more water if the stew is too thick.  Simmer for 10 mins to meld the flavors.

Top with chopped parsley, and serve!

And for those of you who were not counting, this means there is about 1/3 cup of garlic infused olive oil leftover for you to do with as you please.  I served some with bread, for dipping, and I'm sure it will show up in place of regular olive oil in future recipes!

Morning People

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for me to tell you about what I eat for breakfast, right?  Well today is your lucky day!

Let me start by saying that I have not always been a morning person. In fact, that may be an understatement. From the time I was a baby, it was a basic rule of thumb to let sleeping Lori's lie or face the extremely grouchy consequences. When I was a teenager I would sleep til noon when given the chance, and a solid 10-11 hours of sleep was not uncommon for me. I even perfected the skill of sleeping through my alarm - not hitting the snooze button, mind you, but a full on blaring alarm. My record in undergrad was 45 minutes.  For much of my life I was convinced that "morning people" were either moderately insane or victims of some unfortunate sleep disorder, but either way it was something you were born with, and obviously not something that would ever apply to me.

So while I still need 8-9 hours to be a productive human being, Kevin's schedule of early to bed (9:30 or 10 most nights) and early to rise (5:30 for him/6:30 for me) has made me into a morning person, which I resisted at first, but now I love!  It's a great feeling to start the day with a workout and still have plenty of time to leisurely answer emails and get to work.

Before I became a morning person, breakfast was at most an afterthought, but more often I would skip it entirely save for the occasional brunch on the weekends.  That's right, I spent many years skipping THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY!!!

But when you wake up at 6:30 and work out most mornings, breakfast is a must, so much so that I have two breakfasts! I'm a creature of habit, so I eat basically the same thing every day.  First, right when I wake up I eat my version of the Marsha McKinley breakfast: 1 slice of sprouted grain toast with 1 Tbsp peanut butter (Jennifer Reese's Make the Bread, Buy the Butter inspired to make it myself) and half a cup of soy milk (who me, OCD?):

Then I take my little snack back to bed with me to check email and do a little work before I run.  Believe me, Kevin very much prefers the toast to my previous "first breakfast" which involved me eating dry Raisin Bran out of a measuring cup (and getting bran flakes all over our bed).

After my workout I make my Brian McKinley breakfast: a smoothie.  The exact recipe has evolved over the past few months, but the current incarnation is protein-packed:

From left to right: baby kale/spinach/chard mix, frozen strawberries,
blueberries, unsweetened soymilk, flax seed and almond butter

Everyone has their own preference about how thick/sweet/etc they like their smoothies to be, so my proportions may not work for everyone but I usually use:

1/2 cup soymilk

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tsp ground flax seeds

1 Tbsp almond butter (the main reason I started adding almond butter was because I bought a jar to try on my toast instead of peanut butter and realized I can't stand the taste all on it's own - but it's great in a smoothie!)

1 cup greens (I experimented with different greens and found that this "baby greens" mix from TJs allows me to avoid the overpowering flavor of lacinato kale or other "mature" greens)

Add everything to my trusty old blender and let 'er rip:

The end result is an interesting intersection of green, red and purple on the color wheel, but it tastes good and gets me 2+ servings of fruit, a serving of greens, calcium and protein from the soymilk and almond butter and omega-3s from the flax!  

I will say that I initially used orange juice for another serving of fruit (and because it makes the smoothies sweeter), but it doesn't have the protein of soymilk and the brand we buy is not calcium fortified so I made the swap when I started tracking nutrients. I also learned that there are these round orange things that said juice originates from, and started to eat those instead.

On the road again

All it really took was a good whine about my knee to get back on track with my running.  I have been trying out new routes near my house, going north towards Land's End/the ocean rather than south into Golden Gate Park, where I've logged most of my running miles over the last 3 years.

I sometimes forget how close we really live to the ocean because you can't see it from our house, and it's 2.5 miles away through the park, but in reality, China Beach is about a mile away and has some truly glorious bridge views, especially for a pre-work  Thursday morning run:

 

I've been toying with the idea of doing a trail race (ultra?) at some point after my May marathon, so today during my long run, I decided to run along the Land's End trail from Lake Street down to Ocean Beach.  It's a mostly flat or slightly downhill stretch with some stairs that really got my blood pumping. See, that's one sweaty self-portrait right there.

I really enjoy being out in nature, and I love hiking (although I don't do nearly enough of it) so I think a trail race would be a good impetus for more time spent hiking/trail running, probably on Land's End during the week and up in Marin County on weekends.

Other things I've been up to include:

Writing for a different, work-related blog.

Happy hour with coworkers!

Photo by Julie Rivera

Facilitating our family's flexitarian lifestyle (guess which plate is mine?)

And which pizza (I'll give you a hint, the one on the right has 3 kinds of cheese and the one on the left has zero kinds of cheese):

And whittling my stack of library books from a constantly revolving stack of about 15 cookbooks to 8 books total - most of which are running related.  That's right.  I made my way through all the possible vegan cookbooks, save for a couple with exceptionally long waits that I still have on hold.

I have some new recipes on the menu for this week, so I should hopefully be posting more about those soon!