Fat --> Fit : Trade that A for an I

Late 2012 I was asked if I had any interest in participating with a team of vegan athletes in a body building, figure and bikini competition. Since I was in high school cheerleading I had interest in competing in a fitness competition. I have since abandoned the desire to dance around like an idiot in some fucking weird costume, sneakers and fluffy crew socks…but I still want to build my body to a level unmatched at any time in my athletic career; in mid January I committed.

The Best Oatmeal EVARRRR!!!

I have been eating this oatmeal recipe for the past 2 weeks. I can't usually just eat the same thing over and over and over; but this is different. It is so good, and there are so many dynamic flavors...I simply can't get enough.

Chickpea Salad

Extremely simple. Ingredients are easy to swap, and you can adjust the flavors as needed.

Gym Etiquette

I have been lifting weights for…since I was 16. (I’m getting older, so I don’t think I’m supposed to say how old I am anymore.) My high school weight room had a lot of rules. I still believe in them.

Mexican-ish Stuffed Peppers

I have been cooking for one a lot lately…which makes me sad. No one wants to eat my food anymore. I love cooking for people. I don’t really have time to host folks, and my siblings I live with are lame and don’t wanna.

Enchilada Sauce in a Pinch

Once in a while I need some enchilada sauce, but not much. Not enough to warrant opening a whole can of anything (except whoop-ass, but I have a lifetime supply of that!)

 

So here is my quick fix:

 

¼ Cup Ketchup

1 Tsp Chili Powder

Sprinkle of Cumin

MIX ‘em together!

BAM! Sauce.

Being Ugly

I’m struggling. So many things are going so well in my life. I love everything. I have a new job, a new life, rad new side jobs, bikes, running, lifting, funtivities, sailing, the list goes on. I am working on new things all the time, projects, my fitness, my education, my professional experience…but there is one problem I have come across that I can’t seem to shake, that I have tried to solve, and have found no answer.

ACNE.

Stroganoff

As a kid I remember my mom making stroganoff. Coming home and smelling the simmering food…thinking how amazing it smelled, and wondering what she was making…then an hour later sitting at the table and seeing and smelling the final result, and being wholly disappointed. As a teen I changed my mind and wrote off my childhood ignorance.

I haven’t had stroganoff for years. I love it. I need it. I have a new challenge…I am trying to be soy free. It’s fucking hard. Soy is good.

Squashed Cauliflower

One head of Cauliflower

Water

¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Cut and clean cauliflower

Add to a pot with cold water

Boil until tender…

Drain

Smash

Add Nutritional Yeast and spices to taste

Boom, Squashed Cauliflower.

 

Cashew Sour Cream

Really simple, incredibly quick.

 

2 Handfuls Raw Cashews

¼ Boiling Water

Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Splash Non-Dairy Milk (Unsweetened)

If you have soaked cashews, good job…Use those. It will create a creamier consistency. I just made this for the first time the other day…So I did it in a flash.

Add cashews to a food chopper, processor, or high powered blender. Grind/puree as much as possible.

Add water, mix until creamy

Add cider vinegar and milk

Mix until creamy

Boom, Cashew Sour Cream.

Seitan

 

I stole the regular recipe from Yeah That Vegan Sh*t…then in my true style I changed it…Here is what I did. No pictures for a couple reasons: you just put stuff in a bowl and then smash it together, and no matter what you do it always looks like a giant turd. So yeah…

I like Seitan. It is made of Gluten and has an enormously high protein content. It is kind of spongy, and my brother and sister both think it is weird. But they eat dead animals...

Spicy Seitan

1.5 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten

¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast

2 tsps Paprika

¼ tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Cumin

1 tsp Black Pepper (usually do a heaping tsp)

1/8 tsp Cayenne powder (or Sriracha)

½ tsp Garlic Powder (or some fresh finely minced is good)

½ can tomato sauce

¼ cup COLD water

1 Tbsp Ketchup

2 Tbsp Oil (olive, vegetable, canola, what have you…)

2 Tbsp Worcestershire (Make sure its vegan! Annie’s makes one and I have seen one “Wizard” Brand)

Preheat oven to 350 (my oven cooks retardedly hot, so I usually do 300)

Combine dry ingredients in a large-ish bowl, combine wet in a smaller bowl. Whisk both separately.

Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in wet. Mix with a fork until it becomes ridiculous.

Complete the combining process with your freshly washed hands. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes…or however long you have patience for.

Form into a log…6-8 inches in length. It will look terrible…

Roll in foil as tightly as possible. Pinch the ends (so it looks like a giant hard candy)

Bake for 90 minutes on the rack. NO BAKING SHEET! It will burn!

Let cool completely, store in the fridge…I usually keep it in something plastic so it doesn’t dry out.

 

This is just a little more mild flavor…Better as an ingredient as compared to the above…which I like on its own. Slightly different ingredients, same directions.

Chicken Style Seitan

1.5 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten

¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast

½ tsp Poultry Seasoning (Sage, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Nutmeg, Black Pepper)

¼ tsp Cumin

1 tsp Black Pepper

½ tsp Garlic Powder (or some fresh finely minced is good)

½ can tomato sauce

¼ cup COLD water

1 Tbsp Ketchup

2 Tbsp Oil (olive, vegetable, canola, what have you…)

1 Tbsp Molasses

 

 

 

A Night for the Animals – Speaker Edition

We are so excited to announce that our speaker for the benefit will be Tim Hitchins, co-owner of a Portland staple, Blossoming Lotus. We got hooked up with him when we were still in the very beginning stages of planning, his initial thoughts and ideas for what he would speak about fell in line with exactly what we had envisioned this event promoting; a strong vegan community.

Mr. Hitchins has provided us with a brief description of the content of the discussion, titled:

 “Our Compassionate Community.”

We've all boasted about Portland before, from our vegan mini mall, eateries, gym and barbershops, to our rich animal rights history and activist scene, our ‘veg’ community represents an unparalleled model of compassionate living. Nourished by a rich diversity of individuals, organizations, and businesses working interdependently and through a common ethical cause, our collective grassroots efforts confront the structures of dominance we all seek to change. Daily, we challenge the status quo.

But as our network remains strong, and our accomplishments deserve recognition, we still face obstacles ahead. Recent years have introduced us to the humane meat movement, back yard butchers and the Green Scare. Pursuing support, these paradigms of abuse wish to control the narrative and label us extremists. Our compassionate community, established, connected and driven by love will lead by example; for a kinder world, we will persevere.

In this talk, learn what one Portland resident believes each one of us can do to protect our community's legacy, how we can build from past experience and what we can do to keep Portland the greatest vegcity in the world.

We are so excited to have Tim as a presenter and guest. We are honored that he has taken the time to put this together and bring to our attention what, in our hectic everyday lives, we can do to sustain and add-on to something that we all hold so close to our hearts.

About Tim:

Tim Hitchins moved to Portland broke and on probation for animal rights activism. Searching for a better life, he was able to make connections and get support from caring and compassionate individuals within the Portland veg community. Eventually, Tim was able to get a job and contribute to the local scene. Eight short years later, he is just another vegan business owner and activist in Portland's rooted vegan community. Today, Tim co-owns Blossoming Lotus and organizes with Resistance Ecology.

 

EVENT UPDATE: As of this morning 02/06/2013 we have only 16 tickets remaining. If you are interested in joining us ACT FAST by clicking HERE. We have also collected more than 30 raffle prizes including the GRAND PRIZE trip for 4 to Helios Eco House in Bend, OR. Hope to see you there!