Month: March 2017

Change of Plans!

Leave a comment

It’s pretty funny how plans can change so quickly.

Earlier this year I registered for the Colorado 200 50 mile solo race that my awesome coach puts on through her company Rugged Running.  Unfortunately Michele and Wyatt had to cancel the race this year due to logistical issues, which was  a huge bummer but totally understandable.  I was left with no races on the calendar for 2017 and for a brief moment thought, okay, I’m not racing this year.  That’s fine.  But of course, that never happens.  Instead, within the next week, I found myself getting antsy and thinking about all the possibilities for 2017 races and asking around within my group of runner friends for some beautiful and fun local(ish) races.

A bit overwhelmed with a huge list of awesome possibilities, I was at a loss for which ones to go for.  But then the question was answered for me.  Turns out the Never Summer 100k, which I’ve wanted to do for a couple years now and have heard nothing but raves about, is on my birthday this year.

So that was easy.

The new race calendar for 2017:

And tentatively for 2018, depending on how this year’s races and my Ph.D. stuff go (I will hopefully be finishing up this time next year):

I’ve been enjoying the beautiful spring weather here in Boulder and getting out for more trail time.  I always seem to have a hard time getting out in the winter, no matter how much I say it’s going to happen.  You know what?  I just don’t like to be cold, dammit.  But once the gorgeous spring weather rolls around, those trails start calling my name.  Last weekend I took Rocket out for a loop of North Table Mesa in Golden and we had a ball.  I also enjoyed the part where he slept for the entire rest of the day/evening once we got home. 🙂  It takes a lot to wear that dog out.

In addition to ramping up my training, I’m also conducting a bit of an experiment with my nutrition.  I’ve wanted to try to fat-adapt for a couple years now but never actually dove in and tried it.  But for the past week and a half, I’ve been sticking to a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet (yes, you can do this as a vegetarian!) and am really loving it so far.  For that first couple days, my run energy was pretty low as my body started to make the switch (it usually takes a few weeks for your body to fully adapt, but some people – myself included – start to feel better within a few days).  But after about 5 days or so, I was feeling much more energetic, no longer had swings in my blood sugar, had lost all my carby/sugar cravings, and was feeling constantly satiated.  I also had an amazing run around North Table Mesa and felt a dramatic improvement from how I felt on previous laps of the same location when I was supposedly in better shape and better trained.  So that’s been good inspiration to continue with this experiment!  I’ll write more about it and in more detail in a couple weeks when I have more of the story to tell.  So far, so good.

Creamy Vegan Aloo Gobi

Leave a comment

Here in the mountains just outside of Boulder, we have a fabulous Nepalese restaurant called Kathmandu (I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in this area).  Pretty much everyone around here is obsessed with this place, and their food is amazing.  My personal favorite is the aloo gobi.  No matter how many other menu items I try, I always go back to my first love.

I started trying to re-create Kathmandu’s creamy and ever so slightly sweet aloo gobi a while ago and never got it quite right until today.  But finally, everything came together.  This is definitely not a “throw it together super quick” kind of recipe, but man it is worth the prep time!

Creamy Vegan Aloo Gobi – Kathmandu style

Makes roughly 6-8 servings (We cook in bulk in our house so we have leftovers for lunches.)

I’ll take a better picture next time I make this. I wasn’t expecting to inhale it so fast!

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower – washed and chopped into florets
  • 4-6 russet potatoes (depending on your desired veggie:sauce ratio – I used 6) – washed, peeled, and chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion – peeled and chopped
  • 3-4 garlic cloves – peeled
  • 1.5-2″ ginger root – peeled and chopped into chunks about the same size as the garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews – soaked in hot water for ~30 minutes
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil (or whatever other oil you prefer)
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • Salt to taste

Directions

  1. Soak the cashews in hot water for ~30 minutes to soften.  While the cashews are soaking, chop the (peeled) potatoes, cauliflower, and onion.  Place the potatoes in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil until just tender (they will cook a bit more later so they don’t need to be completely tender yet).  Drain and set aside.
  2. While the potatoes are boiling and cashews are soaking, place the peeled ginger and garlic into a food processor or blender and add 1 tbsp water.  Blend the ginger and garlic to form a paste and set aside into another dish (you’ll need the food processor/blender again in a minute).
  3. When the cashews are done soaking, place those in the food processor/blender with the remaining 2 tbsp water and blend into a paste.  Set aside.
  4. Heat the oil on medium heat in the stockpot (you might be able to get away with a skillet, but it likely won’t be big enough – I would recommend re-using the big stockpot), and add the garam masala.  Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.  Then add the onion and sauté until golden.
  5. Add the garlic and ginger paste and sauté for another minute.  Then add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate (stir regularly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom – depending on your stove, you may also want to turn the heat down just a bit here to make sure it doesn’t burn or stick).
  6. Lower the temperature a bit (if you haven’t already), and add the cashew paste, chili powder, coriander, and turmeric to form a masala paste, and cook until fat begins to come out the sides of the paste (you’ll see it, trust me).  Stir continuously to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan or burn.
  7. Add the cooked potatoes, cauliflower, coconut milk, vegetable broth, and salt to taste.  Mix well.  Cover and let simmer for ~20 minutes (or longer if you want thicker sauce).  Stir occasionally while simmering to mix the veggies in and make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
  8. Serve as is, or with rice, naan, etc.
  9. Try not to eat it all at once. 🙂

NOTE: If you want to reduce your cooking time on the day of, try making the garlic-ginger and cashew pastes ahead of time.

I can’t wait to have my leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

UPDATE: Leftovers were delicious!  This reheats wonderfully.