speedvegan

Raw meal, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Raw taco nut meat with peppers and carrots plus sides of salsa, guacamole and Ani’s Baja Cheeze. We also made raw cocoa balls. Yum.

Friday – rest
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 1 hr, 34 min run
Monday – 1.5 hr beach bootcamp class
Tuesday – 45 min spin class
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – 45 min spin class

Braces in the garden…, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Thought I’d try a different setting for today’s adjustment report.

Like many long term relationships, I thought my visits to the orthodontist would start to lack excitement after the sixth month. I couldn’t have been further from the truth. During my fifth adjustment this morning, Dr. Short pulled this out of his bag of tricks: two more brackets, one for each top end molar (#7s). Apparently, the teeth next door (#6s, where the wire stopped) had started to “cave in” somewhat. I had noticed this and it had bothered me immensely. I was planning to bring it up during my visit, but Dr. Short beat me to it once he saw today’s status x-ray. To be honest, it looked A LOT worse in the x-ray. Anyway, I’m glad he caught it and is taking the steps to correct it.

So I now have brackets on all my teeth except for one in the bottom. I got a new top wire which is surprisingly thinner than the one I was wearing before. They took the spring off (for now) as well as the “lace” that was still holding my six front teeth together. I have to keep wearing elastics and was given an additional three packs “just in case” after I told them I’d be out of the country for three weeks.

My next appointment is not for another six weeks which is totally fine with me and my teeth.

Orthodontia is evil, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Orthodontia is evil, but Geoffrey is wonderful. He made butternut squash soup for dinner !!

Fresh baked bread for breakfast, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Last night, Geoffrey loaded up the bread maker with goodies and set the timer. This morning, we woke up to the wonderful scent of fresh baked cumin-orange spiced bread. Mmm… We had a lovely breakfast together before heading off to work.

Our first Wasjig? puzzle, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Wasjig? puzzles are puzzles you have to solve without having an actual picture to guide you. The picture on the box is only a clue. Tricky, tricky…

Women’s Lib Casserole, originally uploaded by cloudmonkey.

I modified this recipe from a postcard Geoffrey gave me some time ago. It is, by far, the best vegan Macaroni and “Cheese” I’ve ever had.

Even though the original recipe “officially” calls for macaroni pasta, I used my favorite, spiral. Feel free to choose your favorite too ! After all, isn’t that what liberation is all about ?

8 oz of your favorite pasta, cooked
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups plain soy milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tamari
1/2 tsp stone ground mustard
few dashes of Mesa Rosa Chipotle Southwestern Smoky Blend, optional

Topping:
1 tbsp vegan margarine, melted
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1. To make topping, combine all ingredients. Set aside.

2. In a large pan, melt margarine over medium heat. Saute garlic for a minute. Beat in the flour to make a roux.

3. Add soy milk and continue to cook until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients until smooth. Add water if mixture becomes too thick.

5. Mix in the pasta. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with topping. Broil until topping is golden crispy. Serve immediately.

Friday – rest
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 1 hr, 15 min bike ride, 1 hr, 25 min run
Monday – rest
Tuesday – 45 min spin class, 40 min run
Wednesday – 58 min spin class
Thursday – 42 min run

Quick vegetable paella, originally uploaded by cloudmonkey.

This is a “quick” variation of a vegetable paella recipe I posted in the past. I was in a hurry and used frozen veggies instead of fresh.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 tsp saffron strands
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp Mesa Rosa Chipotle Southwestern Smoky Blend, optional
3 cups frozen veggies
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cube vegetable bouillon
half a lemon

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan and saute garlic for a minute.

2. Add the rice and spices. Continue to saute for another minute, stirring constantly. Stir in frozen veggies.

3. Add water and white wine. Bring to a boil for two minutes, then reduce heat to simmer. Crumble and stir in the vegetable bouillon. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add more liquid, if needed, to prevent sticking. Cover and cook another 5 minutes or until rice is al-dente, not overcooked.

4. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning, if needed. Squeeze lemon over the paella and serve.