Fruitarians, Canadian Communists and the Biggest Loser

A little bit of an odds and ends post, here. First off, I’ve found something a little more extreme than even a raw-foodist (which, I am not). The Fruitarians are people that only eat fruit and nuts and only raw. Obviously, no meat either but no vegetables or roots, neither. Those fruits that we sometimes consider to be vegetables, like tomatoes and cukes are included in their diet.

Bravo, if they feel this is the diet and lifestyle for them. I think it would work. I think the nutrition would be there. Living in a cold weather climate, I just don’t think it would be the diet for me. I need cooked food on a cold winter’s night. I don’t think this makes me weak – it’s just the way I am.

However, I get a sense that the Fruitarians are a little militant towards the rest of us savage vegans. They feel that eating vegetables is a form of killing because you kill the plant to harvest it and need to re-plant from seed to see the next harvest. Whereas, a fruit tree just keeps on giving – despite the fact that it is their ‘unborn fetus’ that’s being eaten. In some parts, this is also considered murder...

Next...

Because of the communist government of Ontario/Canada, I am no longer able to drink my green tea from an open mug while in the workplace. I must have a covered cup at all times just in case a flying drop of automotive chemical comes flying from the garage and into the parts department and drops right in my mug and then I drink it and die. As you can tell, the company I work for was audited by the Ministry of Labour this week.

I must also drag out the steel toe shoes – tolerable. They will be removing the vending machines that are located in the garage area. Apparently, despite the fact that all products in the machines are sealed and the machines themselves are sealed, there is still a possibility that the products could become contaminated – possibly by cancer-causing brake dust that could infiltrate the tightly secured machine. Brake dust that we’re breathing in every minute of the day anyway.

I understand the government’s intentions and for the most part they are good intentions. However, I don’t know if a world where we all live to be 120 years old is that great if we have so many regulations that we can’t truly live. Besides, is a government that makes most of its money through selling alcohol, tobacco and gambling products back to its own people, really that concerned with health and safety??

Every day, Fidel and Cuba look more and more like the ideal society. Don’t back down, Cuba.

And then...

I was sort of duped into signing up for a ‘Biggest Loser’ contest at work. I thought it was a one-time shot over a short period of time. That would have been perfect for me as I’ve got a few X-mas pounds I need to shed in addition to the extra 10 or so pounds I’d like to get rid of before the running season is full swing.

Turns out, it’s $20 per month to enter over the next 6 months with only one grand prize winner in the end. There are a few other participants with a lot more available potential than myself. However, there aren’t many with an equal diet and will power. It turns out to be $1200 if everyone keeps playing. Man, I could use $1200! I’d definitely be going to visit Fidel in Cuba on that kind of coin – that’s $1199.99 more than I make writing this blog...

Coming up very soon is my halfway NHL prediction report. I don’t think I’m doing that great but I haven’t really been following the standings much. The NHL is just about to go into a hiatus as the Winter Olympics begin. On that note, I’d like to piss off my fellow countrymen by saying that it will be Russia – Sweden – Canada getting the gold, silver and bronze in Men’s Ice Hockey. Sorry Canada, you’ve picked a questionable team and will not win. However, the women will win gold...

Check out these previous posts:

The Nine Benefits Of Green Tea
Kensington Market – The Vegan Mecca
Bravo, Georges Laraque!

Easy Hot Lunch For Vegans On The Go

Want a quick, healthy and hot lunch? Try this one on for size. I'll almost guarantee you'll love it. It's called Toasted Fried Guac Sandwich. The ingredients are readily available at your local grocer, if not already hanging out in your fridge. All you need is a no-stick frying pan and you're all set.

Ingredients

• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 celery stick, diced
• 2-3 heaping TBSP of diced onion (preferably red onion)
• 3 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• bread, toasted
• 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• mustard (optional)

Your avocado should have skin that's going brown and is a little soft to the touch. However, we're not making a raw guacamole, so it can be a little less ripe. As long as it's easy to remove the pit and scoop the flesh from the skin, we're all set.

In a small mixing bowl, dice up the avocado flesh as small as you can. Dice up the tomato, celery, onion and add to the mix as well as the chopped mushroom. Using a good garlic mincer, crush the clove on top of the rest of the mix. No need to mix everything together - the frying process will take care of that.

Put your frying pan on medium heat. When it has heated up sufficiently, add the olive oil then the vegetable mix. Even with a non-stick pan and olive oil, the avocado will have a tendency to stick to the pan. Be sure to mix often to reduce the sticking.

In the meantime, prepare your toast. There is enough in the pan to make two very thick sandwiches or four thinner ones.

When the mix starts to show signs of charring and the avocado is mushy, the cooking is done. Spoon the mix onto the toast. I add mustard but you can add (or not add) any condiment you want. I'm sure a nice hummus would make a great spread for the sandwich.

This would make a great filling for a pita pocket or wrap. In fact, try it as filler next time you have vegan taco night.

2010 Running Race Schedule

The dreaded holiday season is over and it’s time to get down to business and make 2010 the best damn year ever. I’ve been really taking it easy physically for the past 6 weeks. Daily exercise just didn’t happen over the two weeks in Panama because it was just too damn hot – plus recovering from the initial 44 hour day and all the stress that came with it took longer than I would have ever thought (maybe I am getting old...).

Despite the brutally cold temperatures outside (-15 celcius during the day, not counting the windchill) which are low enough to warrant a cold weather alert in Toronto, I must begin my running training for the upcoming season. I’m completely off the pavement this year. I’m planning on entering all 8 Ontario Trail Series races as well as 4 of 5 of the 5 Peaks Trail series. There is one conflict where there are two races on the same day. I may change plans and go in all 5 of the 5 Peaks races and 7 of 8 of the Ontario Trail Series.

I’m also planning to apply to the lottery for entry into the 2010 New York City Marathon. It occurs on November 7, 2010 and is quite expensive, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime runner’s opportunity. It’s rare to get in on the first try but on the 4th try, you’re guaranteed. Might as well start now and plan on being in the 2014 race.

There is still an outside chance that I will go in the Round The Bay 30k in Hamilton, Ontario at the end of March. It’ll depend on my conditioning. The first race of the Ontario Trail Series is just a couple weeks after...

Here’s the planned sched as it stands now (all races fall on a Saturday):

April 17 – Seaton Trail 26k in Pickering – OTS
April 24 – Dundas Valley – distance tbd – 5 Peaks
May 1 – Pick Your Poison 25k in Orillia – OTS
May 29 – Sulphur Springs 25k in Dundas – OTS
June 12 – Durham Regional Forest 12.3k – 5 Peaks
July 3 – Creemore Vertical Challenge 25k – OTS
July 10 – Rattlesnake Point 12.7k – 5 Peaks
August 7 – Dirty Girls 30k in Mansfield – OTS
August 21 – Terra Cotta Conservation Area – distance tbd – 5 Peaks
OR
August 21 – Iroquoia Trail Test 32k in Kilbride – OTS
September 11 – Haliburton Forest 25k in West Guilford – OTS
October 9 – Albion Hills Conservation Area 21k – 5 Peaks
October 16 – Vulture Bait 25k in London – OTS

Collards and Black Eyed Pea Soup In The Slow Cooker

I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to give an old recipe a BeingAVeganAthlete spin. I did and it was great! The slow cooker made the work easy and the soup that much heartier. Apparently, this is some sort of traditional recipe from the southern United States. Whatever... I've bastardized it enough to allow it to become a traditional recipe of southern Ontario.

Ingredients:

• 2 small or 1 large onion, diced
• 3 sticks of celery, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, very thinly sliced (this is conservative - go 6-10 if you really love food)
• 1 450g bag of dried black eyed peas
• 6 cups of water
• 6 TBSP of vegetable broth powder
• 1 bunch of collard greens, chopped with the stems removed
• 1 TSP each of thyme, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, basil
• 1 16 ounce can of diced or crushed tomatoes
• 1 small tin of tomato paste
• 4 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil

Saute all the veggies (onion, red bell pepper, garlic, celery) in oil until onion is tender, opaque and yellow.

Pour the water into your slow cooker. Add the vegetable broth powder and stir in until dissolved. Put the slow cooker on high and add in black eyed peas, seasoning, tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix everything well and wait for the frying to be complete.

Add the fried mix to the slow cooker and mix in well. Put the collard greens on top and cover the slow cooker. When the greens have softened up, mix well into the soup.

The completion of the soup hinges on the black eyed peas becoming tender enough to be enjoyable to eat. Leave on high for 5-6 hours. You can probably get away with consuming some of the soup at this point but you're better off reducing the heat to low and letting cook overnight.

This soup is hearty enough for biggest meat-eating savage to believe that it's healthy. Healthy it is. This soup is packed with protein, most of your essential vitamins and is basically an anti-oxidant bomb.

Enjoy and Happy New Year to all! Remember to make sure your beer and wine are from a vegan-friendly source then drink to your heart's content.

My Associated Content version of the recipe can be viewed here.

Smith's A Victim Of The Media Monster

Recently, we were media bombed with a story out of Australia where a potato chip company was supposedly about to introduce a new kangaroo and emu flavoured potato chip. This caused an uproar, not only among vegans and vegetarians, but with Australian patriots as well. You see, they felt that it was an insult because a) people would be eating their coat of arms and b) it would be teaching kids that it was fun to go out and kill these animals that so much represented Australia on the international scene. The company in question is Smith's.

As is the case with many stories in the media, this one was missing most of the facts and was meant as a great filler at a slow news time. The suggested flavour was one of four finalists in a contest open to the public to name the company's next potato chip. The company insists that all the flavouring would have been artificial and no kangaroos or emus would have died in the making of this potential new flavour. Being Canadian and vegan, I have no idea what that would have tasted like. My guess is that it would have been just another salt coated potato chip soaked in some sort of cooking oil.

It was very recently announced that Caesar's Salad was the winning flavour. This, of course, will taste like sour cream and onion or all-dressed or salt and vinegar or whatever - they all taste the same in the end. Whether this was a legitimate win - the contest was voted on through their website - or a great public relations fix, there will be no kangaroo and emu chips in Australia unless manufactured by someone other than Smith's.

My guess, after all the international bad press, is that Smith's fixed the vote in favour of any flavour but the kangaroo and emu. Smith's is obviously not affiliated with the Canadian government - the ones who pass legislation despite the unanimous opposition from the majority of the citizens (HST for example).

I was about to write about this when the issue first appeared. I'm glad I didn't. What lesson has been learned? When the media goes viral with a story, did deep to find out the real facts. Shock and awe sell news. Shock and awe are very rarely part of our real world lives.

In other news...

I'm working with a vegan soup recipe I found online at the internet home of the Denver Post. The recipe is meant to be relatively quick and suggests using a pressure cooker or a stovetop pot. I'm making this into a crockpot recipe. Other than the cooking style, however, I'm surprisingly not going to mess with the ingredients much - so unlike me.

Pressure cookers!? So American - always in such a hurry!

Here's the link to the original article at the Denver Post. Stayed tuned to find out how my conversion went.