Reading and Eating

Today I’m talking about two of my three favorite things (the third being running, of course.) I’ve read some good books lately and made a delicious dinner on Sunday!  Let’s start with the books… Okay.  I know David Goggins is controversial.  I used to have mixed feelings about him, but I LOVED this book.  My previous negative feelings came from my impression that Goggins did crazy stunts and bullied others into doing the same.  Just look at him on the cover of his book- am I supposed to believe I can do everything he can? However!  In this book he focuses on the fact that he doesn’t consider himself a natural, gifted runner, and that he was actually born with a heart defect, sickle cell trait, and additionally has hypothyroidism and Raynaud’s Syndrome.  He also had an absolutely horrible childhood, rife with abuse and neglect. His answer to overcoming all of that is discipline.  “This is where you make up the difference in potential.  By learning to maximize what you do have, you will not only level the playing field but also surpass those born with more natural ability and advantage than you…With discipline as your medium, your life becomes a work of art.” Later in the book he talks about a potentially devastating knee injury, and a botched surgery that made it even worse.  Facing the prospect of never running again, Goggins got right on his bike and started pedaling.  He talks about the difficulty of accepting new limitations, but says “No matter your age, abilities, disabilities, or responsibilities, we must all stay committed to finding our new benchmarks.  Because not only does that keep your mind engaged and the demons at bay, you might actually achieve things the old you never could have conceived.” This really resonated with me, since I’m going through a bit of a “mid-life running crisis.”  I found the book very inspirational, but just a heads up- there is a LOT of swearing.  If that’s not your thing you probably won’t like it. Next up, some lighter reading… I love old-school ‘whodunit” mysteries the same way some people love romance novels.  They’re not great literature, they’re wildly unrealistic and the characters are usually not well-developed.  But… I grew up loving Agatha Christie, so I’m still a sucker for an “impossible” mystery, where there’s no way the murder could have been committed, and yet there is a dead body and someone killed them.  In the end, the brilliant detective gathers all the suspects together and reveals the stunning solution. Sophie Hannah does a good job with this and has written four books specifically in the style of Agatha Christie, with Hercule Poirot as the detective.  No one can hold a candle to Agatha, but Hannah’s books are really enjoyable to read- if you like that style of mystery.  The Couple at the Table isn’t one of her “Agatha Christie” books, but it’s a mystery in a similar vein. Next up- I made a delicious dinner on Sunday!  This picture definitely doesn’t do it justice. It’s homemade naan and Thai Yellow Coconut Curry with Mango..  Okay.  I KNOW.  Naan is not Thai, it’s Indian.  Let me explain… I was thinking of making Indian food for dinner, and since I usually do something a little “fancy” on Sundays, I figured I would make naan to go with it.  I googled “vegan naan recipes” and one came up from Minimalist Baker.  When I went to the website, the mango curry came right up as the “pick of the week.”  It looked so delicious I decided to make it, but since I already had my heart set on naan I went ahead and made that too. I made a few modifications to the curry recipe.  I added tofu and broccoli, and only used one mango instead of two.  The recipe also calls for three tablespoons of sugar, and instead I used one tablespoon of agave.  I think if you used all three tablespoons of sugar and two mangos, the recipe would be sickeningly sweet.  Or, maybe it would be even more delicious!  I made the naan exactly according to the recipe.  Both the naan and the curry were amazing. Now I’m trying to decide what to make for the Super Bowl.  My sister is rooting for the Eagles and smugly told me that she’s making vegan Philly Cheesesteaks.  Oh yeah?  Well, I’m making…. um…. a quick google search told me that Kansas City is famous for a lot of weird things, but mostly barbecue.  Hmmm. It’s not that I can’t make something barbecued and vegan.  It’s that barbecue sauce has a LOT of sugar, and if you try to reduce or replace it, it really doesn’t taste right.  So I’m in a quandary.  If anyone knows of any other great Kansas City foods, let me know!  If not, I may have to go with generic Super Bowl foods like cauliflower wings and guacamole. Muffin was apparently sad that I didn’t include her in my list of favorites, and is being extra cute right now. Are you making anything special for the Super Bowl?  Read anything great lately?