Eating…
I know you’re probably excited that I’m finally moving on from posts about my calamity, ER, I mean my race. Yep, I’m ready to talk about other important things again (although there will be a reference to the race in this post, I couldn’t help it!) Usually I pair “reading and eating” but in order to keep this post on the shorter side, I’m splitting them up. Eating today, reading tomorrow. A couple weeks ago, Lisa mentioned two delicious recipes in this post. The first was Asian Noodle Bowls. To be honest, I changed so many things (subbed tofu for the shrimp, left out the eggs, cut down on the sugar) that I can’t really review the recipe. I will say I used it as a loose guide, and my noodle bowl was delicious. The second thing she mentioned was this recipe for Curry Chickpea Salad from Nora Cooks. The recipe has been going around the blog world- I think Birchwood Pie was the first to mention it. Then Elisabeth raved about it, so I finally had to make it. I tried Elisabeth’s trick of using red pepper jelly instead of the chutney, because that’s what I had. I made this right before leaving for my race, brought some along, and left some for my husband. Then, after I dropped from the race and was sitting at the aid station with a mangled ankle, warming up in a stranger’s truck, I was texting back and forth with my husband. Yes, that’s how good that salad was- he felt the need to talk about it at that moment. Hours later, when I had finally been driven back to my car and was on my way back to the hotel, I knew I needed to stop for gas. Leading up to the race I had been so careful about what I ate, but now I was in a “what the hell” mood so I figured if I was stopping anyway, I might as well get a Coke Zero. And a bag of Fritos. I can only imagine what I looked like- still in my running clothes, muddy, and limping into the gas station. I was beyond caring. The cashier stared at me, and as I limped out with my treats, he called after me “Be careful!” Obviously, he was thinking, this woman is very accident-prone. I wish I had a picture of my post-race “feast.” Just imagine me reclining on the hotel bed, my foot up with an ice pack on my ankle, with my Coke Zero, Fritos, and chickpea salad. It was DELICIOUS. The next day I returned home, and my husband made lasagna for dinner, which was once again a recipe from Nora Cooks. It was so good- the “ricotta” is made from cashews, and the sauce is made with red lentils. Best of all, it provided dinner for three nights. Lastly, one more recipe from Nora. Honestly, she’s the queen of vegan cooking. Every recipe I’ve made from her is amazing. This time, I made her Best Ever Vegan Brownies. Now, I didn’t try these- my “what the hell” attitude didn’t extend to brownies. But my husband and daughter loved them. They were easy to make, and came out perfectly. Coming up tomorrow- what I’ve been reading, and a book dilemma! Have you made the famous chickpea salad yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Header photo by Karyna Panchenko on Unsplash