Monday, September 30, 2013

Practical Vegan Athlete Meals: Edition 1: Salsa and Chips

People don't understand what I eat as a vegan. Everyone thinks I eat salads. I eat maybe one or two salads a week, otherwise it's pasta, sandwiches, cereal, rice and beans, burriots, and chips and salsa. This is the first in a miniseries about practical vegan meals that most people can make, that contain all sorts of nutrients, including protein. As a side note, quit telling me to make sure I get enough protein. I ran 20 miles at 5:52 per mile pace Saturday mostly alone without any water bottle support after 50 full vegan days. I think I'm getting the nutrients I need.

That brings us to the first meal, chips and salsa, a hot weather two-hours-of-exercise staple. After an hour and a half or two hours of running in hot weather sweating profusely, we need salt. While too much salt is not a good thing, for the small percentage of athletes who sweat like I do in the summer, salt is good. That being said to justify the chips, you could put this salsa in a tortilla or a even on bread. Also for the record, this is about the most vegetable heavy meal I make for myself.

Raw Ingredients: Scallions, Avocado, Onion, Tofu, Sunflower Seeds, and Black Bean and Corn Salsa (from a Jar)
First, slice up the scallions (little onion like things) into small bite size pieces.
Slice the Scallions
Next, dice up the onion. I cut a slice out of a onion, in this case I had about a quarter onion left, more than I usually use, but okay. Next I dice it into small pieces that will easily fit on a chip.
Dice the Onion
Next, dice the avocado. I dice it in the same way as the onion. The pieces end up being like 2 mm x 3 mm x 12 mm. You can cut them smaller if you would like. I use a half avocado for one person. I find myself craving avocado frequently during high mileage, probably because of the relatively high fat content.
Dice the Avocado
Next add the sunflower seeds and tofu. Use as many nuts as you prefer, about 1-2 table spoons per person works well. I prefer crumbling, smushing, the tofu into little pieces, like feta cheese so that it spread around. I use a thick slice of extra firm tofu (extra firm is key, the soft stuff is gooey), maybe 2-3 ounces.
Add the Sunflower Seeds and Tofu
Penultimately, add the salsa. I use Hy-Vee Black Bean and Corn Salsa, because it is slightly spicy, has a little protein and not much sugar. I use about 1/4 cup, about 3-4 ounces, per person.
Add the Salsa
Finally, I add some hot sauce, just a few shakes, maybe 1-2 tea spoons. Franks Red Hot just happens to be the only hot sauce I have at the moment.
Add Hot Sauce, If You Dare
Then I mix the concoction with the knife I used to cut everything with so the only dishes are the knife, the plate I cut everything on and the bowl I eat out of. 
The Result... Delicious!
Finally, here is a video of the whole process. Maybe 10-15 minutes of total preparation.

2 comments:

  1. Many of the most successful athletes worldwide are now vegan. While they may differ in that they have decided to go vegan to avoid animal cruelty, for their health, to reduce environmental impact, or other reasons, they have one large similarity. They have proved that excellence and veganism often go together.

    Myths still persist that state that it is not possible to be vegan and be successful in sport. These myths do not have a foundation in science, and athletes build muscle, endurance and ability on plant sources and many go on to achieve great things. The performance of these athletes is proof that veganism can and does enable excellence

    http://www.greatveganathletes.com/
    http://www.veganmuscleandfitness.com/
    http://www.plantbuilt.com/

    Eat like a Gladiator
    http://drmcdougall.com/video/mcdougalls_moments_eat_like_a_gladiator.html

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