Almond Milk

I've wanted to give almond milk a go for a while but the cost of almonds mostly put me off, but after a trip to Unicorn in Manchester I thought I'd pick up a bag and give it a go.

The vast majority of milk recipes I find  seem to be American but usefully almond milk all of the recipes seemed to follow the rule of 1 part almonds to 2 part water, so I just used a cup to measure everything out.

• 1 cup of raw whole almonds
• 2 cups of water
• 2 dates, pitted
• piece of muslin or cheesecloth

Leave the almonds to soak for at least 6 hours in a covered bowl of water. For best results use filtered water rather than straight out of the tap.

Once soaked drain the almonds discarding the water.

Put the soaked almonds, water and dates in a blender and start on a low speed to break up the almonds and then move to a higher speed. Blend for a few minutes until smooth.

Over a container pour the contents of the blender into the cheesecloth and form into a bag, squeezing all of the milk out. It will take a while to get all of the milk out. You may need to filter the milk a few times depending on the quality of the cloth you're using.

Notes: When I first started the blender on a low speed it sounded like I had put rocks in it and gave my blender very suspicious looks. This is just the whole almonds being initially broken up so don't panic. Also I'm trying to find a use for the bits of almond that are left over after straining and will post any uses I find.

If you're interested in why soaking is such an amazing and essential thing check out this article.

Mushroom and Kale Soup

Here is a very improvised and slightly amended recipe for home-made mushroom and kale soup that I made the other evening. It's vegan friendly and very yummy, if I do say so myself, and provides around 4 generous servings.

• 350g closed cup mushrooms (size of a tub from Tesco)
• 50g dairy free margarine
• 2 handfuls of curly kale
• 2 medium onions (class 2)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• 1 litre water

Prepare the veg by chopping them all separately. I used a food processor for the onions (after chopping them first) and for the kale

Boil a litre of water and sprinkle in the stock, giving it a good stir.

Gently heat the margarine, onions and garlic together in a large pan. Stir until all of the margarine has melted and the onions have softened but not browned.

Add the mushrooms and stir continuously on a high heat for 3 minutes.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, add the kale and simmer for 10 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes before using a blender or food processor to reduce the soup to how you like it. I found 5 seconds on a high setting in the blender perfect for me. Also you might need to blend several batches separately depending on the size of your blender.

Serve with a few chunky slices of wholemeal bread. Add some vegan cheese powder for taste.

Notes: In my original recipe I used 90g of margarine and a regular-to-large sized garlic clove. This resulted in the final soup having a slight after-taste of margarine and was capable of keeping the vampires away.

Enjoy!

Rice Milk

In an attempt to further reduce my dairy consumption I've been recently toying with the idea of making my own rice milk and after seeing a recipe in Eat and Run I thought I'd give it a go.

So here's the recipe in all its American splendour:

1 cups cooked brown or white rice

4 cups water

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon sunflower oil (optional)

Combine the rice, water and salt in a blender. If you want a creamier milk, add the oil. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth. Pour into a container , cover, and refrigerate. Rice milk will keep for 4 to 5 days.

MAKES 5 CUPS

The first thing I found out is that after cooking, the rice and 4 cups of water easily comes to over a pint making it very tricky to comfortably blend without covering the work top in goo. So after decanting it into a jug I proceeded to blend half of the mixture.

The second thing I discovered is that even with a decent food processor it takes a very, very, very long time to get a nice even smooth liquid. Given that I was clever enough to start this enterprise at gone midnight I actually had to abandon the blending as I doubt the neighbours would have been too impressed with my culinary endeavours.

So after a little taste test I popped the covered containers in the fridge and will continue the blending process at a more sociable hour. The milk tastes a little bland though so I might add something to sweeten it up, maybe small amounts of Splenda at a time to see how that goes. I may also scour the Internet for various UK recipes that might makes things a little easier.

Results shall follow!

Lentil Mushroom Burgers

Taken from Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

1. In a medium-size pot, bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a boil, then add 1 cup dried green lentils, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1/4 c up chopped onions. Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Combine 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, 2 cups bread crumbs, and 1/2 cup ground flax seeds in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a separate pan greased with olive oil, saute 1 cup chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 3 cups finely chopped mushrooms, and 1 1/2 cups finely chopped kale or other winter greens for 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Remove lentils from heat, add 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and mash ingredients together.
5. In a large bowl, combine lentils, sauteed vegetables, and bread-crumb mixture. Cool in a refrigerator.
6. Using your hands, form patties and fry or grill until lightly browned and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes each side. Serve on a toasted bun or on their own.

Makes 12 four-inch burgers.

Out for a Duck

I was expecting a few aches and pains in my legs. After all I had walked pretty much non stop for 2 hours the day before at a fast pace. What I wasn't expecting was to have glutes so tight when I woke up that I waddled like a duck.

Note to self. Dedicate more time to stretching during and post training, focusing on the core.

*waddles off to stretch*

P.S. The glutes are such big muscles! You don't realise just how big they are until you become painfully aware of them.

 

Unplanned Hike

I'm currently staying at the parents' after spending a lovely few days with them in Madrid but due to the heat over there, which hit 34 degrees Celsius, I didn't get a chance to run. There was plenty of walking in the day but sadly no much needed running or even fast paced walking.

So the weather now I'm back? Nice and warm with a cool breeze. Perfect! So with that the plan for today was a mile worth of running and walking to the swimming baths and then have a nice relaxing dip, but after a quick check of the swimming timetable that plan was well and truly out of the window. The backup plan was the same distance of running and walking but instead through the local woods which I had a good go at the week before, quickly discovering that trekking over rough terrain is a completely different beast to road running.

Right, that was the plan sorted so all kitted up and with a full bladder (snigger) out of the door I went. I first had to call into Morrisons to pick up a few snacks in the form of bananas and energy bars plus a few isotonic drinks. That should have been an instant clue that my brain was subconsciously planning a much longer outing but my body was blissfully unaware. A part of that hidden agenda might have been due to the run to Morrisons which whilst being only half a mile was really tough going. For the record today marked the 2nd week of me running, following the time honoured '3 minutes walking - 1 minute running' routine in which the first week went well but today I couldn't even manage 40 seconds. To say the least by the time I got to the store I was frustrated, angry and the self loathing levels were on the rise. A clue!

Loaded up off I went.

I ran the first downhill section to the river and then started walking at a fast pace along it. By this point I'd given up on the routine and decided instead to just run where I thought I could for as long as I could, making sure to keep up a fast pace in between whilst not breaking myself. Also I was using my Polar HRM to try to keep my heart rate between 80 and 83% where in the past I learnt is taxing for me but not enough where my muscles tire quickly, so pushing the limits of my aerobic zone without dipping too far into the anaerobic zone. Right or wrong I was using my heart to set the pace which hopefully may turn out to be a more effective way of training as when my cardiovascular system improves my pace will quicken, which at least works in theory anyway.

Physically I was pressing forward but mentally I was in a dark place. I've read in books and heard from friends that running/walking on your own leaves you with a lot of time to think and that the road can help work out the brain as much as the body. I was getting a taste of what that meant. I was pissed. Angry at myself. Angry at world. Hell, I was even angry at the hill that I was fast approaching. In my mind the hill was asking "why", to which I mentally answered "because fuck you, that's why", so I ran up it but I ran smart. I quickly learnt that bending my legs slightly lowered my centre of gravity which seemed to help and keeping up the same pace but with smaller strides had a massive effect. Mog tells me that this is called adjusting my cadence which sounds nice and fancy and reassuring. I felt like I was gliding up that hill which made me happy and silenced some of the shouting in my brain. I remember thinking, "so this is what it means to take your problems out on the road".

By this point I had taken a quick break to eat a banana, supplemented my water intake with a few gulps of an isotonic drink and was 3.1km from where I started 26 minutes ago. Finding that out made me feel better and gave me hope of completing a 5k run in under 40 minutes but not being able to run far was still stinging so on I went. I carried on walking along cycle paths and along rough trails that I used to cycle as a young boy. Every kilometre felt familiar, like I was coming back home to something that I'd always known but had long stopped thinking about, until now.

I found myself keeping up the same fast walking pace I'd started out with and soon was on a cross country route that I ran in high school. I used to be a strong cross country runner. I never completed in the fastest time or broke any school records but I always led for the first mile and loved the freedom of running through the woods. I almost found myself daring to dream that I could run that run that route again, only stopping every mile or so to enjoy the view, but then the brain kicked in telling me how much I weighed, how far I'd let myself go. Good timing as another hill was coming into view and I could hear it shouting "why" and my answer hadn't changed.

All too soon I was back at the woods by my parents, completing a loop the local towns and rediscovering old routes along the way.

In the end I covered 14.2 km in 2 hours, 8 minutes with an average pace of 6.6 kph. That converts to 8.8 miles and 4.1 mph. Initially I didn't think that was fast enough and was pretty disheartened but after chatting with Mog she tells me that the average pace for walking over mixed terrain is 2.7 mph which cheered me up. Little things like that is just one of the many reasons I love her. I'm not sure if I could keep that pace for a total of 4 or 6 hours, covering distances upwards of 16 and 24 miles, but I'm willing to find out.

So what have I learnt? Working out the brain is just as much of a challenge as the body and that with every run, whether it be to a set routine or planned on the spot, will help improve my form and my understanding of the mechanics behind how the body moves.

For now though I know I have long way to go, new goals to set and a lot of aches and pains to look forward to in the morning.

http://www.runtastic.com/en/users/david-davies-5/sport-sessions/24508112