Fast Food Vegan

Posted on by jeffreylatty

  
It is essential for me to have quicker vegan food be edible sooner without loosing quality and nutrition. I’ve somewhat fallen off of the fake meat and cheese bandwagon while still choosing vegan Morning Star, Boca and Lightlife’s delicious Smart Dogs on a weekly basis.

  
I chose to join Apple Music last week and I am truly enjoying it. I have, in the past, used Spotify. I have never payed for any sort of music database other than iTunes Match. Bands that I have frequently enjoyed since joining Apple Music are Mouth of the Architect, God is an Astronaut and Form & Fate. I’m extremely happy to use Apple Music offline while in Airplane mode to conserve battery and data (I’m AT&T grandfathered).

  
Good News Veganism

  
Wednesday Ride

I guess this recipe was definitely time consuming when you throw in the homemade Seitan. The other part was super easy and fast and thought of after my Wednesday night ride and a few beers. The way I make Seitan takes a few hours, but with a big enough batch, it is always worth it.

  
Seitan ingredients:

-Vital Wheat Gluten

-Vegetable Stock

-Tomato Sauce/Paste

-SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP

-Sunflower Seeds, shelled and slightly crushed

-Rosemary, dried and slightly crushed

-Fennel Seeds, wholly moly

-Carrot and Onion, rough chopped

-Bay Leaves and Thyme

-Non-dairy Cheese Cloth 😉

  
Hail Seitan:

-The first thing done was bring a pot of Broth, Carrot, Onion, Thyme, CRP, Thyme and Bay Leaves to a slow boil. Simmer.

   
 -I mixed the Fennel Seeds, Rosemary, Seeds, SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP, Vegetable Stock and a little Sugar and Cayenne together in a big bowl. I put the very very very Vital Wheat Gluten in a separate, yet bigger, bowl. I then poured the liquid greatness with the gluten hand kneading slowly but efficiently until a loaf is formed. I wet the non-dairy cheese cloth with water and then spray the loaf with non-stick spray and roll it up.

  
-Put into a lasagna pan and pour half of simmering Broth onto raw Seitan roll keeping Bay Leaves and veggies in broth and not on top of non-dairy cheese cloth.

  
-Bake for 2-2.25 hours flipping over halfway and adding remaining broth, if needed.

  
-Once complete, unwrap Seitan from non-dairy cheese cloth like the plastic surgeon did for Joker in the first Batman movie from 1989 with Jack Nicolson and Michael Keaton. Just don’t smash a mirror or continue to give Batman hell. Wrap the not so funny, but seriously delicious Seitan in foil and refrigerate. Use how you’d like.

BTBAM – Viridian

I’ve been slacking on my blogfulness and have been trying to complete this blog for a few days now, but the Chicago Cubs just ended their “Not Being No-Hit” streak since 9.9.65 when Sandy Koufax did it. This time being Cole Hamels who has been rumored to be interested in acquiring via trade by Cubs and numerous other teams. IRONY.

  
Lettuce Greatness ingredients:

-Iceberg Lettuce, shredded

-Guacamole, homemade or store bought

-Vegenaise, mmmmmmmmmmmm

-Sriracha, cock sauce brand

-Seitan, diced

-Pico de Gallo, homemade or store bought

Tricks:

-Mix.

I made two different batches of Nachos or better yet, â“‹achos!

  

I used blue corn tortillas and NON-Dairy Go Veggie “cheese” with various toppings. And they were very quick and very tasty.

  
Seitan â“‹urrito ingredients:

-Tortillas, warmed or not warmer-bigger the better

-Seitan, if ya want additional 

-Blue Corn Tortilla chips, on the side

-Go Veggie “cheese”

-Veggies, various and diced 

 Mead Science

I made the â“‹urritos and threw them on a cast iron skillet for a couple of minutes for color. I put the â“‹achos under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt the “cheesy” greatness and served them to myself in these paper lined baskets because I HATE DOING DISHES. 

  
Happy day off to me and happy Monday to y’all! 

   
Eat, ride and live healthy.  It took me three days to completely edit this….

Tofurrito 

Posted on by jeffreylatty

  
This tofurrito that I created and dominated last night was so amazing that I had to share this morning. Also, I came across this this morning:

  
Garmin Varia Radar
It’s 199 U.S. dollars for just the radar. I feel I need it for country rides, but not for in-town commutes or joyrides as traffic is a constant anyways. It is only compatible with select Garmin devices. Including my Garmin Edge 1000 that I spent $700 on. I also tried a few new brews last night. All were very drinkable at the least. 

  
Tofurrito ingredients:

-Tofurky, oven roasted 

-Guacamole, non gmo project verified

-Hummus, original or HOMEMADE 🙂

-Organic Mustard

-Iceburg Lettuce, shredded smally 

-Sunflower Seeds, shelled

-Fiesta Fresh Salsa (Garlic)

-Extra Large Tortilla 
Tofurrito Steping Stones:

-Combine Lettuce, seeds and Fiesta greatness together and toss. Meanwhile, collide hummus, guacamole and mustard neatly, but impactful. Take the big ass tortilla and smear that chickpea-avocado mess onto the tortilla. Does anyone else consider small tortilla shells useless? Cover with Tofurky.

   
    
 -Smother all of that with the lettuce mixture and literally roll up and cut in half. 

  
-Consume 

Ride a bike, enjoy a GOOD beer and be happy.

Bill Nye The Bike Guy
Bicycle Commuting

June Time Science

Posted on by jeffreylatty


I’ve had a super busy month of June. I have statistics and numbers to elaborate. It is now the 10th of July and I am still recuperating. The best thing about it all is that I’ve chosen to take that leap from Ovo-Lacto Vegetarianism to Veganism as of 07.08.15. Time is everything. Time is something you cannot control. Time will continue throughout the ever-expanding universe even without precious you. What do you do with your time (EXACTLY)?


I’ve spent TIME in the past, accumulating numbers for TIME spent on things, but only a week at a TIME. And I’ve only included Facebook as my audience. This TIME, I try and make sense out of the entire 720 hours, 1,800 minutes and 108, 000 seconds involved timely in JUNE of 2015.


Out of all of the 720 hours of June, I have been Vegetarian for completely all of them, but â“‹EGAN at least 288 hours. I’ve been Vegetarian for three whole years without any slip-up… I have completed six straight ⓋEGANVEEKENDS. #VeganWeekends or #VeganVeekends are me being completely ⓋEGAN from midnight Friday morning until 11:59 Sunday night. And recently I have realized that I’m not meant for eggs or dairy at all. It stopped agreeing with the all-mighty science of my body. BOOM.


The only explanation of time I cannot account for could very well be linked to PORN. And by my PORN viewings, it must stop TIME literally because I watch 165 PLUS hours of PORN a week.


CELLARING TIPS: TIME LOCK SAFE DON’T DRINK THAT SHIT


No one watches porn. There is no money in that.


  
Wanna know something cool that I have figured out. Rhetorical question mark has got to be a freaking period?

(Slightly tipsy)

I have always worked in the restaurant business, killing myself and killing others with tasty and cholesterol packed foods and money tips are great. BUT I TELL YOU SOMETHING, when you leave that death-trap and work in a workplace full of life and help. When you’re not killing people in your line of work, that is a great feeling. Instead of selling well done filets, extra bloody carnivorous rare T-bones, meat lover pizzas, or basically contributing to a future heart attack, selling a nice door and windows that bring life and happiness to people. Unfortunately, many purchasing a nice door or replacing a double hung window, have been killing themselves with red meat and arty clogging cheese. It is incredible to have people skills and to sell necessities rather than sad addictions. Even better than that feeling is when you occasionally, or for me, an often handshake. I get many handshakes and after selling 2,000 dollars in just windows.


I might be the only asshole who is good with people, but gets a minor chubby after every handshake.


ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AND/OR CARRY SANITIZER WITH YOU

GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE USAULLY ISNT VEGAN

In the past, I’ve often used Worcestershire sauce in my Bloody Mary’s to add a little flare and flavor. Worcestershire sauce often and possibly always involves anchovies at the least. I concocted a Vegan Bloody Mary, but being Vegan, I need to remove the “bloody” from the name.


In the month of June, there were roughly 135 hours of TIME that I cannot account for and probably ties into many other things.


I have spent almost a third of my time in June working a whopping 197.42 hours. That’s an average of almost 50 hours a week. I was working two jobs for the majority of the month. I spent 32 hours riding my bicycles, 1,922 minutes to be more exact and quite a few of those hours were commuting the long way to work. Some were even climbing 200 meters before and after work, unfortunately, not during work or on the clock. I did climb a total of 3, 450 meters throughout June. My goal was 8, 848 meters, being the altitude of Mt. Everest to complete the Strava Climb For Nepal challenge. My total distance ridden was 763 kilometers or 763, 000 meters, being 8, 623 % of distance in climbing to complete that challenge. After riding 8, 623 % of climbing goal, only 40 % of goal was achieved. Now the month of June here in Illinois was not exactly Mt. Everest climbing weather.

According to

Illinois State Climatologist https://climateillinois.wordpress.com

Illinois received the most rainfall in the country in the month of June at 9.3 inches. In California it rained 2.5% of Illinois rainfall. I believe year round, Florida or Floyduh has one of the biggest annual rainfalls, only precipitated 63.4% of Illinois precipitation. My birth state, Colorado, rained only 20.7% of what Illinois rained.


  
MAKE IT RAIN

There were many days that it was too wet to ride comfortably and many days I did ride uncomfortably.


I concluded that I spent 42 hours watching sports and/or socializing and I enjoyed 56 beers last month for the very first time. I have made some adjustments and hopefully sense out of my 135 unanswered hours. I figured that I have spent 75 hours cooking/eating, 9 hours grooming/hygiene, 6 hours cleaning, only 50 hours watching Netflix/internet, 5 hours mowing the lawn, 10 hours shopping, 25 hours in the restroom RESTING, and 271 hours sleeping. 271 hours of sleep averages a little over 9 hours of sleep a day in the bedroom not the restroom. Many of these hours intertwine as I am a king of multi-tasking. It is crazy to think about and is not exactly quick and easy to calculate, but at the same time is fun to see and share.


As for this “bloody” Mary, I have decided to name it Vegan Garden Mary.


Vegan Garden Mary ingredients:

-Rosemary infused Vodka

-Sriracha

-Balsamic Vinegar

-Tomato Juice

-Lemon Juice

-SeaSalt/CelerySalt/Pepper/

-Celery

-Green Olives and Green Olive Juice or Brine


Vegan Garden Mary adventure:

The first thing to complete is infusing your Vodka with a few sprigs of Organic Rosemary. Fresh, of course. You’ll want to either drink a few shots of Vodka or use for Vegan Vodka Sauce like I did and throw the sprigs into the bottle closing it and infusing for 4-5 days. After infusement, strain Vodka into container and discard empty bottle with trapped Rosemary sprigs. When the Rosemary has been infused, it is go time. Combine all ingredients and garnish with Celery, Olives and Rosemary. Take a pic, cheers your friends and enjoy!

MacBook Sour

Posted on by jeffreylatty

Hello, kids, giraffes, dudes, lovely ladies and possibly life from other galaxies, this will be my first and definitely not my last blog on my MacBook Pro that I finally fixed last week. All other bloggings before this have been texting it on my iPhone notes and copying and pasting into my WordPress app and then uploading with numerous photo uploading issues. So, I just wanna mention a few words about this laptop. It basically was a gift from my ex-girlfriend, but obviously girlfriend at the time, after my Dell desktop took a disgusting and smelly shit after I spent a good month curing its virus and other issues. Myself paying my own bills and rent without the best credit, couldn’t really afford a major purchase like a new CPU. Her having a wealthy father, could. It was very much appreciated. I later called it quits with the girl after a sense of realism and unstable future plans. I promised to pay her back being quite tipsy one day after our relationship was over. I quit my well paying job and had to stop sending her money and my MacBook quit charging. Possibly related, possibly not. And without another job lined up, I had to put the MacBook on the back burner since November 2014 until last week June 2015. Ironically she just received another payment just before the laptop was fixed.

Continue reading MacBook Sour

Whiskey Wine Edamame

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist 5.25.15
Began: 0824 Finished:  0907
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Tags: vegan, vegetarian, food, beer, craft, recipe, story, cycling, pics, organic, wellness, lifestyle, pictures, fun, Netflix 
Title: Whiskey Wine Edamame 
Daily Ride: Yes
  
Happy Memorial Day to all and to all of my blog readers that I think I have, I hope you had a great weekend!

  
I don’t care for much attention here on my WordPress space.. I used to have a MySpace, but unfortunately I deleted it years ago. I was good at MySpace unlike this WordPress where I can’t even understand how to layout my page. Maybe it’s laziness, maybe it’s my stupidity. Maybe I don’t even care. Does this blog really need much attention for my dumb and mostly pointless rants and raves. Maybe with the rants and raves I should have black lights and glow-in-the-dark whistles and bow ties as the layout. Really it’s just a blog with improper English and grammar that openly proves that I have a drinking problem and even more expensively, a cycling problem. 
I might not be the healthiest person out there, but I take pride in making healthy choices and occasionally upgrading my healthy lifestyle. I might have a healthy problem. I’ve been partaking and mostly successful being Vegan on every Friday since January 9th of this year. 
I’ve been 100% Vegetarian since January 29th, 2013. I’ve overcome various different obstacles and challenges basically every #VeganVriday. 

  
I’ve decided to participate in #VeganWeekend every weekend starting this week. The entire weekend, Friday at midnight through Sunday at 11:59, would be completely Vegan. Do I plan on being a full time Vegan, no. Will I, very possible. As long as beer is vegan, anything is possible. 

  
I’ve been without Netflix since April, 20th of this year. And Netflix actually cancelled my membership after a month. I like Netflix, I just don’t want to pay for it and I want to watch it less. I am human and have been streaming freely with Crackle and Tubi TV. There is a very nice and large selection between them both, you just have to deal with commercials… I hate commercials, but I’m doing just fine. 
I’ve finally decided to move to the next cycling level and ordered cycling shoes and eggbeater pedals. I’m excited to see the difference and it better be a huge difference as I’m attempting the Strava Mt. Everest Napal climbing challenge in June of climbing 8,848 m, which is the height of Everest, in the month of June. I hate climbing… It is for a good cause.

   

  

  

Whiskey Wine Edamame:

   
 
I made this OILFREE 🙂
Ingredients:

-Red Wine

-Whiskey

-Lemon juiced no seeds,no stem

-Balsamic Vinegar

-Dill Weed

-Fresh Garlic, sliced

-Lentils, cooked

-Edamame, shelled & cooked

-Potatoes, largely chopped

-Turnip, largely chopped

-Carrot, largely sliced

-Tomato paste

-Parsley, for garnish

-Onion, chopped

-Fresh Kale, chopped

-Celery, largely sliced

-SeaSalt/Pepper/Cayenne/GarP

-Water or Broth

   
 
The Voyage:
I started by chopping the Potatoes, Turnip & Carrots and placing them on parchment paper on a larger baking sheet. I turned on the oven to 415*F and threw that pan in and continued to chop the veggies. I chopped the Onion, Celery & Garlic and set a side for a few minutes. I started the water for Lentils at some point. I also had a few beers. I decided to use these frozen shelled Edamame that happens to be #NonGMOProjectVerified. I threw the Edamame in with the lentils towards the very end for a few minutes. I then put the other veggies in with the already roasting oil-free veggies and stirred them up making them super crazy. They had a very sexy aroma. I put the Lentils and Edamame in a colander and drained the water while putting the pan back on the stovetop heat adding Red Wine (Cab), Whiskey, Seasonings, Balsamic Vinegar and Tomato Paste and brought almost to a boil. I timed the Booze to get hot as the Veggies were good to go and first added the Lentils and Edamame and then the Veggies to the Booze. If you add the Veggies before the Protein, the world will end. I then added the Lemon Juice and Kale and basically steamed the Kale while stirring. It is basically done whenever your desired doneness is achieved and the liquid has mostly vanished. 

  
Enjoy if you try. No well wishes if ya don’t try. KIDDING! Have fun and take pics in whatever drives you!

Quadruple Beefsteak 

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist    5.19.15

Began:   2110    Finished: 2218

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Tags: vegan, vegetarian, food, beer, craft, recipe, story, cycling, pics, organic, wellness, lifestyle, pictures, fun
Title: Quadruple Beefsteak 
Daily Ride: Yes
  
A man walks into a bank with two things in his hands. Actually it’s one thing in his two hands and one thing in his one mouth. He walks into this bank with a paper sack full of change and he has this paper sack in both hands to keep it from tearing and making a mess. Not so much to prevent a mess, but to prevent tedious pickup work. In his mouth is a check to be deposited. 
  
He heads straight to the change machine with an idea to keep the change as cash and deposit the check into his checking account and all would be sane. The bank teller asked the man if he was going to use the change machine and He responded “yes” and she helped him with the numerous steps involved in using the way to complicated change machine. 
  
The machine started counting the change and all of a sudden ($2.94, to be exact) the machine jammed or crashed. It completely stopped with an error alert on the screen. The bank teller was there to try and fix it, but had no luck. The machine spits out the receipt of the $2.94 value of change taken. The bank teller tries to call the janitor, the bank machine manager, who was on lunch and suggests to the customer that he collect his change still awaiting change machine consumption.
  
The man asked the bank teller if she would do a manual exchange giving me cash for the change. She explained how they don’t do that anymore and how it could be possible to use another bank. The man continued to collect his change and became annoyed. He mentioned an idea of getting cash from the check he was hopefully eventually going to deposit and then deposit the change as the cash that it is. The bank teller heavily relied on the machine for any type of counting. She said they would need to fix the machine and then could cash in the change once the change machine technician (aka janitor) came back from lunch. Which would mean for the man to leave his change in the hands of a bank teller who cannot count. 
  
Also, in the hands of a janitor who probably collects vast dollars of change left in urinals. The man agreed and later checked his checking account online where the deposit for the change has not fully processed because it was deposited after the cutoff time because the janitor was on lunch and the bank tellers couldn’t count. 
  
Anyways, that’s my small vent blown out of proportion for the day. I guess change is technically not legal tender in some banks. I have a strong urge to somehow have this happen again and make a huge stink of the situation and have the teller deposit my damn change. I guess in the back of my mind I know that money is tight with the purchases I need to make in the near future. The biggest being a new fat bike.
  
Over the past few weeks I’ve been working on a tomato sandwich. I have not tried a Vegan version yet. I do feel I’ve finally mastered the Vegetarian Beefsteak. The taste has always been great just the look and consistency is what needed improvement. The sandwich needs to stay intact as much as possible while consumption is taking place. 
  
I took a few engineering/architecture courses in college and that is basically the approach taken in mastering this super basic sandwich. The tomatoes like to move faster than an avalanche, faster than a rock slide and faster than and more powerful than water. My thought process was to create an almost concrete base and structure using delicious cheese. Here are the pictures along the way
-Double Beefsteak Wheat
  
-Beefsteak w/ Kale Seitan Greek Omelet
  
-Beefsteak Sliders (literally) 
  
-Quadruple Beefsteak 
   

 

Quadruple Beefsteak ingredients:
-Hearty Bun, sliced in half
-Beefsteak tomato, sliced thick and both ends saved for something else
-Cheese or “Cheese” I used dairy cheese. I used a combination of Horseradish Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Swiss and American. 
-SeaSalt
-Alfalfa Sprouts
I made a veggie stir-fry and topped with Gouda and Sharp Cheddar Cheese and through those babies on the side. 
  
Hope this recipe inspires innovation to either cook or to quit eating meat. Take a pic, enjoy a good beer and have fun! 
  
Go for a bike RIDE! 

Kale-Seitan Greekwich 

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist    5.19.15

Began:  1426    Finished: 1516

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Tags: vegan, vegetarian, food, beer, craft, recipe, story, cycling, pics, organic, wellness, lifestyle, MLB
Title: Kale-Seitan Greekwich 
Daily Ride: Commute
  
I have found another Big Muddy Brewery beer in the Pale Ale. And it is a bomber and was under $5. It’s a very good PA with a nicely well balanced 6% ABV. 
  
Last week I tweeted Heidi Watney on how much I enjoy her baseball highlights on MLBN Quick Pitch. One, she’s good at her job and two, she is gorgeous! Anyways, she favorited my tweet! It was basically a kiss on the cheek and I can now die happily. Go CUBBIES! 
  
I made this meal with leftover Mediterranean-Style Seaitan because when I make Seitan, I fucking make Seitan for a week. 
Kale-Seitan Greekwich w/ Belgian Endive:
  
(Use ORGANICS, whenever possible)
  
Kale-Seitan Greekwich ingredients:
-Seitan, chopped (Scroll down)
-Fresh Kale, chopped dicely 
-Hearty Bun, sliced in half
-Fresh Ginger, diced
-Fresh Garlic, diced
-Veggie Broth
-Spicy Mustard
-Kalamata Olives, diced
-Capers, halved
-Onion, diced
-Feta cheese
-Mozzarella cheese
-Sunflower Seeds
Obviously you’ll wanna already have your Seitan ready to go before continuing. I Chose to dry roast the diced Ginger, Garlic, Onion and Sunflower Seeds before combining all with the Feta Cheese to obtain a good, not bad, warmth. I used the Mozzarella with the bun only. I toasted the insides of Buns before adding a decent amount of Mozzarella cheese and then slightly toasted to melt that cheese. Combine. And. Take. A pic. Before enjoying. 
  
ALSO, CHEESE IS NOT NECESSARY. 
  
VEGAN AND NON ANIMAL IS ONLY FOR THE STRONG. 
  
Chipotle Balsamic Belgian Endive ingredients:
-Belgian Endive
-Sriracha Cock Sauce
-Balsamic Vinegar 
-Better Oil
-Chipotle seasoning
-SeaSalt/Pepper
-Belgian-Style Beer, consumed with a little set off to the side 😆
I combined everything and I used Ommegang Gnomegang with the Endive. I coated both sides of those Belgian bastards. And roasted face down ass up. Season again afterwards with at least Sea Salt. 
Seitan ingredients: 
-Corn Meal
-Tomato Sauce
-Vital Wheat Gluten
-Herbs/SeaSalt/Pepper
-BROTH
-Non Dairy Cheese Cloth 
-Fennel Seeds
Mix ingredients and wrap in cheese cloth and place in pan w/ Broth and seasonings and bake for two hours turning Seitan over after 60 minutes. And cool.
I need a new FATBIKE and these are two candidates:
   

 

I rode today on the road. And know I am wriding about it because I was the wrider. It was super cold this morning and still feels like fall. I threw on some armwarmers and full finger cycling cloves. And wrote on. #RideOn  

  

  

Vegan Fat Bike Packing

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist   05.11.15

Began:   2151   Finished:

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Tags: vegan, vegetarian, food, beer, craft, recipe, story, cycling, pics, organic, wellness, lifestyle, Strava, fat, bike, packing, pictures, fun
Title: Vegan Fat Bike Packing
Daily Ride: Yes
  
I’ve been riding my commutes without my Garmin (Edge 100) for various reasons. The number one reason to commute without Garmin or Strava is just to have the pleasure of riding without stress of obtaining great numbers for a measly 10 km commute to work or the damn grocery store for some good beer. Along with stress free purposes, you can somewhat tie in that I ride much safer without saved data from my commutes. I stop and slow down much more. I’m still an asshole at times, but I’m not in the ride for results. I’m in the rides for transportation, fun and peace of mind. 
  
I have finally come to the conclusion that I do need cycling shoes with the correct pedals. I have never felt the urge to have them, but I do now for efficiency purposes. I want walking/hiking efficiency with cadence efficiency. Perhaps, I’m graduating to another level of the ‘School of Cycling’ 
I ride decently with tennis shoes… I am excited to see my results. I still plan on commuting tennis-style for the time being. 
I know now exactly what it’s like to perform brain surgery on some asshole while nicking arteries and or other life detrimental organs and or brain damaging issues while trying to put everything back together again like the thrice wolves did. I rekeyed a lock while losing the pins and springs inside of the chamber. The procedure was intense and nerve wrecking. I survived and so did the lock!
  
A couple of weeks ago, I made the smart choice of handling my vast mass of bills after being a bit more than tipsy. I had the drunkish confidence going like crazy. As I am usually nuts when I drink. I also felt like being social with the crooks that rip me off and make millions off of poor poor Americans like myself. I basically thought I was rich and scheduled and made payments with money that while sober, I do not have. I am a damn millionaire while I’m buzzed. All is good in bank land. 
(5.13.15)
  
Canal Grinder, a bikepacking event, is this weekend. Also, this Friday, Day one of the Canal Grinder, is my #VeganVriday! I’m all stocked up with Vegan cuisine. It’s basically an intro event to BikePacking because we are not traveling very far and civilization is never far away. 
I’m gonna concentrate mostly on my food in packing for this bicycle camping trip. I’m only packing a day pack backpack and a hip slash ass fanny pack. I think that I’ll also pack my saddle bag on my fat bike. 
(5.14.15)
  
Happy Thursday! I am almost done with work for the week. I have a decently long day today and then it is party time! I scouted out the I&M Canal towpath on Mother’s Day. I rode there and back with two detours (technically four) on road due to water. I rode 122 kms. I’d say 100 km were on towpath and 22 ish km were road. The washout is usually crossable, but over the winter our make-shift bridges were torn down by IDNR, those lovely people that will not fix the historic I&M Canal. The other detour was in an area where flooding is normal if it’s been rainy. I took a smaller stretch of a road into a town, Marseilles and was almost struck by a truck.
An asshole with a big truck (small fucking dick), we’ll just say no-dick, was coming up behind me just coming into Marseilles and the road had a few horrible potholes that I saw while I was approaching. 
  
The pothole that I had to swerve to stay out of was the size of a damn sink. I saw no-dick behind me using peripherals and pointed to the left, stating that I would be moving left. And with the assurance of safety because of my hand gestures, I moved towards the center of the lane to dodge the massive blackhole. I soon realized that I used the incorrect hand gesture as no-dick either chose to ignore me or just plainly wasn’t paying any attention to the damn road. He did not show any signs of trying to move over. And there wasn’t ANY oncoming traffic. He almost ruined my day and then either saw me or just chose to be an asshole and he pointed or held up his hand like he was yelling or something and went on with his life as if nothing happened. It is not a good feeling at all to have an object go by you so close. I stopped and had lunch and I #RideOn. I should’ve used the hand gesture of a middle finger to that prick. 
(5.17.15)
  
The Canal Grinder was a GRIND and is now complete. It overall went very well. We had a few issues that were resolved and everything was outstanding. I successfully accomplished another #VeganVriday, but this time on a much harder playing field. And on a day full of drinking just about to the max. 
  
We had two broken Fat Bikes and a lost phone. The two Fat Bikes did survive and the phone was found after the Canal Grinder concluded. I broke my rear axel before to Canal Grinder was fully underway hopping off of a curb with mean airtime. The intense jump and mean airtime was due to being severely annoyed leaving the bank. I had an older gentleman that wouldn’t stop talking to me who was being super nice, I’m just a god damn asshole and was jacked up on energy and then when I was getting ready to get on the Fat Bike, someone bumped the bike with the door which was clearly see-through glass! We just kept tightening it as best as possible throughout the trip. It was literally snapped. I also acquired a slow leak in my rear tire. And we just changed the tube. Luckily, for me, my buddy brought a spare four inch tube and gave it to me. The same buddy lost his crank arm a couple of hours after that. He put it back on as best as possible and his Fat Bike held up fine. 
  
I packed my back pack and fanny pack with my gear and rode. Everything fit well and stayed dry. It was super wet and soggy gravel/mud along the I & M Canal from lock 14 in LaSalle to Gebhard Woods in Morris and back. There was a stretch of 4-8 inch water flooding depending on the spot and day that we rode through. I swallowed a bug in the middle of that mess. Technically you could say that I wasn’t Vegan on Friday, because I ate that bastard. 
  
Towards the end, my left leg started to have a sharp needle-like pain in the knee joint. It was definitely due to the broken rear axel and the tire rubbing against the left seat stay the entire way. I did completely finish the ride. 
  
We all had an exhaustingly fun and overall outstandingly great time! My first Fat Bike Bike Packing experience was phenomenal. Even though my lower end Fat Bike is done for, I’m gonna buy a nicer Fat Bike eventually and take the vast greatness and virtue that came with the trip and continue on with this adventure that we call life. 
The Vegan support that kept me fed and energized were Vegan bars, Roasted Almonds, In-Shell Peanuts, Tofurky sandwiches and Vegan Smart Dogs. 
  
Tofurky sandwich ingredients:
-Tofurky
-Whole Wheat Bread, toasted
-“Cheese”, dairy free
-Wholly Guacamole 
-Onion, sliced
  
I held my own by not eating out anywhere we went. I drank good beer and stayed on plan with my own food. I probably could’ve used more food, but everything was fine. 
  
No one was hurt. Nothing was lost. All of us had great fun and I did bring home a Revolution beer that I’ve never heard of. 
  
Notable CanalGrinder Beers consumed:
-Wicked Fist, Revolution 
-Stache In The Wood, Finch’s
-Grapefruit Sculpin, Ballast Point
-Orange Avenue Wit, Coronado
-Blakkr, Surly/Real/3Floyds collaboration (Surly release) 
-TV Party Rye IPA, Revolution 
  
Other Beers that are recent notables:
-Three Philosophers (2013), Ommegang. 
-Three Philosophers (2012), Ommegang 
-Three Philosophers (2011), Ommegang 
-16 Bit DPA, Tallgrass
-Brewhouse Coffee Stout, Central Waters
-Kentucky Old Fashioned Barrel Ale, Lexington 
-Fist City, Revolution 
  
I’ve never seen a packaged “Cellared” box until this week from Ommegang. I personally blow at cellaring beers. I always drink them. I need a time lock safe. The 2011 was the better year with the most age and wow, was it balanced and flavorful! 
  
CHEERS IF YA CAN FIND IT

Vegan Italian “beef”

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist       05.02

Began:    2211  Finished:   0943

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Tags: vegan, vegetarian, food, beer, craft, recipe, story, cycling, pics, organic, Netflix, wellness, lifestyle, music, photos, pics
Title: Vegan Italian “Beef”
Daily Ride:  Yes
  
I recently had a Charles Bukowski binge and needed a mandatory detox. The detox excluded everything but water, food and vitamins. I didn’t have booze for 5 days, energy/caffeine for 3 days and Netflix is still going strong at like 12 days. 
  
The Netflix breakup, as I do date Netflix and f*%hdhdhdjdjjdjd Netflix up the a*+=]hdhdjjdd, was due to (sorry) an inactive debit card that the bank told me to cancel because of a threat. I just didn’t update my Netflix account. And have since been watching free streaming on Crackle. Crackle bl^#*hdhdjd me good, but then there are those damn commercials…. Apologies for being a dirty person tonight, but this is the only way to describe my relationships with streaming. I am drinking barleywine! I need another beer. Barleywine makes me feel FINE. 
  
I went for a ride to end up at my sisters for my seven year old nephews birthday party tonight. I had a water malfunction. I went to a bar with $3 and change and drank them out of water. I climbed 338 m in 58 km. I feel extremely happy about that. I had my Garmin on maps the entire time. And I just RODE. It is the greatest feeling. 
  
Live free, ride a bicycle. 
I need another beer. 
I need more THRICE. 
I made this vegan dish awesomely it just needs to be perfected. 
   

 

Seitan ingredients: 
-Corn Meal
-Tomato Sauce
-Vital Wheat Gluten
-Herbs/SeaSalt/Pepper
-BROTH
-Non Dairy Cheese Cloth 
-Fennel Seeds
(Continued the next morning)
Mix ingredients and wrap in cheese cloth and place in pan w/ Broth and seasonings and bake for two hours turning Seitan over after 60 minutes. And cool.
I haven’t perfected slicing the Seitan for Italian “beef” yet, but slice it how ya want.
   

 

Au Jus ingredients:
-Broth
-Brown Mustard
-Crushed Red Peppers
-Garlic cloves
-Peppercorn
-Sugar
-SeaSalt/Pepper
I sliced Red and Green Bell Peppers and an Onion and put into Au Jus with sliced Seitan and marinated for a bit.
  
I used French Bread and toasted in oven before topping with Seitan, Peppers and “Cheese”.
   

 

I also used Hot Goardiniera for one sandwich. I also pan fried Beefsteak Tomatoes. 
  
The Barleywine that I enjoyed last night was a 2013 Kosmyk Charlie’s Catastrophe Ale from Central Waters Brewing Company out of Amherst, Wisconsin. It aged very well. And I drank it quickly. 
The band Thrice is a post-rock, alternative and slightly emo/screamo (earlier years) band. I first and only, actually, saw them in Chicago for my 21st birthday. They were very good live and have put together great music from 1999-2012 according to Wikipedia. And are supposedly playing some shows this year? 
  
Anyways, I hope I’ve inspired someone to cook, jam out to Thrice or go ride a bike. Take pics and have fun! 

Big Muddy Vegan Earth Day

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist       4.22

Began:   0802   Finished: 1120

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Tags: vegan, vegetarian, food, beer, craft, recipe, story, cycling, pics, organic, Netflix, Chicago, Earth, day
 
Title: Big Muddy Vegan Earth Day
Daily Ride:  Yes
  
It is Earth Day 2015 today. And also my day off. Might as well spend some time on a blogfulness post. To others, Earth Day, means to recycle and post things on social media about how they are “saving” earth. To me Earth Day is every day. Many others have the same approach and lifestyle, but I want to talk about our planets livestock production. I’ve gathered a few notes from reading a PETA and Times article. 
  
Both articles state how livestock production may have a bigger impact on Earth than anything else. And by passively “May”, they truly arrogantly mean “IS”.
  
Here are some of the notes I took:
-5 lbs. of wild-caught fish fed to farmed fish to produce one lb. flesh
-30% of Earths ice-free surface is not for growing grains, fruits & veggies consumed by humans, but for chickens, pigs & cattle to consume before most humans eat the animals
-70% grain & cereals grown are fed to farmed animals
-13 lbs. grain to produce 1 lb. of meat
-Livestock production uses â…“ Earths fresh water
-11 times the fossil fuels to make one calorie from animal protein to one calorie from plant protein
-It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef to which one pound of wheat only takes 25 gallons
I’m a geek and watch numerous documentaries every week and even the science documentaries stress the destruction of factory farming inefficiency. 
“You save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you do by not showering for six months!” PETA 
I say Happy Earth Day and don’t eat meat or better yet don’t eat or use any animal based product. 
I made Vegan Saison-Serrano CornDawgs that were Organic and NONGMO but also, oil-free and skewer-free. Technically maybe not 100% organic and NONGMO, but damn close. 
  
Saison (French, “season,” French pronunciation: â€‹[sÉ›.zɔ̃]) is a broadly defined pale ale that, in modern versions, is generally around 7% abv, highly carbonated, fruity, spicy (sometimes from the addition of spices), and is influenced by Saison Dupont Vieille Provision.[1]Saisons are currently brewed in a range of countries, particularly the United States, and are often bottle conditioned.[2] 

                            -WIKIPEDIA 

Saison beers are usually amazing! I used two different Saisons for the batter. I used an Anchor Saison Spring Ale out of San Francisco and a Hennepin Farmhouse Saison from New York’s Ommegang Brewery. Both were very good. The Anchor Saison was very light for its ass-kicking ABV. I was impressed.
  
Vegan Saison-Serrano CornDawg ingredients:

-Organic Mustard
-Ketchup, high quality
-Spicy Mustard?
-Lightlife Smart Dogs, jumbo
-Saison, your choice as is anything 
-Corn Meal, quality over quantity
-Baking Powder
-Sugar/SeaSalt/Pepper/Garlic P
-Roasted Corn
-Serrano, deseeded and finely chopped
-Flour
-Parchment Paper
  
The Voyage:
-Create your batter to the thick consistency and add your Smart Dogs. 
-I let it all sit for a bit. Not sure how long. It probably doesn’t matter either way.
-Turn on oven, preheat is a joke unless you’re baking. 
-I battered the dog generously and put onto the parchment paper and then rolled the parchment paper to keep the CornDawg intact and then I baked it. 
  
I will have to remaster it, but it turned out very good. 
  
The crazy thing is that the Meat Industry and large scale farming is destroying our Earth and I always thought vehicles were the biggest destroyer, never thought of the Pig (Beef) Destroyer until recent years. 
  
I’ve mentioned in past Blog Fog that I used to go to SIUC and live in Carbondale, IL for almost four years. There is a brewery 5-10 miles west of Carbondale in Murphysboro, IL called Big Muddy Brewing after the Big Muddy River that flows through there. I used to drink various beers of theirs before my Untappd days. And have recently enjoyed many Big Muddy Brews in northern Illinois 300 miles north of this smallish brewery. 
  
The only Big Muddy Brewing beer that I do not approve of is their Sour Du Shawnee. It was horrible unless it was meant to obtain an age, they failed horribly. It was vinegary and not sour. It did have a good nose to it. The Big Muddy Brewing brews I’ve had post Untappd days:
  
-Saluki DunkelDog
-Sour Du Shawnee
-Vanilla Stout
-Blueberry Blonde
-Galaxy IPA
-Backwoods Monster
-Pumpkin Smasher
-Big Muddy Monster
   

     

It is Earth Day and y’all should go ride a bicycle at least. I’m not always a fan of road rides, but often partake. You can ride defensively to a point, but you cannot control everything vehicles do. I often ride on Canals near me. They are not in great shape and continue to fall apart without correct fixes. It sucks. IDNR does not give a fucking shit. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 
  
HOW ABOUT THOSE CHICAGO CUBBIES!?!?
  
THE DYNASTY HAS BEGUN 🙂