Vegan Ⓥuesadilla

Posted on by jeffreylatty


Spontaneous cheffing is often extremely successful for me. Spontaneity isn’t for everyone and often kicks my ass, but not all the time. I had a long day at work and got off around 2000 (8:00pm) and commuted home and broke my THIRD damn spoke in two months and had an urge to buy beers and good food.


And out of know where, I had the idea of making Ⓥegan Quesadillas. Here is my shopping list (not premeditated):

  • 6-pack 16oz. PBR
  • 12oz. Funky Pumpkin
  • Bomber Thunderstruck IPA
  • Daiya ‘Mozzarella’
  • Daiya ‘Cheddar’
  • Hummus
  • Guacamole
  • Fiesta Pico de Gallo
  • Buns
  • Whole Wheat Tortilla
  • Lightlife Smart Dogs
  • Chipotle Seitan
  • Gardein Fishless Filets
  • Woodstock frozen Grilled Eggplant
  • (2) Vegan Nugo Dark Chocolate Pretzal



Ⓥuesadilla ingredients:

  • BrownRice/Lentils/SpiltPeas/dicedNonGMOfrozenGrilledEggplant:)
  • Sugar/SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicAmpersandOnionP/ONEBayLeaf/ChiliP
  • Whole Wheat Tortillas, pre grilled
  • Daiya, yellow and white-mmmmm
  • Pico De Gallo, strained
  • Hummus, spreadily readily
  • Guacamole, readily spreadily
  • Chipotle Seitan or Fishless filets (sliced) or party hard and do both!


40 ounces to freedom:

  • Quesadilla makers are for cowards and T-Rex armed godzillas (not that they would have weapons shooting T-Rexs, just their ARMS BEING SHORT)
  • Cook Legumes and Brown Rice with the seasonings below where I mentioned above? Throw diced Eggplant in, also.
  • Grill Tortillas before hand, the tops on both sides and the bottoms just on the inside. Cast Iron with a Grill?
  • On the inside (grilled side tortilla), smear hummus, Legumes/Rice/Eggplant then add Daiya, Seitan or Fishlessness, Daiya, Pico De Gallo
  • Place completed Quesadilla on non stick surface and cook readily. you could even build the Ⓥuesadilla on your non stick pan. I did cover with a lid to help melt the Daiya. I cut with my sharp ass chef knife into four.


DO NOT CUT YOURSELF ON ACCIDENT


Also, hopefully not in person, planned. (I became a little tipsy last night and again couldn’t finish a blog)


Last year I bought a low end FatBike. It was a Corsa Mammoth. I bought it for like $650. I basically rode it into the ground. It’s existence made it almost 1,000 km. And now I plan on either eventually fixing that FatBike up and buying a new one or selling it for cheap, but still buying a new one. And I think I’m gonna go with a Charge Cooker (pronounced Koker). I just need to get some cash together. A FatBike brings permit-smiles and winter cycling easier.


Happy weekend! Be safe! Have fun!

Labor Day Mayhem

Posted on by jeffreylatty

  
The thing that I miss most about not being Vegetarian and even not being Vegan is, I think, that gross euphoric sense of accomplishment of consuming something that took time off of your (my) life. I believe I’ve been trying to recreate that sense with Veganism, but any way I go about it, Veganism is super healthy without that sick feeling. Even Vegetarianism provides that sense that ultimately contributes to obesity and copes with horrible days.

  
I’ve been Vegan for over two months and this Monday (Labor Day) brought myself urging for that disgusting sense that would make a bad day, good? I had the worst ride of my life.

  
I lost a screw to one of my cleats to one of my cycling shoes right off the bat and I also was stranded with a flat tire and a failed patch kit in BFE. I chose to be dropped off 60 minutes from home and ride home in round-about fashion. I had a gravel climb that made me stop and change my auto-pause speed to 2 km/h instead of 12 on my Garmin Edge 1000. 

  
That climb also made me want to quit cycling forever. And that was part of an oncoming gravel ride later this month. Being labor day, most assholes didn’t have to work and were all driving around like assholes. I had to cross a bridge over a bigger sized river with no freaking shoulder. I took the wrong way on a highway without a shoulder where it was super busy. I had to backtrack and I saved my life by walking back on the nonexistent shoulder.

   
 I found a really cool area of rolling gravel roads and obtained that flat. I believe it was a pinch flat… And made sure to bring tools, but when i was ready to use my patch kit, the glue was all dried up. I had to walk (of shame) with a bicycle on my shoulder for 90 minutes before I could even get service where I could call to be picked up in the closest town. 

   
 The entire time I was pissed that I used my only spare tube in order to replace a slow leak in an old tube putting different tires on and keeping tubes in my (now off) road tires and dreamed of justifying the day by crushing a cheese pizza.

  
I brought just enough water and two Smart bars and was eventually picked up.

  
It’s set in stone that I’ll be Vegetarian for the rest of my life. Not so much with Veganism (yet). I did not crush a cheese pizza, but made a big batch of chinese-style noodles and a Vegan Mayhem sandwich. I found squeezable ginger that had me super excited until I saw the bullshit preservatives added. I still had to buy it.

I was so hungry and exhausted that I had energy to make a huge batch of Vegan Ramen. Noodles are Vegan, seasoning is not.

  
Ⓥegan Ramen ingredients:

  • Ramen Noodles, seasoning discarded
  • Potatoes, diced and boiled (or roasted)
  • Broccoli, fresh or frozen florets-blanched
  • Garlic, minced
  • Ginger, minced
  • Soy Sauce, Vegan
  • SeaSalt/Pepper
  • BalsamicVinegar/Sriracha
  • Vegetable Broth
  • Peanut Oil
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Sunflower Seeds, shelled 

Chopsticks to mouth:

  • Cook Ramen slightly undercooking, draining and leave separate seasoned with Soy Sauce and Sriracha.
  • Cook Potatoes and blanch Broccoli and leave aside.
  • Add Oil/Garlic/Ginger and sauté for a couple of minutes before adding everything else and mixing.

  

    Vegenaise Upgraded ingredients:

    • Vegenaise, mmm
    • Mustard, organic
    • Cucumber, diced without seeds
    • Onion, diced
    • Tomato, diced and strained

    MIX

      

    Ⓥegan Mayhem:

    I then panfried two Vegan Boca patties and a Ciabatta bun (insides down). I put the two patties on the bottom bun and added noodles without any Broccoli and put a scoop of Vegenaise Upgraded on top and broiled for three minutes.

      
    It was tasty and still healthier than anything animal based. Perhaps I didn’t achieve that early death feeling, but I honestly didn’t need it. My ride was horrible, but I took a few good pictures, rode in the rain and wasn’t hurt in any way. #RideOn

      

    Vegan Tacoisms

    Posted on by jeffreylatty

      
    I am absolutely in love with this trifecta of Tofu, Soyrizo and Tempeh. I decided to mad scientist together Taco.

      
    Password is Taco.

      
    Perhaps it won’t be as entertaining as Frankenstein to most or as sweet as Willy Wonka’s Chocalote Factory, but Gene, it’s wild and almost Wilder..

      
    If there is a such thing as a past life or multi universe, I’d be a Mexican culinary artist with a big mustache, painting edible masterpieces on people’s plates. Garnishing with cilantro, of course.

    I have decided to not do any fantasy football this year, but to do a The League marathon instead. And have THAT being my fantasy football. If you ever get a chance, FIND and WATCH Safety Not Guranteed (2012). It is an outstanding flick starring Mark Dupless and Aubrey Plaza and also produced by Mark and his brother Jay.

    Safety Not Guaranteed

    Has anyone seen these Chicago Cubs lately? Has anyone ever seen the Cubs dominate and click with chemistry like this club?

       
     I have made tacos in the past with store bought hard shell tortillas and they never fulfilled what I needed. I saw somewhere someone making hard shell from soft tortillas and I had to try it. I made two before even making any tacos. I also just ate them as is and they were delicious. I wanted them to open bigger so i cranked the heat and made the mistake of making four.

      
    They cooked and hardened, but were basically closed. I draped all of these tortilla attempts over an oven rack and baked until golden brown.

      
    I brainstormed for a minute and concluded that they need to open wider and so I made four draped over two oven rack grills. The results gave me a permi-smile.

      
    I made tacos with hash browns that I had leftover uncooked from a past concoction. I also made a taco salad with the untacoable shells.

      
    Ⓥegan Trifecta Taco w/ HashBrowns ingredients:

      

     HashBrowns ingredients:

    • Potato, hash brown style (homemade or store bought)
    • Onion, diced
    • Carrot, sliced halfly
    • Celery, sliced
    • Lentils/SplitPeas/BrownRice, cooked at once
    • Broth/BalsamicVinegar
    • ChipotleP/OnionP/GarlicP/SeaSalt/Pepper
    • Corn/BlackeyedPeas, canned
    • Cilantro, fresh and chopped
    • Oil

    I did not have any fresh garlic or I would’ve used it.

    • Cook Rice/Lentils/SplitPeas in water seasoned with Sugar/SeaSalt/OnionP/GarlicP/Pepper, drain
    • Sauté Onion, Carrot and Celery in oil for a few minutes before adding Hash Browns and BalsamicVinegar
    • Season and add broth, simmer for a good 20 minutes
    • I did broil to add a little color.

      

      Ⓥegan Trifecta ingredients:

      • Soyrizo
      • Tempeh, diced
      • Tofu, crumbled
      • Lentils/SplitPeas/BrownRice, cooked
      • Corn/BlackeyedPeas, canned
      • Onion, diced
      • Celery, diced
      • Broth/Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/Honey
      • CajunSeasoning/Cayenne/ChiliP/Oregano/NutritionalYeast/Cumin/Paprika
      • Oil
      • Cilantro, fresh and chopped

      Break Dances:

      • Sauté Onion and Celery in oil before adding Tempeh and Soyrizo. Sauté for 7 minutes and add Sriracha/Balsamic and seasonings get hot add Broth, Tofu and Honey stir and cover simmering for 12-15 minutes.

      Other ingredients:

      • Tortilla, hardened by baking
      • Lettuce, Iceberg and chopped
      • Tomato, diced
      • Onion, diced
      • Cilantro, fresh and chopped
      • Vegenaise, mmmm

        

        Taco Construction:

        • When everything is prepared awaiting your constructing, life is good.
        • Construct how you think is best!
        • Same with the Taco Salad!
        • Enjoy and have a good week! Cheers 🙂

          

          Just Words

          Posted on by jeffreylatty

          I feel obligated to try and describe my day yesterday. And I feel pictures will not necessarily suffice.

          My buddy (a paid employee of mine acting as my ‘friend’) told me about a gravel ride being a “tough ride” via text and I responded, “Send me a link, Zelda”. So, yesterday has me in goofy high spirits, today!

          I had a trifecta Breakfast including Tempeh, Soyrizo & Tofu for lunch and dinner. The sense of accomplishment of creating food as delicious as I did, is very hard to explain. Especially when it consumes your entire morning. I then joined a few other cyclists for Beers and Bikes to an outstanding and highly motivational Bicycle meeting. After making a last stop, the night was topped off with a few battles of Galaga. I played Galaga on Nintendo back in the day. It has always been an amazing game. I do not play video games and have not since the first Play Station. This is exactly how video games need to be. They need to be social games in a social setting, not locked away in a dark closet for days drenched in sweat and urine.

          I had a shoe problem with losing one of the screws to my cleat and literally had to take my right foot out of the shoe to be able to release myself from the bicycle. A problem overcome with quick thinking and actions. #RideOn

          2015 BS Gravel Ride

          Great things follow hard work, quick decisive thinking and teamwork! And with 60 minutes of Galaga at the end of the night, it was as if the planets aligned with a solar eclipse and a meteor shower magically painting the sky all at once with as much power as a massive volcano explosion shaking the Earth with a numbing rumbling vibrations. It’s such a vast universe and we’re such a tiny spec to the ever expanding, exponentially big science that we will never understand as just a tiny flash in the universe process, but when you (me) have such a perfect day, things aligned correctly in the universe allowing such a great day as a truly perfect day is hard to come by.

          Mexican Breakfast Ⓥiesta

          Posted on by jeffreylatty

          I’m going to attempt to blog this blog in one day, today! Do you think that I can do it!?


           It’s Friday and it’s going on 0830. It is also September 4th, 2015, incase you didn’t know.


          I took this whole week off of work. I needed to get some things done and I wanted to do some serious riding. I requested these days off in early August when I thought for sure it would be a nice low 20 C degree days, but good ol’ Illinois has been in the 30s C ALL WEEK. Which in our ridiculous style of USA measurements, it has been in the 90s F ALL WEEK. There, in my mind, is nothing more simplistic than zero degrees being freezing.


          I might be one of the few Americans who rides kilometers and gets their weather in Celsius. Celsiuses? Celsius’s? Celsius’? Google has helped me vastly in the transition. Anyways, I haven’t been getting a lot done and it’s a little too hot for massive riding, so I’ve been cooking more this week. I’ve been enjoying good beers too 😉


          I did ride a Strava Gran Fondo on Tuesday with temps in the 30s. I ran into a few really awesome roads, being exactly what I needed. It was a very mixed surface ride. The ride diversing from Road, soft gravel, hard ocean-like gravel, dirt, loose dirt, grass into small rocks. Truly being a large variety of riding surfaces.


            
          I’m doing an organized metric century in a few weeks. It’s my very first organized ride and I’m actually somewhat training for it. I will never be a just road cyclist. Where is the fun?


            
          I do have 200+ kms already for the month of September, so I’ve been riding a decent amount.


            
          Gran Fondo #ProveIt Strava 

           I started this Breakfast around 9:45 and went about it at a casual pace. And eating the breakfast for lunch around noon was still amazing and well worth it! And for the first time ever, I had a Ⓥegan Trifecta of Tofu, Tempeh and Soyrizo.


          Mexican Breakfast Ⓥiesta ingredients:

          • Lentils, cooked
          • Split peas, cooked
          • Brown (REAL) Rice, not instant-cooked
          • Corn Kernels, canned or frozen-slightly warmed (especially if frozen)
          • Blackeyed Peas, canned or dry-cooked
          • Celery, dicely sliced
          • Onion, julienne sliced
          • Habanero, diced
          • Garlic, diced
          • Tomato, diced
          • Carrot, sliced
          • Cilantro, chopped
          • Kale, I used NONGMO frozen 🙂
          • Potatoes, stringy hash brown-style (I used already prepared frozen)
          • Lime, just the juiciness
          • Tofu, strained
          • Soyrizo
          • Tempeh, sliced & grilled
          • DAIYA, mmmmm
          • Rye Bread, Grilled and cut at a 45 degree angle 30 or 60 degree cuts are acceptable
          • SeaSalt/Pepper/Sugar/OnionP/GarlicP/BayLeaves
          • BalsamicVinegar/Honey/VeggieBroth/Oil

            

           The Decent with a Tailwind:

          • I first prepared the Lentils, Split Peas and Rice. I cooked them together for around 25 minutes and seasoned with Sugar, Sea Salt, Pepper, Onion and Garlic Powder and a couple of Bay Leaves. I added the canned Corn and Blackeyed Peas for a few minutes before straining and setting aside. REMOVING BAY LEAVES. I’ll never forget that nightmare that I had of eating Bay Leaves…
          • I used a machine to dice the Garlic and Habanero together. Habanero on the hands is asking for discomforts…
          • Sautéed the Garlic and Habanero in Oil before adding Celery, Onion, Carrot and then covering sautéing for a few minutes.
          • Saute Soyrizo with everything. Add Lime Juice, SeaSalt/Pepper & Balsamic Vinegar and stir.
          • Add Beans/Rice/Corn, HashBrowns, Kale, Tofu, Cilantro, Tomato, Honey and cover and simmer for a good 15-20 minutes
          • Add VeggieBroth (not a lot, but a decent amount), stir and Add Daiya on top. I baked in pan for 10-15 before Broiling
          • Garnish with Tempeh and Toast, and Cilantro (if you live life on the EDGE)

          I made enough to eat a heaping serving for lunch and for dinner. Simply, yet complex, BUT Ⓥegan greatness all the same. Food and Cooking is fun and should never be taken seriously unless it is your job. Recreational Cheffing is a hobby that everyone should partake and enjoy. Whatever your level of cooking, it’s fun, others enjoy, it’s HEALTHIER and it provides excellent photo criteria. And when you throw in a good Beer or glass of Wine and progressively make it an art, it’s a Lifestyle. A FEEL-GOOD lifestyle.


           Just be careful when using Hot Peppers and Drink responsibly. It is easy to get carried away with confidence while chopping Romain after one too many Beers. Still better me than any animal:)


          Happy Friday!

          Comeback Kid

          Ⓥegan Fall

          Posted on by jeffreylatty

            
          As most of you should know, Fall is upon us, being almost September. This is when I am in my cycling prime and the weather is usually outstanding. That is, in Illinois, anyways. Sometimes it’s literally freezing in November. The month September is always great.

            
          (I also, as most should know, I suck at finishing my blogs as it is now September third:)

            

          (Also, this week has been in the 90’s F or 30’s C, but that’ll be in the next blog)

            

          Along with the amazing cycling weather brings Fall-style beers. Whether it be Oktoberfest or Pumpkin/Yam beers, I am a big fan.

            
          I am not a fan of short days and “Daylight Savings”. “Daylight Savings” does nothing other than waste electricity. People do not wake up like they used to. Farmers are just about extinct. I can’t even get myself started on factory farming-I will go on forever. The majority of people are awake and about in the evening. Let’s cut our electricity costs?

             
           In later September, I will partake in my very first organized ride. It is basically a metric century (110 km) of gravel and rough/tough terrain. I’m super excited! I’ve been kind of on the fence about Veganism… Not, on the fence, maybe it’s just not been as easy as I thought it would be. Consciously, it’s easy, but it’s when you’re not checking ingredients when ya (me) fuck up.

          • Chipotle BBQ Sauce containing anchovies
          • Chewable Vitamin C tablets containing Lactose/Milk

          I’m not a beer prude who reviews beers like I can distinctively taste and smell the different notes. I’m not a poser and I only bullshit about things I do know.

            
          Go listen to the album High Country by The Sword. It’s basically New Age Classic Rock? 

          Mammoth Ⓥurger

            

          Mammoth Ⓥurger ingredients:

          • Mexican Concoction
          • Morning Star Roasted Garlic & Quinoa, Vegan & NONGMO baked and diced
          • Hash brown patty, baked and diced
          • SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/Pepper
          • Corn Starch, starchy
          • Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/PeanutOil/Honey/Broth
          • Go Veggie! “cheese”, non-dairy
          • Daiya, mmmmm
          • Tempeh, grilled
          • Zucchini, grilled

          IMG_8937-1

          Mexican Concoction ingredients:

          IMG_8957-1

          To the best of my knowledge Mexican Concoction ingredients:

          • Brown Rice
          • Lentils
          • Split Peas
          • Potato
          • Carrot
          • Scallions
          • Cilantro
          • Eggplant, iThink
          • Onion
          • Japonica Rice
          • SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP/Cayenne
          • Parsley
          • Pinto Beans

          Slightly overcook everything.

            

          Colossal Mammoth footprints:

          • Mix everything together to a nice consistency.
          • Save Daiya, Tempeh & Zucchini for later usage.

            

          I decided to take a different approach to a sandwich. I basically wanted to make a cake and turn it into a sandwich.

          • I sprayed a pan with some oil. Which when it claims to be fat free, it’s complete bullshit. It’s fat free with the serving size being basically nothing.
          • Cake formed the tasty mass and baked, flipping with a inverted pizza pan over top after a good 12 minutes.
          • If the 12 minutes were not good drink a beer in three minutes and then flip with the pan science.
          • Bake another 10.

            

          I do not not keep times, timers and measurements in mind. I’m basically bullshitting these times 🙂

          • Sprinkled with “cheese” and broiled.
          • Add grilled Tempeh and Zucchini
          • Cut like a pizza and stack on bottom bun
          • Broil Daiya over top and enjoy

            
          These are the recent Fall beers that I’ve enjoyed. They were all tasty. The best being the Pumpkin Smasher from Big Muddy. Go for a ride, enjoy a beer and take a few pics! Be healthy 🙂

          Ⓥloggings

          Posted on by jeffreylatty


          I had some horrible news last night. After deciding to ride my only day off this week, I wanted to attempt another live blog. I’m not too sure if I’m totally feeling it today. I’m gonna go about this as a draft. And then let my blog explode on everyones face at once, if it works out alright.


           It’s 10:00 am central time and I’ve missed my original departure time of 10:00. I’m ready to go, though. Apologies for that unconscious rhyme breeze from me’s. It’s 10:15 and I’ll be on the bike by 10:30.


          It’s 10:52 and I’m in a great small town of Utica, Illinois and it’s getting hot, my feet are going numb again, and my back is sore. Ever since I switched to clipless peddles, my feet get numb and hurt. To counter those effects, breaks are needed with walking and stretching. It could very well be the cleat position.


          Due to a poor state and incorrect priorities, a washout has been ruining the I & M Canal for years. And because of that washout, I just had to basically almost commit suicide taking a busy Dee Bennett speedway to surpass the stupid washout. I’m talking cars going 60-70 mph in a 55. There’s sometimes a small shoulder, but usually not.


          After murderous Dee Bennett Rd, I decided to not ride as big as I had dreamed. I also swallowed a bug while on Dee Bennett Rd. It is never fun riding 30 ish km/h and confusing yourself with regurgitating or swallowing this damn bug in your throat while pedaling and trying not to swerve and get hit by a speeding vehicle. I washed it down with water and rode on. #RideOn


          In 2011, I was traveling home via Amtrak and read that my last grandfather had passed two days before christmas…. In 2015, i found out my paralyzed uncle who is a doctor of psychology passed by reading also on Facebook. I hate Facebook. I hate most of my asshole Facebook friends and they probably hate me. I was convinced to delete Facebook until my cousin added me today, throwing my plans completely. My new plan is eventually unfollow everyone. I’d like Facebook more if I could decide more what I have to view. I do not wanna see 100 kids before their first day of school. I do not wanna see lame jokes that people find super hilarious. I want Facebook to go back to my early twenties. Be funny, be crazy, be sexy.


            
           I rode to Ottawa, Illinois. I decided to pickup a couple of beers and attempt to go through the washout. The Dee Bennett Rd completely destroyed my ride as it almost does my life every time that I am on it. I picked up a Fresh HopWired IPA by 8 Wired Brewing Co. out of New Zealand. I’ve had a few of their beers in the past and all have been better than good. And same deal with this one. Unfortunately, other countries cannot top most of the USA’s IPAs. We have it figured out. I also picked up a Trade Winds Tripel by The Bruery. Trying to get back onto the I&M Canal, I was going to make a left turn, so I was awaiting my turn in the middle of the road (my lane) and a truck behind me started honking at me.. A bicycle trying to go left on the left hand side of the lane?


           I flipped that asshole off. When riding on the right side of the road especially turning left with traffic behind you, is an accident waiting to happen. Cars try and hurry by cyclists instead of slowing down. It is our duty as cyclists to put ourselves in danger in trying to get vehicles to notice us and slow down. THEY DO NOT LIKE IT, usually.


           Passing Buffalo Rock, basically the last point of upkeep and civilization moreover, was a feat on its own without even talking of the washout. One, it was muddy. Two, the bushes and grass were overgrown. And three, there were numerous trees down. Trying to ride through those conditions are almost impossible, confusing and tedious. I say confusing because I’d rather ride than walk my bike. Having clipless peddles and shoes on are not very convenient in that situation. I had my left unclipped basically the entire time to be ready to stop because of all of the debris. I found a stretch of clear path and itching to peddle hard, I fully clipped in and rode for a good minute. It was 12:44 and I ran into another downed tree and I slowed almost completely, went to put my left foot down and climb over probably the 20th downed tree and BOOM, I was still clipped in.


           I walked through the washout and continued on. I was all muddy, bloody and thirsty. I cracked open the IPA and continued walking, tree hurdling and drinking. A jogger passed me and said, “maybe they’ll fix it one day”, I replied “I doubt it….” That was most of my riding experience. I did BYOL!


          Bring Yo Own Lunch = #BYOL

            
          I chose to bring Nuts and Ⓥurritos.


          Last week I made a Mexican concoction and have been slacking to consume the massive pot. I’m going to try my best to remember what exactly is in it. It is very good, just haven’t been exactly in the mood for it lately. Tomorrow, I plan to make Vegan Burgers out of the remaining concoction. I have been totally listening to this band, Native, lately. They are so good.

          Native (live)

          I actually took this video on 10.19.12 in Dekalb, Illinois via iPhone 4S.

          Yesterday I learned that “&” had a freaking name.


          Mexican concoction ingredients:

          • Brown Rice
          • Lentils
          • Split Peas
          • Potato
          • Carrot
          • Scallions
          • Cilantro
          • Eggplant, iThink
          • Onion
          • Japonica Rice
          • SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP/Cayenne
          • Parsley
          • Pinto Beans


          Things that PISS ME OFF:

          • Police patrolling a park via car/SUV
          • Vitamins that contain LACTOSE?? WTFFF? (What The Fucking Flying Fuck)
          • Dogs that uncontrollably bark, should not be allowed outside without owner presence.


          I basically overcooked everything a bit because I knew I was gonna make Veggie Burgers. If police are going to enter a park where vehicles are not allowed, THEY NEED TO GET OFF OF THEIR FAT ASSES AND HOP ON A BICYCLE. And I would’ve never thought that I would have to check ingredients in Vitamin C in being Vegan.


          Ⓥeggie Burger ingredients:

          • Mexican Concoction
          • SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/Pepper
          • Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/PeanutOil/Honey/Broth
          • Go Veggie! “Cheese”, non-dairy
          • Corn Starch


          This time around I cooked these patties at 250 degrees F for 12-15 minutes before upping the temperature to 325 degrees F for another 10. I usually love the burnt flavor, but for these the texture is not good when overcooked.


          As for these Ⓥurritos I made for BYOL Friday, here we go.


          Ⓥurrito ingredients:

          • Mexican Concoction, heated with Seitan, Broth and Corn
          • Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
          • Cilantro, finely chopped
          • Scallions, finely chopped
          • Sunflower Seeds, shelled obviously
          • Guacamole
          • Sriracha
          • Tortilla Shells, Large

          Easiness:

          Mix everything up and wrap burrito-like. Grill both sides and wrap in foil and enjoy. Unfortunately, I did not capture any photos of the finished product. Not sure what I was thinking. (I actually just found a pic of a similar Ⓥurrito that I made)


           This was the start of my Facebook status, letting people know that I was gonna be deleting. Not sure what I’m gonna do.

          -Unfortunately, my love and respect for animals does not carry onto most humans. Most of you are fucking horrible people and complete assholes. Not to say that I am not in that same group. As a species overall, we fucking suck. I do not care for most of you and most of you do not care for me. I’ve finally got big enough balls to peace out of this Facebook world that is basically a disease anyway. Social media is great and I still love it, but Facebook is no longer for me. I am in no way suicidal, but Jesus fucking Christ, this feels like social media suicide.-


          It’s almost September. Have a good Week! Enjoy life as best as possible while taking good pictures! And seriously, go for a bike ride:)

          Nutty Ⓥutter

          Posted on by jeffreylatty


          Last weekend, I made a purchase of a NutriNinja at the local walmart for $79. I despise walmart, but was there and made the purchase. It sat on my kitchen table for a good 4-5 days contemplating if I were going to keep it. I then saw one at Menards for the same price. I bought the Menard’s NutraNinja and returned walmart’s NutriNinja. A friend, who at the time worked for a walmart DC, said “never buy from walmart, it’s all broken.”


          I’ve only used the NutriNinja once so far, but was the ultimate test, making my new creation of peanut butter. I named it Nutty Ⓥutter. The NutriNinja passed the test. A coworker asked me today why I chose peanut butter to be the first thing to make in the Ninja. He owns one also and loves it. I never got around to telling him why as we were interrupted by our job, CIA-type things.


          My reasoning behind his, “well, why didn’t you go buy peanut butter?”, response is that I am a celery addict and that I love dipping celery into peanut butter. And I ultimately wish that they made peanut butter dipperies. Basically a large container that is easily sealed and opened that isn’t hard to dip one bit. Peanut butter jars are all tall and very difficult (to say the least) to dip into once half empty and the ongoing obsolete process is stressful, awkward and frustrating.


          I also wanted to make it better and more to my tastebuds’ needs.


          Nutty Ⓥutter ingredients:

          • Old Mill Deluxe Mixed Nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Hazle Nuts, Pistachios & Peanuts), shelled and salted or unsalted-boats float when ya want
          • Sunflower Seeds, shelled and salted or unsalted
          • Peanut Oil, good quality
          • Honey, organically and local greatness 🙂
          • Nutmeg
          • Sea Salt

          Step:

          • Combine and mixing to smooth.

          I decided to make an appetizer dish using CELERY mmmmm.

          Tomorrow is Friday and my only day off this week. I may ride 161 km aka 100 miles. Making a day of cycling and packing my lunch and possibly live blogging…… #RidehFriday

          Ⓥegan ZZA

          Posted on by jeffreylatty


          My favorite days are when I have time to create awesome food and have an outstanding ride on one of the bicycles. Today, being Monday “Fonday”, I made pizza, took a nap and attempted a ride. I only made it 7 km.


          And I think it was because I read the temperature at 26-27 degrees Celsius and the wind blowing at 8 km/h and it was hot as shit and windy as shit. I need to stop checking the weather before I go and ride. Maybe just the radar. Or maybe I need to man up. Whatever the case being, I was not feeling a bigger ride today.


          But, I made PIZZA. I am a pizza addict surviving life. The last time that I had pizza was June 22, 2015. That was before my Veganism lifestyle. Before my Veganism, I had the first of the month being my pizza day. And now, my pizza day is annually August 10, being Vegan Pizza Day.


          I chose to make BBⓋ Tempeh, Roasted Ⓥeggie, Ⓥicago-Style Hot Dawg, Ⓥaco, MexiⓋano and Ⓥediterranean.

          LISTENER


          I just enjoyed a Arcadia Ales’ Sky High Rye and checked it in on Untappd for the 91st time, being the most in Untappdiverse. Not sure if I’m proud of that or not. It’s a delicious beer, though. I am currently listening to 3eb. Third Eye Blind might be my favorite feel-good band. And now I’m enjoying a Schlitz. I wish that I could find 16oz cans of Schlitz. I’ve only seen them at The Castle Theater in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.


          Pizza Dough ingredients:

          • Flour
          • Dry Active Yeast
          • Veggie Broth, warmed for yeast
          • Nutritional Yeast
          • SeaSalt/Sugar/GarlicP/OnionP
          • Rosemary, which I was out so I used Oregano, slightly crushed
          • Fennel Seed, slightly Crushed
          • Oil

          Let rise and impatiently use, like I always do.

          Pizza Sauce ingredients:

          • Crushed Tomatoes
          • Sugar
          • SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP
          • Vegetable Broth

          BBⓋ Tempeh Pizza ingredients:

          • BBQ sauce, vegan and I found this Whiskey Kicker, that was delicious
          • Tempeh, sliced smally, but not too tiny just to chicken slice size ewww chicken
          • Pizza Dough
          • Pizza Sauce, with a splash of BBQ sauce
          • Daiya, white and yellow mmmmm
          • Red Onion, julienne sliced
          • Cilantro, chopped for garnish which I forgot

          Toss Tempeh and BBQ sauce lightly keeping that Tempeh whole slices. Sauce the pizza with a little BBQ and Pizza Sauce, put some Daiya (it’s expensive, go easy) Red Onion and Tempeh. Garnish with Cilantro and ENJOY. It’s so good.

          Roasted Ⓥeggie Pizza ingredients:

          • Pizza Dough
          • Pizza Sauce
          • Daiya, whiteness greatness
          • Potatoes, red
          • Turnip, peeled if wax coated(LAME if waxed)
          • Corn, I used canned corn
          • Onion, reddish purple
          • Peppers, yellow, green, orange and red(my red pepper had fuzzy mold growing on it)

          How’s it Gonna Be

          I found a truly hilarious movie on Netflix last year called Awful Nice. I repeatedly watched it and watched it again last night. Also, this annual Pizza Day is stretching into three days…. Oh, well. I’ve also been blogging these words for the same three days. Here’s a sum of the movie I think is unbelievably funny.

          Awful Nice Preview

          And now that I’ve mentioned Netflix, I’ll have to mention a few others. As of the 15th of 2015 August these are on Netflix. From 1991, Ed O’neill and Ethan Embry deliver this now 24 year old classic. JUST WATCH IT.

          Dutch Preview

          Another is The History of Future Folk. A feel-good movie that is very well put together. Future Folk Preview

          And lastly, I just watched this last night (8.14.15) as it was just put on Netflix this week. I first was introduced to this comedian years ago when you was on The Daily Show talking about myspace. He has had his own show with his own style of comedy on Comedy Central that I found hilarious.

          Demetri Martin: Live (At the Time)


          Ⓥediterranean Pizza ingredients:

          • Tofu, firm
          • Spinach, present
          • Onion, white and julienned
          • Tomato, roma julienne sliced
          • Artichoke Hearts, canned whole sliced
          • Kalamata Olives, cut long ways
          • Daiya, white and yellow
          • Pizza Sauce
          • Pizza Dough
          • Sriracha, cock sauce
          • Balsamic Vinegar
          • SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/DillWeed

          Backflips:

          • First, infuse your Tofu with SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/DillWeed, Balsamic Vinegar & Sriracha. Get your dough stretched and put on pan. I sometimes like to fold the dough over to make a thicker crust.
          • I topped Pizza Sauce, Spinach, Daiya, Tomato, Onion, Olives, Artichokes & Daiya. I could’ve baked for 5 minutes longer, but I was impatiently hungry.

          Perfect Situation


          Monday night, I made two pizzas somewhat tipsy. Hence, the picture quality. They were made well, just not perfectly. The two styles of Pizza were the Ⓥicago-Style Dawg Pizza and The MexiⓋano-Style Pizza.


          Ⓥicago-Style DawgZza ingredients:

          • Pizza Dough
          • Pizza Sauce
          • LightLife Smart Dogs, sliced and grilled
          • Sauerkraut, drained
          • Onion, red and julienned
          • Tomato, roma and julienned
          • Cucumber, diced
          • Daiya, mozz-style
          • Scallions or Mustard, for garnish

          Hurdles:

          • Get everything chopped/sliced/grilled and ready. Dough is ready with some sauce, just add toppings and Daiya and garnish how you’d like. This one is a treat.
          • Only Hunter Pence uses ketchup on DAWGS, dog. GO CUBBIES. That sweep against the SFGiants was HUGE.


          Schlage


          Ⓥexicano Pizza ingredients:

          • Pizza Dough
          • Pizza Sauce
          • Tempeh, chicken-like sliced
          • Daiya, orange and white
          • Black Beans, rinsed and dried
          • Corn Kernels, rinsed and dried
          • Cilantro, chopped for garnish
          • Scallions, sliced for garnish
          • Cayenne/Pepper/Sriracha/ChiliP/GarlicP/OnionP
          •  

          Triathlon:

          • Mix Cayenne/Pepper/Sriracha/ChiliP/GarlicP/OnionP with Tempeh softly leaving Tempeh intact.
          • Top Pizza Dough with Sauce, Daiya and toppings.
          • Bake and Garnish with Scallions and Cilantro. Apologies for the picture quality.

          Jon from Vegan Zombie


          AvocadoNaise ingredients:

          • Acocado, peeled and chopped
          • Vegenaise, mmmmmmmm
          • Cilantro, finely chopped
          • Scallion, sliced
          • Lemon, juice

          Mix while not trying to consume all on the spot.


           Ⓥaco Pizza ingredients:

          • Tempeh, crumbled
          • Tofu, crumbled and infused (see Ⓥediterranean (above))
          • Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/Cayenne/Turmeric/GetchaSum!/Cumin
          • Black Beans, rinsed and dried
          • Corn Kernels, rinsed and dried
          • Daiya, orange-mmmmmmmm
          • Daiya, white-mmmmmmmm
          • Pizza Dough
          • Pizza Sauce
          • Iceberg Lettuce, chopped finely
          • Onion, red-julienned
          • Tomato, roma-julienned
          • Olives, black-halved
          • AvocadoNaise, tasty!


          Wheelies:

          • Preparations before hand is easier. Like always…
          • Mix already infused Tofu with the crumbled Tempeh and infuse that with eventually infused Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/Cayenne/Turmeric/GetchaSum!/Cumin, BUT do not get confused
          • I went Pizza Dough, Pizza Sauce, Beans, Corn, Tempeh/Tofu, orange Daiya and then baked.
          • I cut the pizza when finished baking.
          • I topped the already topped finished pizza with Lettuce, more Beans and Corn, the white Daiya, AvocadoNaise (plopped in center), Tomato and Onion nicely around the AvocadoNaise, and to top it completely off, Black Olives around the perimeter of the AvocadoNaise or beginning of Mount AvocadoNaise.


          They might be considered foothills, but I’m not too sure. Eat and enjoy with a stack of napkins or hand/face wash station nearby. Better yet, it wouldn’t hurt to have an eye wash station close by either. Depending on amount and time of Ⓥaco Pizza, it can get super messy. Clean up and #RideOn!


          BreakⓋast Tofu Scramble

          Posted on by jeffreylatty

          Hoppy IPA Day! I trekked via Trek CrossRip Elite (Darth Vader) to a bar that I have not been to since age 20, yesterday, to try a super local brewery’s brews.    The brewery is Radium City Brewing out of Ottawa, Illinois. The beer that I tried and the only beer the bar had left was Passing Time IPA an American IPA with citrusy hoppy goodness at 6.9%. It was very good. I gave it 4.25 bottle caps on Untappd. And because this is a very hoppy day and I’m off of work, I made breakⓋast this morning!    It was absolutely delicious, hence, me blogging all over your face. And I wanna share some pictures. I love taking pictures and my photographic eye has seemed to evolve to another level over the past year.    I made two different Scramble batches in the last week. The first being a Seitan Tofu Scramble and this one without Seitan, but including Eggplant, Cashews and Zucchini. Both Scrambles were basically made the same way and both delicious. That’s the nice thing about scrambles, stir-fry, soup or anything along those lines, throw in them whatever you want or have on hand.      Slightly before the first batch, I made Cauliflower Mashed. And then after taking a few days trying to learn how to spell “cauliflower”, practicing manually writing and typing “cauliflower’ and after many failures and shed tears of disappointment, I decided to give up and just eat the Cauliflower Mashed inside a baked potato. Just like my spelling, I need to master the Cauliflower Mashed and not rely on auto-correct. It would be cool if there was an auto-correct-chef. But, then like the occasional craziness of auto-correcting texts, I’d screw up baking a cake and it would wind up sauerkraut infused cake or something crazy. I’ve only made from-scratch carrot cake twice, but I hate baking. I can handle bread.    I also used already made Pita Bread and made BreakⓋast Pitas with the first batch. Homemade Pita Bread is still by far better than store bought even if it was made there at the store. It was whole wheat and still very good. IMG_8398

          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 😉 IMG_8318IMG_8317 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. IMG_8319 -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. IMG_8316
          -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. IMG_8345
          -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.
          IMG_8575

          Cauliflower Mashed ingredients:

          -Cauliflower, organic & chopped, roasted

          -Corn, roasted -Onion, diced & roasted

          -Carrot, finely diced & not a lot

          -Potatoes, diced & roasted -Cashews, roasted -Tomato GUTS, leftover from Pico Ⓥ Queso -Seitan, diced -Cilantro, chopped -Scallions, finely sliced Garlic, minced roasted slightly -SeaSalt/Pepper/ChipotleP/Cayenne/GarlicP/OnionP -Almond Milk -“Cheese”, I used Go Veggie dairy-free Mexican style -Corn Starch


           Steps:  -I roasted Veggies and simmered Almond Milk. I added seasoning and then roasted Veggies. I then added “Cheese” and Corn Starch, as much as needed, for correct consistency. I enjoyed it chunky and not fully mashed, but I would go about it a little differently. I would keep it oil-free, though. -For the Cauliflower Mashed Stuffed Potato, I roasted a couple of Potatoes on parchment paper face down. I then cleaned out most Potato flesh and threw in with Cauliflower Mashed and put in the empty lifeless Potatoes and broiled with a little “Cheese” on top.


           Scramble ingredients: -Tofu, firm -Raw Cashews -Garlic, minced -Onion, chopped or sliced -Various Peppers, I used green, yellow, orange and red small sliced -Potatoes, diced and niced (made-up word;) -Eggplant, diced -Kale, frozen chopped or freshly chopped -Kalamata and Manzanilla Olives, finely diced and Juice/Brine -Sport Peppers, finely diced and Juice/Brine -Portabello Mushrooms, sliced -SeaSalt/Pepper/Fennel Seeds -Balsamic Vinegar -Avocado, sliced thick -Large Tortilla shells, soft -Daiya 🙂 -Canola Oil -Lemon, juiced


           The BreakⓋast Adventure: -I heated some Canola Oil in a pan and basically added everything as I prepared it. And grilled the Avocado slices on my cast iron skillet. The order of operations after heated oil go; Cashews, Potato, Garlic, Eggplant, Onion, SeaSalt/Pepper/Fennel Seeds, Balsamic Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Olive Juice and Sport Peppers Juice, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Kale, finely diced Olives and Sport Peppers, Tofu and Daiya. -I steamed the Tortilla shells and stuffed them with the scramble greatness. I put directly on pan with parchment paper, Tortilla folds down, and baked for 12-60 minutes.


          Definitely closer to 12 than 60 minutes. I then threw them on the cast iron skillet and gave them a nice mark. I cut in half, put on plate with more scramble topped with grilled Avocado and took a picture before destroying the Vegan greatness.


           I was at work one night devising breakⓋast ideas and googled Vegan meat replacements. The internet is never 100% correct, but it was telling me that there was Vegan Morning Star “Bacon” and “Sausage Links” at the local Hy-Vee. I was super excited until I physically looked on the packages in the Health Department (my home) at Hy-Vee and noticed they were not Vegan. I was disappointed, but thought of these kickass ways to eat Vegan BreakⓋast and saved some money. I first was introduced to the Tofu Scramble from Vegan Zombie. Check ’em out!


          Vegan Zombie


          Happy Thursday and Hoppy IPA Day to all! Go for a bike ride, hike or walk, enjoy a good beer and take a few pictures!