CCCF = Carb Conscience Comfort Food
Ketchup is not allowed…
CCCF V CHICAGO STYLE CHAR DOG
…Can’t forget the Celery Salt:)
CHEERS.
The Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs again this year. Today, Vegan Risotto was prepared and titled Anthony Rizzoto after the Cubs first baseman, Anthony Rizzo.
Go Cubs.
Light Oil was utilized in a copper pan to sauté Onion, Garlic and Arborio Rice.
Seasoned with Parsley, Chives, Sea Salt, Pepper and Cayenne, Chardonnay was added and cooked down.
Veggie Broth, Yellow & Zucchini Squash and garden Cherry Tomatoes were tossed in.
After reducing most liquid, a small stick of Earth Balance ‘butter’ was added with Ⓥ ‘parmesan cheese’.
I did not ride a bike today, but rest is essential. Happy Sunday!
Hey, Hey! Holy Cow! Let’s Go!
The Chicago CUBS did it in my lifetime. They have won it all and beat everyone else. There are many of people I am saddened by that could not witness this championship. I need to do one up on just celebrating. This team/club, the Chicago Cubs, have inspired myself to finally do something I’ve always wanted to do…Upgrade my adventurism.
My Solo Cubs Parade is survival. It is athleticism. It is thinking ahead of the traffic. It is a celebration.
Lack of vacation days and common sense took my original idea and threw it out the window. Starting at home instead of the Wisconsin/Illinois border riding through the Illinois/Kentucky border will not work for me. I have to be smart about planning and also realistic. I guess originally planned, it would be around 1,000 km which would decipher into around 625 miles. That would consist of consecutive century (100+ miles) rides. I can ride a century, but not too sure five in a row is even possible for me.
I currently have roughly 750 km (470ish miles) to go in five days with a six-hour train ride. Also, a safety plan incase I get into a bind. I plan on staying in hotels and experiencing three breweries. I plan on experiencing the land of Illinois and towing the pride of the Chicago Cubs VICTORY with me. I want to push my limits and do something cool. I truly want to celebrate in a unique way that I can forever cherish.
Hopefully this will be happening in April. It depends on when vacation is blacked out with my real job. I have time to think and perfect. I have time to try to save money. I need extra motivation and possibly some funds. Eating Vegan along the way will not be cheap. Gear is gonna have to be purchased, as well.
I’m excited and will blog my way through it with glorious pictures and improper english. If you like my concept, please help my cause and support me with a dollar or two. It would mean a lot!
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
-Jim Morrison (The Doors)
Prepare Lentili:
Prepare Lentili Mac N Daiya:
Find Vegan English Muffins or Buns. Use a Beyond Meat Beastburger or Vegan Boca. Roast, toast and boast, meltedly:)
It’s nice to go for a muddy bike ride with others to a local brewery to enjoy a freshly brewed Craft Beer and for the first time, I could eat a sausage with them who were also enjoying sausages. They carried Field Roast sausages:) you betcha, I want that Chicago-style.
GO CHICAGO CUBS
The End (Lentili)
…To Be Continued (CUBS)
Congratulations to Cubs fans everywhere. Congratulations to Cardinal fans in Illinois for seeing a truly stellar team this year in the Chicago Cubs take away their pride. Since 1876 the Chicago Cubs have won 1197 games against STL and the Cardinals have taken 1147 from the Cubbies during regular season play. And in the all-time post-season the Cubs are 3-1 against STL. According to Wikipedia.
I’m very excited to see and try many Illinois brewed beers and creations. For me, anyways, true local brews give you a sense of untouchable refreshmentism before even considering the smell, taste, feel or notes. Perhaps that is due to the freshness, but I believe it’s more along the fine lines of a thing called pride! Like rooting for your local high school football team, it may not be the best, but damn it, you’re happy to see it and experience it.
Breweries come and go, bought out and sold out. There are craft breweries now directly competing with the (has-been) big dogs Miller and Bud. I want to concentrate on the Illinois breweries who are not selling out. All of this information is from Wikipedia. Apologies if any info is incorrect.
My first favorite Illinois brewery:
My go-to Illinois brewery:
Mead:
Most versatile arsenal Illinois brewery:
Destihl 2007 Normal, IL.
Super local Illinois Valley breweries:
Most impressive Illinois brewed beer:
I was watching the Cubs on Monday night and wanted some easy quick (Vegan) food. I tweeted Jimmy John’s, half inebriated. And with their awesome help, I was able to conclude and acquire a Vegan delivery. Their bread is not Vegan. I paid $18 for two lettuce wraps that were delicious and not so much filling. I was impressed with how well Jimmy John’s interacted with me via twitter and did not cower like a company that puts beef fat into their fries and probably soda. That was the first time that I have ordered out in quite a few months.
Try some Illinois brewed beers or mead and try some Illinois baseball! The Cubbies are something else this year.
I finished this blog this morning spending two hours on it only for WordPress to fail and erase a huge chunk of data. So, I went for a ride.
I’ve been making kick-ass Chili for at least (well documented) five years now. It has only truly been documented a few times, but I mastered my style of chili probably ten years ago I just never knew it until around 5 years ago. I used to make this kick-ass DIP (for chips) using nothing but chicken and actual veggies working in a restaurant kitchen. You know, against the rules kitchen food, to feed the staff. And from there after plugging the concept in with chili type ideas, my style of Chili was born.
I cannot believe I had the mindset, at more than one points in the past, to keep my cheffing secrets, secrets until they made me millions. I have now forever retired from a kitchen that I do not own. Might as well share and help someone develop their own style.
October is kind of a HUGE month for me. The month includes or almost includes:
When your own personal well-being is healthy and you truly feel well, it makes life much easier. I feel when healthier than not, stress levels are down and energy levels are up.
Since making a Vegetarian lifestyle change, I’ve noticed extremely better health vitals and weight loss without a true workout routine, other than cycling. Every time that I donate blood (Double Red Cell), I am assured my once moderately high blood pressure is still low. My gym is adventure. My gym is outdoors.
Chili Secrets:
It shouldn’t necessarily be about ourselves as it should be about the animals, about the environment and truly realizing and comprehending the bigger picture. There is an impact bigger than just one person, cutting out meat/dairy or even just consuming less.
Chili ingredients (2009):
I’ve made different variations through the years. Creating a creamier sauce with adding Cheese until last year. I made Lentili without butter or oil and almost Vegan. I think I added Cheese that wasn’t completely Vegan.
Ever find an artist (music band) that makes you super excited after you find out the length of their discography to listen to. And only an eighth of their music is what you want and the rest is garbage. I really appreciate good bands that can stay consistently different through the years. Not sounding the same on every album, but not changing their roots either.
Yam Lentili ingredients:
I ain’t here to give cooking lessons. Use your imagination and have FUN! I did also make kick-ass Vegan Corn Bread. Seriously, play with your food!
Ⓥ Cream Corn ingredients:
I just mixed everything together, covered and set out for a good hour.
ⓋornBread ingredients:
Simply mixed together and baked.
Lentili Colcannon ingredients:
Balls & Strikes:
10.07.15 I’m taking my love for Chicago-style dawgs and Vegan lifestyle to another level tonight as the Chicago Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates in a wildcard matchup. The Cubs, not being in the post-season since 2008, are a stellar team this season.
10.08.15 The Chicago Cubs won and Jake Arrieta threw a complete game SHO (shutout). Jake has shown a poise that I’ve never seen from a Cubs pitcher. His confidence and simply his persona on the mound sometimes gives me goosebumps. The Chicago Cubs acquired Jake (and Pedro Strop) from the Baltimore Orioles on July 2, 2013 for Steve Clevenger and Scott Feldman. At the time I was sad to see Feldman go, but heard both Arrieta and Strop had potential. Arrieta pitched well the remainder of 2013 and 2014. He went 14-7 with a 2.81 ERA (Earned Runs x 9(innings in a game) ÷ IP (Innings Pitched)). And his numbers are in for 2015 with a whopping 22 wins to only 6 losses. Having the best stats ever after the all-star break. Baseball has been around since the 19th century. Baseball has been a game for a few minutes.
I have created the Ⓥ Jake Arrieta’s. Ⓥ=Vegan. I made five of these monsters being strong, consistent & extremely healthy. The Ⓥ Jake Arrieta is a friendly neighborhood Char Dawg.
Chicago-style Relish ingredients:
MIX 🙂
Since being close to 100 days Vegan, my body has skyrocketed to amazing well-being and health. I’m going to live for 300 years. And I think that I am shrinking while still being very strong. I can ride a bicycle so much better and faster. My energy level is through the roof. And I feel AMAZING.
Ⓥ Jake Arrieta a Ⓥegan Chicago-style Lentili CharDawg ingredients:
Extra Innings:
I also came up with a salad concept of Roasted Veggies mixed with Romaine and Lentili as the ‘dressing’. It was good. I made Sweet Potato chips with my first batch of Ⓥ Jake Arrieta’s, but I was a little too tipsy to take a decently good pic. Hopefully today is much better with the art of photography. I also made three Dawgs a little different, yesterday. I feel like I’m forgetting some stuff. DAMNIT.
The Cubs play STL in a best of 5 NLDS and I’ve been saying all season that if the Cubs want to win big, they have to be able to destroy STL. And they can. Go CUBBIES & Happy Friday!
And it is now Saturday.. HAPPY SATURDAY!
I came up with yet another Lentili concoction. This one is a Lentili Spudwich.
And these are a concept of eating Lentili without utensils, being Potato bowls filled with Lentili and Daiya!
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.
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:
I did not have any fresh garlic or I would’ve used it.
Ⓥegan Trifecta ingredients:
Break Dances:
Other ingredients:
Taco Construction:
VeggHead BeerCyclist 4.22
VeggHead BeerCyclist 3.06
VeggHead BeerCyclist 