cycling – Page 12 – VeggHead BeerCyclist

WhiteoutChili MacNDaiya

Posted on January 7, 2017 by jeffreylatty

Let’s GO!

Heatin’ that there Whiteout Chili to be later eaten is what I’m sayin’. Grillin’ a few Lightlife Dawgs to be later chilin’ needs dealin’.

Steps up from my normal cycling activities will be underway this (2017:) year and years to follow. I plan to ride close to 10,000 km (6250 miles) this year. My first ever competitive cycling event may take place this July. Also, a solo CUBS parade will be ridden the majority of the length of long Illinois.

soloCUBSparade

Being under the weather to start 2017 has allowed for good rest, just not a lot of cycling. The only two rides this year have been commutes on the coldest of days. Perhaps a longer ride today.

WhiteoutChili MacNDaiya is self-explanatory, however, I used Macaroni, Whiteout Chili, Daiya and Smart Dogs. Click on links for further details. I found two more beers from a brewery not too far away that only furthers my respect for the brewery Triptych out of Savoy, Illinois near Champaign-Urbana. A rum barrel-aged Stout and a black IPA were thoroughly enjoyed in construction of Whiteout Chili MacNDaiya euphoria.

I’ve heard from numerous people about how this winter, in the midwest states, was going to be brutally cold and wet. I’ve realized in my time here in the midwest that January is by far the harshest winter month. Next week for the Illinois Valley there’s a high of 47 degrees F. This winter has had a few extremely cold spells and a little snow, but climate change might have a huge impact on this winter and winters moving forward.

Hang in. Have fun. Happy Weekend.

Taco Tempeh Pizza

Posted on January 4, 2017 by jeffreylatty

Oh, it is 2017. Let’s make another Vegan Pizza, because I am a Pizza addict. How about a Taco Pizza, Veganly. This was super simple, mostly just prep work. I used ready (Vegan) pizza dough, because I am a lazy addict as well. Pan-fried chopped Tempeh was infused with a bit o’ oil, Crushed Red Peppers, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Paprika, Cayenne, Balsamic Vinegar, Sea Salt, Pepper and Chili Powder. The Pizza was constructed with Vegenaise, Taco Tempeh, sliced Daiya, Onion and Avocado. I threw this pie into the oven as hard as I could to be slow baked for awhile before turning up the heat to add color to the Daiya. The pizza escaped the oven to be further constructed with super diced Romaine, Daiya shreds, Tomato, Black Olive, Avocado and more Vegenaise in the center.

The finished construction was broiled for a couple of minutes just to melt the Daiya shreds.

I’m going to have a big year of cycling. I have not ridden yet in 2017 because of this bug that I have acquired. I’ve ridden 700 km (435 miles) farther in 2016 than 2015. I’m assuming that I’ll probably ride 10,000 km in 2017. #RideOn

🙂

-:X:white:X:|out|:X:chili:X:-

Posted on December 30, 2016December 30, 2016 by jeffreylatty

I’m curious if anyone has ever been in an actual (snow) whiteout. Where depending on light, white is all. I have experienced a whiteout once while driving during daylight.

Where do we go when we die? As a kid, I used to weirdly daydream about life after death and a whiteout in my head is the best way to describe it. A sense of nothingness and just white. Perhaps, I’m an optimist and that is why it wasn’t a blackout. I’d like to say that our mindset as humans is in our DNA and was already decided before we were born. I rode a Bicycle, listened to good Music, had a couple of excellent BEERS and made WHITEOUTCHILI today.

Optimism>Pessimism

LIFE>DEATH

Solar Sailer

I let this gigantic pot of WHITEOUTCHILI simmer on the back burner for a few hours as it is still. My theme for this idea is light and white. I chose Habanero to pack an innocent punch. I took my more traditional Chili concept and gave it a (VEGAN) white remix.

I cooked Navy and Northern Beans by themselves first. After draining and rinsing them, I put SoyMilk on heat and added the Beans. Ingredients to follow were Onion, Yellow Peppers, Russet Potatoes, Eggplant-peeled&diced, Parsnips-peeled&diced, Tofu-crumbled, Habanero, Celery and Garlic and seasoned with SeaSalt/Pepper/ BrownSugar. After gearing up for an above freezing day, I went for a bike ride to check out a new washout bridge on the (I&M Canal) towpath. Being gone for around 2 1/2 hours, this stewing Veganisms became damn delicious and damn beautiful. I took some out and put into a warming pot and added Parsley, Daiya and I added Instant Mashed Potatoes to obtain the correct consistency. I did add a bit more sugar, also.

Ride a Bike. Drink a Beer. Be Healthier.

Bikes N Brews

Posted on November 30, 2016 by jeffreylatty

Yesterday, was a messed up day that was originally planned out to be an awesome day. Nothing went as planned, yet, it was still an awesome day. I wanted to enjoy this (probably) last extremely fair weathered Illinois day outside by going for a longer bike ride while still taking care of business. A simple (Vegan) breakfast was consumed. Wearing appropriate clothing is usually (at least for me) challenging in cooler climates, especially in Illinois’ decently vast range of temperatures. First, I planned to under-dress. I changed my mind and decided to play it safe and dress a bit warmer. 10:00am was going to be the departure time (40ish degrees F w/ a high of 58 F) and I was ahead of the game, like usual.

“If you’re not early, you’re late.”

-VeggHead BeerCyclist

My damn right Bontrager cycling shoe tightening tab broke. That was not the first Bontrager cycling shoe issue, but not a big deal. A pit-stop at my parents house was needed. I was finally off on my way when I took a left turn and the momentum gravity took my right foot completely off of my drivetrain with the outside part of my Crank Bros. Eggbeater still clipped in with the spindle just hanging out on my crank arm. Instinctively, I immediately tried assembling my pedal by hand. Questioning my thought process and noticing the looseness, I said a few R-rated words and walked the bike back to my parents house.

Additional tools other than the tools on me were needed. Basically, just a socket wrench and flathead screwdriver were used to try to reassemble this pedal. Twenty minutes later, I took that same left corner. And the same thing happened. The feeling and acknowledgement of giving up isn’t the best feeling, but is sometimes necessary to regroup and to be smart about the situation. I could have went home and switched out my pedals to continue my ride. In the back of my mind, were thoughts of what the third thing to go wrong could be. I didn’t want to chance getting hit by a car or anything of that nature. I continued my business to be done without my bike, while letting Crank Bros know about my issue. Those pedals have been through hell and I love the brand, but really? Their team responded quickly and I will always be a loyal Crank Bros fan.

I went to get my FatBike, Arrogant Bastard (and drop off my Trek Darth Vader) to enjoy the day. My last FatBike ride wasn’t the greatest. I biffed it and until yesterday did not notice that my derailuer hangar was bent. I manually bent it back and gave it a shot. Riding the Towpath, the sky became cloudy and the air a little cooler. Luckily, I was prepared.

My favorite tavern was my destination. Having a beverage or two, I (in spandex athletic gear) bullshitted with a biker couple (in their leather exhaust smelling gear) traveling to enjoy the last nice day as was I. We agreed to ride safe because vehicles do not respect two-wheelers and how we are at the risk of others’ concentration with our fate when on the road. That tavern is truly a Biker bar. Continuation of my day brought me back to my town and had my cycling jersey pockets stuffed with bombers of beer! Before going home, I stopped at a park to enjoy a Saison outside, when realization of how discombobulated my day has been as I did not have a bottle opener. I opened the bottle with force and broke the glass in the process. I walked home to save the Beer and to end my day.

Stress kills. There is a solution to everything. Sometimes, it isn’t easy to find. Not everyday will be perfect. Optimism helps everything. Ride a Bike. Drink a Beer.

Happy Wednesday!

Chipotle Chocolate Lentili

Posted on November 29, 2016 by jeffreylatty

I bought a pack of Hell’s Kitchen (five) hot sauces the Day After Thanksgiving. I did shop for the first time ever on “black Friday”. I was at work and I believe that I made my purchase around 1:00pm. It was not anything extreme and I did not push anyone out of my way. The Chocolate Chipotle Hot Sauce is the only one that I’ve tried thus far and it is AMAZING. Daydreaming occasionally combines with reality and here I am with another Food idea that is DELICIOUS. Trial and Error, or how about just Trial. Take a chance. Have faith. Have confidence. Know your ingredients.

Baking is not me. Baking is alien. I have partaken. I can do it, but we do not get along. This concept was fun, exciting and educational. The only things different, were the ingredients. MY “Chili” concept will not change.

Seasonings, bad. Vegetables, good.

Cocoa Powder, Semi-sweet Chocolate, Veggie Broth, Peppers, Chipotle in Adobo, Daiya, Lentils, Onion, Tomatoes and crushed Tomatoes (canned), Cilantro, Sugar, SeaSalt/Pepper, Garlic, Sweet Potatoes were combined and simmered all damn day, literally. The batch produced is hefty.

SoloCUBSParade

Solo #Cubs Parade

Posted on November 17, 2016 by jeffreylatty

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!

GoFundMe

Tomplant

Posted on October 2, 2016 by jeffreylatty

You’ll never truly know what works and what doesn’t work without experimental trial and error cheffing. Spontaneity usually works best for me while hunger motivates me to ponder in the back of my mind like a pinball machine bouncing ideas of mixing ingredients with other ingredients. Do I want to cook my ingredients? Which technique do I use to cook my ingredients? Or do I not cook some or all ingredients? What haven’t I done yet? Do I need to remaster an existing idea and attempt?

Having a beer or two helps creativeness continuously flowing and going away from that game ending drain. If it turns out great, I’ll take a few pictures and blog about it. First, I’ll have a little fun with a photo.

I sliced Eggplant and roasted the slices. I smeared Daiya ‘cream cheese’ and torn Daiya ‘cheese’ slice on the roasted Eggplant and warmed in the oven. Out of the oven, I sprinkled a bit of Chipotle Powder on top and put a Caper underneath a sliced Tomato. Then I broiled slightly before adding some Oregano and SeaSalt. Deliciously easily edible.

CHEERS

Dub Roast Kale Choke Sliders

Posted on September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 by jeffreylatty

Guidelines:

Enjoy a beer or non-alcoholic beverage that you’ve never had before somewhere you’ve never been before.

Slice Potatoes flatter-style in half and oven-roast.

I also roasted a few (like 50) sunflower seeds again.

The dip that I developed to fill the Potato Sliders with consisted of; Cashew Milk, Dub Roasted (unsalted) Sunflower Seeds, Artichoke Hearts-diced, Onion-chopped, Carrot-diced, Corn, Daiya-Cream Cheese, Liquid Smoke, Kale-diced, Salt/Pepper/Sugar/GarlicP/ChipotleP, Daiya-havarti–chopped, post-roasted Potato guts after choked and murdered (iHatePlants)-hence, the choke in the title, Cilantro-chopped, and BlackeyedPeas.

I simmered all ingredients before thickening with a bit of Instant Mashed Potatoes.

Stuff those innocently choked dead Organic potatoes and roast again before slightly broiling.

I do not provide recipes, yet guidelines, to take into consideration in creating something different yourselves.

StirⓋrizza

Posted on September 22, 2016September 22, 2016 by jeffreylatty

I unfortunately do not make time to dabble in the art of making fresh dough these days, so for this recipe I used Mama Mary’s (Ⓥegan) pizza dough. It is excellent and gives you (me) endless pizza construction possibilities.

I mixed Thai Peanut Sauce with Tamari and Sriracha for my pizza sauce.

I stir-fried Garlic, Sunflower Seeds, Carrot, Celery, Onion, Cabbage, Mushroom and chopped Daiya (Havarti Jalepeno) with Wok Me Up Garlic Stir Fry (chopped Tofu and the (Ⓥegan) Sauce).

Smothering the already prepared pizza dough with the Peanut Sauce, I then put a few slices of Swiss Daiya ‘cheese’ before adding the StirⓋry to be slow roasted in the oven at 250 F for 20 ish minutes. I broiled slightly.

I made some Brown Rice to consume with the remaining StirⓋry.

Work Binge

Posted on September 15, 2016September 15, 2016 by jeffreylatty

I enjoy putting myself up to a somewhat difficult task, somewhat often and somewhat regularly. Ideas pop into my head and I quickly say, “ok, let’s try it.” I don’t always achieve my small goals, but at times, I do. I challenge myself on a bicycle almost daily. I think of different ways to eat and conquer various Vegan foods.

And then you evolve, before repeating that same process on a larger scale.

It’s not about succeeding all of the goals, it’s about the effort forth attempting completion of the goals. The key is to not be lazy and to just try while having fun.

I also am decently easily documented for myself and have been infatuated with statistics since childhood figuring out equations for various sports stats. Averages, RBI, ERA, etc…

I want to prove to myself that it can happen and possibly influence others to work harder.

I may sacrifice my body by working too hard. I sometimes do not eat all day because I do not feel the need of food. I feel comfortable. If I am hungry, I snack healthily. Is it unhealthy to only feed the need?

Working a shift is a bike ride, in my mind.

When riding a bicycle, I only drink water when I’m thirsty and I eat when hungry. I take breaks when I need to take a break, not because I can.

And that mindset has been my approach on life. I don’t eat a meal because I can. It eat a meal because I want to create something and because I want to eat. I shower because I need to and so on. There is a huge difference between need and between want. I’m progressively ascertaining those differences with age.

I want to work hard. I want to work harder than you. In a sense, I may need to, also.

Out of 162 hours, I worked 73.26 without a break or a lunch. For the motherblogging record, I did snack. And I snack mostly on peanuts. I walked 190.08 km (118.11 miles) and I rode a bicycle 84.4 km (52.44 miles) consuming three hours and thirty-one minutes and thirty-five seconds. 3:31:35

Call the commuting work, if you dare. Riding a bicycle is amazing for the body and even better for the mind. I also, cooked all of my food other than the snack food.

Work hard, play harder.