Skip to main content

Running & Back to Cooking - Vegan "Sausage" Peppers and Herbed Quinoa

Running
Unfortunately I didn't have the day off like many people. If you did have the day off, no bragging please! I had originally though that I was going to just hit the gym for a bit of elliptical time and weights. I ended up opting for tomorrow's run instead because I have jury duty tomorrow and don't know what the day will hold for me.

I am trying to get back on track with my half marathon training plan this week since I pretty much tossed it out the window last week. The run called for 3 miles, 2 x(2:00, 3:00, 4:00) athletic intervals, 2 miles.

It was super windy again and drizzly out. When I left work, it looked like it was going to start raining again, so I took the run to the treadmill. Of course, the sun ended up coming out...but it was still windy. Anyway, after the intervals, I was already at 6.7 miles. There was just no way I could pull out another 2 miles, but I did round it out to a solid 8 miles.

I got home and pulled out my yoga mat (per the norm) and stretched and used my TriggerPoint Therapy Kit for about 30 minutes before getting myself cleaned up.

Back in the Kitchen 
Jason had to go home for an extended lunch to watch over the Comcast repair man, so that meant he needed to stay and work a little bit later. I almost went with veggie burgers and sweet potato "fries" because I could start the fries while I showered.

But I decided I had been pretty lazy in the kitchen lately, so I went with a dish similar to my "Sausage" and Veggie Pasta dish, which is actually based off a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for sausage and peppers sandwiches. I made "Sausage" and Peppers with Herbed Quinoa.


"Sausage" and Peppers with Herbed Quinoa
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups red quinoa
1 1/2 cups no-sodium vegetable broth or water
To taste: basil, oregano, parsley
3 Tofurky Kielbasa, cut diced into rounds
1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp minced garlic (to taste, I like a lot)


1/4 cup white wine (may need more or use vegetable broth)
1-2 tbsp tomato paste
To taste: salt, pepper, red chili flakes, oregano, basil, parsley

Directions:
In medium sauce pan, bring broth, quinoa, and herbs to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook approximately 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

In large skillet, brown the "sausage" then set them aside.

Saute onions, peppers, and garlic in small amount of olive oil until soft. Add in wine or broth and tomato paste an allow to thicken about 5 minutes (adding more liquid if needed). Stir in the "sausages" and allow to reheat.
 
 

This really doesn't take terribly long to make and is also good served over pasta or as a sandwich. It was nice to make a dish that felt healthy, hearty, and homemade (but still fast). As tiring as it can be always cooking dinners, it's well worth it in the end. It's nice to take a break, but I do miss being in the kitchen.

I think perhaps it's time for a new cookbook (or two) just to spark the creative juices again though. I have a rather extensive Amazon "wish list" that I need to hit up. So do you like cooking or would you prefer to eat out? Any fave cookbooks?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Mid-Week Mix-Up - Disconnecting to Reconnect

Another Double Workout This morning I got up when Jason got up to go to swim. The plan was to do Cathe's MMA Kickboxing DVD then do back and triceps at lunch or after work. I really needed a day off from running - I had run 5 days straight. And wouldn't you know it that my cross-training day also happens to be the first morning in months that it was in the low 60's. Really? Talk about bad timing. I almost feel like I let the universe down by not taking advantage of the crazy cool temps. And of course they go right back up the rest of the week. Humph.... But, I listened to my body, my feet, my piriformis...all telling me to not run. So, I didn't. I did my kickboxing workout (sulking just a bit I won't lie). But it was a good way to "kick" off the morning. During lunch, I ran home to get in my back and triceps weights done. I went with my same back and triceps workout as last week. No gym means no assisted pullups or barbell rows. So, I do worry a bit

Workout Wednesday - Body Blaster Tabata

Happy Hump Day! I wanted to thank everyone for their comments on yesterday's post: Be Kinder to Your Body. Calories are Not the Enemy . It sounds like it resonated with many of you. Today I wanted to share a new workout with you. I've been working on interval workouts for some of my clients. I try to give them the most bang for their buck (time). I know that in an ideal world, we would all have time to do longer workouts. There would never be scheduling conflicts, sick husbands or kids, or sick us. In reality, workouts need to be effective and efficient. And they don't have to be lengthy to be effective and efficient either. There's no need to spend hours in a gym to get in a good workout. Interval workouts like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or tabata, or even interval running are great ways to get in a fantastic workout in a short amount of time and have many benefits. You can read more about Tabata workouts  here . The benefits of this type of work