It seems the former heavyweight champion and infamous ear biter, Mike Tyson, has been following a plant-based diet for nearly a year. He describes the result of changing his diet as extreme, but the results has made it worth sticking to. In a recent interview with Details Magazine, Mike said, “It’s been eight months with this vegan stuff, but I get these explosions of energy. I don’t know how long they last, but they’re like explosions. So powerful.”
When the interviewer asked him whether he’s acquired “calm energy” from the diet, he said, “Oh, I don’t know if I’d go that far. I don’t think it’s been long enough for that kind of Zen shit.” Good ol’ Mike!
Mike isn’t the only uber-sport icon to see value in this “vegan stuff”. In 2007, Tony Gonzalez, a superstar tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, experimented with a plant-based diet after reading The China Study. He was concerned that the high fat, low nutrient diet that comes with football territory (think Campbell’s Chunky Soup) would eventually kill him. So he changed his diet and started eating more whole foods like nuts, soy protein, grains, and a whole lot of oatmeal. The results of his diet were stellar. “I was like, ‘OK, this is working.’ I have so much more energy when I’m out there” said Gonzales in an interview during his first meat-free season.
Gonzalez only experimented with a vegan diet for a brief time (he felt he needed a small amount of animal protein), but having broken the mold of the stereotypical manly footballer diet, he has proven that you can strike a balance a between elite performance and an entirely (or almost entirely) plant-based diet. The challenge in adopting such a diet lies in changing our eating habits and perspective on healthy, “manly” food.
Now, for the rest of us whose “elite” performances include taking out the trash, throwing kids up in the air, walking the dog, having a great day at work, or a good time in the sack, the thought of more energy will undoubtly be appealing and there are plenty of positive social, political, and environmental reasons to support your efforts. So take a chance and experiment, your manliness will thank you.
I suggest you kickstart this positive change with a nice Ballin’ Black Bean Burger and fries, hold the ears and pickles, please.
Ah, potato salad – a staple on the North American picnic menu. This dish is appealing because of its rich and creamy good looks, but is notorious for its excessive use of eggs. Here’s a fresh take on the ol’ potato salad. An egg-free mayonnaise base adds the creaminess while losing the eggs, the cholesterol, and the extra fat. Fresh dill and tangy mustard kick the flavour up a notch, while peas or beans add a nice crunch.
Click here for a printable PDF copy of the recipe or here for an HTML version.
Behold! A vegan mac and cheese dish and will satisfy even the most discriminating devotees of the more traditional, blue and yellow boxed version. The best part? It’s nearly just as quick to whip up and packs a satisfying cheesy, rich flavour punch, sans the dairy. Save the old box for a rainy day, or when your dinner options are limited to KD or the condiments in the back of your fridge.
Wondering what the heck is nutritional yeast? It’s a deactivated yeast (similar to Brewer’s yeast) that comes in flakes and is high in B vitamins. It has an awesomely, rich cheese-like taste and texture when combined with other foods like pasta or even popcorn. You can find it in most natural food stores. I like to use the “Red Star” brand.
Click here for a printable PDF copy of the recipe or here for an HTML version.
Panna cotta is a smooth, creamy Italian custard-type dessert that literally translates as “cooked cream” in English, which to me sounds as charming as a boiled onion. Thanks English. This fine dessert is traditionally made with sugar, vanilla, cream, and gelatin as it’s binding and gelling agent.
If you’re trying to reduce your consumption of animal products, you might consider avoiding the typical gelatin as it’s made from collagen that’s been extracted from by-products of the meat industry. That’s right friends, Jell-o is actually wiggly, jiggly, colourful blobs of animal.
Luckily, there a few great plant-based gelling agents such as agar agar, derived from the cell walls of a red algae. Agar agar sets faster and at a higher temperature than animal gelatin, which translates to me as less waiting time ‘till dessert. Fancy, big box health food markets will carry it, but I recommend you look it at Asian food markets first, it’s way cheaper as it’s commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese sweets.
Here’s my take on a vanilla bean vegan panna cotta, while not true to its Italian heritage of using cream, it’s still kick-ass awesome and kinder to your ol’ belly.
This delicious soup hits all four corners of your taste buds, kind of like being kicked in the mouth by a seasoned muay thai fighter. Zing! You can find Thai curry paste in most Asian markets; it’s simply a fragrant concentrate of all the quintessential Thai flavours like dried chilli, garlic, lemon grass, galangal and keffir lime. Red Thai curry paste adds some real heat to this soup so if you’re a heat-o-phobe than I’d suggest you half the amount of paste used.
My friend Marcus from Eat Raw Vegan is a raw foodie with a passion for health and happiness. He made some remarkable raw vegan brownies topped with shredded coconut, and damn they were good (times two). His brownies were so good in fact that I’ve made them a few times with a few modifications to cater them to my taste (you can find the original recipe on Marcus’ blog at www.eatrawvegan.com). Thanks Marcus!
Maybe you’re thinking, “But are they as good as baked brownies?” Well, if you’re comparing it to the fudgy, gooey, butter-based mass of chocolate heaven that you’ve come to know as the typical brownie, that’s just not fair. But if you’re looking for a healthier alternative that’s delicious and good to the ol’ belly, this is it.
Here’s my take on the raw brownie, aptly re-named, Unbaked: The Brownie.
Real Men Eat Green
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of hazelnuts, soaked in water overnight, drained and rinsed
8-10 pitted dates
1/2 cup of cacao powder (Dutch-pressed variety cocoa powder works too, although it’s not considered “raw” anymore because it’s roasted at a high temperature)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved
pinch of salt
Directions:
1) Process the hazelnuts until coarsely ground.
2) Add the dates, vanilla bean, and salt. Process until dates are incorporated but there are still chunks of hazelnuts. Add water if you find it’s too dry or crumbly.
3) Spoon the mixture into a small cake pan and press down.
4) Top with shredded coconut or extra cacao and pop it in the fridge until your ready to serve your raw-some dessert.
There’s no doubt that eating more raw, whole fruits and vegetables will benefit your health, but there’s a movement in food that’s taken this notion and ran with it, far into the corner left field. Eating raw food – that is, eating unprocessed plants foods that are uncooked, or not heated over 116 degrees F, has exploded in popularity in recent years, especially here in Vancouver. You can get some amazing raw eats from establishments like Organic Lives or Gorilla Food. I think this surge of interest in raw and vegan food shows that people are becoming increasingly concerned about the food they consume on a daily, and perhaps more wary of the mega-corporations that produce it.
The theory behind following a raw food diet is that food, in it’s living, uncooked state contains essential digestive enzymes and nutrients that would otherwise be destroyed in the process of cooking. The stoves of raw chefs are often replaced by a dehydrator, a high powered blender (like a Vitamix), and a speedy food processor. The benefits of eating such a diet can be significant weight loss, as you’d expect from eating a diet sans refined sugar and high amounts of fats (especially of the animal variety).
Imagine putting together a raw chocolate cake. I don’t even know where I’d start, but I’ve had a slice from Gorilla Food and was it good - like a heavenly hybrid of chocolate cake and mousse-y delicious-ness. The kicker? No flour, no animal products, all raw-some. I’ve also discovered that’s fun adding the raw prefix to words: raw-tastic, raw-bulous, raw-solutely! Is it raw-ng to enjoy it this much?
I’ll admit, I’m not sold on the diet as a mainstay yet (I love bread, through there are some pretty spectacular raw “breads” and crackers) and I’mcertainly not about to place an oversized cutting board over my stove, but I am amazed at the culinary genius and community behind raw food. If you’re looking for new culinary possibilities, or just looking for a way to incorporate more healthful, living food into your diet, raw food is a great way to go – it ain’t no crudité.
If you’re curious about what raw dishes can look like, here’s a video of Marcus from Eat Raw Vegan, Geoff, and myself chowing down on some good eats at Organic Lives in Vancouver, BC.
I was on a quest to find the best focaccia recipe for my Most Egg-cellent Focaccia Sandwich, but many of the recipes I tried didn’t give me the olive-y, chewy bread with the crisp, awesome-licious crust I was looking for. Until huzzah! I came across a recipe for focaccia from an old copy of Cooks Illustrated. The recipe called for a grated potato which gives the focaccia the chewiness I desired. But I’ve given the original recipe an overhaul, here’s my take on fresh focaccia, the closest I’ll get without having to adopt an Italian granny:
Real Men Eat Green
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked potato, peeled and grated
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup of warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried basil (or fresh basil is even better)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 extra tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for greasing the pan and topping the focaccia
Directions:
1) In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup of the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for just a few minutes until it starts to bubble, then add a 1/2 cup flour and whisk it together. This is your starter so let it sit for about 15 minutes until it foams up a bit.
2) Add the remaining 1/2 cup water, the garlic salt, olive oil, and the grated potato. Give it a good stir to make sure it’s well combined.
3) Now add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 at a time to the bowl. With a wooden spoon or some sort of hygenic stirring apparatus, work the arms and mix until the dough is one cohesive lump. Add a bit more flour if you find it’s still too goopy.
4) Time to kneeeead the dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it’s smooth and sexy. Form into a ball.
5) Coat the dough ball with a bit of olive oil, cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit and rise for about 20 minutes, or until it doubles in size. Preheat the oven to 425 degress F.
6) Grease a baking pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Take the dough and spread it out to cover the pan evenly. Poke the dough as though it were the Pillsbury dough boy while energetically going, “Woo-hoo!” – drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt, and top as desired.
7) Pop it in the oven for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Now bask in the glory of your fresh bread. Hurrah!
Here are a few killer combos that I like:
- Hot banana peppers and parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- Sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil
- Cracked pepper and balsamic vinegar
- Cumin powder and cayenne (goes great with a hearty chili)
How do you top your focaccia? Got any tips for a novice baker? A PDF of the recipe and pictures coming soon!
Gonzalez only experimented with a vegan diet for a brief time (he felt he needed a small amount of animal protein), but having broken the mold of the stereotypical manly footballer diet, he has proven that you can strike a balance a between elite performance and an entirely (or almost entirely) plant-based diet. The challenge in adopting such a diet lies in changing our eating habits and perspective on healthy, “manly” food.
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
