Today’s recipe is a special one, as it serves as the pasta fuel for Kirk’s big race this weekend, the Marine Corp Marathon. This is marathon #6 for Kirk and he has had a strong several months of training and is ready to have an awesome race! I am a little jealous that I don’t get to run with him, but I know deferring this race was absolutely the right decision. Plus, now I get to enjoy all the veggie food in DC without worrying about eating new food before a race. :)
Now on to today’s recipe:
Italian food is awesome – but you probably already know that. I actually am never sure what is actually Italian food and what is American-Italian food, but I figure either way is delicious.
This Bene Belognese recipe, created by Allison Rivers Samson and originally published in her VegNews Magazine column, “VeganizeIt!”, is the perfect two days before a marathon meal for several reasons.
1. It’s a nice balance of carbs and protein – the perfect meal to get the body prepared for endurance running. I use CalorieCount.com to analyze the nutrition for recipes and the analysis for this one looks great. Look at all those carbs & protein!
2. It’s TWO nights before the marathon. There’s a common misconception that you are supposed to eat pasta the night before the race, but we follow the principle that 2 nights before the race is the most important. Don’t want to be stuffed the night before a big race!
This recipe was fairly easy – although I did forget to pre-soak the brazil nuts. Pre-soaking seems to be a challenge for me, I never seem to remember! In general, preparation is pretty comparable to any bolognese recipe. I used my grater to “crumble” the tempeh – something I found worked well for a chili recipe earlier this month. I also automatically tripled the garlic, the Italian in me loves garlic!
After 1 hour of simmering, the pasta was ready to serve:
The texture and flavor are very nice in this dish. I have to admit that “meaty” pasta has never been my absolute favorite, but I always look for this type of recipe for race preparation. Sometimes I pick food that is more running focused than a food-favorite. If you are a meaty-pasta fan, I think this is a recipe that you make over-and-over again!
I can’t wait for Kirk to try this when he gets home. I think I get to take a *little* credit when his race goes smoothly on Sunday, right?! :)
I’m a little sad to say this is the final installment of VeganizeIt! for October and VeganMoFo 2011. I have cooked through 16 of these wonderful recipes, including several new favorites. I have also made an incredible amount of food over the last four weeks – I really should learn that it’s okay not to make an entire 6 servings when there are only 2 of us in the house! :) I hope you have enjoyed my perspective & pictures on these recipes. It’s been a great experience and I’ll be anxiously awaiting the new VeganizeIt! recipes each issue of VegNews!
Question of the Day – What has been your favorite VeganizeIt! recipe of the month? If you’ve made any of these recipes, I’d love to hear about your experience with it! If you haven’t made one yet, which one is on your list?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds so tasty! I bet it’ll help your man get the gold :). And if not, at least you both got an awesome meal!
Definitely – I’ll take a little credit wherever I can! :)
So how did the race go?
He did AWESOME! 3:42 was his time, which is about 10 minutes better than his fastest marathon. Now I know all the details about the course for next year. :)