Things I Eat When It's Hot

1. Chia Pudding

1 banana

1 cup almond milk

3 tbsp. chia seeds

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Add all ingredients to a Vitamix (or any ol’ blender) and mix until smooth. Pour into a bowl and top with fruit. I usually eat it right away because I tend to like things runny—I’ve been known to microwave ice cream to achieve optimal runniness. But if you want a thicker consistency, refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes before topping with fruit and enjoying.

2. Avocado-Lime Toasty Things

I used to love Hint O’ Lime Tostitos. I’m pretty sure they still exist, but this little creation is better, healthier and easier than going to the store.

1 brown rice tortilla

½ avocado

juice of half a lime

ground sea salt

Toast the tortilla until crisp. Top with the avocado (diced or mashed), douse with lime juice and sprinkle with sea salt. Cut into wedges for ease of eating.

3. Black Bean, Celery, Avocado, Sun-Dried Tomato Bowl

I’ve made multiple variations of this. Sometimes I use chickpeas instead of black beans. Sometimes I add green beans or any other crunchy vegetable we have on hand. And when it’s cooler, I toss in some sweet potato. I alternate between lemon and lime juice with no real method—just whatever I’m in the mood for/is available/is going to facilitate getting this food into my belly ASAP.

Some black beans, rinsed and drained (maybe ¾ of a can)

A few stalks of celery, diced

Half an avocado, diced

Some sun-dried tomatoes (maybe ¼ cup or a little less)

Juice of half a lemon

Combine all ingredients and eat.

4. Asian Stir-Raw

This one is adapted from my new favorite cookbook: “Crazy Sexy Kitchen” by Kris Carr and Chad Sarno. We’ve been making tons of stuff from this cookbook, but have been slacking on the picture front. We’ll get better.

¼ cup EVOO

1 tbsp. gluten-free tamari

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 cup orange juice

½ cup gluten-free miso (we use South River Chickpea Miso)

2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

Broccoli florets (from a few bunches, maybe 2-3 cups-worth)

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 (or so) medium carrots, cut into match sticks

2 Portobello mushrooms, de-gilled and diced

1 cup snow peas

½ cup chopped cashews (I’m totally guessing on the quantity on this one. We added just enough to top the Stir-Raw off with some crunch.)

Quinoa (optional)

1. Combine EVOO, tamari, sesame oil, orange juice, miso, ginger and garlic in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.

2. Dump the broccoli, red bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms and snow peas into the bowl with the sauce. Stir well and let the mixture marinate for at least 30 minutes.

3. We served the mixture atop quinoa and topped with chopped cashews.

Eileen Bars

These delicious little bars are like Larabars, but better. What makes them better? 1.) They’re homemade and fresh…and delicious (although Larabars are tasty). And 2.) They’re Eileen bars, not Larabars, named after my friend Eileen who perfected the recipe. I know Eileen. I like Eileen. Who the hell is Lara?

2 cups raw cashews (or some other nuts)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 to 2 ½ cups pitted medjool dates

1 cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit)

1. Combine the cashews and vanilla in a food processor and whir until the nuts are chunkified.

2. Keep the food processor a-whirring while you add the dates (a handful or so at a time). Process until the mixture is finely crumbled.

3. Add the cherries and whir just enough to mix them into the date-nut mixture.

4. Dump the mixture into a dish (I use a 9 x 9 baking dish) and press it down firmly. Refrigerate for at least an hour and then slice into squares.

5. If you plan to travel with your Eileen bars, wrap each one individually in parchment paper. Eileen is a highly-skilled wrapper. Pete and I are not. Our wrapped bars look like this:

Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Pesto and Maple Chickpeas

Apparently September is National Potato Month. Who knew? (And who cares? Frankly, I find the fact that September 24 was National Punctuation Day much more interesting.) If you knew, and you care—or if you’re just looking for the best damn potato salad you’ve ever had—read on. Oh, and it just happens to be vegan.

But first, a little bit about Worlds. People keep asking me what I know. The answer is “very little.” Last week’s Team USA email said that the temperatures will range between 54°F and 62°F (October is Spring in New Zealand) and there’s a 58% chance of rain. (No problem…It was cold and rainy at the Colby Triathlon last weekend.) My race starts at 6:55am, which is about 20 minutes after sunrise and apparently the least windy part of the day. And I just discovered a gluten-free store about 3km from our hotel.

Now, back to the potatoes:

(Inspired by Diet, Dessert and Dogs)

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

EVOO

Maple syrup (approximately 2 tsp.)

As many potatoes as you want (we used 6 or so fingerlings and 4 regular potatoes—we used goldens), scrubbed (or peeled if desired) and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 bunch basil (just the leaves)

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

2 tbsp. pine nuts

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp. lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350° and dump the rinsed, drained chickpeas into a paper towel-lined baking dish.

2. Let the chickpeas air dry for a little while and then pat them dry with a paper towel.

3. Transfer the dry chickpeas to a bowl and toss with enough EVOO to coat.

4. Now roll the chickpeas onto a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and pop ‘em in the oven for 30-40 minutes (until they’re crispy).

5. Roll the crispy chickpeas into a bowl and toss with enough maple syrup to coat and then roll them back onto the rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.)

6. Set the chickpeas aside and jack the oven temperature up to 400°.

7. Dump the potato chunks in a bowl and toss with enough EVOO to coat.

8. Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, flip, and then roast for 10-15 more minutes (until they’re poke-able and just starting to brown).

9. While the potatoes cook, make the pesto: combine the basil, about a tbsp. of EVOO, the garlic, the pine nuts and the avocado in a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste. Add a lemon juice (or not) to taste.

10. Combine the potatoes, chickpeas and pesto in a bowl and stir it up. (Note: if you have one of those fancy ovens that lets you set one rack to one temperature and another rack to another temperature, this will be a much more efficient process.)