Amtrak Has Wifi Now! (I promise this post is still about food)

So maybe Amtrak has nothing to do with food (unless you count the dining car filled to the brim with corn chips and soda food), but this morning I find myself on one of these trains and am overjoyed with my free internet access. In fact I'm so overjoyed I changed the title of the post! I'm not sure what that says about me as a person... however, it does allow me to finish up this post! You can email Amtrak a "Thank You" for this divine intervention. I know I will with my free wifi :)


Insert clever segue here.... Did you know segue is often misspelled as 'segway'? To clarify I am talking about an article of speech that allows you to move onto the next point of conversation, not a ridiculous two wheeled, slow moving, electronic contraption. 

From the cheezeburger site... sigh. My cheesiness alarms me.  

All right, recently Girl On Top Catering partnered with Dan Czerwonka (a newly sponsored marathon runner) to improve his diet, and help him out as he trains for the San Francisco Ultra Marathon. Yes thats right an ULTRA marathon, which means 2 marathons back to back! A vegan diet can help tremendously with recovery time, and that is going to be crucial for him as his training has him running 30+ mile runs days in a row. As we get closer to the race I will keep this blog updated with runner meal plans, and information about nutrition for athletes. You can also check out Dan's blog too: www.alternativeathlete.com <- oh yeah that's right, he also runs completely barefoot!


As I cooked up a weeks worth of meals in the kitchen for Dan I decided to do a little extra research on one of my favorite veggies..... Brussels Sprouts! Yes, these little mini cabbage looking buds are a favorite of mine, and they should be a favorite of yours too. Check out some of the info I found out, these little guys are amazing:


http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=10 
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/3-reasons-you-should-be-eating-brussel-sprouts.html
http://healthmad.com/nutrition/eat-your-brussel-sprouts-theyre-good-for-you/

Armed with additional knowledge about the Brussels Sprout I set to to work to make a delish dish I could send over to Dan that would be healthy and taste amazing. The end result, I have to say, was wonderful, and I'm sure this dish will be devoured at any table. (Maybe just lie to the Sprout haters to get them to try it, they will thank you for it)

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Curried Quinoa 

(serves 4 - 6 people as a side)

Gluten Free 

Quinoa Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup quinoa

1/2 teaspoon garam masala 

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard seeds

Brussels Sprouts Ingredients:

1 lb. Brussels Sprouts

2 cups vegetable broth

2-3 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons agave

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Start with setting up your quinoa. Place the vegetable broth and spices in a pot and stir to make sure the spices are blended. Add in the quinoa and cook on high heat until the broth begins to boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cover with a lid. It doesn't take very long to cook (around 10-15 minutes). Check periodically to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

While your quinoa is cooking you can move on to the sprouts. In a large sauce pan place all the ingredients except the Brussels Sprouts. Turn the heat on high, and stir everything around to blend. Once it looks blended add in the Brussels Sprouts and cover with a lid.

Keep the heat on high for 10 minutes checking in here and there to stir them around. After 10 minutes has gone by turn the heat to low and allow to cook for 5 more minutes, or until the sprouts are tender.

To plate put the quinoa down first, and then use a slotted spoon to pick up the sprouts and place them on top. You can top with a drizzle of extra agave to give it a little sweeter taste. 

YUM! Enjoy!!