Racing Vegan With Team Plant Power :

Racing Vegan With Team Plant Power
by Heidi Volpe?

Recently I raced the?12 Hours of Temecula and was lucky enough to race with the talented, just turned pro Sarah Jasen. She nabbed a top 10 spot in the Whiskey 50 and has been tearing it up in the UET Endurance Series here in So Cal for Team Margarita, which she founded.

We raced for So Cal Endurance under the team name, ?Plant Power?. Why? Because we were powered by plants.?We both raced as Vegans, fueling before during and after the race with our own hand made food. For the record, beer is vegan and goes well with Chia Black Bean Burgers!

We competed against 8 all male duo?s and got 2nd place, lapping 3rd place, though we were double lapped by our own team mates, Joel Titus and Mario Correa!? That said we beat all the co-ed teams and completed 15 laps in 11.5 hrs. Plant Power and tenacity goes a long way!

Here?s the run down on how we fueled and feasted before, during and after the race. Most of the recipes we made were from or inspired by Brendan Brazier?s book?Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life.

GEL (Thrive Recipe)

• 4 dates (I used dates, soaked for a few hours, and used the date water in the next drink)
• 1/2 cup raw agave nectar
• 1 Tbsp lime zest
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp dulse
• Sea salt to taste
• I added some guanara

Vita Mix it or use a high speed blender

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RECOVERY DRINK?(Thrive Recipe)

• 4 large Medjool dates (remove pits)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp hemp protein
• 2 tbsp sprouted buckwheat (or substitute cooked)
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• Juice from 1/4 lime
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp ground dulse flakes
• 1 tsp maca powder
• 1 tsp greens powder (chlorella or spirulina) I used Vital Greens

Vita Mix it or use a high speed blender

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COLD QUINOA SALAD (Heidi Volpe)

• Some Cooked quinoa, red or regular (this is your base )
• A few shakes Black Charcoal lava salt to taste
• A couple handfuls Edamame (shelled)
• Sesame oil to taste
• Some red onion finely chopped or green scallions
• A few salted blanched carrots finely chopped
• A couple wasabi seaweed sheets cut up with a scissors
• How ever many you feel like heirloom cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 avocado
• Sting with fresh squeezed lime juice

Mix it up.

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SWEET POTATO CHEWS?(Thrive?Recipe)

• 6 organic sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• Coconut oil
• Cinnamon
• Hemp or pumpkin seeds
• Puncture with Sweet Potatoes, bake at 375? for 40 minutes,?let them cool, then peel.

Cover a baking sheet with coconut oil (so they don?t stick) slice the potatoes in 1/2 cm uniform circles, arrange on pan

With a pastry brush, use some melted coconut oil, and brush the tops, dust with cinnamon. and bake at 300? for approx 20 min. Experiment with baking times until you reach a desired texture. I also sprinkled on hemp seeds once they were done baking, and have added pumpkin seeds as well. These are a great post work out snack and pack well.

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CURRY PIZZA?(Thrive Recipe)

Pizza Crust

• 2 cups ground sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Sea salt to taste

Procedure:?Preheat oven to 300?. In a food processor, process all crust ingredients until mixture starts to ball up. Lightly oil the baking tray with coconut oil. Spread mixture on tray to about 1/4 inch thick (it can be thicker or thinner if you prefer). I used a baking pan so it would hold its shape. Add sauce and toppings, bake. I waited until the sides pulled away from the pan, this is how I knew it was close to done. Spread Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce (see below) add topping. Bake for 45 minutes. (This will vary slightly depending on the moisture content of the vegetables and the desired crispness of the pizza. I used pre grilled eggplant, red peppers. olives, and mozzarella almond cheese, oregano and some red onion.

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SPICY SUN-DRIED TOMATO MARINARA SAUCE?(Thrive?Recipe)

This sauce can either be served raw or simmered over low heat for about 10 minutes to further blend the flavors. If you choose to heat it, try stirring in 1/2 cup nutritional yeast for a cream-textured sauce, it sorta tastes like cheese.

• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoe
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup water1/2 cup grated cucumber
• 3 tbsp hemp oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• Sea salt to taste

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in the water for 20 minutes. Retain this water. In a food processor, process all ingredients, including sun-dried tomatoes water, until desired consistency is reached.Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

NOTE: I also added some organic tomato paste to thicken this up a bit because I found the above a little too watery and made the pizza fall apart.

To see the rest of the vegan foods that Heidi and Sarah made to fuel their 12 hour race visit Sarah?s blog [HERE].

For more on how to fuel and race as a Vegan please check out?Brendan Brazier?s book?Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life.

Category: Nutrition, Racing, Tips

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