With a weekend as active as this one, it would have been okay to take the day off from exercise today and sleep in.  However, these shoes were calling my name. 

 

 

Not literally calling my name, but these beautiful new runners were just quietly hanging out in their box waiting to get outside and hit the pavement. 

 

 

The salesman at the running store suggested breaking into this shoes lightly, starting with low miles and alternating them with another pair of shoes.  With the 10 Miler on Saturday, I didn’t have time this past week for low miles, so this morning was my first chance. 

 

 

 

Plus, it was a gorgeous spring day (the kind that makes you want to call in sick and play outside all day).

 

 

 

So, I worked out an compromise…I would do an Active Recovery!  This way I could sleep in before getting up and running a short 2 mile run in my new shoes.  I didn’t know exactly what to expect from a light weight shoe as I have been wearing the same Brooks Adrenaline style for 8 years!  I definitely felt a difference wearing a lighter shoe (this is 8.3 oz compared with the Adrenaline which is 9.4 oz).  Although my legs were tired and not so fast, I could tell that they shoes were fast.  They had a strong spring to them, which made them feel like they’d be more efficient on a longer run.  The Pure Cadence is the more supportive of the Brooks Pure Project line and therefore a great place to start.  I took a little time to stretch out my tight calves after my run and enjoy the beautiful day.

 

 

And then headed inside for breakfast.  In honor of our Fiesta weekend, I made a simple egg wrap with avocado.  Crazy though…we are all out of salsa which I LOVE on my eggs.  If I had more time, I thought about making a Mexican style breakfast pizza, but this wrap totally hit the spot!

 

 

We still have a few things leftover from this weekend’s BBQ which I took for lunch today.  One thing was this salad from Allyson Kramer’s book Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats. 

 

 

I thought that Wendi’s Black Eyed Pea Salad (picture on the cover) would be a healthy salad to support our Mexican themed BBQ.  Per the book, this salad is potluck friendly and I was able to throw together the salad ingredients on Saturday.  I used canned corn and black eyed peas along with a frozen bag of steamed rice for ease, but you could always use fresher ingredients if you wanted.  I also omitted the jalapeno.  Why…you ask?  Because I forgot that I had two in the fridge. 

 

 

On Saturday, I was able to whisk together my salad dressing, add it to the salad to chill a few hours before serving.

 

 

I will tell you that I LOVED this combination of textures and flavors even before adding the dressing.  The celery adds the right amount of crunch and the corn creates a little bit of sweetness.  With whole grain brown rice, this salad is very filling and can be eaten as a side or a meal of its own.  Today, I had it atop leafy greens with a few multigrain tortilla chips sprinkled across the top.

 

 

I did feel that there was a little too much dressing for this fresh tasting salad.  Now, this could have been because of my lack of detail when measuring out salad ingredients, but the next time I make this, I will go lighter on the dressing. 

 

On another note, I find this cookbook to be jam packed with bright and colorful pictures.  The recipes are creative and many of them are practical.  They give you measurements in cups and in grams which I always like for easy measuring on my food scale.  You don’t have to eat gluten-free or vegan to appreciate the recipes!  However, if you are baking gluten-free (like with any gluten-free cookbook), you will need to have some unique and different flours on hand. 

 

This salad recipe is a good find and a compliment to any BBQ!

 

 

Wendi’s Zesty Black Eyed Pea Salad

From Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats by Allyson Kramer

 

For Salad:

2 1/2 cups cooked black eyed peas (I used one can rinsed and drained)

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups thinly sliced celery

1 3/4 cups cooked sweet corn (I used one can rinsed and drained)

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped cliantro

1 tbsp minced jalapeno (remove seeds if you want less heat)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

 

For Dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs sugar or agave nectar

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

 

To Make the Salad:

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

 

To Make the Dressing:

In separate smaller bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

 

Toss salad with dressing until well combined.  Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors meld.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

 

 

***Note: I would consider using half of the agave and less olive oil for a lighter dressing.

You can prepare the salad up to two days in advance and store in the fridge.  Just toss before serving.