Vegan by Valerie

Raw Eggplant Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce + my 16 Miler Recap

Saturdays are my long run days.  Always have been, always will be… until marathon day that is, which is on a Sunday!

And that is how I like it.  Fridays I go to bed early so that I am better equipped to wake up at 5am on Saturday… it’s a great routine and it works for me.

A few weeks ago, you may recall that I ran 12 miles in a torrential downpour that not only meant standing water up to my knees, but my poor phone ended up dying a watery death.

This Saturday, I woke up rarin’ to go, but sadly it was raining cats and dogs.  Since I know have an iPhone 4 that I can’t afford to have die on me… and because I don’t feel safe going for a run in the dark without a phone….. and after conferring with some of my running friends, we decided to postpone the run until Sunday morning.

Since I had already eaten (2 chocolate pre-run energy bites) and was heavily caffeinated thanks to my trusty Vega Sport Optimizer, instead of going back to sleep I did an easy hour on the reclining bike in my building’s gym.  Later that morning, I went to yoga… and WOW my body has missed yoga!! It’s been almost two weeks since I went to hangry yoga, and I could definitely tell that my muscles were tighter and were crying out to be flexed and stretched.

Mike and I spent Saturday chilling – we are still exhausted from Vegas! – and I went to bed early for the second night in a row so that I was well-rested for Sunday’s run.

This morning we ran on a different path, starting further up north along the lake.  It was fun to have a change of scenery! Nikki and I enjoyed the lake view…

It was a slightly tough run – I was getting a little achy toward the end! – but overall, it went well.  Now I only have three runs longer than the one I ran today – an 18, a 20, and then the marathon itself!! So crazy how fast the training season has gone…. it always flies by.

Oh, and during our chill day yesterday, I made a simple raw dish that I’m sooo excited about.  When Mike and I were first dating, one Valentine’s Day I made him a pasta dish with angelhair noodles, a lemon butter sauce, shrimp, and capers.

This dish reminds me of that meal….. but this one incredibly healthy and equally delicious!

Raw Eggplant Pasta with Raw Lemon Cream Sauce, Capers, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2-3 eggplants
salt
tomatoes
capers

3/4 c. cashews (soak for best results)
1/2 c. pinenuts (soak for best results)
3/4 c. water
1 c. lemon juice
1.5 tsp. salt

Instructions:
1. Spiralize raw eggplant.  Salt (1-2 T.) to help draw out moisture and to minimize bitterness.  Let sit for at least 15 minutes and then drain.
2.  Drain the eggplant of its juices or, if you are concerned about sodium, rinse the eggplant and then drain and dry.
3.  To prepare the sauce, blend the cashews, pinenuts, water, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.
4.  Top the spiralized eggplant with the lemon cream sauce and sprinkle with diced tomatoes and capers.
*  If you would like to serve this warm, place the bowls in the dehydrator.

This photo was taken from my iPhone…. it looks even better in person, I promise!

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