Happy December!!! As much as I don’t love snow, I do love this month. It’s my birth month, Christmas, downtime with family, laughing with friends, sharing gifts and most of all, spending time with the most special people in my world. Today is Cyber Monday and I will, I’m sure, get roped up into that and buy a few more gifts. My Christmas cards get mailed today as it is officially December and I’ll finish up my gift list as soon as possible.
Today, however, began with a run in shorts but more about that later in the blog post below. For now, I discovered this recipe from The Blender Girl and knew I had to try it for Thanksgiving but my version. It was a huge success without anyone realizing it was vegan (gasp!). My immediate family embraces vegan dishes I make but my in-laws shy away quite a bit. I made these right after my run on Thanksgiving and no one was really around to see what I put in or didn’t into this dish. Everyone loved them. Success!
Ingredients:
10-12 red potatoes (medium sized), chopped – skins left on or removed
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
6 tablespoons of vegetable broth
1 bunch of chives, diced
1 teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt or regular salt
Directions:
Into a large Dutch oven add the chopped potatoes and cover with cold water – add over high heat until the water boils. Reduce heat to medium and boil until fork tender – about 18 minutes or so. Drain and add to your stand mixer (paddle attached) or pass your potatoes through a ricer or mash by hand with a hand masher. I add them to my stand mixer and let cool for about 4 minutes. Into a separate bowl I add the garlic, oil, broth and salt. Whisk that together and pour over the potatoes. I blend in my stand mixer until creamy. Add additional broth if you need to for extra creaminess. Then add the chopped chives, mixing well and then spoon into a baking dish. You can either serve straight away or as I did, bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
On the fitness front:
Well November has come and gone. I was happy with my progress as I focused more on distance runs versus speed this month. I hadn’t been running any distance over 8 since my surgery in August. November I had three long, slower runs (30-45 seconds per mile slower) 9, 10 and 11.11 distances. Here is my review – Sunday’s run and the monthly total:
I’m happy any time I get over 100 miles in a month. I’m so pleased that I’ve already exceeded my 1200 goal for miles earlier than anticipated. Today I should’ve taken off but the weather was so warm that I could wear shorts and that for December is a reason to get my butt out of bed early and hit the road. I figured I would run a 5k but ended up doing 5 miles in SHORTS! YAY!
I’m happy to say that in three days I’ve logged 19 miles. First in a long time. Getting stronger day by day.
Wishing you all the best on this crazy Cyber Monday! Happy December!
— Knead to Cook
Yay for running in shorts!! It was pretty mild here this weekend too.
I am totally bookmarking these mashed potatoes. I’m going to a holiday part on the 13th and actually put myself down for mashed potatoes!! I wanted to try a new recipe and here it is! You’re like a mind reader or something!
*partY
Yay for shorts in December however the snowflakes are now falling here a day later. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these yummy potatoes. No one will know they’re vegan oxo
I’m a recent subscriber to your blog and am really enjoying your posts! I went through a period of injuries and the one thing I’ve learned is that patience actually is rewarding. I’m still working back to the fitness level I was at a couple years ago, but overall I see so much improvement! I feel like these mashed potatoes would be really good after a long effort on the roads or trails sometime this month
Oh Laura, I appreciate your message. Just found out today I need yet another surgery on my finger (making that number 4) but I’m remaining positive I hope you try these potatoes. They were a big hit! Hope you continue to mend and that 2015 is awesome and healthy! *fingers crossed