Cycling Foodie

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It’s time for pre-work rides again. Finally!

Between Davis and Woodland. I am loving the cool, fresh air!

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It was a pretty breezy day today, with 20+mph winds on my ride. As you may recall from previous posts, in these here parts we call these winds the “Davis Hills.” I managed to get in over 43 miles total: 14 solo and 29 with my cycling partner. Most of the ride there was either a brutal head wind or side wind. Oh, but for a few miles there was a very sweet tail wind!

Saturday was a much better day weather-wise for cycling, but I had other commitments, so I only got about 15 miles in. Oh, but it felt soo good! I have not been getting nearly enough cycling in and the trainer has proven to be more difficult to get situated than expected. Tomorrow morning will be my first ride on the trainer.

We had some very dramatic clouds this weekend – this was Saturday.

This morning I made a scramble with loads of wild mushrooms, some fresh stir fry greens, chicken Andouille sausage, eggs, and just a touch of light Irish cheddar cheese.

Wild Mushrooms, Chicken Andouille Sausage, and Greens ready for the scramble.

Served with some fresh fruit, whole grain toast … this will power you through those headwinds!

With the recent cold, rainy weather, I’ve been playing with some serious comfort food … this was last weekend …

Espresso & Stout Lamb Stew served with Colcannon – perfect on a cold night!

If you haven’t tried Colcannon, consider making some. It’s basically perfect mashed potatoes with some lightly steamed fresh greens mixed in. A little milk, butter, and garlic if you want. I used Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed and steamed in just enough water so that by the time the potatoes were done most of the excess water had evaporated. Add a splash of hot milk and a pat of Irish butter and whip together with a wooden spoon to make perfect mashed potatoes, then fold in some gently steamed mixed greens (baby kale, spinach, and chard), salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! Here’s wishing you many happy and healthy miles!

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Yesterday was cold, wet, and windy. Today was glorious. The air was clean and fresh, the sun was warm, and the breeze was gentle. It was perfect weather for an afternoon ride. Overall, this was a pretty good weekend!

I enjoyed a rare trip to the Davis Farmer’s Market.

Romanesco Broccoli … something about the light here really caught my eye.

I had a craving for lamb, so I picked up a nice piece at my local Costco. I marinated it in some coffee, herbs, red wine, and balsamic vinegar. I cooked a bit of it last night and served it with spinach fettuccine, a rustic charred heirloom tomato sauce, and wild mushrooms.

Rustic Lamb Hunter-Style Pasta Dish … what would you call this? It was amazing.

The photo does not even begin to do this dish justice. If I may say so myself, it truly was at least as good as any dish I’ve had in any restaurant.

The rest of the lamb marinated overnight and is now in a pot of Irish Lamb Stew made with Stout and Coffee. It smells delicious. I’ll be serving it shortly on a bed of Colcannon (simply smashed Yukon Gold potatoes with some baby kale mixed in). Photos to follow.

Sláinte!

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Well, I have been asking for rain and here it is and has been for days. I’m not complaining – California desperately needs this rain. However, I am looking forward to the fancy new trainer that is on its way. Now the question is … which bike do I hook up to the trainer?

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I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Santa brought Northern California some lovely rain, followed by a beautiful clear Christmas night to enjoy this stunning full moon.

We won’t see another Christmas Full Moon until Christmas 2034!

I’ll post some foodie pictures and perhaps a recipe later, but for now, a quick ride on this ch-ch-chilly day. Making some additional adjustments to the Reve and hope to have her just right very soon!

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Welcome home!

Yes, another Red Klein. This one is sparkly … and a road bike!

This beauty is designed for comfort and performance. The Klein Reve features a lightweight aluminum frame with carbon-fiber wishbone stays and a softtail, rear triangle. I have a feeling this will become my climbing bike.

She needs a few minor adjustments, but on a quick test ride she shows great potential to be a perfect fit!

Thanks, Santa!

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Good Morning and Happy Friday. Are you looking forward to the weekend as much as I am? It’s looking like Saturday in the Davis area will be great for cycling, but Sunday’s weather, not so much. Winds are predicted to be in the 23-mph range. Yikes! No, thank  you. 

I am especially looking forward to cycling this weekend as I have not been on my bike for about 2 weeks and that is simply too long.

Bike ornaments, of course!

How could I resist?

Here’s wishing you an awesome Friday!

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This is a very rustic and comforting meal. It’s pretty easy to cook and makes for a wonderful post-ride recovery dinner in cold weather.

“Cacciatore” means “hunter” in Italian, and is typically made with either chicken or rabbit. You could easily make this vegetarian or vegan by omitting the meat and making some good, hearty mushrooms the star of the dish. There are nearly as many different recipes for Chicken Cacciatore as there are cooks who make it, and some of us have several variations of our own recipes. Here’s one way I make it.

Chicken Cacciatore
serves 4-6

1 1/2 pounds of chicken, bone in, skinned
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cubed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (more if you dare!)
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup dry wine (white or red, your preference)
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 large sprigs of fresh thyme
2 large sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)
2 to 6 ounces of tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped thyme & parsley, for garnish

Mis en place:  prepare and assemble all of your ingredients.

Skin the chicken, pat dry with paper towels, season with a little salt and pepper. Be careful to not over season at this stage. Cover and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to cook them.

Remember to always wash your hands, cutting boards all utensils thoroughly with hot soapy water after handling raw chicken. 

Clean and prepare your vegetables, keeping each one separate for now. Cut the fennel into about 1/2-inch cubes. Shred the carrot (or if you prefer, slice into 1/8-inch thick slices). Trim and slice the mushrooms into about 1/4-inch thick slices. Chop your tomatoes.

I have been using a mixture of heirloom cherry tomatoes lately, but you really can use any kind of fresh tomato for this. Keep in mind that some tomatoes have more liquid than others, so this is where the tomato paste comes into play. If your tomatoes are very juicy, you’ll want a little more of the tomato paste than if they’re on the dryer side.

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the pan and brown on both sides. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes. Remember that you’re not cooking the chicken all the way at this step, just beginning to develop some flavors by browning the meat. Remove the chicken, set on a clean plate, cover and set aside while you cook the vegetables.

Using the same pan, if necessary add about half of the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and cook very briefly, being careful to not burn it. Add the fennel and stir to coat with the oil. Caramelize it a bit to bring out the natural sweetness, but be careful to not burn it.

I love fresh fennel, but if you don’t, feel free to substitute onion.

Add the fennel seeds and chili flakes; stir to combine well. Transfer the fennel to a large bowl and cover to keep warm. Add the carrots to the pan and saute just to lightly brown and soften them a bit. Remove from the pan and add to the cooked fennel. If necessary, add the remaining olive oil to the pan and allow to heat a bit. Now add the mushrooms and cook until browned.

Now return all of the cooked vegetables to the pan, stir to combine well, and add the wine. Raise heat to high and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. This should take at most a minute on high, so watch carefully at this step.

Reduce heat to medium and add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, sprigs of thyme and parsley. Stir to combine well. Return all of the vegetables to the pan, stir to combine well. Add the chicken. Bring the entire mixture just to a boil and then reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes. You’ll want to cook this until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.

Check the consistency of the sauce. If you want it to be a little thicker, then add some tomato paste. Add about 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired thickness. Then, season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is a very rustic and chunky sauce. Feel free to puree it a bit before adding the bay leaf, whole sprigs of herbs, and chicken. It’s entirely up to your preference.

I like to serve this over a good quality whole grain or spinach pasta. It’s great with a crispy, refreshing side salad and crusty Artisan bread.

I prefer chicken legs because they cook up more tender and flavorful than the breasts, but you can use whatever cut of chicken you like. When cooking this dish for a group, I like to use a whole, cut up chicken so everyone has a choice of their favorite. I always skin the chicken, regardless of the cut I use. I just don’t like all that extra fat in the dish.

Serve with a whole grain pasta and garnish with a bit of cheese and fresh herbs.

I am sure hoping to get a ride in today, but the weather here is looking very iffy and I am fighting a cold. It might just end up being a Farmers’ Market and make a big batch of soup kind of day.

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This recipe is based on this Apple Oatmeal Quickbread recipe. I made just a few changes.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt, plain
1 cup whole oats
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large apple (about 2 cups diced apple – peeled or not, your choice)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a standard size muffin tin. You can line with muffin cups, or simply coat with some non-stick spray.

Mix together oats and yogurt. Set aside and allow to sit for 5 or more minutes.

Whisk together eggs, oil, turbinado sugar. Set aside.

Whisk together flours, soda, spices, and salt.

Dice apple and add to yogurt/oat mix.  Stir in the egg mixture and combine well.  Add dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated, but be careful to not overmix. This batter will be stiff.

Portion equally into prepared muffin tins and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Allow to cool briefly in muffin tins, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy warm!

Wholesome and comforting, warm and spicy.

The hearty whole grains and spicy warmth will fuel you for a chilly morning ride.

Enjoy!

 

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I got some decent cycling in this past weekend: 60+ miles on Saturday, and about 15 on Sunday. I had errands to run on, so there was only time for a short morning ride.

Stopping for a snack at Steady Eddy's in Winters.

This is their Fruitful Oat Bar. It’s “low fat” and chewy. I liked it – it was a nice change from my usual Oat Cake. It’s a bit on the sweet side, though.

I’m already looking forward to cycling this upcoming weekend. The weekend weather looks promising! Today looks like it’s going to be a perfect day in Davis for cycling …  if you don’t mind a bit of breeze! It’s still now, but the forecast calls for winds from the North at 13 mph.

It’s getting to be holiday time, so I’ve got to get working on some new recipes. It’s also time for the “real” camera to make a comeback, too.

Here’s wishing you a GREAT day! I hope you get lots of fun and safe miles in.