Cycling Foodie

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We have finally been getting some rain here in Northern California and I am loving it! It does interfere a bit with cycling, but the air is cleaner, fresher, and far more breathable. I am fortunate enough to have access to a fancy Compu-Trainer, elliptical, and treadmill so I am getting at least some exercise.

The rain has held off this weekend, so I was able to get a short ride in yesterday and a longer ride in this morning. Cool temperatures and very little breeze made for a pleasant ride on the American River Bike Trail.

The rainy weather is calling for some serious comfort food.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Probably not the healthiest dinner, but sometimes comfort wins out and that’s OK. It’s not entirely unhealthy, though. I always add my little touches that help ease the guilt a bit … organic, lower-sodium cream of tomato soup … whole grain bread … just a touch of butter in the pan, mixed with a touch of olive oil to give a nice, flavorful crisp the the bread … a combination of cheese that included at least half reduced fat cheese.The trick is to use just enough full fat cheese to give a touch of the ooey-gooey melty cheese thing that people love about a grilled cheese sandwich.

So, that was Friday night’s dinner … after what felt like an unusually long week.

Saturday … the sale I’ve waited all year for! The Meyer Factory Outlet Sale!! I haven’t been to this in years and I had planned to go last year, but I missed it. It’s running until December 15th – if you need any kitchen stuff, now is the time to stock up. Check out their website and you can download a coupon for an extra 30% off. Go ahead – splurge on your inner foodie.

After some shopping and errands, I grabbed a quick late afternoon ride yesterday. The weather cleared up and it was gorgeous!

Tower Bridge

River heading towards Downtown Sacramento

Last night’s dinner was a bit healthier – a spicy beef stir fry with asparagus, green beans, and mushrooms, served over brown rice.

Spicy Beef with Asparagus, Green Beans, & Mushrooms with a little extra chili garlic sauce

This was super easy to make. Simply marinate some thinly sliced beef in a bit of soy sauce, white white (or dry sherry), fresh minced garlic, Tiger Sauce, a little honey, and a little sesame oil. I didn’t measure … just go by taste. Whisk together these ingredients and then taste before adding the raw meat. Next time I make this, I will add some chili garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce. I wanted it spicier!

Clean and trim your vegetables. Be sure to cut them into consistently sized pieces so that they’ll cook evenly. Heat up your wok with a little avocado (or peanut) oil. Quickly stir fry the mushrooms, then set aside. Next cook the asparagus, then green beans, setting aside. Remove the meat from the sauce and set the sauce aside. Cook the beef a few pieces at a time so that they’ll cook quickly. Remove from the heat and set aside, repeat until you’ve cooked all the meat. Pour the reserved sauce into the pan and heat quickly, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat, add the meat and vegetables and toss to combine. Cover for just a few moments to heat through. You want the vegetables to be crisp-tender, so be careful to not overcook.

Serve over brown rice and if desired, add a splash more hot sauce.

Be sure you make a BIG batch, because it makes for terrific and easy leftovers. Enjoy!

Now it’s time to turn the Christmas lights on and enjoy a Christmas movie to get in the spirit. This week I’ve got to get started on my holiday baking.

Suggestions? Requests?

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A picture from my friend Julie’s Thanksgiving bike ride.

I wish I could have been there!

Check out Julie’s Instagram for more awesome photos: http://instagram.com/_180_

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This was a good cycling weekend. We rode about 46 miles yesterday and today I rode about 57 on a mostly solo ride. Both days were a pretty easy pace. About 3/4 of the way through my ride today a group of guys invited me to join their ride. I did my best to keep up, but 3 of them easily outpaced me. One of the guys, Al, hung back and rode with me. It was nice to have some friendly conversation on the ride. They were riding to Old Town Sac, from the Folsom area and back. I was planning to ride through Old Town, so it worked out great. So, here’s a shout out to Al and his buddies Tony, Anthony, and Phil – thanks for the company and especially for making sure that I got through that one area with some … interesting activity … safely. I hope you had a great ride back home!

No ride photos today, or yesterday. What’s up with that?

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Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

Last night I roasted a whole chicken. The basic procedure for roasting a chicken is posted here, but I modified it a bit based on what I had on hand. I found myself without any fresh herbs (gasp!) and no carrots, so I used a combination of dried herbs: thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, along with some fennel seeds. I let them sit in olive oil for a bit, while I prepared the chicken.

There was lots of leftover chicken. Tonight I used most that to make a pasta dish.For the recipe below, you will want to adjust the quantity of the ingredients based on what you have and how much meat vs. pasta vs. vegetables you want.

Pasta with Chicken & Vegetables

Chicken Mushroom Pasta

Your favorite pasta
Leftover roasted chicken
Fresh garlic, minced
Mushrooms
Cooking greens, cleaned and well drained (spinach, arugula, chard…)
Peas
Pine nuts
Avocado and/or olive oil

1. Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Follow the directions on whatever pasta you’re using. Remember that if you’re using fresh pasta that it cooks very quickly, so you’ll want to do this last, not first. You’ll want to start cooking the pasta as soon as the water is boiling; it will be cooking while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Rinse the mushrooms and set aside to drain. Tonight I used a combination of Chantrelle, Shiitake, and Crimini mushrooms.
3. Cut or shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks.
4. If you’re using frozen peas, remove from the freezer and rinse with cool water. Set aside in a colander to drain.
5. Lightly toast the pine nuts and set aside. You can do this in a heavy bottomed skillet on the stove or in the oven. Just watch them very carefully – they can turn from not quite perfect to scorched in an instant. If you’re not sure, click here for more detailed instructions.
6. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat some of the oil. Place the garlic in the oil and cook until it just starts to color. Add the mushrooms and saute on medium-high heat. When they’re cooked to your liking, remove from the heat and set aside in a covered bowl. Return the pan to the heat.
7. If needed, add a little more oil to the pan and then add the chicken. Saute over medium-high heat until it browns a little. Remove from heat and add to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add the peas, then cover to keep warm.
8. If needed, add a little more oil to the pan and turn the heat to high. Add the greens and cover. They’ll cook quickly, so keep an eye on them. When the greens have wilted, return the chicken and mushroom mixture, toss to combine well, cover and allow to heat through. Tonight a used a combination of spinach and arugula, but really any cooking greens you like will be wonderful in this.
9. The pasta should be cooked by now. Drain and return to the cooking pan. Add the chicken and mushroom mixture and gently toss to combine well.
10. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper, red chile flakes.

Keep in mind that this makes for great leftovers, so feel free to make a big batch.

I think it was a hit ... don't you?

This pasta dish makes an excellent dinner for the night before a big ride, or a recovery dinner after a big ride. It’s also easy to make and comforting after a long day’s work. Protein, carbs, vegetables, healthy oils, and it tastes great!

It paired quite nicely with a Pinot Noir, or would also go well with a Chardonnay.

Enjoy in good health!

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I am so thankful to have been able to take the day off work Friday. The weather could not have been more perfect for a quick 46-mile jaunt on the American River Trail. I haven’t been able to do a lot of cycling lately, but I kept up with my riding partner pretty well today. The ride left me hungry and craving healthy refreshment.

Sweet, refreshing, and healthy

Just as we got home I grabbed a papaya; I have been craving them lately. A hearth-healthy snack, papayas are loaded with antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene, flavonoids, and fiber. They’ve got lots of health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory effects, promoting digestive health, immune support, just to name a few.

Papayas have even been featured on WebMD as Fruit of the Month!

This gave me the energy needed for stretching and a few chores, but I was hungry again soon. I haven’t made a smoothie in a while and that was just what I needed.

This smoothie will leave you feeling like a Super Hero!

Cherry, Mango, & Pineapple Smoothie

1/2 cup each: frozen dark sweet cherries, mango & pineapple chunks
1 scoop whey protein
8 ounces filtered water

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

I’m estimating that this smoothie has about 235 calories.

Enjoy in good health!

It’s time to head out for a little family picnic adventure on this lovely, rainy day!

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Yesterday I got to try OneBar.

Fueling with "1 BARS" prior to Foxy's Fall Century

Can't wait to try it!

I had the apple flavor and I really liked it. Besides tasting great, it packed really well on the ride. It tasted like real food, not how some bars taste overly processed. It was easy to eat, and sat well in my belly. Hopefully it will be easy to find at my local markets because I really want to try the cherry and mango flavors, also.

By the way, I have no idea who these other cyclists are, but thanks for letting me join in your pictures!  I hope you enjoyed your ride as much as I did mine!

Apple OneBar ... it's a recommend!

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Hats off to the Davis Bike Club for a wonderful Foxy’s Fall Century ride today!

Everything was well organized. There were three beautiful route options that were really well marked. Friendly volunteers. Friendly riders. Good food. Lots of CHP support to help keep riders safe on the roads. A gorgeous Fall day. Who could ask for more?

I was enjoying the ride so much I didn’t take pictures?!

This year marks the first time I have been able to ride the Foxy’s Fall Century. Past years I have had to work an event on campus that always fell on the same day, but this year the event was cancelled. I was excited, so excited to do the ride, but then, other stuff happened. I wasn’t sure until yesterday if I was actually going to be able to do the ride or not. My hope is that next year I will be able to do the full century.

This ride will now be on my calendar every year that I can possibly make it.

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Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa

Fall 2014 Quarter has officially started and life on campus is returning to its hectic quarter pace. I miss my morning pre-work rides, but have been able to get a few post-work rides in lately.

Thursday on my way home … dealing with commute traffic (ugh!) … I realized that what I really needed was to sort of reset things with a healthy, satisfying dinner. I stopped by my new local neighborhood store, Sprouts Farmers Market, and wandered about. Walking by the seafood counter, I saw some beautiful wild swordfish on sale. Hmm … grilled wild swordfish with pineapple salsa … why not? That was one of the very first special meals I cooked as a rookie foodie, and a soothing reminder of a simpler time long ago.

This beauty of it is that this is actually a very simple meal to prepare. Marinate the fish. Chop a few ingredients for the salsa. Make a simple salad. Grill the fish. Enjoy. If you want, serve with some roasted root veggies (pictured here – from the deli counter at my local Nugget Market), steamed rice, or a crusty hearth bread.

First, marinate the swordfish in some freshly squeezed lime juice and a little olive oil while you prepare the pineapple salsa.

Pineapple Salsa

1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple* chunks (about 1/4-inch cubes)
2 Serrano chilies, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, cut into about 1/8-inch chunks
juice of 1-2 fresh limes
a large handful of fresh cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Fresh pineapple is best, but in a pinch you could use canned (in its own juice, not sweetened).

Prepare the cilantro. Remove the leaves from the stems, rinse well and drain on towels.

Prepare the fresh pineapple. Using a large chef’s knife, cut off both top and bottom and discard. Cut off the outer skin, being sure to cut deep enough to remove the “eyes.” If you’ve never cut a fresh pineapple, try Googling “how to cut a pineapple” and you’ll find some videos and easy to follow instructions.

Once you’ve removed all of the skin and “eyes” of the pineapple, slice off a few 1/4-inch thick slices, then stack them and cut them into 1/4-inch cubes.

Note – if you want to make this even more simple … buy some pre-cut fresh pineapple chunks or spears. Many stores carry it in the the produce section.

Rinse the peppers, then cut them length-wise. I like to remove most of the seeds from the peppers, otherwise the salsa is too hot. However, some like it hot, so this is up to you! Dice finely and add to the pineapple.

Squeeze the limes and add the juice to the pineapple and peppers.

Coarsely chop the cilantro and add. Stir to combine all ingredients well. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

Get your grill ready. While it is pre-heating, prepare your salad or other side dish. I’d recommend a simple salad with a light citrusy vinaigrette.

Grill the swordfish. Click here for some simple directions.

Place the grilled fish on your plate and spoon some salsa over it. Serve with side dish(es) of your choice.

Enjoy!

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Thyme Fennel Pizza Dough

It’s an almost rainy Sunday and that’s got me in the mood to make some bread. Pizza has been requested, so …

To make this dough, use your favorite pizza dough recipe. Simply add about a teaspoon of fresh thyme and a teaspoon or two of fennel seeds towards the end of the kneading. You’ll want to crush the fennel seeds a bit in a mortar and pestle first. Remember that the seeds will soak up some water, so make your dough a little extra wet to compensate for that.

Here are a couple of my pizza dough recipes from previous posts:

• Whole Wheat Rye Fennel Pizza Dough
• Whole Wheat Rye Piadine Dough or Whole Wheat Rye Piadine Dough

These are some of my variations of Michael Chiarello’s  Piadine Dough, from from The Tra Vigne Cookbook.

Now it’s time to get out on the bike and grab a quick ride. I have waaay too much stuff I need to get done.

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What a glorious morning for a ride! Cool, moist, clean air … aaaah … breathing is good.

I wish I could ride longer this morning, but I’ve got a hot football date. So, I’m off to Berkeley to see the California Golden Bears vs. Colorado Buffaloes. I guess I’m supposed to root for UC Berkeley, right? I’ve got my only UC t-shirt that doesn’t say UC Davis on, so … here goes!