Cycling Foodie

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Crisp, tart-sweet, and perfect for baking.

It’s crazy windy in Davis today. Far too windy to safely or comfortably ride, so I have been doing a few chores, making a big pot of soup, and feeling a bit cranky in general about this wind. There I stood in the kitchen, wondering what in the heck else I could do to keep me from interrupting the big game (again) … my gaze fell upon a bowl of apples in the kitchen. Hmm … what better way to beat this mood than with a warm, homemade apple crisp, and to fill my home with the spicy-sweet fragrance of freshly baked apples and spice?

Apple Crisp

Prepare the filling.

3 large Granny Smith apples
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 tablespoon of flour
A few dashes of apple pie spice blend
1 teaspoon sugar
A pinch of salt

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice blend
A pinch of salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the topping.

Prepare the filling:
Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place sliced apples in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon flour, a few dashes of apple pie spice blend, up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine and set aside and prepare your topping.

Prepare the topping:
Combine the flour and rolled oats, dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of your favorite apple pie spice blend, a pinch of salt, and toss to combine. With your fingers, work in about 1/4 cup of very cold butter (cut into small cubes). Do not overmix the topping. If desired, add the walnuts and quickly stir with a fork.

Ready to bake.

Evenly distribute the topping over the apples and bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 45 minutes.

Serve warm and savor every sweet, spicy bite. Of course, it’s fantastic with a good vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, but it doesn’t need it.

Even though the wind is now howling out there, it feels cozy warm inside with a big pot of homemade soup on the stove and a fresh from the oven apple crisp. Time to light a few candles, serve up some soup, and watch the big game.

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Life can be so cruel sometimes … like when you’re sick on a perfect-weather weekend. I rode nary a mile this weekend, and barely made it to the gym at all this entire week. And if ever a Fall weekend was perfect for cycling, this was it. I even had to take a very, very rare sick day this week, and had to back out of volunteering to help with morning snacks for the Davis Bike Club’s Foxy’s Fall Century. A group of friends were having a special foodie event – I had to miss that, too! I did make my work event on Saturday, though – UC Davis Preview Day!

Matcha Smoothie

So, it turned out to be a pretty low key weekend, with some much needed rest at home watching reruns on the Food and Cooking channels, and hanging out with a warm cat on the couch.

This morning’s smoothie was very light and interesting with a matcha green tea whey protein powder. I whirled this in my Vitamix with about a half cup of water, 1/4 cup steel cut oats, a big handful of baby kale greens, a handful of frozen red grapes, about a half cup of frozen pineapple, and six ice cubes. This made a lovely green smoothie, and was delicate and lightly sweet.

I’ve finally got an appetite again, and tonight am preparing a Maple Mustard Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin, with Roasted Herbed Potatoes, and Maple & Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple.

Brussels Sprouts & Apple - ready to roast!

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple*

2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
1 large Gala Apple
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and trim the Brussels Sprouts. Peel, core, and cut the apple into 8 wedges. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast about 20 minutes, to your desired tenderness. You’ll want to check them after about 10 minutes and give them a stir. This will help them to cook evenly. You can also cook these in a cast iron skillet.

While the sprouts are cooking, combine the maple syrup and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook gently until reduced to a thick syrup. Watch carefully – it can go from perfect to too sticky in a moment.

Be careful to not overcook the sprouts. You can get a nice char, but don’t cook them until they’re soft. They’ll be bitter and nasty.

* inspired by this Weight Watchers recipe.

Purple, Gold, & Red Potatoes with Thyme & Rosemary

Herb Roasted Potatoes

1 pound waxy potatoes
Olive oil
Fresh herbs of your choice
Salt & pepper to taste

Half the potatoes, toss with the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan. Roast until perfect.

If you’re pressed for time, you can par-cook the potatoes for about 7-10 minutes in the microwave. Cook them about halfway, then prepare and roast as above.

Maple-Mustard-Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin, about 1-1/2 pounds
about 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs of your choice (I used thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley)
1 heaping tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Maple Mustard Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Place tenderloin in a zip-top bag. Whisk herbs, mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, and salt together, then pour into the bag with the pork. Seal bag and give it a little shake to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for at at least 4 hours or overnight.

Roast or grill the tenderloin to an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

I liked each dish individually, but all together on one plate the meal needed color. Hmm …

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I woke up to a chilly, very breezy morning in Davis, and we even had a bit of rain last night. It’s getting to be soup weather – just in time for Fall 2013 Quarter at UC Davis! This makes a large batch of soup and the leftovers will freeze well. This soup will be great fuel for studying, so load up on veggies this Saturday at the Davis Farmers’ Market and make a batch this weekend. Remember to freeze some individual servings to keep on hand for midterm time.

Beef, Lamb, Vegetable, & Barley Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large carrots, diced
2 large ribs of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 pound of lean beef, cut into about 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 pound lean lamb*, cut into about 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 to 1 cup each: peas, corn, string beans, (fresh or frozen)
2-3 cups of fresh baby kale, coarsely chopped
8 ounces of barley**
2 quarts of beef broth
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.)

Hearty, nutritious, and delicious!

Clean and dice the carrots, celery, and onion; set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook on medium-low heat until they’ve softened a bit. Remove from pot and set aside.

Depending on your pot, you may want to add just a touch more oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the meat. You’ll want to brown it a bit.

Reduce heat to medium-low and return the carrot mixture to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables. If you’re using frozen vegetables, you’ll want to thaw and drain them a bit before adding to the pot. Add the barley and stir to combine.

Add the stock and tomatoes and give a good stir. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the barley is tender. Give a stir now and then. A little bubbling is OK, but you don’t want this to boil; that would overcook the vegetables. Cooking time will be at least an hour, even if you use a quick cooking barley.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the biscuits. When I’m pressed for time, I like to use the Trader Joe’s multi-grain pancake and waffle mix as a base for biscuits. This makes a nice biscuit on its own, or you can easily dress them up with just a few modifications. I increased the amount of milk called for by about 20% and substituted about half of that with non-fat Greek yogurt. For flavor, I used olive oil and about 1 teaspoon of my favorite Herbs de Provence mix. Mix and bake as directed on the package. They had great flavor and a nice, tender crumb.

For my vegetarian and vegan friends – you can easily make this vegetarian or vegan. Simply omit the meat and use vegetable broth. For added protein, you could add beans, which combined with the barley will give you complete protein. For texture and flavor, some shiitake mushrooms would be fantastic.

* If you’re not a fan of lamb, then simply omit it.

** I used Trader Joe’s 10-Minute Barley.

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Beware the full moon … the last full moon of Summer 2013. It’s hard to believe that UC Davis Fall Quarter starts next week! What happened to this summer? Poof!

Harvest Moon Rise, aroud 7:30 pm

A little later ...

... around 9:15 pm

 

~~

I can’t decide which of the later pictures I like better, so I’m posting both.

~~

Have a wonderful night. If you haven’t had a chance to peek outside at this gorgeous moon yet, now is a great time to do it!

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This morning’s ride was just shy of 65 miles – a nice loop from Davis to Winters and back. It was a comfortable pace, just a little push here and there (for me, anyway), but comfortable enough for some conversation. The conversation turned to a few Davis Bike Club organized rides, such as the DBC Double Century. When the panic and fear was evident in my “Double Century … umm …” I was assured that it’s in May, so we’ll have lots of time to train for it. And, I was assured, we can always practice with a 200K Brevet. So, I’ve done a regular century … what’s another about 25 or so miles, right? And, the brevet will help me to train for the 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure in May, right?

For now, I think I’ll do a little online reading about these rides and enjoy a recovery snack.

Pineapple Banana Protein Smoothie

Pineapple Banana Protein Smoothie

1 cup non fat milk
2 scoops whey protein powder
1 ripe banana
1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen pineapple
6-8 ice cubes

Pour the milk into your blender, then add the protein powder, ripe banana, and frozen pineapple. Blend briefly to combine. Add the ice cubes, 2-3 at a time and blend until you reach your desired consistency. For a thinner smoothie, either omit the ice or use less.

Makes enough for two about 12-ounce smoothies.

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It is an absolutely gorgeous morning in Davis! I am realizing that this may be the last week that I’ll get to ride before work. Alas, it’s back to the gym … next week. Enjoy this beautiful day! I hope you get the chance to ride.

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What the ... ?

Fighting the wind today along Tremont Road, heading away from Davis towards Winters, I looked down and saw this …

It was windy, and I was cranky and not enjoying the ride too much today, so I was especially delighted and amused by this sight. I welcomed the excuse to stop for a moment to investigate.

Lotsa' Wild Watermelons!

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Along Road 29 between Davis and Woodland

I had a nice little ride today, 46.6 miles. The air is much better today, but there was still a bit of haze. It was a beautiful morning and I had a very lovely surprise a few miles into my ride. Tomatoes are being harvested, and the fields are being cleared. I heard it was a bumper crop this year. I rode past field after field of drying corn and sunflowers, and then just when I thought the sunflowers were done blooming for the year, I happened upon this lovely surprise!

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Sunrise on a Davis Greenbelt

I have been so busy lately, that I’ve been neglecting CyclingFoodie. I’ve been riding almost every day:  every morning before work and weekends.

Just lots of stuff going on, some fun, lots of work, and some just stuff.

There is only time for a quick post this morning, because I’ve got to get going for work, but I wanted to share a couple of photos from this morning’s ride.

Morning scene from a Davis country road.

It’s not supposed to get too hot today, and there will be a “gentle Delta Breeze,” so for those of you who don’t like the heat for cycling, today is for you! I hope you have the chance to get out and ride today!

Here’s wishing you a beautiful day!

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We’ve had some beautiful cycling weather here in Davis the past few mornings. I got a lovely little pre-work jaunt in this morning and it was perfect! A lovely sunrise, cool temperatures, not too dry, not too humid, and a gentle breeze. Yesterday morning was about the same, and I also got a quick post-work ride in after work last night. I wish I had stopped to take some photos, but I need to maximize my ride time right now.