Cycling Foodie

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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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A spicy curry powder is a perfect complement for sweet potatoes. Rich and decadent tasting, this side dish will leave you satisfied and nourished. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, fiber, and a good source of potassium, copper, and and manganese. Curry also has many health benefits. Research has shown that the spices in curry powder may provide health benefits such as blood sugar control, anticancer benefits, and cholesterol management.

All you’ll need to make this is sweet potatoes, some good curry powder, a good quality olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the potatoes and pat dry.

Slice into about 1/2-inch thick rounds.

Drizzle with some good olive oil.

A generous sprinkle of good curry powder.

Gently toss to evenly coat and spread in a single layer in the roasting pan. Roast for about an hour, or until they’re soft, rich, and sweet. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

You can also make these with yams, but sweet potatoes pack a more powerful nutritional punch.

Enjoy in good health!

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Are you looking for a super simple, super healthy, super rich-decadent-tasting side dish? Try this!

Roasted Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

1 or 2 bunches of asparagus
6 to 8 ounces of fresh shiitake mushrooms
good quality olive oil
salt

Roasted Asparagus

Clean and trim* the asparagus. Rinse the shiitakes and drain well; if necessary trim the stems a bit. Place the asparagus and mushrooms in a large roasting pan, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with a generous pinch or two of salt. Roast at 375-degrees Fahrenheit until the asparagus is to your liking. I like it crisp-tender.

Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms

If you’re cooking other items in the oven at the same time, you can use whatever temperature you’re using for your other items, as long as it’s at least 350-degrees. I’ve roasted these at anywhere from 325 to 450 degrees and found that 350-400 degrees is best, but you could go up to 450 if need. At 325, it just took a little longer and I found it didn’t maintain the bright green, fresh flavor I like.

If you’re grilling, you can cook these on the grill, too! Just remember to use a pan that can go on the grill – like the disposable aluminum pans pictured here.

This tastes decadent, but it is a low-calorie, nutrition-packed side dish. Roasting brings out a delicate sweetness in the asparagus and shiitakes, the olive oil lends it a rich, almost buttery flavor. It’s also vegan and gluten free!

If you happen to have leftovers, they make a great addition to a frittata, or tossed with some pasta and other goodies (fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.). They’d also be great quickly stir-fried with some brown rice. Oh, the possibilities!

Rich in antioxidants, folates, vitamins and minerals, asparagus has many health benefits. Shiitake mushrooms are also a nutritional powerhouse, rich in trace minerals copper, pantothenic acid, and selenium. Shiitake mushrooms also have anti-inflammatory characteristics that can be very helpful.

*Tip: to trim the asparagus, I just hold the cut end on one hand and the center of the stalk in the other hand. I then gently bend the stalk until it snaps. I start as close to the cut end as possible. The stalk will naturally break where the tougher part ends. This is a great method to avoid unnecessary waste, but you’ll get stalks of varying length. If you want or need the stalks to be the same size, then you’ll want to use a knife to trim them.

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Fresh Fruit Tart

Be sure to dock the dough well to avoid excess puffing.

I love fresh fruit.
I love dessert.
I love this dessert.

This tart is best with a homemade shortbread crust, but if you’re in a pinch for time, you can use a pre-made pie crust. I like the Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust – it’s more natural than other brands, and I’ve had pretty good luck with it.

Bake the tart crust according to the recipe or directions on the packet.

Have ready to go some finely chopped dark or white chocolate to sprinkle on the crust immediately after removing from the oven. Evenly distribute the chocolate onto the hot crust, wait one to two minutes to allow to melt, then gently smooth to the edges with a knife or spatula. Allow to cool completely.

While the tart shell is baking, prepare the filling. Whisk together about 3/4 cup each of Mascarpone cheese and non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, and the zest of one lemon. Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or two, or up to overnight.

The crust and/or filling can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Keep them separate – don’t fill the shell until right before assembling the tart.

Depending on the type of fruit you want to use, you’ll want to prepare it shortly before assembling and serving the tart. Whole berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries should be rinsed and drained well before assembling. Cut fruit should be sliced right before assembling and serving the tart.

To assemble the tart, spoon the filling into the prepared crust and gently spread to the edges of the crust. Top with your choice of fruit, arranged attractively, of course.

If you’re going to prepare the tart ahead of time, especially if you are using cut fruit, you can glaze it to help keep the fruit fresh-looking. When possible, I prefer to assemble the tart just before serving so I don’t glaze the fruit. A really simple way to do it is to heat up some apple jelly a bit to make it “liquidy” and simply brush a little bit of it onto the cut fruit with a pastry brush. Just be sure to glaze very lightly or it can become cloyingly sweet. What I like about this recipe is that it is fairly light and not too sweet.

You can make it even a little lighter by using a low fat cream cheese, but I really prefer the taste of the Mascarpone cheese.

This tart is a wonderful excuse to take a trip to your local Farmers’ Market to pick up some beautiful fresh local fruit – go get inspired! Enjoy!

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The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is almost here! I was hoping for better weather this weekend so I could get in one last long ride before the big day, but it was breezy, breezy, breezy here in Davis. I got in a decent ride yesterday, 65.1 miles, but just 16.1 miles today. It never really rained today, but there were a few sprinkles on our ride so we cut it short.

Scenes from Saturday's ride

Scenes from Saturday's ride

Today was about resting up from a crazy busy couple of weeks. An easy ride was just right.

A day in the kitchen was productive and fun. I did a little baking to share. The cloudy weather had me in the mood to bake some bread and what could be better than some healthy, hearty homemade Multigrain Bread? Whole Wheat with Pumpernickel, Millet, & Oat …

Shaped, Proofed, Scored, and Ready to Bake

Just out of the oven ...

Cooled and sliced ...

I love this recipe. It’s based on the Tassajara Bread Book recipe. This was my first bread book and I highly recommend it for any level of baker. The level of detail in the instructions is terrific if you’re just learning how to make bread. For the more advanced baker, the variations provide loads of inspiration.

Dinner was a salad of greens, apple, goat cheese, toasted pecans, proscuitto, & honey mustard dressing (homemade, of course!), with grilled pork loin chops (marinated in a little olive oil, thyme, and rosemary), and roasted yams and potatoes. The pork was beautiful (some of the most perfect grill marks I have ever seen), but the photos did not turn out well.

Salad

Roasted Yams & Apples

There may have been a few cookies coming out of the oven yesterday, too, and they’ll all be going to good homes on today.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry

Lemon & White Chocolate

Well, it’s getting to be just light enough outside to grab a quick pre-work ride, so off I go.

Here’s wishing you a delicious day!

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We left San Diego for Holtville early Wednesday afternoon. It’s about a 2-hour drive, so we wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time for our evening event.

The drive was an adventure – rain, wind, sandstorm, beautiful views of the rugged desert landscape.

Leaving San Diego ...

Heading out Highway 8 ...

... first Border Patrol sighting!

Just like home - whirlygigs!

Artsy shot ...

Skies clearing ...

The scenery was quite striking; it possessed a very rugged beauty.

Winds kicking up ...

... into a full blown sandstorm!

The sandstorm looked worse than these photos show … we were in a little rental car that was getting kind of blown about the highway. You could hear the sand grains hitting the car and almost feel them scratching across the paint. Visibility was more limited than it appears here. Fortunately, the sand storm was brief.

Turning into a beautiful day!

Wondering if we're lost ...

Found our destination.

The hotel was … an experience. It was easy to see that it has lots of history. I thought it might be a great candidate for one of those “Save My Resort” type of reality shows. That’s really all I want to say about it.

By the time we got there the wind gusts were dreadful. After checking in, my colleague and I ventured into town for a bite. We ended up at the Food Court in the local shopping mall.

Imperial Valley Mall

Light lunch

My colleague tried the Chinese restaurant – his lunch looked and smelled good. I was looking for something very light and easy on my stomach. I found a beautiful fresh fruit salad at the Italian restaurant, and some fat free frozen vanilla yogurt with toasted almonds. That hit the spot.

In the evening we met an awesome group of students and their families in Holtville. I hope we see many of them here on campus in Fall 2014!

I woke up early and went for a little walk around the property. It was a lovely morning; the wind had mellowed to a gentle breeze.

Just a touch of sunrise left.

Red cabbage?

More fountains.

I packed up early in the morning to head back to the San Diego airport with another colleague. Starbucks for breakfast again. I tried their Hearty Blueberry Whole Grain Oatmeal – it was really good. This would make a wonderful pre-ride breakfast.

Here’s a summary of my flight home …

Leaving San Diego ...

... up ...

... up ...

... cruising altitude ...

Somewhere over California ...

Bu-bu-bumpiest landing ever!

Home Sweet Home! Looking forward to getting back on my bike!

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My trip included San Diego and Holtville, two distinctly different places.

Being a tourist - taking photos from the airport shuttle.

The weather looked promising when I first arrived in San Diego, but it clouded up pretty quickly. It was much cooler than I had anticipated and I found myself wishing that I had packed a UC Davis sweatshirt. Thankfully, I at least brought a jacket.

I arrived one day ahead of the rest of my group. I was hoping to meet up with a friend and ride in San Diego, but my friend was sick and the weather was not great for cycling anyway, so I hung around the hotel and worked. Our group stayed at the Town & Country Resort & Conference Center. I wandered around the property, which has a very confusing layout, but it was interesting and had lots of character.

There were roses of just about every color.

Mustardy Gold

Pink & White

Peach

There were also lavender, white, different shades of red, pink, peach, purple, a wonderful collection of roses. Some of the blooms were huge. Sadly, my feeble little travel camera just did not capture the rich palette of hues.

My favorite part of the property was the variety of decorative plants and flowers.

Pots of flowers ...

... everywhere you looked ...

... bright and cheery.

Lush greenery

Hens & chicks?

Soothing fountains

After I got checked in and wandered around a little to stretch my legs from the flight, I logged on to the Internet for a bit of work. Then I treated myself to a spa pedicure. I should do this more often – that felt amazing.

Back to the room to work a bit more, then wander around to find some dinner. Every staff member I asked said that I had to try their “fancy” restaurant, Trellises Garden Grille. It was good, but apparently I have a different view of “fancy.” Details. “Fancy” restaurants pay attention to details.

Skirt Steak Salad

Malbec

“Fancy” restaurants pay attention to details like putting the dressing on the side when requested. I am not a huge dressing fan, so I always ask for it on the side. My salad came slathered with dressing, but I just did not want to hassle with sending it back. I know if I had, they would have corrected it and I am confident that my server would have been quite pleasant about it, but I just did not want to deal with it at the time. Overall the salad was good – the greens were fresh, the meat was well seasoned and cooked to my liking (on the rare side). The dressing was good, but there was just way too much of it for my tastes. If you like lots of dressing, you would love this salad.

“Fancy” restaurants would notice that splash of wine on the bottom of the glass and wipe it off before serving it. I promise these will be the only negative observations I will share about the food on this trip. It’s just that these are pet peeves for me.

After a leisurely dinner, I wandered around the property a little more. It was quite pleasant and I wish my little camera had been able to capture the lighting; it was lovely.

In the morning I worked out in the gym facility. I was so thankful to have this so that I could log a few March Madness miles. After a nice workout, I cleaned up and went to the Terrace Cafe and Deli for a healthy breakfast – oatmeal, fresh fruit, and a spot of coffee. The fruit was delightful and the service was efficient and friendly.

Terrace Cafe

Fresh Fruit

Back to my room for a few more hours of work.

On the shuttle ride from the hotel, I struck up a conversation with a woman who was also traveling from Northern California. I overheard her tell the shuttle driver that she was “here with the University,” so naturally I assumed she meant my University – UC Davis. So we chatted. It turns out that she is faculty at National University, not UC Davis. She gave me a few suggestions of things to try to do in San Diego. She recommended checking out the Fashion Valley Mall, located just over “the river” from my hotel.

Around lunchtime, I ventured out to explore the mall. Wow. It really was a beautiful mall. We don’t have a mall in Davis – you have to travel to Sacramento, Roseville, Fairfield, or one of the other neighboring cities for a mall. We have some decent malls within a reasonable driving distance, but it’s been a long time since I have been to a “fancy” mall like this. Wow!

I indulged in a little retail therapy and wandered in and out of a few shops. I will tell you all about my foodie exploration at True Food Kitchen. This was hands down the best meal I had on my trip. It deserves a post all of its own.

So, after a leisurely lunch, I wandered back to the hotel to get a little more work done and to prepare for our evening event.

We had a terrific event. It was exciting to meet prospective students and their families. We met some incredible students and look forward to seeing them in Fall 2014!

After the event, I went out for dinner with two of my colleagues to A Taste of Thai in San Diego.

Grilled Salmon Salad

Noodle Dish

Pad Thai

These pictures do not even begin to do this food justice. It was wonderful!

Breakfast

Wednesday morning I worked out again and then had breakfast with one of my colleagues.

I had seen a Boudin Bakery at the mall, so I had my heart set on breakfast at Boudin. Around 8am, we walked over to find that Boudin didn’t open until 9am! What?! A bakery with bankers hours?

So, off to Starbucks we went. I got the Greek Yogurt with Honey Parfait and a banana. This would make a great mid-ride snack.

The weather was off and on cloudy, cool, breezy. It threatened rain, but didn’t until after we were on the road to our next destination.

Storm's a blowing in!

Ominous dark clouds!!

Finally - sun as we leave.

And so begins the next leg of our journey – to Holtville, California.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

We had a terrific weekend for cycling in Davis – loads of sunshine and warm temperatures, and just a bit o’breeze. The 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just 7 weeks away, so it’s time to start getting some longer rides in. March Madness is in full swing and I’m now about 2/3 of the way to my goal.

Saturday 80 miles, Davis, Winters, Vacaville, Winters, Davis. We rolled out to Winters on Road 29, out to Vacaville through English Hills and Gibson Canyon, then back to Winters via Pleasants Valley Road, and to Davis by way of Putah Creek Road and the Russell Bike Trail. That was about 68 miles, but I also did about a 12 mile warm up loop.

It was absolutely gorgeous out there, but I did not take a single picture. We got a little bit of a late start and I didn’t want to risk not getting back before dark.

We had a nice rest stop at Steady Eddy’s on our homestretch.

By the time we got home, we were pretty hungry. We had started talking dinner while we were still on the road. Salmon. Asparagus. Salad. That sounded like an awesome plan.

Wild King Salmon.

Roasted Asparagus.

Salad.

Never send me to the store to buy salmon when I am this hungry. I came back with enough salmon to feed an army. Though I bought only two filets, they were huge. As hungry as we were, we could eat only one! We nibbled on the leftovers throughout the day yesterday. For dinner last night, I simply crumbled the last bit on top of a light green salad. It was amazing.

Roasted Avocado

I was craving avocado, but none of my avocados were ripe. At $2.49 each at my local market, there was no way I was going to buy one. I have grilled avocados before, so I wondered about roasting one. It was interesting. Simply cut it in half, remove the pit, drizzle with a little avocado (or olive) oil, season with a little salt, and roast until softened.

This avocado was a little dark on the inside to begin with, so this is not the best photo, but it was very interesting and an idea I’ll try again.

Sunday 44.1 miles, Davis, Winters, Davis … easy spin, recovery ride. It’s a really good thing I didn’t venture further than that …

I stopped at Steady Eddy’s for water and a quick stretch and rest. As I was doing my usual Facebook check in there was a loud BANG! That all too familiar sound of a bike tire exploding just as a large group of cyclists was leaving. They checked their bikes, no flats. Then they started looking at everyone else’s bike to see who the lucky one was. They kept looking at my bike and futzing with it. I walked over to see what was going on and asked why they were looking at my bike, but then they found the exploded tire. Mystery solved. They left happy quite it wasn’t one of theirs.

Oh, dear ... not good.

I stayed a few more minutes, then saw the “lucky” cyclist. I was heading out, but wanted to let him know there’s a bike shop just down the block who could fix him up if he needed it. He wasn’t feeling so lucky.

Well, the luck of the Irish was with me because another cyclist happened to be there when all of the commotion happened and he stopped to tell me that on his way in he noticed this …

I am profoundly grateful that he pointed this out to me. I don’t think this tire would have made it home.

Funny. As I was leaving for my ride, I realized that I did not have my debit card with me, but I didn’t want to turn around and get it. “I’ll be fine! It’s just a quick ride.” I thought. So off I rode with just $39 in my pocket.

The Best Bike Shop in Winters!

So I walked my bike down to Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop in Winters. A while back I had to replace a tire mid-ride and it cost me more than $100. Now wishing I had turned around to get my debit card, I thought I might have to walk my bike home 20+ miles to Davis.

The luck of the Irish was with me. Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop fixed me up with a used tire and got me back on the road for $15.75. I was so, so thankful! I love this bike shop. They’ve helped me out before with minor mid-ride adjustments, flat tires, and other basics like this. I took my Trek in there for a full tune-up a while back and they did an awesome job.

So, a HUGE shout out to Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop in Winters!

Here’s wishing you and yours a very Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

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One of my favorite rainy weather recipes is a Pork and Tomatillo Stew. Similar to a Chili Verde, it is rich and satisfying, but with the pork shoulder (or butt) it’s pretty high in fat. I am craving this flavor, but I want to try to lighten it up a bit.

I contemplated using a different, more lean cut of pork, but I think the only one that would produce a decently tender result would be pork tenderloin. I’m sure it would be wonderful, and someday I will try it when I find it on a super sale, but it felt a little pricey for tonight.

My favorite local market in Davis, Nugget Market, had their free range whole fryer chicken on sale, so I was inspired to try this. One of the guys in the meat department (I am kicking myself for not asking his name because his service was so amazing that I would love to call the store management to tell them this) not only did he take the time to chat with me about what meats might make a reasonable substitute to lighten up my recipe, when I settled on a whole chicken he offered to cut it up for me. Really? I love this store. I am perfectly capable of cutting up a chicken on my own, but it was really nice have it done for me. That gave me a few extra minutes to do other stuff this evening. So, thank you!

Chicken and Tomatillo Stew

One whole chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds
2 tablespoons oil
1 to 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
1 bunch green onions
2 cloves fresh garlic
3 or more serrano chiles (how hot do you want it?)
1 red onion, diced
1 7-ounce can green chiles
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bunch fresh cilantro, cleaned and trimmed
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the chicken into pieces – you will use the drumsticks, thighs, and breasts for this recipe. Reserve the wings, back, and rib bones for stock. Alternatively, you can just use about 4 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, or about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of boneless chicken breast, or a combination of both. Remove the skin and discard. Cut the breast meat into about 3/4-inch cubes and set aside.

Prepare the tomatillos: remove the husks and discard; rinse and drain the tomatillos. Place in a roasting pan.

Prepare the serranos*: trim the stems and place in the roasting pan with the tomatillos.

Tomatillos, serranos, green onions, & garlic

*How hot do you want this dish? I like it pretty hot, so I use lots of serranos, but I seed all of them. I like the flavor of this pepper, but not the seed.  I always wear gloves whenever handling hot peppers. To seed serranos, you’ll want to remove the stem, then cut them lengthwise in half. Using your finger, remove the seeds and discard.

Prepare the green onions: trim the ends and peel the outer layer. Trim off any of the dark green end that doesn’t look good. This is very subjective, but you will know when you look at the green onions you have. Add to the roasting pan with the tomatillos.

Peel the garlic and add to the roasting pan with the tomatillos.

Place the tomatillos, serranos, green onions, and garlic in the preheated oven and roast until lightly charred. Depending on your oven, you may want to broil these, or even better use your grill to roast them. If you use your grill, you’ll probably want to use a disposable pan.

Brown the drumsticks and thighs

While the tomatillos are roasting:

Rinse the cilantro and set aside to drain.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy stock pot. Brown the chicken legs on each side, then remove from the pan. Add the breast meat – depending on the size of your stock pot, you’ll probably want to do this in two additions, adding a little oil (if necessary) between additions. Brown lightly and remove from the pan.

Check on the tomatillos – if they’re ready, remove them from the oven. You’ll want them to cool a bit before putting them in your blender to process.

Foodie confession … I once melted a KitchenAid blender because I did not allow the tomatillos to cool before processing. Please don’t do this – learn from my (expensive) mistake.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan, then add the onions and saute until softened.

Cube the chicken breast

Chop the red onion

Briefly saute the chicken

While the onions are cooking, blend the tomatillos, green onion, serranos, and cilantro until smooth.

Return chicken to the pot, then add the blended tomatillo mixture. Give a good stir, but remember that you’ll want the bone-in pieces of chicken (legs & things) to be completely submerged so that they cook fully. Add the dried thyme. Allow to gently simmer for about an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatillo mixture

Give a good stir

I like to serve this over brown rice with warm, fresh tortillas.

This also makes a fantastic topping for a quesadilla or burrito filling.

A dollop of plain fat free Greek yogurt will help to cool the heat if you accidentally make it too spicy for you. It may take a few tries to get just the right heat level for you.

Enjoy!

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Dinner ... what's on your plate?

We had another gorgeous morning in Davis for a pre-work ride. Tomorrow and Sunday both look promising for some great cycling weather, too!

I’ve been super hungry all day after my morning ride, but I want to eat a little lighter right now because I feel like there has been too much foodie and not enough cycling lately. It’s time to reverse that trend and get back on track training for my 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure.

Are you hungry, but want a low-calorie and healthy dinner entree? Try this – it’s a generous portion, about 20 grams of protein, and only about 260 calories.

Sautéed Greens, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Chicken Apple Sausage
~ One serving ~

1 teaspoon avocado oil
3.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
1 3-ounce smoked chicken apple sausage, sliced into about 1/8-inch thick slices
5 ounces cooking greens (spinach, kale, chard), cleaned and spun dry

1. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Add sliced mushrooms and saute, browning slightly.
3. Add sausage and cook to heat through.
4. Add greens, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to steam until the greens are wilted and tender.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This has about 260 calories:
Oil = 40
Mushrooms = 35
Sausage = 140
Greens = 45

Enjoy! Here’s hoping you get some great cycling in this weekend!