Cycling Foodie

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Perfect after a long, cold, wet day!

We’re finally getting some rain and a nice little storm has settled in. It’s windy, wet, and chilly out there this morning – perfect weather for a hearty, healthy, fragrant, spicy curry dish. Curry powder is a blend of spices widely used in Indian cuisine. Commonly used spices include turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon, and ginger. Some blends may also include mustard seed, cayenne pepper, or cardamom. This recipe, by Alton Brown, sounds really good and I’m bookmarking it for future, but tonight I used a prepared curry powder because that is what I had.

Some of the health benefits associated with consuming curry powder include cancer-preventative benefits, cholesterol management, blood sugar control,  and detoxification.

You can easily make this vegetarian or vegan. I’m sure there’s a way to make it gluten free, also, but I like to thicken the sauce with a little flour.

I used lamb because I love it with curry, and because I had some leftover. You can use any meat or fish you like, or none at all. This is a great way to use up leftovers, just be sure to add lots of fresh vegetables to give it good crunch and brightness of flavor.

Be sure you have some freshly cooked brown rice to serve with this.

Lamb Curry

Saute just enough to warm through.

6-8 ounces leftover lamb
8 cups of assorted fresh vegetables*
A few tablespoons of olive or avocado oil
2-3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons good quality curry powder
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Assemble all of your ingredients.

Cut the lamb and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Over a medium flame, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucier pan.

Add the lamb and saute briefly to warm through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Set the lightly sauteed vegetables aside and sprinkle with a little curry powder.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan. Saute the vegetables briefly in batches – they will cook more later and you will want them crisp-tender to serve. Set them aside for now and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan. Make a roux: sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour and about 1/2 teaspoon curry powder over the hot oil. Allow to cook and bubble a little, being careful not to scorch the roux. Whisk together until a smooth paste forms, then slowly whisk in the chicken stock.

Making the roux

Whisking to a smooth paste.

Whisking in the stock.

Bring to a gentle rolling boil and allow the sauce to thicken.

Thickening the sauce. 

Whisk occasionally.

Check the seasoning and spice – remember you’ll be adding a little more curry flavor when you add the vegetables. Check for salt – I did not add any salt to this dish. I found it to be quite flavorful with just the curry and cayenne.

Be careful not to splash - the sauce will be hot.

When the sauce has thickened, add the vegetables and meat and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook gently until the vegetables are crisp-tender and heated through.

Serve in bowls over brown rice

* Use any vegetables you have on hand – I had cauliflower, asparagus, snap peas, and carrots. I also had a few roasted potatoes leftover, so I added them. You could also use frozen vegetables if that’s all you have – just remember to adjust your cooking time.

Enjoy in good health!

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As promised…

Carrots

Roma Tomatoes

Minestrone Soup

4 ounces of thick-sliced bacon*
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large carrots, diced
3 large stalks of celery, diced
8 to 12 ounces of crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
8 ounces of waxy potatoes (red, purple, gold)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen green beans, snapped into about 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen grilled eggplant and/or zucchini**
1 pound fresh Roma tomatoes, cut into 6-8 pieces each
1 pound of hearty cooking greens (spinach, chard, kale, escarole)
32 ounces of beef stock
32 ounces of chicken stock
32 ounces of vegetable stock
3 to 4-inch long piece of Parmesan rind
12 ounces of whole grain shell pasta
4 ounces of Pesto Alla Cycling Foodie
1 can Cannellini beans, well rinsed
fresh herbs – basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary

Trimming the bacon.

Trim as much fat as possible from the bacon, and set aside. Cut the meaty part into about 1/4-inch pieces. Place the fat and meaty pieces into a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook until the bacon is just a bit browned. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. When it is cool, separate the meat and fat. Discard the fat; set the meat aside for now. You can use the bacon fat or not – it does add a lot of flavor and this amount of this bacon does not really add that much fat for the amount of soup you’re making.

Ready to cook down a bit.

If necessary, add a little olive oil to the pot and heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and saute until slightly softened. Add carrots and celery and saute until fragrant. Remove from pot and set aside. If necessary, add a little more olive oil and saute the mushrooms until softened and much of the liquid is cooked out. Return the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables, bacon pieces, then the stock. Drop in the Parmesan rinds. Cover and cook gently until the greens are wilted.

Stir in the pesto. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender. Add the beans and fresh herbs. Allow to heat through before serving.

Serving suggestion …

Place a handful of fresh, hot homemade croutons in the bottom of a soup bowl. Sprinkle with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Ladle in the hot soup,garnish with a bit more Parmesan cheese, and enjoy with a hearty glass of Italian red wine!

This makes a very large pot of soup, so be prepared for leftovers. As with many homemade soups, this one is even better the next day. It also freezes well.

* My favorite bacon for this is Trader Joe’s Uncured Bacon Ends & Pieces – I always trim off as much fat as possible before cooking.

** I used Trader Joe’s Misto alla Grigoia Marinated Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini.

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Recipe and more photos later …

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Dressed Up Sauce

So, so glad to have the chance to ride yesterday! I logged only 56.6 miles, but it felt like a little more. More than anything else, I am sure this has to do with my not riding much recently, but we also encountered some of those “Davis Hills” again. The breeze picked up, but then calmed down a bit by the time we were headed back. The ride was nothing too exciting, just my normal warm up loop and then a jaunt out to Winters and back.

I did work up quite an appetite, though. On my warm-up loop I was already thinking about dinner. What to cook? I really did not want to run to the store yesterday – pre-SuperBowl crowds, you know? Hmm … what’s on hand? Greens, of course. Baby spinach and kale. Protein? Some beautiful, light, healthy cod. Shiitake mushrooms. How about a super healthy and light dinner of sauteed shiitakes with spinach, then some pan roasted cod? I picked up a jar of apricot-chile jam the other day and that sounded like it would make a lovely glaze for the fish. That sounded like a great plan!

After my warm-up loop, I grabbed the cod from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw.

Then we headed out towards Winters. It was a bit slow-going, but at least we were out in the abundant sunshine. There were only a few other cyclists out, so I was especially glad to have company on my ride.

We stopped for snack at Steady Eddy’s for a water refill and snack. It’s under new ownership and they’ve made just enough changes to make it feel different. They moved a few things around. Not to be so picky, but … there is  no more Coca Cola in bottles. Cans, yes, but it’s just not the same. I don’t know why, but it just isn’t. And … no oat cakes?! Hopefully they were just sold out. Oh, well … I guess I just need to come up with my own oat cake recipe. The good news is that there were still lots of familiar, friendly staff faces there.

Oh, yes … the sauce … you’re wondering when I am going to talk about pasta sauce. I got sidetracked.

When we got home from our ride, I made a few snacks. A handful of mixed nuts. A half cup of low fat Greek yogurt. A big bowl of heirloom cherry tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad loaded with fresh thyme and parsley, lightly dressed with a touch of olive oil and balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of pink sea salt. A bite (okay, two) of dark chocolate. Lots of water and a Zevia ginger root beer. I am not much for diet soda, but this one is sweetened with stevia, an all natural and zero calorie sugar substitute. It’s pretty good – light and refreshing. I’m not entirely used to the flavor of stevia, but it’s better than those nasty artificial sweeteners.

By the time it got to be dinner time, the cod was still frozen. Hmm … now I really did not want to go to the store and I was hungrier than I expected to be, so what else could I make?

There is always pasta in this house and a box of whole grain thin spaghetti practically jumped out of the cabinet into my arms. I haven’t made spaghetti in ages! There was also a jar of prepared sauce. Jarred sauce, even really good jarred sauce, just won’t do. I have to dress it up.

Dressed Up Sauce

1 jar of your favorite prepared tomato-based pasta sauce
1 splash of olive oil
4-6 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 large carrot, grated
6-8 small fresh tomatoes
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
fresh herbs
freshly grated good quality Parmesan cheese
1 box of your favorite pasta

Prepare all of your ingredients – clean the vegetables and herbs. Chop the herbs and set aside. Set a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta.

In a large, non-reactive skillet or saucier, heat the olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat. I like to brown them just a bit. Add the shredded carrot and saute a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook down just a bit. Add the spinach, cover with a lid, and let it steam a few moments to wilt, then add the sauce. Give it a little stir, then cover and cook gently. You don’t want this sauce to boil – that will destroy the texture of the vegetables and make it acidic. You just want it to bubble gently. I like to add about half of the herbs to the sauce when it is cooking, and use the other have for garnish. I used fresh thyme and Italian parsley for this dish. I love fresh thyme with mushrooms.

Grate the cheese and set aside.

Cook the pasta. Drain. If you want, drizzle a little olive oil on the pasta.

Assemble your dinner. This is best served in a large, flat bowl.

Building the Plate

Dinner is Served!

Portion the pasta into warmed bowls. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese and fresh herbs. Top with sauce and a little more cheese and a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs.

Whenever possible, I use whole grain pasta. Spinach pasta would be fantastic with this sauced. If you’re gluten-intolerant, try this with a gluten-free brown rice pasta.

You can make this vegetarian, or it is also great with sausage. To keep it healthy – choose a low fat chicken or turkey sausage loaded with herbs. I had about 1 tablespoon of leftover chopped bacon that I added to the sauce and that added just a nice hint of flavor.

Like Pasta Primavera? Simply add more vegetables. This would be wonderful with zucchini, squash, eggplant, onions, whatever vegetables you like.

Want to make this entirely from scratch? Skip the jarred sauce and use homemade tomato sauce. (That will have to be a different post.)

Enjoy!

Now it’s time to get ready to ride today before the rain starts.

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Super easy recipe – simply trim cleaned cauliflower into evenly sized pieces. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and roast in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 30 to 60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your pieces. Roasting cauliflower caramelizes it and brings out a sweetness you never knew was there! It’s simply fantastic (and fantastically simple).

For a special treat, sprinkle with a little hot curry powder before roasting. It’s a perfect side dish for a chilly evening.

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Today’s ride was just a quick 21-mile easy ride. It’s been a while since I’ve done a longer ride, so I really felt yesterday’s ride this morning. That’s OK. I’ve got lots of chores to do at home, so that will keep me busy enough. However … it is a beautiful and unseasonably warm day out there in Davis today, so I will certainly have to find some excuse to get out and about again soon. But first … a snack.

This smoothie is luscious and refreshing. It’s a perfect post-ride or workout recovery snack – rich with flavor, but low in calories and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  The whey protein is great for muscle recovery. For more information on the benefits of whey protein, click here.

Getting Ready To Blend ...

Emerald Paradise Smoothie

1 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
2-3 big handfuls of Tuscan kale
1 to 2 cups of filtered water

Place frozen fruit, protein powder, kale, and water in a large capacity blender and blend until smooth. For a thicker smoothie, add ice.

Makes about 7-8 cups.

Getting Ready to Enjoy!

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Here’s a very basic outline of what to expect … I’ll have to do a full post later with recipes and photos. The menu will be along these lines, but I’m going to have to sort of “wing it” a little on some things:

Smoked Wild Salmon with Organic Light Cream Cheese on Rye Toasts
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cherry-Port Sauce
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Roasted Yams
Baby Kale Salad with Granny Smith Apples, Candied Pecans, and Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette
Low-Fat & Low-Sugar Orange Curd with Fresh Blackberries

The curd turned out a bit looser than I had hoped, but it will work nicely as a sauce for the big beautiful fresh blackberries I found this week at the store. I don’t think this curd would work well in a tart, though, because it’s not quite thick enough. Perhaps next time I’ll try 1/2 whole eggs and 1/2 egg whites, and I need to play a bit more with the Monk Fruit. I guess I could also use some corn starch, but that seems like cheating, but we’ll see. I think this recipe has promise, but it’s not just right yet.

I also wanted to make meringues to serve with this, but there is just so much going on right now that I did not have time to do so.

I will have limited Internet access over the next few days, so it may be the weekend before I get a chance to post any pictures or follow-up.

Merry Christmas! May your hearts be filled with the joy and warmth of the season, and your bellies be nourished by delicious and wholesome food!

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I am thankful to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my mother. This year will be a little different. Rather than having Thanksgiving at her home, we are joining her friends and neighbors in a potluck. I’m bringing homemade bread, a salad, and a fruit & cheese platter.

Hearty homemade whole grain bread with whole wheat, pumpernickel, oats, millet, and polenta.

The loaves are still warm as I type this and the house is filled with the satisfying aroma of freshly baked bread.

Salad will be a light and fresh mix of baby kale, chard, and spinach with crisp-sweet Fuji apples, toasted walnuts, and a light honey-mustard vinaigrette I whisked together.

After work today I was pleasantly surprised to find the Davis Farmers’ Market happening downtown and picked up some lovely red grapes, persimmons, and a couple of artisan cheeses that will make for a festive platter. I haven’t decided which cheeses to bring tomorrow, but I’m leaning towards these four: an herbed goat, a smoked cheddar, a Stilton with cranberries, and a “Foggy Morning” fresh cheese (perhaps served with some fig jam).

Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, but I do hope to get at least a quick ride in in the morning. I haven’t been riding nearly enough! It’s not quite light enough in the morning anymore to ride before work, so I’m back at the gym or out walking on nice weather mornings. It’s been chilly, but beautiful!

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! I hope you get to spend it with your loved ones!

Good Morning Sunshine!

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Tuscan Kale, kiwi, pineapple, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, and a touch of whey protein. If you haven’t tried a green smoothie yet, this one will convert you.

A great way to start your day.

The past few days have been stunningly beautiful in Davis and the weekend weather forecast looks promising. Here’s hoping you get some great cycling in this 3-day weekend!

As you’re enjoying your Monday off, please remember why we get to celebrate Veterans’ Day on Monday and pause to honor and remember our troops who have made so many sacrifices for all of us.

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I first discovered Pasta Primavera in the mid 1980’s, at Boskos in Calistoga. Spinach fettuccine smothered in a flavorful marinara loaded with fresh vegetables. The vegetables were always crisp-tender, never overcooked. What I loved most about it was that it was light, but hearty. I just knew that I was eating something healthy. I always left feeling satisfied, but never stuffed.

Today, I needed to make a quick, comforting and healthy meal. I had some brown rice pasta, loads of vegetables, and a prepared marinara sauce.

This is super simple to make. Here is what you will need:

1 pound brown rice pasta (penne shown here)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces crimini mushrooms
garlic (optional)
2 cooked chicken sausages (about 4-6 ounces)
1-2 zucchini, sliced & grilled, cut into bite-sized pieces*
1 small eggplant, sliced & grilled, cut into bite-sized pieces*
A spring or two of fresh thyme, stripped
16-ounce jar or can of your favorite prepared marinara sauce
Chopped fresh parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, just a touch

Brown Rice Pasta Primavera

Follow the cooking directions for the pasta you choose.

Saute the crimini mushrooms and garlic in the olive oil. While the mushrooms are sauteing, slice 2 cooked chicken sausages into about 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Brown the sausages, return the mushrooms to the pan, and add the  chopped grilled zucchini and eggplant. Add the fresh thyme and marinara sauce. Stir to combine and cook on low to heat through.

While the sauce is heating, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Place cooked pasta in a serving bowl and grate just a little cheese on the pasta. Ladle some sauce on, and garnish with a touch more cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!

*I used Trader Joe’s Misto Alla Griglia Marinated and Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini.

You really can use any vegetables you like in this. Experiment – have fun with it.

This makes for great cycling recovery food, or a dinner the night before a big ride, but it is also light enough that if you are responsible with your portion size, it’s great for a weekend like this that didn’t see too many cycling miles. It also makes for yummy leftovers.