Cycling Foodie

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I’ll post the recipes soon …

Beef, Lamb, Vegetable, & Barley Soup*

Whole Grain Herbs de Provence Biscuits

* The soup can easily be made vegetarian (or vegan) by omitting the meat and substituting vegetable broth. I guess you could use a texturized vegetable protein if you want a meat-like texture. Even better yet, a nice, “meaty” and flavorful mushroom would be divine!

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Green Smoothie with Oat Milk

Green Smoothie with Oat Milk

1/2 cup oat milk
1 cup organic green grapes
2 organic carrots (2-inch chunks)
1 medium banana
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
2 handfuls of baby kale (3 cups)
14 ice cubes*

Place all ingredients in your Vitamix in the order listed above. Blend as directed to your desired consistency and be prepared to feel super healthy and energized. Enjoy!

* I used ice cubes that had 1 organic green grape in each cube.

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Just got back from the short Davis to Winters and back loop, about 41 miles. For some reason, I am really, really hungry today. I didn’t eat enough on our stop in Winters, so I had to grab a gel about halfway back. My favorite is still the Honey Stinger gels, in particular the Ginsting.

Now, it's time to recover with a smoothie.

Berry Smoothie

3/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
3/4 cup non-fat milk
1 1/2 cups frozen berries*
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

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

Makes enough for two smoothies.

This is so rich and creamy that you might think you’re having a high fat treat, but delight in knowing that it is very low fat and super healthy.

* As shown, with strawberries and raspberries.

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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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Essence waters are a delicious way to stay hydrated and incorporate some great health benefits into your daily routine. They’re easy to prepare at home, and you can prepare them in the morning and keep them in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days. There are many different combinations – from single ingredient to delightful combinations like lemon-lime-mint.

Cool, refreshing, cleansing ... Lemon-Lime-Mint Essence Water

Many of these waters not only taste delicious, but have some terrific health benefits in addition to keeping you hydrated. For example, lemon water helps to cleanse your liver and to aid in digestion. Believe it or not, regular consumption of lemon water can also help to decrease acidity in your body, and thus can help remove uric acid from your joints and help to relieve inflammation. To read about more benefits of lemon water, click here.

Here are just a few ideas for delicious essence waters I have seen out and about:

Citrus fruits – lemon, lime, orange, tangerine
Melons – watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
Pineapple (one of my favorites!)
Peaches, nectarines
Berries – strawberries, raspberries
Cucumber
Pomegranate seeds
Fresh herbs – mint, lemon balm, thyme, rosemary, lavender
Ginger

There are far too many to list … mix and match, have fun, be creative! Of course, it goes without saying that organic will be a healthier option, so choose organic ingredients whenever possible.

To make the essence water, you’ll want to have all of your ingredients properly prepared. Make sure that you clean all of your produce well; even if you are going to remove the skin or rinds, wash them first. If you’re using non-organic citrus be sure to scrub the rinds and rinse well before cutting into 1/8-inch thick slice. For melons or pineapples, you’ll want to remove the rind or skin and cut the flesh into about 1-inch chunks. Peaches or nectarines, cut in half, remove the pit, and slice into about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick wedges. Stem and halve strawberries, but raspberries can be left whole. If you’re using cucumbers, be sure to wash these very well if you plan to leave the skin on them because many commercially available cucumbers have a wax coating. Slice the cucumbers into about 1/8-inch thick disks. For large-leaf herbs like mint or lemon balm, the easiest thing to do is to snip off the leaves and wash and spin them in a salad spinner, then slice the leaves into about 1/8-inch ribbons. Rosemary and thyme should be rinsed well, and you can just place a sprig or two in the jar or pitcher. To use ginger, simply peel and slice into 1/8-inch thick disks.

Lemon Lime Mint Water

Place the prepared produce into a large glass pitcher or canning jar, cover with filtered water, stir or shake, and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. The longer you wait, the more flavorful the water will be. Strain into a glass and serve with or without ice. As you pour water out, you can refresh the jars by refilling with filtered water. Keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

This low-calorie treat is a great alternative to sugar-laden juices and sodas, and far healthier than artificially sweetened beverages.

Enjoy in good health!

This post was inspired by a friend’s Facebook post this morning “Skinny Body Fat Flush and Detox,” which she shared from “Fiber Does The Body Good” Facebook page. I think the original source for that Facebook post may be this recipe or maybe here, but I can’t quite tell. I like to try to give credit where credit is due.

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Yesterday was a ride to Winters and back, nothing too much, just a decent paced 41-mile ride. The plan was to do a big ride today, so last night’s dinner had to do double duty:  recovery and preparation. Being Labor Day weekend, it also had to involve grilling.

Fresh Local Corn on the Cob

Soaking ...

Grilled to perfection!

Now for the protein …

Grilled Organic Chicken Breasts

Grilling corn is quickly becoming my favorite way to cook corn on the cob. It’s pretty easy, it just requires an extra step or two. Carefully peel back the husk, being sure to keep it attached at the bottom. Remove the corn silk and discard. Re-wrap the corn with the husk and then soak in cool water for about 15 minutes. This will moisten the husk and help prevent burning. The outer layers of the husk will char, but the inner layers will protect the corn. I like to expose some of the corn so that it gets a little char, but you don’t want too much. I found that this corn was so sweet, flavorful, and moist that it did not need anything else. But, if you like butter and stuff on your corn, you could make your favorite herb butter or other spread and create your own version of perfection.

For the chicken breasts, I marinated them about 30 minutes with a little lemon-orange-pepper and a splash of white white and olive oil. The beans are just lightly steamed. Super easy. Super healthy. Super yummy.

Now, on to riding … I’m getting a much later start than expected this morning and plans for a big ride through the Napa Valley today are seeming rather unrealistic. It seems to be turning into a Davis to Winters ride kind of day. Or, maybe just a Greek Food Festival kind of day … it is the 50th annual Greek Food Festival. How can we foodies say no to that?

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Nugget Market on Covell in Davis has some of the best corn I have had all season and it is on sale right now – 4 for $1!

Grilled Corn on the Cob ... this was so sweet and wonderful that it didn't even need butter or anything.

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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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To follow-up on last night’s post, here are the recipes you’ll need to make these fajitas.

Fajitas

Not to toot my own horn, or anything, but I was told that these were the BEST fajitas ever.

Grilled Flank Steak (recipe follows – best if you start to marinate the night before)

Salsa Verde (recipe follows)

1 red onion, sliced into strips

1 bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 avocado

8-12 shiitake mushrooms

1 package Artisan-style corn tortillas (I used blue corn tortillas here)

To assemble the fajitas:

1. Prepare the salsa.
2. While the salsa is cooking on the stove, grill the flank steak.
3. Prepare the mushrooms for grilling. Rinse them well and allow to drain a few moments. Then skewer them, drizzle with a little olive oil, and grill.
4. While the steak and mushrooms are grilling, slice the onions and peppers.
5. For medium rare steak, cook until about 130 degrees. It is very important that you allow the meat to rest about 10 minutes before slicing. If you slice it too soon, the juices will run out of the meat and it will be dry.
6. While the meat is resting, cook the onions and peppers in a hot cast iron skillet. You can cook them together, but since I cannot eat bell peppers, we had to cook them separately. You want the onions to caramelize a bit, but not get too soft. The peppers, you’ll want to get a little char on them, but be careful to not overcook them. They can very quickly go from bright, colorful, and tender-crisp to overcooked. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
7. While the onions and peppers are cooking, cut the avocado into slices or bite-sized chunks.
8. Heat the tortillas either on the grill or in a cast iron pan.
9. Thinly slice the meat. Thinly slice the mushrooms.
10. To assemble your fajitas, place a corn tortilla on a plate, then top with a few slices of the steak, some onions and peppers, mushrooms, avocado, and a generous dollop of salsa.
11. Chew, savor, smile, swallow, smile, repeat.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Red Onions

Bell Peppers

Grilled Flank Steak with Lime, Cilantro, & Serrano Chili

Marinated Flank Steak

2 limes, freshly squeezed
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons of agave nectar
1 large serrano chile pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 pound flank steak
salt and pepper to taste

1. Whisk together the lime juice, cilantro, agave nectar, and chile pepper in a bowl. If you want more heat, then leave all or part of the serrano seeds. I prefer to seed chiles.
2. Lightly salt and pepper the flank steak and place into a zipper bag. Pour in the marinade.
3. Refrigerate and marinade at least a few hours or up to about 24 hours.
4. Remove from the refrigerator no more than 30 minutes before grilling.
5. Grill to desired doneness (I like medium rare, at most), which for beef is about 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Remove from grill and let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.
7. Thinly slice against the grain.

Roasting tomatillos, serranos, & onions.

Salsa Verde

1-1/2 pounds of fresh tomatillos
1 bunch green onion
4 (or more) large serrano chile peppers
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. Husk the tomatillos, rinse well, and set to drain in a colander.
2. Trim off the root end and about half of the green stem of the onions.
3. Cut off the stem end of the chile, slice in half length-wise, and scrape out the seeds.
4. Rinse the cilantro well, drain, and strip the leaves off the stems. Place the leaves on a towel to drain well.
5. Place the tomatillos, green onions, and serranos in a roasting pan, and drizzle with a little olive oil.
6. You can roast the tomatillos, green onions, and serranos on a grill or under a broiler. You’ll want to get a bit of char on them for flavor, but not too much.
7. The tomatillos are ready when they’re softened and a little bit charred. Remove from the grill or oven and set aside to cool a bit. You don’t want to try to process them while they’re piping hot. I destroyed a blender one time by not waiting. It was a very sad and expensive culinary discovery that my KitchenAid blender was no match for piping hot tomatillos. It melted the base! Very sad, indeed.
8. For this amount of salsa, you’ll want to blend it in 3-4 batches. It doesn’t really have to be evenly distributed per batch at this point because it’s all going to end up in one skillet to cook.
9. Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture begins to bubble, then reduce the heat to low. You’ll want to stir frequently to avoid scorching the bottom. I cook it until it’s slightly thickened, but still a pretty green color. The color will vary a lot from batch to batch due to the natural variation in tomatillos, how much char you have on them, and how long you cook the sauce.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This salsa is really easy and incredibly good either hot or cold. I love it on grilled chicken, carnitas, with rice, with tortilla chips, on eggs … it is am incredibly versatile sauce.

My fajitas, no bell peppers!

The Final Product!

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Coming soon …Fajitas.

... with peppers ...

and without!