Cycling Foodie

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Original Thanksgiving plans included a trip to Sonoma County. Those plans changed unexpectedly and last minute. We learned late morning while we were on a ride that the meal was going to be served mid-afternoon. This just might be an important detail to let your guests who are traveling from out of town know ahead of time, but … all is well that ends well. So, we found ourselves without any of the traditional Thanksgiving makings and certainly did not want to head to the store, or out to find an open store, after riding, so on our way back we rolled through Downtown Davis to see who might be open.

I was a little cranky already, because the wind proved to be a bit much for me yesterday on the ride. I really don’t understand how sometimes it doesn’t look that windy, but it feels like I have my own personal gale force winds. I guess it’s just one of those mysteries. Luckily for me, I had a riding partner who stayed just far enough ahead of me to not hear me whining out loud, “This sucks! I am NOT having fun!” But not so far ahead that I felt alone out there in my very own personal tornado.

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

After the ride, a quick check online showed that there was still a reservation available at 4pm at The Mustard Seed in Downtown Davis. The menu promised a “traditional” Thanksgiving menu. I must admit I had a few reservations of my own, because when it comes to “traditional” stuffing, I have rules. Besides, dinner at 4pm? Hmph.

I groused and grumbled around for a while in the afternoon and decided to take my frustration out on that nagging spot on the laundry room floor, rather than share my general unpleasantness with someone who was going to great lengths to be very sweet to me. The good news is that the laundry room floor looks great!

Traditional. Hmph. We’ll see.Wish I had just made the meal myself. Next year.

Table Setting

Candle Light

We arrived promptly and were seated right away at a lovely table by the window, overlooking the patio tables. The table setting was elegant and simple. Service was friendly and professional.

We enjoyed a Cazar Pinot Noir (2010), which went nicely with each course.

First Course:  Golden Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque. Normally, I am not much for bisques, because they tend to be too rich for me, but this one had a nice balance of savory and sweet and was not too rich.

Golden Butternut Squash & Apple Bisque

Clearly, we didn't like this at all.

 Second Course:  Pomegranates, Cinnamon Persimmons, Autumn Greens & Laura Chenel Goat Cheese. The pictures say it all … I could feel every last trace of grumpiness leave. This was the kind of salad I would make for myself. Fresh, crisp greens. Fruit. Cheese. Perfectly lightly dressed.

Autumn Greens, Persimmons, Pomegranate, Goat Cheese

Obviously, we didn't really like this one, either.

Main Course: Diestel Ranch Turkey Breast Roulade, Traditional Stuffing, Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Country Gravy, & Cranberry Chutney.

With gravy ...

Gravy on the side ...

Looks promisingly traditional

I was surprised by the generous portions served. There were two large slices of turkey breast, and generous sides of roasted brussel sprouts, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry chutney. Everything tasted homemade from scratch, like I would make. Even the gravy was good; it was rich and flavorful without being too heavy.

The brussel sprouts were tender and perfectly roasted. Brussel sprouts are devine when they are cooked right, but they tend to have a bad reputation because so many people overcook them. My favorite way to prepare them is roasting, and these were cooked exactly how I like them cooked. I tried really hard to leave a couple for leftovers today, but that didn’t happen.

The stuffing … I hate to admit, but this was as good as my own. I grew up with this style of stuffing, and so very few people get this right (in my ever-so-humble opinion). So, any doubts about “traditional” were completely dissolved after just one bite. You’ve won me over.

Try as I might to finish, I just couldn't quite do it.

Cranberry chutney … I grew up hating cranberries because we always had to endure that slimy, jellied glop that slides out of a can. At some point my family discovered fresh cranberries, and we experimented a bit with a few recipes, and some came out pretty good, but I was never that big of a fan of cranberry relish or chutney. I have to say, though, that this chutney was wonderful. Tart, sweet, cooked just right.

Mashed potatoes … perfect.

And then there was pie …

Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon-Cardamom Whipped Cream

It's a shame, but we didn't really like this, either. But just to be safe, we requested that the second one be packed up to take home so we could sample it again today, just to be sure.

So, after all that … I had better get ready for a big bike ride today!

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Organic Raspberries & Blackberries with Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream and Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chunks

It almost seems unfair, with Hurricane Sandy pounding the East Coast, but we were so fortunate here to have had some gorgeous Fall weather this weekend; it was perfect for cycling. I got in rides with a girlfriend on both Saturday and Sunday.

After a healthy, light dinner last night, we shared a nearly healthy dessert. I came across some gorgeous organic berries in my adventures yesterday, and, well, who could resist?!

As you can see, I was especially motivated to ride again today.

Tonight's addition is grilled avocado.

Tonight’s dinner is more grilling experimentation. I love grilled vegetables, and that’s what’s on the grill again tonight.  This time, there will be enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Mondays should always include something special to look forward to!

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Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Whole Wheat Bread, & Yam

Getting ready for a little experimental grilling ...

This will become …

Grilled Ceasar Salad with Grilled Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes and a Roasted Garlic Ceasar Dressing, and Whole Wheat Croutons (somebody ate the day old Pugliese I had planned for the croutons)

Grilled Yams … a healthier twist on sweet potato fries

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Mmm … Happy Labor  Day!

Heirloom Tomato, Persian Cucumber, Avocado, & Cilantro

Homemade Focaccia with Dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, and Fresh Rosemary

Preparing bread for croutons ...

Grilled Zucchini & Yellow Squash

Grilled Russet & Yukon Gold Potatoes

New York Steaks, ready for the grill

A Nice Cab ...

Earned this dinner!

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It is absolutely perfect weather for cycling this morning! I got in just a quick jaunt before I have to head off to work. I needed that … especially after last night’s dinner!

Melon & Prosciutto

Bread Salad

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Green, Yellow, & Purple Beans with Pesto

Homemade Meatballs ... now that's a spicy meatball!

These meatballs were made entirely from scratch – including grinding the meat. Super spicy, super good. I’m looking forward to trying a few of these on pizza later in the week. CyclingFoodie may have its first guest blogger with this recipe.

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To follow-up on a previous post …

The inspiration for this was a habanero honey, from Pure All Natural Honey, which is available locally at the Davis Farmers’ Market. Here’s a little info about them:   (see  http://www.theaggie.org/2012/05/02/farmers-market-vendor-of-the-week-pure-all-natural-honey/).

The scallops were pretty simple to make. We had bought some beautiful, fresh scallops at Nugget Market in Davis. I lightly rinsed them with a little cold water, gently patted them dry with paper towels, then placed the scallops in a large zipper bag.  I whisked together some extra virgin olive oil, habenero honey, and lime juice. Just do this to taste – you want a nice, delicate balance of hot and sweet. Really fresh scallops have a lovely, delicate flavor and texture, so you don’t want to overpower them with too much.  Set these in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the meal. You don’t want to marinate these for long – maybe an hour or so.

While the scallops are marinating, slice and salt the eggplant, then lay out on paper towels. This extracts some water from the eggplant, and if there is some bitterness from seeds, this can help to draw the bitterness out. Lay some paper towels on top of the salted eggplant. If you’re using Asian eggplant, you don’t need to peel them, but for some of the larger Italian eggplant, you may want to peel them.

Light and preheat the grill. Start on the bread and salad.

Got a stale baguette? Grill it!

For the grilled bread, day old bread works best. Simply slice it (3/8 to 1/2-inch thick), brush it with a good quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Lightly grill the bread and set aside. Assemble your salad – make it as simple or as elaborate as you want.

Basic Green Salad - heirloom greens, tomatoes, avocado, fresh basil, homemade croutons, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Rinse the excess salt from the eggplant and blot dry with towels. Brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil, skewer, and grill over medium-low heat. Cook until they are nicely colored and softened, but not overdone.

Skewer the scallops and grill over medium-low heat. You want to get good coloring on the surface and to cook them through, but be cautious because they go from not yet to overdone in a moment. You can see in the picture below that one scallop did get a little dark on the outside, but it was perfect inside. When you’re using a honey-based marinade, it’s especially important to watch for charring.

I usually start out with the grill on high, but when I began to cook, I turned it down to low. I openly admit that I am not an expert griller, but I’ve had pretty good success doing it this way.

Both the eggplant and scallops came out perfect tonight. That was especially important because I was cooking for a fellow foodie, who might even be more of a foodie than I am.

Grilled Asian Eggplant

Grilled Honey, Habanero, & Lime Scallops

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When it comes to reheating leftover cheesy grits … the George Foreman grill … NOT an option. And, no, I am not going to embarrass myself with photos.

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I tried some “hard” polenta at a restaurant last week. It was OK, but it had been sauteed or fried in too much oil, and that made it a bit heavy and unappealing. A few days later, I was shopping at Trader Joe’s and saw their Stone Ground White Grits. I got to wondering … what is the difference between grits and polenta? The only ingredient listed on this package was “corn,” just like unprepared polenta. Aside from yellow (polenta) versus white (grits) corn, they look pretty much the same to me. OK, maybe the grits are a little more coarse, but could I use these grits to make a polenta-like dish? Hmm …

Tonight, I was cooking dinner for my training partner. I forgot to start the brown rice on time for dinner, so I decided to experiment the grits. I found a very simple polenta recipe (http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/3996/Simple_Polenta) and made a small batch based on this recipe.

1 cup water
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup Trader Joe’s Stone Ground White Grits
1 -2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or your choice of fresh herbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring the salted water to a boil. On medium heat, whisk in the grits and continue to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Whisk in the herbs and olive oil, and continue to cook until desired thickness. The grits can be served immediately for “soft” texture or poured into a ramekin or other container to cool and firm to a “hard” stage.

For a first try, I liked it. I thought it needed a little more salt, and will definitely play a bit more with this. It’s a hot evening, so I wanted something on the lighter side, therefore no cheese. Perhaps on a cold, rainy wintery night I’ll try this with cheese.

These were a side dish to grilled chicken breasts, steamed veggies (asparagus, brussel sprouts, organic broccolette, and organic sugar plum grape tomatoes), and brown rice (the timing worked out just fine, and I wanted to serve the rice just in case the grits were awful). I think tomorrow I’ll try grilling the leftover piece of “hard” polenta-grits on my George Foreman grill. I have to come up with a name for this. Grilenta? Polrits? Oh, no, no, no … those won’t do.

The chicken tonight was Rocky free range chicken. When I went to the store to buy it, I noticed that whole Rocky Junior chickens (http://www.petalumapoultry.com/rocky_jr) were on special, so I got this brilliant idea … why not buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces and make my own boneless skinless chicken breasts and save $2+ per pound? I know how to do this! A little out of practice, maybe, but … I know how to do this. It’s much more cost effective this way.

Let’s just say … I’m really out of practice and I’m going to be eating chicken all week.

I marinated the breasts in a little olive oil, fresh squeezed organic lemon juice & zest, and fresh organic thyme. They marinated for about 2 hours, then I cooked them on my George Foreman grill. This little machine was a terrific investment.

Low Fat Lemon Curd with Fresh Berries

For dessert … I made low fat lemon curd (recipe posted previously) and served this with fresh organic strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.  This is the only item from the entire dinner that I photographed!

This curd is a little different from the original recipe because I used organic blue agave sweetener, which is a low glycemic sweetener. From what I understand, lower glycemic level (or index) foods are better at maintaining even blood sugar levels. I’m just learning about this, and it seems that there are a lot of factors involved, but it seems to me, the less processed (whole wheat vs. white, brown rice vs. white, juices vs. whole fruit, al dente vs. soft-cooked) the lower the glycemic index (“GI”).

The end result was a yummy lemon curd!

Here are some links to more information about glycemic index:

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/glycemic-index-diet/MY00770
• http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/glycemic-index-and-diabetes.html#What_is_the_glycemic_index

I still think, for me, that balance is the most important eating habit. I am fortunate to have, for the most part, pretty healthy food preferences. I don’t like “diets” because I find them to be too restrictive and I like to have a lot of variety in my diet when it comes to food. I guess that’s my inner foodie.