The perfect pre-ride breakfast for a cool, cloudy morning.
Steel-cut oats with non-fat Greek yogurt, pomegranate, walnuts, and just a touch of pure maple syrup.
Oats are a powerhouse of complex carbohydrates, have a low glycemic index, and will give you long-lasting energy for your ride. They’re gluten-free and easy to digest. Enjoy!
Want some good, healthy comfort food? Here’s an idea for a healthy addition to your holiday table. The bacon gives just the right touch of decadent richness that many of us tend to crave during this time of year. Try roasting brussel sprouts with just a bit of olive oil and a touch of lean bacon.
Rinse brussel sprouts in cool water, trim the end, and then cut in half. Drain well.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. While the oven is heating, cook a slice or two of lean bacon and trim away most of the fat. Drain the bacon on paper towels, then chop. Combine the trimmed and halved brussel sprouts and bacon, drizzle a bit of olive oil, and a pinch or two of kosher salt and a grind or two of pepper. Toss to combine well and place in a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast to your desired doneness. I don’t like to overcook brussel sprouts, so I roast until just tender and a little browned – usually about 30 minutes or so.
Ready to go into the oven.
Want to keep this dish a bit lighter and vegan? Simply omit the bacon and add a few grinds of Trader Joe’s South African Seasoning before roasting. Oh, so good!
Sunday we had quite the little storm. I grabbed a quick ride in the morning and then came home to cook for a housewarming party (finally!)
Sunday morning, October 30th, near Pena Adobe Park.
A few friends came over on Sunday for a housewarming party. We had a fabulous meal.
Lynda brought some yummy mushroom brie and crackers.
Herbed Chevre and Smoked Gouda.
The Herbed Chevre is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to “dress up” a plain Chevre. Simply take your favorite plain Chevre cheese, let it come to room temperature. Mix in some chopped fresh herbs (dried will do in a pinch), a couple of splashes of good extra virgin olive oil, and mix until smooth.
Stuffed Crimini Mushrooms
The Stuffed Mushrooms are quick and easy, too. Here’s the recipe. I modified the filling a little bit – the filling was simply light cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a few grinds of Trader Joe’s South African Smoke Seasoning Blend (paprika flakes, sea salt, garlic, basil).
One friend brought a beautiful Corn & Shrimp Chowder, which I heard was fabulous. It had bell peppers in it, so I couldn’t eat it. What’s funny is that the soup that I made had peas in it, so he couldn’t eat my chicken soup!
Marsh’s Corn & Shrimp Chowder
Chicken & Vegetable Soup
Another friend made Pork Tenderloins with a Bourbon-Maple-Molasses glaze that was fantastic.
Rick’s Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Maple-Molasses glaze.
Of course there was salad …
Mixed Greens with Fresh Fuyu Persimmons, Pomegranate, Feta Cheese, and a light and refreshing Citrus Vinaigrette.
… and what is a party without dessert?
Tartlets: Fresh Lemon Curd and Caramel, Macadamia & Chocolate.
The Lemon Curd recipe can be found here. I used pre-made tartlet shells … a little “semi-homemade” time-saving trick. I also cheated a bit with the caramel. I used Trader Joe’s Flue de Sel Caramel Sauce. This is my go-to caramel sauce.
Here’s wishing you a wonderful day. If you get the chance, would you please ride a few miles for me today? I’ve got to run to work now.
I had a hankering for some lamb recently and found a reasonably priced cut at my favorite local store. I made a “rub” of instant espresso, fresh rosemary (from my garden!), and a little kosher salt. I covered both sides with the mixture and let it marinate in the refrigerator for a day (or two). Just before cooking it, I gave it a healthy sprinkling of fennel seeds then cooked it to perfection in a hot cast iron skillet. (Remember to let meat rest about 5-10 minutes before cutting it.)
Espresso Marinated Lamb
It was a fairly small piece, but lamb can be quite rich, so a little goes a long way. Dinner tonight was steamed spinach and about half of the lamb. Oh, it was so good.
Hmm … what to do with leftover lamb … here’s an idea…
Salad Greens, Espresso & Rosemary Marinated Lamb, Pomegranate, Fuyu Persimmon, Walnuts, Pecans, Dried Cranberry, Feta Cheese … and a splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Glaze.
Lunch is all packed for tomorrow!
Don’t you wish you could join me? Yes, you do.
I have been informed recently that buying curry powder is cheating … or something like that. OK, fine. I suppose it is time to start making it from scratch.
When I run out of my pre-made curry powder, I’ll try Alton Brown’s Curry Powder Blend and this recipe also looks promising. In the meantime, I need to come up with some more ways to cook with curry.
Roasted Curried Yams – one of my favorites, spicy and sweet.
Happy Monday. Here’s wishing you a lovely day!
… because sometimes you just need a special treat …
Hawaiian Vanilla Company Coffee
… so rich, so smooth, so perfect for a cool, cloudy A Sunday morning.
I know this will be shocking, but I would so much rather be out cycling today than doing paperwork.
For the last 10 days I have been checking the weather forecast regularly and have gone back and forth between wanting to ride and wanting to bail on today’s Foxy’s Fall Century. The forecasts changed a bit daily – rain, no rain, but wind was a certainty each time I checked the Weather Channel’s site.
By the end of the workday yesterday I had convinced my self that riding today would be a bad idea, but I checked the weather forecast again when I got home and decided that I would reevaluate in the morning if I would ride or not. As of last night, the forecast was no rain until late afternoon and fairly reasonable winds until about 2:00, when they were projected to be 20+ mph. I began to think that if I started early enough that I could finish the ride before these 20+ mph winds started. So, I packed up all of my gear and went to bed with the promise that I would make my final decision in the morning.
I am so glad that I rode today.
What’s a ride without a fabulous selfy?
For a couple of weeks I’ve been trying to get friends to do the ride, but no one wanted to. I have not been cycling nearly enough this past year, so I wasn’t feeling particularly eager (or confident) to do this ride solo today. But I really needed to do the ride, so I was quite happy when another solo rider pulled up alongside about 10 or 15 miles into the ride and we got to chatting and finished the course together. I was very appreciative for the nice company.
After the ride, the lunch was good – lasagna, salad, gluten-free bread, desserts (ice cream sandwiches, macaroons, gluten-free chocolate cake).
Foxy’s Fall Century – Lunch
By the time I got home, I was a little hungry again …
My new go-to recovery drink is Golden Milk.
The weather held out throughout the ride. I did not get rained on this year and the wind didn’t get that bad. Actually, the winds were for the most part pretty favorable today.
I know I said this last year, but … next year … the full century is the goal.
Golden Milk is being touted as a “wonder” beverage loaded with all kinds of healthy benefits (click here). This recipe showed up on my Facebook feed one day and caught my attention. I need to start upping my calcium intake, but I’m not a huge fan of plain milk. The additional health benefits (especially the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties) were very appealing. I confess that initially I did not read the entire article and just barely watched the video to get the recipe, so I missed that it’s made with coconut milk, not cow’s milk.
I’ve got to do some more research about this, but for now, here’s my version:
Golden Milk
1 cup milk (your choice)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
maple syrup or honey to taste
Place all ingredients in a jar and shake until well blended, then strain (if desired) and serve with or without ice.
You can also mix in a blender with a little ice to make your beverage smoothie-like.
I tried it heated up last night, but surprisingly didn’t really like it as much.
A quick check of the weather forecast early morning showed 2-4 mph winds until about noon, when it was supposed to increase to 10 mph. Although I started out pretty early, I didn’t get as early a start as I had hoped. My goal was to get out and back before the wind kicked up too much.
Why do I still rely on the weather forecasts? Sigh … it started getting breezy earlier than anticipated and I had a bit of a side/headwind coming into Winters. While I was refueling, I chatted with a couple of other cyclists who were surprised by the earlier-than-expected breeze. Alas, the wind is an excellent training tool.
As I headed back out I realized that my ride home was going to have a lovely tailwind of a breeze. That was really nice for a change!
Super Protein Smoothie
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen cherries
1/4 cup frozen green grapes
1/4 cup frozen mango chunks
1 scoop whey protein powder
2 tablespoons egg white powder
1 cup ice water (or more, if desired)
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Makes enough for two.
Super Protein Smoothie
Yes, training has started for the 2017 Napa Valley Tour de Cure! Also, Davis Bike Club’s Foxy’s Fall Century is coming up in a few weeks. I’ve got some work to do to get ready. I’ve been off my bike too much this past year.
Happy cycling!
Saturday – Vacaville to Lake Solano and back.
Sunday – Vacaville, Winters, Vacaville.
No big climbing, certainly no speed records, but a few miles. It’s nice to be back in the saddle again.
No pictures, just riding.
Monday – back to work.
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