Culinary Competitor Blog

CSA for Dinner: Down on the Farm

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** Being part of a CSA is a terrific way to expose children to farm-fresh vegetables; to help them understand that vegetables aren’t created at a grocery store. I love that my kids are growing up learning about the link between the land and our dinner table. The best way to drive this point home, is to turn them into farmhands.

CSA for Dinner: Pumping Iron

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** Yesterday I bought myself a present; something I’ve wanted for a long, long time: a cast iron skillet. Now that I have one, I can’t believe I waited so long to get it.

Aguas and Liquados on PezCyclingNews.com

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

With no big race to shape this month’s recipe, there was little I could do to keep myself from slipping into my natural comfort zone. And given that my apartment is a stone’s throw from three taco shops (it was almost two after a midnight blaze nearly turned El Super Taco into a smoldering pile of beans and cheese last week…great work LAFD), a carniceria, and a Mexican market…that comfort definitely lies somewhere south of the border.

CSA for Dinner: Accidental Gardeners

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** My twin girls burst inside the house. “Mama! Come outside and see!” The girls had been foraging for raspberries on the side of the house. Who knows what they had discovered.

CSA for Dinner: Have Vegetables. Will travel.

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** This weekend we packed up our Suburban for a week-long vacation that included a triathlon. I know. I know. These days it’s difficult to admit you drive a Suburban, but we have limited options when you need to haul:

You've Got Crabs, You've Got Company

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Culinary Competitor grabs life by the claws and heads out crabbing. After an unsuccessful and half hearted stint in the SF bay, we headed up near the town of Bolinas and found a deserted shore with more than a few crabs. Needless to say, a Culinary Competitor style feast ensued.

Chicken Quesadillas with Caramelized Peaches and Onion

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Creamy Avocado Sauce

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Cowboy Coffee Baked Beans

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Spice-Rubbed Corn on the Cob

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Quesadillas with Corn, Black Beans, Shrimp and Feta

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Polenta with Summer Squash and Bell Pepper

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Heart of Palm and Corn salad with Tomato and Basil

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Risotto with Zucchini, Shrimp, and Proscuitto

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Spinach, Corn, and Black Bean Quesadillas

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Corn and Chive Bisque

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Turkey, Swiss, and Avocado Quesadillas

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Flank Steak Quesadillas with Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomatoes

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Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

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Cold Abalone and Bell Pepper Salad

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This is a recipe meant to be paired with an abalone dive, though if you do not have and do not want to buy abalone, calamari steaks can be reasonably substituted.

Grilled abalone with Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce

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Basic Pizza Dough

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This recipe makes 3 or 4 doughs. If only making one pizza, wrap and freeze the excess dough for use on a later date. Pulling pre-made dough from the freezer and topping it with whatever you have on hand is a great way to make a quick and cheap dinner.

Corn and Kale Pizza with Pork

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Chicken Quesadillas with Caramelized Peaches and Onion with a Creamy Avocado Sauce

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This quesadilla is designed to be hearty enough to stand alone as a meal unto itself. It has all the food groups covered, and plenty of flavor to go along with it.

Polenta with Summer Squash and Bell Pepper and Heart of Palm and Corn salad with Tomato and Basil

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Flank Steak Quesadillas with Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomatoes and Cowboy Coffee Baked Beans

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Risotto with Zucchini, Shrimp, and Proscuitto; and Corn and Chive Bisque

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Corn: America’s Grain

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Corn, despite what you may have thought, is in fact a grain, just like wheat or barley, not a vegetable. Its uses vary widely. It can be dried and ground into a meal to make porridge o

Grilled Chicken and Ratatouille

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CSA for Dinner: Little Dippers

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** As I sliced the kohlrabi, which was included in last weeks CSA box, I wasn’t concerned if my children would like this strange new vegetable. I was concerned about myself.

Lighten Up: Baked Tortilla Chips

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

There is nothing inherent about eating salsa or guacamole that says the chips you use have to be unhealthy and fried. As far as I’m concerned all they have to be is slightly salty and crisped...

Yerb Maté: An Herb Worth Brewing

swedishandy@gmail.com (swedishandy)

I have a love-hate, up-and-down relationship with coffee. Let’s start with the love: there is nothing better than the smell of freshly ground coffee first thing in the morning. The creamy, off-white foam that covers a properly pulled espresso is a form of poetry unto itself...

Tour de France Ratatouille on Pez Cycling News

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

In honor of Le Tour and our favorite cartoon chef rat, this month's recipe created for PezCyclingNews.com is everyone's newest favorite French dish--ratatouille--on the grill.

CSA for Dinner: Hail to the Kale

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** This week in our CSA box two new items joined the salad-making standards: wild black raspberries, which I hardly had time to wash before my girls inhaled them, and the not quite as excitable kale. Well, that’s not fair. I was excited about the kale...

CSA for Dinner: Civil Rights for Salad

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** One of my pet peeves as Chef-in-Chief of my family is the notion that food can’t touch other food on the dinner plate. I’ve decided the problem starts with those kiddie plates with different compartments. All those little kernels of corn stay in their corner, while carrot sticks stay quarantined from noodles...

Watermen: An Endangered Species

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

***Culinary Competitor and Friends Free Dive the Sonoma Coast*** The waterman is an endangered species. In fact, they have become so few and far between that most people are not even familiar with the term. These are guys (and girls for that matter) that live and die by the sea. They surf, swim, dive, fish, spearfish, and paddle. They are so amphibious that some of their

July's New Menu

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

July's menu is out now. Whitney Barns, RD, takes a look at our highlighted ingredients for the month, tomatoes and fish, from a nutritional perspective and talks about why these foods are a good idea to include in your diet. It should be right about now that your backyard tomato patch

Tomatoes

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Whether fresh picked from the garden for a summer barbeque or coming from a can for a comforting winter soup, tomatoes are a quizzical fruit with a variety of uses. Often referred to as vegetables, tomatoes are actually the fruit of their vines and range from

Fish

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fish per week to help prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Although it’s impossible to lump all fish into one generic description...

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Corn Chowder with Caramelized Peaches

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Pizza Margherita

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Arugula salad with Endive, Fennel, and Capers

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Tilapia with Kalamata Olive Topping

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Eggplant, Tomato-Basil Soup

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Fresh Mango Salsa

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Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

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Soba Noodles with Chili-Soy Sauce

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Sesame-Soy Pork Loin

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Pork loin is one of our favorite cuts of pork to grill, it is lean and relatively cheap. This marinade really goes well with the smoky flavor imparted by the coals, and when placed on a bed of fresh carrots creates a nice flavor and textural contrast.

Grilled Maui Onion

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Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia

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Leek and Shallot Mashed Potatoes

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When making these mashed potatoes, it is up to you how smooth to mash them, and whether or not to leave the skin on. For a very smooth version, add the potatoes to a food processor and whip them, for something a bit more rustic, coarsely mash them by hand. Make sure to wash the leeks well before slicking them, even peeling off the first few layers as there will likely be dirt trapped in there.

Roasted Tomato and Mango Salsa

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Baked Tortilla Chips

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As with most foods, making tortilla chips at home is a great way to lower their fat and calorie content. It is relatively easy to do and takes very little time. It is a great skill to have in a pinch too. Last thing you want is to be stranded with a whole bowl of guacamole and no chips.

Gorgonzola Pesto

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Store bought pesto is often swimming in unnecessary oil. When making a pesto at home you have total control of how much oil is added, not to mention how much cheese and how many nuts. You can even get creative with substitutions, like this pesto, which calls for cashews as opposed to the traditional pine nuts, and Gorgonzola as opposed to Parmesan.

Pastrami Sandwich with Tomato and Gorgonzola Pesto

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Pastrami may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of lean sandwich meats, but this definitely can be the case. Look for meats that are visibly leaner, with less marbling, and those labeled “lean”.

Sunflower Squash and Pea Soup

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Mango-Salmon Sushi Rolls

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Whenever making salmon, or preparing any dish in which you intend on eating raw fish, make sure to buy only the freshest, properly stored fish available. This is not likely going to come from your grocery store.

Sautéed Beech Mushrooms and Radish Sprouts

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Basic Pizza Sauce

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A tomato sauce from a can does not even compare to one that is made at home from fresh tomatoes. If you are growing tomatoes in your garden this summer and are getting a bit overwhelmed thinking about what you will do with them when they all ripen at the same time, consider making them into sauces.

Proscuitto and Mushroom Pizza with Basic Pizza Sauce

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Undoubtedly the best place to save unnecessary calories from fat when making a pizza is in the cheese. How much cheese you use on this pizza is up to you.

Basic Watermelon Aquafresca

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“Greek” Watermelon Salad

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This easy salad hits the spot on a hot day and goes great with grilled foods, especially light fish. The salty, briny feta goes great with the melon. There are probably dozens more watermelon salads to experiment with, but this recipe is always a crowd pleaser.

Pizza Margherita and Arugula salad with Endive, Fennel, and Capers

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Tilapia with Kalamata Olive Topping and Eggplant, Tomato-Basil Soup

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Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa and Soba Noodles with Chili-Soy Sauce

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Sesame-Soy Pork Loin Grilled with Maui Onion and Roasted Tomato and Garlic Corn Chowder

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia with Leek and Shallot Mashed Potatoes

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Pastrami Sandwich with Tomato and Gorgonzola Pesto and Sunflower Squash and Pea Soup

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Mango-Salmon Sushi Rolls with Sautéed Beech Mushrooms and Radish Sprouts

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CSA for Dinner: No Chard Shall Go Uneaten

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** This week’s share was more of the same--spinach, snap peas, strawberries--all kid-friendly and inhaled within days. So, I’ll take this opportunity to provide an update on my backyard garden, or what’s left of it. For starters, on Sunday I had to pull my swiss chard out of the garbage...

Sonoma Coast Abalone Dive

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

California's coast north of San Francisco typically greets ocean goers with a hard, calloused front complimented by its pounding fists of wind and swell. This past weekend, when nine foot ground swell was predicted along a section of shore that can so spitefully spit in your face, the three man CC team on the hunt for Red Abalone was instead greeted by sunny, blue skies and kissed with gentle ocean breezes...

Cook Like a Pro: Plan Ahead

swedishandy@gmail.com (swedishandy)

In this series, I’ll hope to use some of my experience in professional kitchens to give you useful tips for your domestic cooking endeavors. If I’ve learned anything working in restaurants, it’s that there is no dish the at-home cook should be afraid to attempt

CSA for Dinner: Sweet Pea Success

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** I tell anyone signing up for a CSA not to panic at the contents during the first few weeks. The output starts slow and builds over the course of the season. A whole CSA share can run approximately $500. Over a 16 to 18 week season it works out to around $30 a week. The first weeks you definitely won’t have $30 of fresh, organic produce. If you’re looking at buying a CSA share solely in terms of cost-effectiveness you might freak out at this point. But don’t.

Campfire Snack-Along: Banana Boat

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Summer means more than to us than watermelons and slip n’ slides. There are few things better in life than rounding up a group of friends, grabbing a harmonica, and heading down to the beach (or whatever your nearest body of water happens to be) to gather around a bonfire and talk a little story...

¿Qué Pasa (Flor de) Calabaza?

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Ever see a clear plastic bag of orange flowers at the farmers market and wonder to yourself (or blurted out loud…), “What am I supposed to do with those, and why are they so expensive?” Since there are few things we love more than incorporating edible flowers into our cooking

CSA for Dinner

kara@karathom.com (Kara from Mama Sweat)

***Through community supported agriculture and a backyard garden, how one mom helps her finicky family eat more vegetables (and love them).*** Every time I get a bag of homegrown pecans from my grandmother in West Texas, I’m reminded why participating in community supported agriculture is so important: I’m helping my children maintain a connection to the land.

Not Your Average Smoothie

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

A while back we received an email asking if we had any meal replacement type smoothies on the site. Although we had a few blended juices and traditional smoothies, none of these, in our minds anyway, really qualified as a “meal replacement.”

Prosciutto & Funghi Pizza on Pez Cycling News

jjkaye@gmail.com (jjkaye)

Check out this month's recipe over at Pez, it's a good one. If you give commercial America enough time with anything, no matter how delicate and Italian it once was, it will probably turn it into something like, oh I don’t know, Pizza Hut’s newest monstrosity...

June's Menu

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Yeah, we gone and done it, and quite literally at the very first opportunity we had, too. Summer is here and to us that indicates one thing: grilling. When we think grilling we think burgers, and in this month's menu we try to show that athletes can eat burgers, too (and if you are a certain Lance Armstrong you can even tweet about about it).

Good Earth Turkey Burger

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Turkey burgers can be a great alternative to beef, though just as with ground beef, ground turkey is available for purchase with varying percentages of fat. There are some obvious benefits to using extra-lean ground turkey in your cooking, though one of the drawbacks is that when making a burger such a lean meat tends to dry out quite a bit.

Sautéed Rapini

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Italian Style Burgers with Balsamic Ketchup and Basil Aioli

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The addition of turkey sausage gives these burgers a lot of their flavor. We opt for turkey sausage because it is typically leaner than beef or pork, though if you can find a nice lean pork sausage, that works great, too. One thing to keep in mind: if you are adding uncooked turkey sausage to your burgers, you should probably cook them to at least medium-well to avoid any possibility of salmonella contamination.

Grilled Polenta and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This polenta salad is a great way to enjoy fresh, early season tomatoes. The polenta contributes great corn-based carbohydrate, and when lightly drizzled with olive oil you get your daily serving of good fats. Look for fresh basil to start appearing at the farmer’s market.

Kiwi Burger

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This burger is not for the faint of heart. It has a lot going on in terms of flavor, and plenty in terms of nutrients. In fact, we have a hard time believing you can cram any more ingredients between two pieces of bread.

Baked Home-Style Fries

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These home-style fries are very simple but very satisfying. Yams or sweet potatoes are one of our favorite sources of carbohydrate. Make sure to cut them thick, and to help crisp them up, stick them under the broiler for the last couple minutes of cooking.

Pork and (soy) Chorizo Burgers

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Soy chorizo, in our opinion, is an incredible product. It may not be entirely free of artificial flavors and ingredients, but in terms of fat content, it is so much leaner it is not even comparable to the real thing. The addition of the soy chorizo is truly what makes these burgers what they are.

Smoky Black Beans

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Melon Salad with Cilantro

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This melon salad is a perfect summer side. Keep an eye out at markets for melons as they start to come into season. The flavor of most white-fleshed melons is great with the spice of the cilantro, and creates a dish that is reminiscent of a mango salsa.

FO Burger with Balsamic Onion Spread and garlic Aioli

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This burger is a tribute to one of our favorite restaurant burgers, and arguably one of the best in LA, the Father’s Office burger. As with any good recipe, its exact ingredients are a highly guarded secret, though needless to say we have washed down more than a few with some quality beer, and have a pretty good grasp on what the ingredients probably are.

Balsamic Onion Spread

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Green Beans with Gorgonzola and Pecans

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Green beans are a staple summer veggie and a perfect compliment to any summer main. We find that when making this salad it is unnecessary to add additional olive oil for a dressing because what remains on the tomatoes from their sauté is more than enough to add both moisture and flavor to the dish.

Banana, Yam, and Blueberry Smoothie

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Banana-Blueberry Smoothie with Spinach

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Apricot-Yam Smoothie

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Greek Burger

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For this burger we basically tried to take the ingredients of a traditional Greek salad and put them between two pieces of bread with a patty.

Giant Greek Beans

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Giant beans are a flagship Greek dish, they also happen to be a great source of carbohydrate and fiber. This side literally takes minutes to make, is unique, and very flavorful.

Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche

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Ceviche, which is served cold, is a great summer dish. Most flakey white fish, or in this case shrimp and scallops, are very lean sources of protein. One thing to keep in mind is that certain shellfish are relatively high in cholesterol, though as with anything else, when eaten in moderation should not pose a problem for most people.

Roasted Summer Squash and Yam Soup

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Light soups are a favorite summer side. This soup is great for the active person because the yam provides very solid carbohydrate, not to mention a lot of micronutrients and phytochemicals. The soup is meant to be served hot, but you also might want to consider serving it cool like a gazpacho.

Basil Aioli

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Good Earth Turkey Burger and Sautéed Rapini

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Italian Style Burgers with Grilled Polenta and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

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Kiwi Burger with Baked Home-Style Fries

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Pork and (soy) Chorizo Burgers with Smoky Black Beans and Melon-Cilantro Salad

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FO Burger and Green Beans with Gorgonzola and Pecans

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Greek Burger with Giant Beans

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For this burger we basically tried to take the ingredients of a traditional Greek salad and put them between two pieces of bread with a patty. Because Kalamata olives are essential to any good Greek salad

Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche with Roasted Summer Squash and Yam Soup

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Ground Beef

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

Over the past few years there has been a very welcomed push in America for health-conscious diets aimed at disease prevention. And because coronary artery disease is a leading cause of death amongst Americans, and obesity a problem plaguing the country, it is now beyond obvious that dietary fat intake has to be monitored

Green Beans

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

Green beans, often referred to as string beans, and significantly less often referred to as Phaseolus vulgaris , are amazingly nutrient-dense legumes. They find themselves in the same family as kidney beans, navy beans and black beans, and are typically available in stores year-round.

Put the Lime on the Coconut and the Salt on the Watermelon

swedishandy@gmail.com (swedishandy)

Now that summer is knocking on the door, it’s time to do summery things like go swimming, hold cookouts, and eat watermelon. On a hot day, nothing could be better than cutting into a big, juicy, ruby-red melon, and devouring a nice hearty wedge of the good stuff.

Kitchen Essentials: Cuisinart Food Processor

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

If we are talking bare essentials, any chef, whether good or bad, needs very few tools to cook up a good meal. In fact, most CC meals are made using only a good knife and a solid skillet or pot. Of course there are other elements necessary to cooking, like a source of heat, but we are just talking hardware here...

Winery Visit: Malibu Family Wines

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

When it comes to wine tasting in California there are a few big players that immediately come to mind. In the southern half of the state, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, and Paso Robles arguably occupy the top three steps on the podium, and once you head up North, it’s pretty much the behemoth that is Napa with its powerful Cabs...

Tested: Prolong Energy

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**Updated**: Culinary Competitor readers get **25% off Prolong Energy** purchase with coupon code "**culinarycomp**". For the last couple weeks Culinary Competitor has had the opportunity to train fueled by Prolong Energy drink, and we have not been disappointed. Unlike all too many “energy” drinks on the market, Prolong was created with a focus on the science behind the product (yes, this could not sound any more like someone's cliché marketing tagline...

Lighten UP: Curried Artichoke Chicken Salad Sandwiches

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

A wise man once said, “When having a tuna salad sandwich, there is no need to apply additional mayonnaise to the pieces of bread as there is already mayonnaise in the filling itself.” The multiple tablespoons of mayonnaise that make a tuna sandwich moist and flavorful, and binds the filling together, also happen to be what makes it a comparatively calorie-heavy option when put up against traditional cold-cuts.

Urban Forager: Nasturtiums

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There is something undeniably satisfying about stepping out into the wild and coming home with dinner. Unfortunately given my current urban living situation, this does not mean manhandling a wild beast in the woods...

May Newsletter

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May's newsletter is now available. If you want to keep up to speed with what we are up to over here, pay some mind to the top right of your page (yes, right there, where it says "sign up") and go sign up. We've done some cool things over the last few weeks, and have some great stuff coming up for the summer season. Good food and good times to come...

May's Menu Out Now

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

May's menu is now available. Our meals and recipes are built around chicken and egg dishes that incorporate late spring/early summer produce.

Chicken: The Original White Meat

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

When most people think lean protein, there is probably one meat that pops in their minds before any other: chicken. Pork has been making a serious push over the last few years with the campaign slogan, “the other white meat,” and despite the fact that we know that like chicken, turkey can be very lean, too, in the US it seems too hard to disassociate it with cold-cut sandwiches or a Thanksgiving feast. But with so many edible parts on a chicken...

The Good Egg: Egg Nutrition

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With white, brown, large, extra-large, and cage-free (to name a few) eggs all at the market these days, the enigma of the chicken or the egg has increasingly less importance. What really matters, and what you are probably asking yourself is, “which one is the best for me to eat?” Well, they can all be good.

Belgian Mussels on Pez

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This month's meal for PezCycling News pays tribute to Belgium, renowned for a few things; good beer, mussels, and cold, windy, painful bike races. Luckily the three go together quite nice...

Mint-Lemon Grass Whole Roasted Chicken

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Roasting a whole chicken is like the gift that keeps on giving. You will be surprised by how much meat you can actually pull from a whole-roasted chicken. Then after the meat is gone, you can boil what is left with some vegetables and make your own stock.

Seasoned Brown Rice with Scallions

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Brown rice, as we all know, is a great nutritious alternative to its white counterpart. For some people, the flavor of brown rice is a bit of a stumbling block, so this simple recipe adds a bit of excitement to what can be an otherwise mundane ingredient.

Chicken Salad with Asparagus, Strawberries, and Snap Peas

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Once the weather starts warming up, main coarse salads become very appealing. This is a great late spring/early summer salad. The snap peas add great crunch, and the strawberries add a lot of vitamin C that you would not get from a strictly green salad.

Garlic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Dill

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Fresh herbs are a great addition to any dish, and particularly to these roasted fingerlings. If you do not have dill on hand, nearly any fresh herb will work just fine. By roasting the potatoes whole, you get the added nutrient and fiber benefits of consuming the skin.

Grilled Artichokes

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Seafood Fettuccini al Mar

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As we talked about last month, pasta may not be quite as bad for you as recent diet fads have made it out to be. When complimented by a simple red sauce and seafood, you have a well-balanced, low-fat meal.

Huevos Rancheros

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Huevos ranchers is a staple Mexican egg dish. Often times the tortillas are fried, adding to the fat content of the dish, but we find this to be unnecessary and actually add very little to the dish as a whole.

Pico de Gallo

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Pico de Gallo is a very simple, fresh salsa. We often think of salsa as nothing more than a condiment, but in this case it is full of fresh, nutrient packed vegetables.

Curried Artichoke Chicken Salad Sandwich

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Often times chicken, egg, tuna or other –salad sandwiches are very calorie heavy and packed with fat due to the mayonnaise used to bind the mix together. Because of the artichoke hearts used in this curried chicken salad sandwich

Carrot-Snow Pea Salad with Dried Mango

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This carrot and snow pea salad is very simple but extremely satisfying. Snow peas are not always eaten raw, and tend to have a bit of a bite to them, but that flavor is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the dried mango.

Brie and Wild Mushroom Stuffed Chicken

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Risotto with Cranberries, Sliced Almonds, and Brie

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Simply Marinated Vegetables

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With so many fresh veggies coming into season, sometimes it is best to enjoy them as simply as possible, this way we can truly appreciate their flavors and textures.

Spanish Tortilla (omelet) with Asparagus, Potato, Mushroom and Goat Cheese

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Anytime we are making egg dishes we like to leave the yolk-to-white ratio variable. The yolk does have some nutrient value, but it also contains all the fat found in eggs, and a fair amount of cholesterol

Roasted Peppers, White Beans, and Ham

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This side dish is very simple, lean, and flavorful. The red bell peppers are filled with antioxidants, the beans are a great lean source of vegetarian protein and complex carbohydrate, and the ham a lean source of meat protein

Mixed Baby Greens Salad with Asparagus, Potato, Peas, and Egg

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This salad is great because it is very light, yet has some substantiality and a variety of flavors. Asparagus is a great spring vegetable and incredibly rich in vitamins and minerals. The potato adds gluten-free carbohydrate, and eggs are one of the most complete sources of protein available

Chicken Stir-Fry with Snap Peas, Bell Pepper, and Radish

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Stir frys are a great way to cook a quick, healthy meal. They can contain nearly any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables and any meat.

Chipotle Egg Salad Sandwiches

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As with the scrambles, omelets, and Spanish tortillas we make, with egg salad we like to use a higher ratio of egg whites to yolks. This reduces calories and cholesterol, and once all the wet ingredients are mixed in, does not detract from the overall moisture.

Cucumber, Radish, and Spinach Salad

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This salad is very light and fresh. If you do not have or do not want to buy chili oil for the dressing, substituting olive oil with a pinch of chili powder works just fine. This will also make the dish less spicy as chili oil tends to bring quite a bit of heat.

Omelet with Canadian Bacon and Bell Pepper

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Mint-Lemon Grass Whole Roasted Chicken and Seasoned Brown Rice with Scallions

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Chicken Salad with Asparagus, Strawberries, and Snap Peas with Garlic-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Grilled Artichokes

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Huevos Rancheros with Pico de Gallo Salsa

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Curried Artichoke-Chicken Salad Sandwich with Carrot-Snow Pea Salad

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Brie and Wild Mushroom Stuffed Chicken and Risotto with Cranberries, Sliced Almonds, and Brie

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Spanish Tortilla (omelet) with Asparagus, Potato, and Mushroom; Roasted Peppers with White Beans and Ham

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Chipotle Egg Salad Sandwiches and Cucumber, Radish, and Spinach Salad

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Eat Like a Pro (er, collegiate stud): UCLA Triathlon's Scholarship Athlete Brittany Day

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Collegiate triathlon is a fast growing segment of one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Due to some very hard work by some early collegiate racers, the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference exists and is definitely thriving. In an attempt to take the legitimacy of the sport to the next level, this past year UCLA triathlon was the first collegiate program to offer any sort of scholarship to its top male and female athletes...

Against the Grain: Stepping Away from Whole-Wheat and Brown Rice

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Grains have had a rather tumultuous path for the last ten years or so, but now that all the dietary rumors have been dispelled, it’s time to start digging in and enjoying them for what they are worth...

Barley Risotto with Turkey

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We have made this risotto a number of different ways, trying various substitutions each time. This recipe calls for pearled barley, which has both the hull and the bran removed from the barley grain. Though pearled barley contains less fiber, it is significantly easier to cook.

Get Your Fix: groundwork coffee

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Despite the economy sinking faster than a round of happy hour beers on a Monday night (yes, Monday, times are hard, ok), boutique coffee roasters with puns for names seem to be an unstoppable force over the last few years...

Ile de France Brie Stuffed Chicken and Risotto with Sliced Almonds, Brie, and Dried Cranberries

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A little while back we were contacted by Alex from Ile de France cheese and asked if we would like to incorporate a sample of their product into one of our recipes. At first consideration this did not seem like the most logical pairing--a recipe site for athletes and active people building an entire recipe around cheese (call me crazy)...

Pasta's Redemption: Why it is Still Good for Athletes

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Carbohydrates are an important component of the human diet, athlete or not, no matter what the latest fad diets claim. Each macronutrient consumed—whether it be protein, fat, or carbohydrate—plays an essential role in the normal functioning of the body.

Spring Lettuces

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Though most grocery store produce is available to us year round, we know that to get the good stuff we have to pay attention to what is in season, and often look beyond the fruits and vegetables at the supermarket. Lettuces, because their quality and nutrient value depends so heavily on freshness and seasonality...

Making Amends with Pizza

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As happens with most things that were at one point of high quality, pizza has been taken from its original form, mass produced, broken down so it hardly resembles what it once was, then rebuilt as something devoid of any value, nutritional or otherwise, whatsoever. Ok, well maybe that is a bit harsh...

April's Newsletter Now Available

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April's newsletter is now available. If you did not get one, that is because you have not signed up...so go get to it. Keep up to date with all the recipes and all of the utterly entertaining nutrition and fitness based articles. To take a look at April's newsletter.

Mushrooms

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Mushrooms, the fungus among us, are culinary classics come newly beloved for their potential health benefits. More than ever mushrooms are being studied by nutrition researchers, and the results of these studies indicate that mushrooms contain health enhancing, if not potentially life-saving nutrients.

Strawberries

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Did you know that strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside and that this anomaly of an early spring fruit is one of the most popular in the United States? Facts gathered about strawberry consumption indicate that each American eats an average of 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries every year. In addition to this, they consume another 1.8 pounds of frozen strawberries (that’s a lot of strawberry milkshakes).

April's New Menu

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April's new menu is now up on the site. Because it is part of our manifesto that there is more to eating for the athlete than pasta and red sauce, we took our own advice and developed some great pasta recipes using spring produce and lean meats. Our other main focus was on healthy, produce-heavy, cheese-light pizzas. Making a pizza at home from scratch is easy and satisfying. Eat well. Race hard.

Fennel, Roasted Garlic, and Bleu Cheese Pizza and Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Candied Pecans

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Brazilian-Style Pizza with Heart of Palm, Olive, and Linguisa and Chipotle Black Bean Salad

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Asparagus, Chicken, and Proscuitto Pizza, with Wilted Arugula and Warm Mushroom-Butter Lettuce Salad

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Papardelle with Turkey, Peas, Carrots, and Mushrooms and a Mesclun Salad with Blood Oranges and Strawberries

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Linguine with Calamari, and Green and White Asparagus and a Roasted Potato Medley with Oregano and Micro Greens

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Fennel, Roasted Garlic, and Bleu Cheese Pizza

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Fennel and garlic are two prime spring vegetables. The roasted garlic and the bleu cheese give this pizza an incredible depth. By using bleu cheese, because of its potency, you will be able to add it in moderation, thus saving calories while maintaining flavor.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Candied Pecans

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Brazilian-Style Pizza with Heart of Palm, Olive, and Linguisa

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Brazilian-style pizza is a great, straight forward use of ingredients. Instead of topping the pizza with a sauce, the tomatoes are kept in tact, then very simply seasoned. When using a cheese like cheddar on a pizza, it is a good idea to grate it with a mircoplane as it allows a little cheese to go a long way. A microplane creates many tiny pieces of cheese that spread thin and cover a large area, thus saving you calories.

Chipotle Black Bean Salad

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Garlic-Spinach Gnocchi with Red Chard, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Canellini Beans

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Sun dried tomatoes are almost always jarred and stored in olive oil. Although olive oil is a healthy oil and necessary in small amounts, the excess is not necessary in this recipe, so rinsing the dried tomatoes before adding them is a great way to cut out unnecessary calories. The gnocchi will have enough sauce that the loss of oil will not affect the amount of moisture or overall outcome of the dish.

Asparagus, Chicken and Proscuitto Pizza, with Wilted Arugula

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Warm Mushroom and Butter Lettuce Salad

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Papardelle with Turkey, Peas, Carrots, and Mushrooms

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This pasta is meant to be a bit like a Spring turkey stroganoff. The peas and carrots go together like, well, peas and carrots, and work well with the turkey. Instead of using beef and a heavy gravy in the pasta, the sauce is made from stock and thickened with flour.

Mesclun Salad with Blood Oranges and Strawberries

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Polenta and Eggplant with Broccolini and Lamb Meat-Sauce

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Though we do not use lamb all that often, it can be a great variation to beef and is usually fairly lean. Polenta is a great source of carbohydrate. It is basically fat free, and when you buy the pre-made version from the store, is very convenient to eat. If the whole stacking the eggplant and polenta thing is too much for you, just toss it on the plate, top with the meat sauce, and enjoy.

(Brown Rice) Penne with Sweet Italian Sausage, Dandelion Greens, and Roasted Garlic-Lemon Sauce

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Dandelion greens, though incredibly nutritious, can be hard to eat. They are very fibrous and have a very bitter flavor, though this is lessened when the greens are cooked. In this dish they are used in moderation, and are balanced out by the tang of the lemon juice and the spicy-sweetness of the sausage. In this recipe we use brown rice penne pasta in an attempt to cut out gluten for those that are sensitive (we are all sensitive to a certain extent). If you do not like brown-rice pasta, feel free to use whole-wheat or regular.

Pasta Shells with Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Shrimp

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We generally only see shells when they are stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheese, not exactly competitor-friendly. Though this does not have to be the case, they can be a great addition to any traditional pasta, like this one, as well as cold pasta salads.

Cilantro Pesto Pizza with Shrimp and Feta Cheese

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Cilantro pesto is a great variation to a traditional basil pesto, especially when basil is not in season. Keep in mind that pesto is oil based and can be very high in calories. That being said, a pesto you make at home will only contain olive oil, and thus be high in healthy, essential fats. Because pesto has so much flavor, you should be able to use it sparingly.

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Pineapple

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Everyone is familiar with BBQ chicken pizza, but the addition of pineapple gives this version a great twist while adding some fruit to the dish, too. If you cannot find good, fresh pineapple, because it is ultimately cooked, the canned stuff will work just as well in this case.

Spinach, Mushroom and Feta Pizza with (tofu) White-Sauce

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Substituting tofu for ricotta is something we like to do on occasion around here. We find that when pureed, the texture of tofu is almost identical to ricotta, and the flavors are not that far off, either. This is a great way to keep the calories low in otherwise incredibly calorie-dense sauce. It also adds some great vegetarian protein to the pizza.

Arugula Salad with Radish, Fontina, and Lemon Pepper Dressing

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Potato Medley with Fresh Oregano and Micro Greens

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Linguine with Calamari and Green and White Asparagus

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Mushroom Bolognese with Spaghetti

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Doing a mushroom Bolognese is a great use of spring mushrooms, and a better way to pack what can be a very heavy dish with tons of vegetables. For the meat eater in the family, you can even throw some beef into this dish and it will taste just as good, if not better.

Risotto Milanese and Mesclun Salad with Strawberries on PezCyclingNews.com

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This month's meal, Risotto Milanese and Mesclun Salad with Strawberries, is now up on PezCyclingNews.com. In celebration of La Primavera (Milan-San Remo, double entendre...get it?)

Red Wine: Good (for your health), Bad, or Otherwise?

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Wine is all a buzz these days, no pun intended. We know it is calming, makes us social, and is a great way to wind down an evening, but is there more to its benefits than revelry or relaxation? The answer is likely yes. You may have heard (if you haven’t you have been living under a rock) bits in the news that “wine is good for the heart” and found yourself wondering questions like “should I start drinking wine for the health benefits?”

Kiwi: Not Just Your Crafty Mate from Down Under

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As we briefly touched on in this month’s newsletter, the kiwifruit, though often over looked as just something to include in a brunch buffet’s fruit salad, is actually a vitamin-packed super-fruit.

"Mostly" Homemade

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When times are tight, this means that not only do we have to be economical with our money, but with our time, too. Less money often means more work, and more work guarantees less time; follow? There is no doubt that Americans like shortcuts and quick fixes, and when it comes to food, these shortcuts do not always have to be sources of guilt and/or splurges of money.

Sandwich Spreads at Home

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There are a certain few things that separate restaurant-style food from what we often prepare at home. Unfortunately, one of the main differentials seems to be fat, and in the case of the sandwich, this often comes in the form of a spread.

Eat Like a Pro: Garmin-Slipstream GC Leader Christian Vande Velde

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We caught up with Christian Vande Velde not more than a couple hours after he hit the deck during the Paris-Nice prologue. Even still, he was more than happy to talk to us about his personal approach to nutrition, what eating is like on the road in the ProTour, and how he has honed his approach in preparation for what is sure to be the ultimate throw-down this July. If you don’t already have a sworn allegiance, and even if you do, this is a guy you might want to consider getting behind. Here is what he had to say:

Chef's Knife: Be the Boss

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If you expect to be treated like the boss of your kitchen, it’s time to start acting like it. This means having the proper equipment and knowing how to use it. There are few tools in the kitchen that are absolutely necessary, and though an unusually expensive chef’s knife may not be essential, a high quality blade will make your life a lot easier.

Turkey Club Sandwich

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These sandwiches have everything needed in a club, the main difference is that instead of using three strips of bacon per sandwich, we use two strips total and incorporate them into a spread.

Rustic Tomato Soup

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Using a store bought tomato soup base saves a lot of time and provides a good foundation of flavor. It is probably not worth the effort to source all the ingredients needed to make a tomato soup. Instead, you can focus of adding ingredients...

Chicken and Portobello Sandwich with Avocado Spinach Spread

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Avocados are good for much more than guacamole. If mashed or pureed, they make a great base for sandwich spreads. Try using avocados, which are full of vitamins, minerals...

Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Orzo Salad

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Asparagus is a great early spring vegetable and is very high in vitamins K and C. Prosciutto, like many cured meats, is very high in sodium. It is best used in dishes like this, where it adds flavor but is not the main focus. For the orzo, look for whole-wheat if possible. The other flavors in the salad are substantial enough as to not be overpowered by the heartier flavored whole grain.

Mixed Shellfish Salad with Cilantro Mint Dressing

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Frozen seafood is not usually best when served to stand alone, but is great when used in salads, pastas, or other dishes. Although shrimp contains almost no fat, it does contain a fairly high amount of cholesterol,

Ham and Egg Sandwich with Pecorino Romano Cheese and Arugula

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Ham often gets a bad wrap, though in most cases cold-cut ham is a relatively lean meat, if not nearly fat free. Though as is the case with most prepackaged meats, be sure to keep an eye on sodium levels...

Portobello and Eggplant Pitas with Artichoke Heart Spread

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This sandwich is a great vegetarian option, and with the inclusion of eggplant is still very hearty. We prefer to fill the pita like a taco and fold it in half to eat. You can also slice the pita and fill each half.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Wild Rice Salad

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This salad is light yet still very filling. The celery and apple add a lot of freshness, as does the crumbled goat cheese. By using jarred bell peppers we save the time it would take to char and remove the skin from fresh peppers...

California Turkey Patty Melt with a Chili Dijon Spread

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Potato Salad with Heart of Palm and Asparagus

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When cooking your potatoes for the salad, make sure they are cooked through but are not mushy or crumbly. Look for whole pieces of heart of palm, not pre-cut, which tend to not be as tender.

Filet Mignon with sautéed Mushrooms and Garlic

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It is not often that we use pricey cuts of meat like filet mignon, though it is a great cut for the health conscious eater because it is relatively lean and usually not available in obscene portion sizes

Cast Iron Romaine with Caramelized Onion, Bleu Cheese and Balsamic Sauce

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Pre-packaged romaine hearts work great for the cast-iron romaine. This is traditionally a salad we make on the grill, though because in many places firing up the grill is currently out of the question...

Chicken Salad with Yams and Peanut Dressing

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This salad is a great to take to work for lunch because it is a balanced meal in itself. The yams provide healthy carbohydrate and the chicken is a lean source of protein. If you cannot find escarole, look for butter lettuce as a suitable substitution.

Potato Salad with Fresh Oregano

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Turkey on Pumpernickel with Apple and Smoked Cheddar

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Maché and Watercress salad with Avocado and Mandarin Oranges

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Kiwi Smoothie with Strawberry and Honey

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Kiwi Smoothie with Coconut Water and Orange Juice

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Turkey Club Sandwich and Rustic Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese and Cilantro

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These sandwiches have everything needed in a club, the main difference is that instead of using three strips of bacon per sandwich, we use two strips total and incorporate them into a spread.

Chicken and Portobello Sandwich with Avocado Spinach Spread; Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Orzo Salad

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Avocados are good for much more than guacamole. If mashed or pureed, they make a great base for sandwich spreads. Try using avocados, which are full of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, instead of nutritionally empty mayonnaise next time you make a sandwich.

Ham and Egg Sandwich with Pecorino Romano; Potato Salad with Fresh Oregano

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Portobello and Eggplant Pitas with Artichoke Heart Spread; Roasted Pepper Wild Rice Salad

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Turkey Patty Melt with a Chili-Dijon Spread; Heart of Palm-Asparagus Potato Salad

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The combination of sourdough, avocado, and green chilies creates a very California-style flavor. What usually makes for a patty melt as opposed to a burger is the use of sliced bread instead of a burger bun, though a bun can be used here, too. You can also use whole-wheat sourdough if it is available.

Cast Iron Romaine Salad with Caramelized Onion and Bleu Cheese; Filet Mignon with Mushroom and Garlic sauté

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Turkey on Pumpernickel with Apple and Smoked Cheddar; Maché and Watercress salad

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Garlic

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Garlic is a key component to most recipes because it adds pungent flavor and aroma, and what’s best is this is at basically no nutritional cost. Because garlic is believed to have certain benefits within the body when consumed, it has been extensively studied and scrutinized, and many rumors exist about its healing potential.

Asparagus

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Asparagus, a quintessential spring vegetable, can be served hot or cold, and always makes a high nutrient, low calorie side dish. Just about 5 ounces of asparagus contains a mere twenty calories (less than 4 calories per spear), but provides about sixty percent of the recommended daily allowance for folic acid (an essential B vitamin for athletes). It is very low in sodium, contains about 3 grams of fiber per serving, and is a good source of the electrolyte potassium

The Essence of Bacon

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There are some ingredients, no matter how bad they may be for you, that are just hard to completely avoid. Though these vices will differ from person to person; for some it may be a certain cheese, for others a certain sweet; it seems many people will agree that bacon falls into this category...

Cocoa Spice Rubs: Antioxidize Your Meat

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With February being the month of chocolate and all, we thought it only right to look at the stuff and see what kind of health benefits (or drawbacks) it might provide you as an eater and an athlete. So the consensus seems to be: there are definitely some benefits to consuming cocoa...

Eat Like a Pro: National Champion Edition with US Pro Criterium Champ Rahsaan Bahati

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We got the opportunity to sit down and talk with National Crierium Champion Rahsaan Bahati of Rock Racing about how healthy nutrition factors into his success as America’s premier criterium racer. See what he had to say…

Santa Ynez Wineries: Keep the Rubber Side Down (Not Sideways)

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Solvang, the quaint little Danish town located smack in the middle (well, kind of) of California, has been the location of the ATOC time trial since it’s second year. It also happens to be located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley, California’s premier Central Coast grape growing region.

Tour of California Eats: Solvang Restaurants

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If you are headed up to Solvang for the weekend and do not get the luxury of having your every whim catered to like the boys on their bikes, you might be looking for a good place to grab a some dinner one evening. When traveling in the Santa Ynez Valley post 2004, it is simply impossible to avoid landmarks, wineries, and restaurants piggy-backing on the success of the movie Sideways...

Snacking Through your Work Day

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A couple weeks ago we looked at the benefits of snacking throughout the day. We have all heard the advice time and time again--many small meals through the day are metabolically better than a few large ones. But what about the average working athlete? Someone who wakes up before dawn for a workout...

Check out This Month's Meal on PezCyclingNews.com

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Check out this month's meal, Flank Steak Fajitas with Guacamole and Mexican Rice on PezCyclingNews.com

Slap Some Peanut Butter on It

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Given the recent focus on Almond butter, we decided to spread the love (sorry for that, bad pun), and give some attention to its better-known cousin, peanut butter.

Food On the Road: Banana and Almond Butter in a Whole Wheat Tortilla

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Tired of eating energy bars that taste horrible? I am. Eating dry, unappetizing snacks on the road does not have to be the case, either. With a little time spent, you can throw together some great, portable snacks to eat while training that incorporate all the macronutrients your body needs to keep going...

Happy Feet: Poor man's way to dry shoes

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There are few things worse than having to put on wet equipment before a morning’s workout (I can recall the oh so many times I have pulled on a damp and strangely fragrant wetsuit while it is still dark outside before going surfing). In survival situations there is one piece of advice we seem to hear over and over again, “keep your feet from getting wet,”

Q&A with Endurance Mom and Writer Kara Thom

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A mother of three (with one more on the way very soon), a published fitness author, blogger (with an utterly entertaining blog), and somewhere in there she finds time to train and compete in anything from local running races to Ironman. We met Kara and instantly decided that the ever-shifting balance in her life is something many of our readers would be able commiserate with, and because she is able to make sense of it all with creativity, incredible perspective, and a ton of humor, she must have something worth sharing.

(Brewery) Tour of California

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Watching others race their bikes is almost as exhausting as doing the racing yourself. It requires proper nutrition for you to be at your best, how else do you expect to be able to run up those unrated climbs, dodging screaming fans and annoying the athletes for as long as possible? Such a nutrition regiment should include

Mole: A Sauce for the Gods

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Though it may be hard to definitively answer the question “What one food defines Mexican cuisine?” I can say with some certainty that it is not tacos or enchiladas. One of the most complex, tasty, and decidedly authentic Mexican “foods” might actually be a sauce: mole.

Cocoa Rubbed Pork Shoulder

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This rub is great on both pork and beef. It is smoky and rich, savory and slightly sweet, and has just enough kick to it. For the sake of meat variation, we use a pork shoulder. Because pork shoulder can be a slightly fattier cut, look for one with visibly less marbling.

Green Bean, Radicchio, and Carrot Salad

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This salad is simple and exciting. The natural sweetness of the carrots balances the bitterness of the radicchio, and the bleu cheese and walnuts add great texture and flavor. Make sure to slice the carrots thin so they fit in texturally with the rest of the salad.

Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter and Scallions

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Browning butter is a great way to add a lot of rich flavor without too much fat. One tablespoon of browned butte goes a long way in terms of flavor. Be sure to stir constantly once you add the scallions, being careful not to burn them.

Feijoada with Spicy Chorizo

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Feijoada is a Brazilian black bean stew. We made this version a bit more user friendly by leaving out a few non-essential ingredients that are difficult to find, like special Brazilian cured meat, and those that are exceptionally bad for you. With any recipe that calls for meat (or in this case multiple meats), look for ones that are visibly leaner.

Kale with Carrots and Raisins

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This kale recipe is quick, easy to make, and very nutritious. The savory-sweetness from the spices and raisins really round out the flavors of the dish.

Cider-Braised Pulled-Pork Sandwich

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This is a great variation to a classic pulled-pork sandwich. The pork is lean and the cider braise gives it a lot of flavor.

Carrot-Apple Coleslaw

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Coleslaw recipes can be very heavy when made with excessive amounts of mayonnaise, but this slaw is naturally sweet with just the right amount of spice and is by no means heavy on the fat. The type of apple used for the carrot-apple slaw is based on personal preference. You can use something a bit sweeter, like a Fuji, or go for something bold and tart, like a Granny Smith.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Bulgur

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It is not always easy to make a hearty vegetarian dish, though this vegetarian chili with bulgur is just that. The bulgur adds a lot of substantiality, while contributing a great source of carbohydrate and keeping it lean.

Pureed White Bean and Sage Soup

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This recipe for white bean soup is easy to make, satisfying, and very healthy. It can be made very quickly, or cooked for some time to let the flavors really come together. Make a double batch on a weeknight and bring the leftovers to work the next day for a simple, healthy, yet filling lunch.

Mole Tamale Pie

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This tamale pie is very simple to make, especially when using a store-bought mole, and will feed a crowd. The simple carbohydrates in the tortillas compliment the complex carbohydrates in the black beans, helping to create a balanced nutritional profile.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Tomatillo Salad

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Grab the last of the winter squash before it is totally gone and throw it in this butternut squash salad. Butternut squash provides a lot of flavor and a lot of A vitamins at very little cost calorie-wise. Be careful not to over cook the squash in this recipe, or the salad will turn into a big bowl of mush.

Mole Verde (Green Mole) with Chicken

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Green mole is a great alternative to the more widely known red. This green mole recipe is healthy as it is made primarily of seeds and vegetables. You can add just about as much spinach (or other leafy green vegetable) as you want to the dish, too. Try it on chicken, fish, or pork. Though the task may look daunting, it is really quite simple, once everything is cooked or prepped, throw it in a food processor and hit "on".

Cumin Spiced Cauliflower

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Cauliflower is a great food for healthy eaters and should not only appear on relish trays. It is filling, nutrition, and has very few calories. This recipe cauliflower recipes, spiced with cumin, adds a lot of flavor to what can sometimes be a bland vegetable.

Red Mole

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

“Authentic” mole is something that takes a lot of preparation, at least a few hard to come by ingredients, and a lot of time. This sauce, although very flavorful and resembling authentic mole, is not what you would get from a Oaxacan or Puebla style restaurant. That being said, it is a great alternative...

Flank Steak with Red Mole

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Our quick red mole sauce goes great with flank steak. Flank steak is a lean cut of beef and is great for quick weeknight cooking and afternoon BBQ's alike. If iron is something you may be lacking in your diet, look for lean cuts of red meat like flank steak help help boost levels.

Mexican Rice with Carrots

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Mexican rice, made with tomato sauce and chicken stock, is quick and easy, and is a flavorful alternative to plain rice. With a few alterations we make a very healthy Mexican rice recipe out of an often times unnecessarily greasy restaurant dish. Feel free to add other seasonal vegetables along with the carrots.

Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Lime

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This is a quick and simple way to prepare spinach. It goes well with spicy foods, like Mexican or Thai.

Banana Muffins with Cocoa Nibs

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A healthy, satisfying muffin, and the perfect use for the old banana you have sitting around. The cocoa nibs add great flavor and a slight crunch to the muffins, and because they are baked in the muffin, they soften up just enough. They also lend subtle chocolate flavor to the muffins without the excess sugar found in chocolate chips.

Bittersweet Hot Cocoa

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

There are few things more satisfying that hot cocoa on a cold afternoon. Make your own with this simple recipe and you do not have to worry about the artificial flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives found in store-bought cocoa.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

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Maple-Chili Hot Cocoa

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This is a fun variation of traditional hot cocoa. The chili flavor is more more of an essence than a robust flavor and the cayenne should add just a ting. Try not to be intimidated and give it a go.

Anise Hot Cocoa

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Cocoa Rubbed Pork Shoulder with Green Bean and Radicchio Salad and Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Feijoada with Spicy Chorizo and Kale with Carrots and Raisins

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Cider-Braised Pulled-Pork Sandwiches and Carrot-Apple Slaw

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This is a great variation to a classic pulled-pork sandwich. The pork is lean and the cider braise gives it a lot of flavor.

Mole Tamale Pie with a Roasted Butternut Squash and Tomatillo Salad

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Mole Verde (Green Mole) Chicken with Cumin Spiced Cauliflower

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Red Mole Flank Steak with Mexican Rice and Sautéed Spinach

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Carrots

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By this point it is likely you have heard the suggestion to eat a diet varied in color.Furthermore, you probably know that the bright orange of carrots means something good, as in they’re probably high in that free-radical-killing catchphrase “antioxidants”.

Chocolate: Good (for your health), Bad, or Otherwise?

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

Chocolate is a divinely sweet treat popularized by holidays and thoughts of love. One may wonder, is it all a commercial hoax or is there really a love connection between chocolate and those who give and receive the sweet treat? Chocolate has an ancient and rich history, and has been in the news a good deal over the past few years...

Avocados: Green Gold from the Golden State

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

As the Tour of California is coming around the bend with the force of a Pro Tour peloton in the final kilometer, we thought it only appropriate to turn the spotlight out West and see a bit of what the Golden State has to offer. If there is one food that Californians may be willing to fight to call their own, it is the avocado (that or a double soy macchiato, hold the whip, sub wheatgrass for caramel drizzle).

A Cyclist’s Plea for Organic Agriculture

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This is a bit of a rant. If you are someone like me and get really annoyed reading opinionated articles with little to offer in terms of solutions, I recommend you stop reading now. If on the other hand you are someone that enjoys reading provocative material, you like to get fired up, raise your fists in the air and shout things like...

You Say Banana, I Say Super Food

andyjohns@gmail.com (MadeToRun)

This article is dedicated to a runner’s best friend, often referred to as a nutritional “super food” – the banana. No matter what sport it is, they always seem to pop up. Got a soccer match in a couple of hours? Eat a banana. Tired from today’s basketball practice? Eat a banana. In the midst of a marathon? Grab a banana. Trying to live a healthier lifestyle? Eat a banana.

Winery Visit: Berryessa Gap

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

We visited Berryessa Gap a few weeks ago, and with stage one of the Tour of California just days away, we decided to pull this article back up. The tasting room is located in Downtown Winters, right at the first sprint point of the tour. If you are in Davis for the race this weekend, given the weather forecast, a little wine and some shelter might be in order for watching the boys pass by. You might even see us there...

Open Knife Night: Reader's Recipes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

We at Culinary Competitor know that the best ideas do not always flow from the top down. Cooks come in all forms and fashions, and it does not take a Food Network star, or an executive chef of twenty years to create a good meal...

Pro’s and Con’s of Caffeine: Does it Hurt or Help When it Comes to Performance?

andyjohns@gmail.com (MadeToRun)

Like the majority of people who work a full-time job, I like to wake up and have a warm cup of coffee to start my day. After a few years of coffee drinking it’s now a standard part of my daily routine. Though as a runner I sometimes make the conscious decision to cut out caffeine intake in the days leading up to a race. The reason being that caffeine is well known as a diuretic and may make it hard to stay sufficiently hydrated when it matters most.

Snack well. Race hard in 2009

swedishandy@gmail.com (swedishandy)

It’s time to do some simple math. If you’re even a semi-serious endurance athlete, male or female, big or small, you eat more than the average person. A daily intake of 3,000 calories is not out of the question for an average size person with an above average fitness regiment.

Absinthe Gives You Wings

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Deciding whether or not to write an article about absinthe on a recipe site for athletes took a bit of thinking through. I’ll do my best to walk you through my rational as to why I believe absinthe is culinary enough for us...

January Newsletter Now Available!

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In case you missed the e-mail blast, [the January Newsletter is now available](http://www.culinarycompetitor.com/newsletter/090114). If you're not subscribed to the newsletter, just [sign-up with Culinary Competitor and stay-up-to date](http://www.culinarycompetitor.com/members/sign-up).

Cold Hands (and head and feet), Warm Heart

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Contrary to popular belief (and even what is printed in US Army Survival Manual), you do not lose a majority of your body heat through your head. Any uncovered part of your body loses heat proportionately, and will subsequently drop your core temperature. That being said, it’s hard to deny the difference a beanie or skullcap makes on a cold winter morning.

Join us on Facebook!

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Culinary Competitor now has [Facebook Page](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Culinary-Competitor/32874487327), join us! Facebook is a great way to share recipes with your friends and be part of the Culinary Competitor community.

Layers: Stay Warm, Be Happy

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Any endurance athlete knows how quickly a training session can turn sour due to inadequate, or poorly planned clothing. The margins that separate comfort, slight discomfort, and outright torture are slim during the winter months, when training in cold weather is unavoidable.

White Bean Chicken Chili

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This is a great cold weather soup and a fun alternative to traditional chili. The combination of white beans and potato create a balanced carbohydrate profile, and as always, boneless, skinless chicken provides lean protein.

Hand Made Corn Tortillas

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Homemade corn tortillas are very easy to make, so long as you have the right ingredients. We keep a bag of corn masa on hand just as we keep all-purpose flour. Ideally you would use a tortilla press to form them, though if you do not have a tortilla press, do not be discouraged, you can get by with two pieces of wax paper and an eight inch skillet.

Yam, Pork, and White Bean Soup

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Pork and yams are a favorite Caribbean combination, especially when spiced with some typical island flavors. The combination of the simple-carbohydrate rich yams and white beans, with their higher fiber content, create a great nutrition profile. The pureed yams also give the soup a great texture: silky yet substantial.

Jerusalem Artichokes

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Lentil and Barley Bake

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This recipe combines pearled barley, which is moderately processed, with hearty French green lentils. The two compliment each other nicely in terms of both flavor and nutrition.

Orange and Fennel Salad

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Many people are familiar with fennel seed as a spice, but fewer know how flavorful the bulb and leaves can be. The fennel bulb is a great, low-calorie source of vitamins and minerals.

Roasted Pork and Persimmon Panini

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Pork, ham and Swiss cheese in one Sandwich? If you haven’t guessed already, this is a play on the classic Cubano sandwich. We prefer to use a pork loin roast over a pork shoulder because it is typically a leaner cut

Mixed Greens Salad with Rosemary Almonds and Golden Raisins

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Winter Salad with Green Beans, Blue Potatoes, and Parmesan Sunflower Seeds

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It is not often that we offer up an entrée salad at Culinary Competitor, but this salad is both hearty and lean, and has a very rounded nutritional profile. The bread and potatoes are a great source of carbohydrate, and the egg is a great source of protein. If you have serious reservations about frying an egg, you can always use egg whites.

Salmon with Avocado-Mustard Greens Sauce

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Salmon is very high in healthy fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to provide many health benefits. It is often prepared with a mustard sauce or a mustard glaze. By using mustard greens we are able to incorporate a similar flavor

Red Quinoa with Carrots and Bell Pepper

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Quinoa is a bit of a vegetarian wonder food. It is high in fiber, manganese, and magnesium. It also has a very balanced amino acid profile, making it a great protein source for vegetarians who lack animal sources of protein in their diet.

Green Beans with Toasted Pine Nuts

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Apple-Sweet Potato Waffles

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This recipe calls for sweet potatoes, which we prefer to as opposed to their bright orange cousin, the yam. Sweet potatoes tend to be slightly less fibrous and fold more easily into a waffle batter. Use a semi-tart apple that will stand up to the naturally sweet batter.

Kale and Goat Cheese Omelet

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Allow for about two beaten eggs per person for the omelets. If you are keeping an eye on your cholesterol intake, substitute the beaten whites from three to four large or extra large eggs per two whole eggs.

Mushroom and Bleu Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Spiraling a pork loin to stuff it takes a bit of practice. Take a look at some of the many videos on the internet for a quick demonstration.

Roasted Garlic and Leek Twice Baked Potatoes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Twice baked potatoes were a staple dinner in my house while growing up, though they were a bit different than these. This is a great variation of potato and leeks, a combination consistently found in soups but few other places.

Rosemary-Potato Pizza with Parsley Pesto

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This pizza is a great appetizer. It is light, and when cut into fun, appetizer-size pieces is the perfect party snack or start to any meal. We make the dough intentionally wet, this way as you knead you can slowly add more flour as needed.

White Bean Chicken Chili with Hand Made Corn Tortillas

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Yam, Pork, and White Bean Soup and Jerusalem Artichokes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Lentil and Barley Bake with an Orange and Fennel Salad

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This recipe combines pearled barley, which is moderately processed, with hearty French green lentils. The two compliment each other nicely in terms of both flavor and nutrition.

Roasted Pork and Persimmon Panini with a Rosemary-Almond and Golden Raisin Salad

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Salmon with Avocado-Mustard Greens Sauce, Red Quinoa, and Green Beans with Pine Nuts

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Breakfast for Dinner: Apple-Sweet Potato Waffles with Kale and Goat Cheese Omelettes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Mushroom and Bleu Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin with Roasted Garlic and Leek Twice Baked Potatoes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Spiraling a pork loin to stuff it takes a bit of practice. Take a look at some of the many videos on the internet for a quick demonstration.

Russet Potatoes

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

Did you know that the United Nations officially declared the year 2008 as the International Year of the Potato? The potato received this honor from the UN in order to “increase awareness of the importance of the potato as a food in developing nations,” and called the potato a “hidden treasure”.

Navy Beans

wgbarns@gmail.com (whitney)

Common beans come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, but one thing they all have in common is prep work! Most common beans contain a toxic compound that, when soaked, can be reduced to safe levels.

This New Year Do Yourself a Favor, Don't Diet

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Anyone who has waited in line at the checkout stand in any supermarket over the last two weeks has no doubt been inundated with pop culture magazines touting the latest and most effective diets for 2009. Americans like to do things pretty drastically, especially when it comes to nutrition and fitness.

Energy Drinks: Mental Stimulation or a Kick in the Head?

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

There is no doubt about it, "energy" drinks are all the rage these days, though it often seems the case that much more money goes into their marketing campaigns than the products themselves. Check out this article on [Energy drinks for athletes](http://www.velonews.com/article/86084/do-energy-drinks-have-a-place-in-athletes--diets) written by sports nutrition authority Monique Ryan. She takes a look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of energy drinks, and whether or not they should be part of your fitness routine.

Kitchen Essentials: Microplane Zester

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

There are certain items in our kitchen that never get put away, and this is not because we are lazy and eventually forgot where they belong. The fact of the matter is they are in constant use and go from being dirty to sitting in the drying rack, back to being in use and dirty again, then right back to the rack. One of these items happens to be our [Zester](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004S7V8?ie=UTF8&tag=culinacompet-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00004S7V8).

Winery Visit: Moshin Winery, Healdsburg, Ca

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Because not everyone’s idea of a weekend trip in wine country is floundering around in freezing ocean water, I decided to take a couple hours one afternoon to see what one of California’s most beautiful appellations has to offer. Had I not made a wrong turn on my ride that morning, gone up one of the steepest sections of road I have ever had to ride, and taken the “scenic way” home (note: in my family the “scenic way” is a euphemism for “I have a vague idea of where I am, but can not tell you how I got here”)...

Ab Diving in the White Devil's Playground

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

The lucky few that have tasted abalone know what a treat it can be, if it is prepared properly, and why all these restrictions exist. The closest food comparison I can make is to a calamari steak, though no squid tentacle comes close to touching a fresh pulled abalone. All I wanted was something simply grilled, maybe with a lemon garlic aioli. If the catch was bountiful I would experiment with an abalone stuffing for Thanksgiving, but this was a big "if."

December 2008 Newsletter: Cold Weather, Warm Food

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Our December 2008 newsletter is out now: [Cold Weather, Warm Food](http://www.culinarycompetitor.com/newsletter/081203) Check it out and [sign up now](http://www.culinarycompetitor.com/members/sign-up) if you would like to start receiving our newsletters.

Mole Tamales with Smoky Kale and Green Chile Rice

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Anyone who has ever purchased pre-made tamales from a store and has taken the time to read the package likely knows how much fat they can contain. Like many “traditional” Mexican dishes, tamales are made with lard, and lots of it. I swapped out the lard for two tablespoons of olive oil, and honestly, the tamales taste just as good.

Chicken Mole Tamales

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Garlic-Green Chili Baked Rice

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Yam and Black Bean Burrito and Blood Orange Jicama Salad

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

The yams and black beans in this burrito are a perfect compliment of simple and complex carbohydrate. This is a great vegetarian meal, and perfect for weeknight cooking. It is simple, quick, and delicious.

Yam and Black Bean Burrito

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

The yams and black beans in this burrito are a perfect compliment of simple and complex carbohydrate.

Citrus Jicama Salad

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Papardelle and Turkey Meatballs with a Citrus and Hazelnut Salad

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Papardelle is a very underrated pasta. We find that it stands up to a hearty meatball much better than spaghetti. The addition of prosciutto to the ground turkey in these meatballs imparts a lot of flavor and moisture. Often confused with pancetta, which is basically the Italian version of bacon, prosciutto is a fairly lean meat. But keep in mind that it is a cured meat and contains a lot of sodium.

Papardelle and Turkey Meatballs

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Citrus Hazelnut Salad

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Turkey Moussaka with Parmesan Broccoli

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Moussaka is Greek dish similar to lasagna. It is layered, typically with a lamb meat-sauce, eggplant, and potatoes, and any number of vegetables. This moussaka deviates from the “traditional” in that it lacks a white cream sauce, or béchamel, as its top layer. Even small amounts of a cream sauce can make an otherwise lean dish very heavy, so we substitute a thin layer of mozzarella mixed with a flavorful Parmesan cheese as the topping.

Sundried Tomato-Gorgonzola Meatloaf with Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes, Apples, and Parsnips

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This is not your grandma’s meatloaf. The richness of the Gorgonzola, combined with the bite of the capers and the tang of the balsamic sauce come together to create a meatloaf experience like no other.

Sun dried Tomato and Gorgonzola Meatloaf with Tomato-Balsamic Sauce

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Cider Vinegar Apples and Parsnips with Caramelized Onions

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Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

You may want to play with the ratio of squash-to-potato in your mashed potatoes to accommodate personal tastes and nutritional needs. If you are looking for a dish with fewer calories and carbohydrates, try increasing the amount of squash. If you are looking for are hearty dish to fuel some serious winter training sessions, increase the potatoes and consider the squash added flavor and complexity.

Roasted Eggplant Soup with Oregano-Goat Cheese Crostinis

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Many eggplant soups contain crushed tomatoes that gives them a reddish color but can also tend to mask the eggplant. We wanted the roasted eggplant to be the main flavor component in this soup so we left the tomatoes out. It is nicely complimented by mustard greens and garbanzo beans, which provide the main source of carbohydrate.

Roasted Eggplant Soup with Mushrooms, Chickpeas, and Mustard Greens

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Oregano Goat Cheese Crostinis

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Feel free to use any herb, or combination of herbs for the goat cheese crostinis. To make the cheese slightly melted and creamy, you can put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes before serving.

Lamb and Spelt Stew with Roasted French Butter Pears

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

The flavors in this stew are very biblical. It calls for spelt, a very hearty grain and a precursor to wheat as we know it today. Spelt is making somewhat of a comeback in the health food world, and rightly so. It is a great source of complex carbohydrate, fiber, and vegetarian protein. Health craze or not, it provides great flavor and texture to this stew, and is a great way to break out of any grain-rut you may be in.

Lamb and Spelt Stew

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Roasted French Butter Pears

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Braised Pork Shanks with Brussel Sprouts and White Beans and Persimmons with Proscuitto and Goat Cheese

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

This may not be the ideal pre-competition meal, but it still fits the Culinary Competitor standards of healthy, balanced, and full of fresh fruits and veggies. This meal is great for entertaining, and may be the perfect balance of foodiness and healthy cooking. Every once in a while we’ve gotta have a little fun, too.

Braised Pork Shanks

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Fresh pork shanks can be somewhat hard to come by. Keep your eyes peeled (I got mine from the meat guy at the farmer’s market, though this was the only time I had him selling them) and check places like specialty food stores or a good butcher. Most pork shanks get smoked and packaged, not exactly what we are going for here.

Brussels Sprouts and White Beans with Center Cut Bacon

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The combination of Brussels sprouts and white beans may be a kid’s worst nightmare. Before you judge, give the dish a try, it is very flavorful, has a good profile of complex carbohydrate, and is packed with nutrients. Don’t let the two strips of bacon scare you off. This is just for a bit of flavor and will not kill you. We use center cut bacon, which is thirty percent lower in fat.

Persimmon with Crispy Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

casey.b.weaver@gmail.com (casey)

Upon discussion we decided that the flavor of a persimmon falls somewhere in the intersection of an apple and a melon, so what better to serve it with than crispy prosciutto?

Red Lentil Curry with Japanese Eggplant and Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) and Grapefruit, Pomegranate, and Frisee Salad

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This recipe is the perfect example of why being adaptable in the kitchen is essential. We set out to make something pretty different that what we came away with, though we were very happy with our end product. We went back the next night with new expectations and came up with this recipe; this time knowing exactly what we were going for.

Red Lentil Curry with Japanese Eggplant and Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)

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Grapefruit, Pomegranate and Frisee Salad

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Maple-Cinnamon Whole-Roasted Persimmons

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Roasting fruit is a great way to allow the natural sugars to create a lot of flavor. Persimmons do not have a ton of flavor, but are nonetheless a favorite fall/winter food. Their subtlety makes them a perfect addition to any number dishes. Or, in this case, by baking them with some spice, they are great by themselves.

Apple-Persimmon Crumble

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Baked crumbles are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Unlike pies that have very rich, buttery crusts, this crumble contains only two tablespoons of butter. The rest of the flavor relies on the natural sugars of the apples and persimmons.

Culinary Competitor's November Feature on Pez CyclingNews

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Check out Culinary Competitor's November feature on PezCyclingNews.com; barley risotto with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and balsamic dijon roasted baby turnips.

Persimmons

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The persimmon fruit, depending on the actual variety (Fuyu and Hachiya are two of the most common), can be round or oval, with colors ranging from orange to black. If you’re so unlucky as to taste test the Hachiya persimmon before it’s at its ripest (sometime in late autumn), you may be unpleasantly surprised by the astringent, tannin-packed flavor. The stout shaped Fuyu variety can be eaten at nearly any stage of ripeness.

Blood Orange

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Blood orange. It sounds something like a Halloween health-food, but in reality these tasty fruits are far too delicious to be consumed on only one day of the year. Believed to have originated in Sicily as a cross between tangerines and pomelos, there are now many varieties of blood oranges that grow world-wide. Like your typical orange, blood oranges are excellent sources of vitamin C and fiber, but they offer a fresh twist on flavor and color.

Coffee Review: The Pepper Peddler

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Ever thought about harnessing all the energy you spend while riding your bike? Cyclists wastefully blast between six hundred to one thousand (or more) calories an hour. That means a lot of food and quite a bit of energy. Needless to say, the kilowatts burned on a three hour training ride, if put to use, could keep the lights on for quite some time. The “Pepper Peddler,” a quirky entrepreneur based in Davis, Ca, has found a way to put this cycling energy to use.

Mommy, where do veggies come from?

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If you’re lucky, from a place like Capay Organic Farm. In the spirit of giving thanks for the harvest, we visited this local farm (sadly, we left the pilgrim and Native American costumes at home for this one) to learn about one of the sources of all the great local produce we’ve been cooking up in the past months.

Advice for a 100 mile Thanksgiving

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I'm looking to get some recipe advice for this 100 mile thanksgiving (I'm sure you know the concept) [For those that don’t, it is basically cooking a meal with no products that are sourced from outside a hundred mile radius of where you are] that I am helping with. I'm in charge of cooking the turkeys and also the stuffing - but bread is out of the question (can't find locally milled flour) so I am having to substitute with other local ingredients.

Why is Culinary Competitor coming up blank?

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If you've never been to our site before, you can most likely ignore this message. However, if you're a returning visitor and you've encountered a blank screen the first time you've arrived at Culinary Competitor you might want to check this out. Yesterday we upgraded our hosting server and it's a lot better. However, the downside is that returning visitors still have our old domain info stuck in their browser cache. In order to fix that, you're going to have to clear your browser cache, sorry. This article quickly and effectively explains how to do this for every browser type, enjoy. [Find out how to clear your cache](http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser%27s-Cache)

Interview with Rock Racing's Sergio Hernandez

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An interview with Rock Racing’s young and extremely talented Sergio Hernandez. Young, strong, and gaining experience by the day, Sergio Hernandez may just be the next big thing on a team that has already proven to be the next big thing. **CC:** Pro cyclist's are typically pretty skinny people, they also tend to hang out at coffee shops a lot. I've seen you hanging around the Peet's in Brentwood on a couple occasions, would you say that some cyclists like coffee so much they will substitute it for food? **SH:** I think its an easy thing to do, especially if that’s the first thing you do to in the morning since caffeine does tend to take your hunger away. I always try and eat first, then have coffee. Or I use coffee as a reward for a long training ride. But no matter how much you like coffee, never substitute it for a real meal or you’re hunting for a major bonk on the bike!

Kitchen Essentials: Onion Goggles

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I imagine when most people see Onion Goggles for the first time they react similarly to how I did, and say to themselves, *“Man, I totally thought of that!”* No? Well, regardless of whether you thought of it or not, someone else came through with the idea and now all your onion chopping woes are gone.

When life hands you guavas...

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I’ve always lived by the simple saying, *“When life hands you guavas, make guava jelly, or syrup, or something else -guava.”* Popularized in the seventies by Bob Marley, then again in the nineties by Brad Nowell of Sublime, guava jelly may be just that: sublime. It ranks in my top three favorite jellies, though unfortunately it can be somewhat hard to find, unless you live close to a Mexican market. Even still, a store bought guava jelly is supplemented with artificial flavors and preservatives, and simply does not stack up.

Andy's Infinite Playlist

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Ever reach the peak of a workout: sweat dripping, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, and then the perfect song plays on your iPod and something clicks? The rhythm and intensity of the music matches your own efforts. All the pain and fatigue goes away. You hit a stride, and new energy just pours out into the workout.

Issues with Prop 8 ad

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It appears that our contextual Google Ads are serving up Yes On Prop 8 ad. I'd like to be clear that we in no way requested those ads to show up. In fact, we at Culinary Competitor in no way endorse legislation that discriminates against anyone on any basis. We hope no one is offended by the presence of the ad and we apologize if it's damaged anyone's experience at Culinary Competitor.

Rustic Winter Vegetable Tart

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Generally, savory pies have pretty much the same crusts as sweet pies, but not this one. The crust is made from barley flour, which is typically a heartier flour, and in this case has a flavor that compliments the other ingredients in the dish incredibly well. Between the crust and potatoes, there are plenty of good carbohydrates in this pie. Feel free to alter the ratio of potatoes-to-vegetables in the filling to satisfy your own personal needs.

Portobello and Sausage Pizza with Pumpkin Sauce

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Although not often considered a food suitable for competition, with a well-planned recipe, homemade pizza and salad can be a perfectly balanced, healthy meal. Instead of a traditional tomato sauce, this pizza uses a homemade pumpkin sauce, which is a good source of complex carbohydrate and has an impressive vitamin and mineral profile (see October featured ingredients for more on pumpkin).

Yams & Sweet Potatoes

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In the United States, many people interchange the term yam with sweet potato and may find themselves wondering if there is actually a difference between the two—and there is! A yam is a vine-grown tuber in the Dioscoreaceae family and is commonly grown and cultivated in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania.

Caramelized-Pear Radicchio Salad

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Flat Iron Steak with Chimmichurri Sauce and Baked Steak Fries

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Flatiron steak, known by the butcher as the “top blade,” is relatively new on the scene and is showing its face in upscale restaurants the country over. It is a flavorful cut of meat, and is relatively lean, its only downside being the large piece of connective tissue that runs down its center. You can either eat around it or remove it all together. Given the similarity between the two, I like to slice my flatirons into thin strips like a flank steak.

Beet and Celery Root Bisque

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The color of the beet bisque in this meal is unreal. When I encounter dishes with such intense color I figure it means one of two things, it’s really good for you, or it may kill you. In this case it is the former, and is packed with antioxidants, and the B vitamin folate. The bisque also calls for Meyer lemon, which is sweeter, and has a less acidic flavor than your average lemon, usually of the Lisbon or Eureka variety.

Chili-Rum Pork Rib Chop and Baked Maple Yams

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The yams in this recipe are very simple, baked then topped with maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Be sure to use real maple syrup, not a sugary substitute with artificial flavor, as the maple flavor is what really makes these yams stand out. But be conscious of the fact that, just because you are using “real” maple syrup, this does not necessarily mean it has fewer calories or is better for you.

Date-Walnut Collard Greens

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Dates are a calorie dense food, and particularly good for endurance athletes. Not only do they pack a lot of carbohydrate, they are full of antioxidants and fiber. Though their carbohydrate profile makes them a great pre-race or training food, be mindful of their fiber and know your limits, if you know what I mean.

Oyster Mushroom and Squash Blossom Risotto

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Many mushrooms are thought to have medicinal qualities, and oyster mushrooms are no exception. Many believe they boost cardiovascular and cholesterol health, and they are also thought to have both anti-inflammatory and autoimmune effects within the body. Either way, they provide great texture, aesthetic, and taste to this risotto.

Beets

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While we often think of beets having a reddish-purple hue, some varieties are white, golden-yellow or even rainbow colored; keep in mind, generally the more color, the more antioxidants! The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Not only do beets contain strong antioxidants, they are excellent sources of folate, manganese and potassium which are important to prevent birth defects, help regulate fluid balance and prevent muscle cramping.

Red Lettuce and Endive Roasted Pear Salad

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Molasses-Stout Soda Bread

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This soda bread calls for bread flour and whole-wheat flour, but if you do not have bread flour around, all-purpose flour will stand in just fine. The main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is the amount of gluten (wheat protein) and protein contents. Bread flour has more gluten, and the strong, stretchy proteins make the dough more elastic. This allows dough made with bread flour to have better elasticity. Bread flour also reacts better to the presence of yeast, making it better for, well, bread.

Pan Seared Steelhead with Jerusalem Artichoke Smashed Potatoes

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This recipe calls for Steelhead, which is a Pacific sea-run trout, and pretty similar to salmon. It generally has more flavor than trout, but is slightly milder than salmon. It can be both farm raised and wild caught, though many believe the wild caught to have a more appealing flavor. If you cannot find Steelhead, a nice piece of salmon will stand in just fine.

Beet Tops with Hazelnuts and Dates

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Pomegranate Roasted Chicken with Cranberry Wild Rice Stuffing

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Pomegranate has received quite a bit of exposure in the popular media over the past couple of years for its antioxidant properties. It has even been studied to see if these qualities have an ergogenic effect in athletes, or helps speed recovery between efforts leading to subsequent greater fitness. Although many of these studies have yielded mixed results, few doubt that pomegranate has at least some positive health effects when ingested, and regardless, it adds quite a bit of flavor and complexity to this dish.

Roasted Beet and Watercress Salad

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Winter Vegetable Tart And Roasted Turkey Breast

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Lemon Chicken Soup With Whole Wheat Penne

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Soups like this are perfect to make at the beginning of a busy week. They are quick, easy, feed an army, and all inclusive in terms of nutrition. Double (or triple) the recipe and keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to about five days. This way you have good, healthy food on hand when you come back from a bone-chilling fall ride and need to defrost. Or, stick it in a container and bring it to work the next day.

Portobello and Sausage Pizza with Caramelized-Pear Radicchio Salad

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Smokey Potato-Kale Soup With Roasted Beet Chips

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This dish gets its smokiness from smoked paprika. The flavor works incredibly well with the kale and potatoes. Kale is usually classified as a “super green,” along with chard and collards, and is actually my favorite green. It is incredibly high in vitamin K, and also a great source of vitamins A and C. It also has a very rich mineral profile, is high in calcium, potassium, manganese, and contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Flat Iron Steak, Garlic Potato Steak Fries, and Beet Bisque

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Chili-Rum Pork Rib Chop with Date-Walnut Collards and Baked Yams

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Oyster Mushroom and Squash Blossom Risotto with Roasted Pear Salad

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Yam and Beef Stew and Molasses-Stout Soda Bread

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This stew relies on the yams as its main source of carbohydrate, and is nicely complimented by the hearty flavors of the soda bread. Both are dark and savory-sweet, and even better, both contain a little bit of stout. The soda bread calls for bread flour and whole-wheat flour, but if you do not have bread flour around, all-purpose flour will stand in just fine. The main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is the amount of gluten (wheat protein) and protein contents.

Pan Seared Steelhead with Jerusalem Artichoke Smashed Potatoes and Beet Tops

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Pomegranate Roasted Chicken with Cranberry Wild Rice Stuffing and Beet and Watercress Salad

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Roast Pork Loin with Brown Ale BBQ Sauce

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Cracked-Pepper Corn Cakes with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

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Red Cabbage Salad

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Turkey And Fall Vegetable Stuffed Bell Peppers

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Parsley-Dill Bulgur

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Bulgur is made from wheat, and is usually a fairly hearty grain. Some versions are whole grain, making them a great source of fiber and a complex carbohydrate, and some have their bran removed.

Nectarine Roasted-Roasted Pepper Chicken

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Corn, Tomato, and Summer Squash Panzanella

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If you have day old bread, and it is getting to that point where it is still good but not all that much fun to eat, panzanella is a perfect use for it.

Mustard Green And Yam Pizza

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The combination of the yams and whole wheat dough in this recipe creates a balanced carbohydrate profile. Yams, although full of important vitamins and minerals, do have a relatively high natural sugar content and high glycemic index.

Mixed Green Salad with Figs, Goat Cheese, and Pecans

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Shredded Pork Enchiladas

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The butternut squash in this enchilada sauce gives it a subtle nuttiness or earthiness, and mellows out the tomatillo a bit, making the flavors in the dish a bit more complex.

Roasted-Garlic Cilantro-Lime Rice

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Orecchiette Pumpkin Bolognese

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This sauce is pretty much a typical bolognese, except with a few seasonal variations. Instead of carrots, I use pumpkin (you can also use butternut or acorn squash), and instead of celery I use Belgian endive. The endive has a little more to offer than celery in terms of flavor and I much prefer it. The pumpkin is not too strong, but is more of an essence. The sauce saves great and is arguably better a day or two after making it.

Spinach and Romaine Salad with Black Grapes And Feta

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This salad is particularly nutrient rich, with the combination of fresh spinach and black grapes. Spinach is high in vitamins A and K, and the essential B vitamin Folate. The skin of black grapes, with its deep and rich color, is full of antioxidants. Its not just in the alcohol that researchers have found the health benefits of a glass of wine a day, that goodness starts on the vine, and thus in the grapes.

African Spiced Chicken with Israeli Couscous

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Flatbread with White Bean Spread

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Cranberry Cornbread

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This cornbread is great as a side, or as a stand alone snack drizzled with a bit of honey. Keep in mind that it is a bread, and not a cake, but can still be served along side a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We use white wheat flour to make the bread a little heartier, but you can also use a standard all-purpose flour.

Cinnamon Apple Sauce with Dates

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This apple sauce is a variation of the apple sauce my mom makes every fall with her new kindergarten glass. In other words, it is apple sauce for big kids and grown-ups. Compared to many other apple sauce recipes, it is low in sugar, and is clearly lacking any artificial flavors or colors. The inclusion of dates and their natural sugars and overt caramel flavor make this dish reminiscent of a candied apple.

Caramelized Apple-Cranberry Baked Oatmeal with a Salted Praline Topping

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Athletes need no introduction to oatmeal. This grain is a staple for athletes everywhere and most are well aware of its complex carbohydrate profile, its fiber, and the important micronutrients it contains like thiamin, niacin, folate, and vitamin B6, amongst others. This recipe is a good way to add some excitement to that bowl of oats, and is great as it can be kept for a couple of days and easily reheated.

Shepards Pie Featured on Pez Cycling

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Go on over and check out this month's Culinary Competitor recipe on Pez. It is comfort food at its finest, shepherds pie with a butternut squash-potato topping and a broccoli beef stew filling. It doesn't get much more comforting. And we topped it off with a whole-wheat stout soda bread. Who doesn't love a hearty bread made with beer?

Culinary Competitor Featured on NY Velocity!

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Just wanted to let everyone know that we are featured on NY Velocity today. One of our upcoming November meals, Lemon Chicken Soup with Whole Wheat Penne, is featured right up front. Check it out for a preview of what we have coming in the next day or so. Thanks again to NY Velocity, our friends on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/ccompetitor) and everyone else who has helped to promote Culinary Competitor. Eat Well. Race. Hard.

Get Your Fix: Pachamama Coffee Co-Op

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Pachamama has been my roaster of choice for the past couple months. They are a coffee cooperative that was incorporated in Davis, California, in 2001. It is owned by more than 150,00 coffee farmers from the countries of Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Nicaragua.

Pumpkin

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Pumpkins are good for more than flickering porch décor—they actually contain many nutrients beneficial to us. Pumpkins are a low calorie food full of beta-carotene, an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A. They are also good sources of vitamin C, potassium and B-6. Additionally, pumpkin seeds are a very good source of the minerals phosphorus, magnesium and manganese.

A Tight Squeeze

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Today I tried on a pair of tights, looked at myself in the mirror, and then approached a total stranger to see if he thought they were too tight. He agreed with me; they were a little too tight. So I went one size up.

Black And Red Bean Mole Spiced Chili With Whole Wheat Tortillas

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At first glance, chili may not seam like such a well-balanced meal, but in fact it very well can be. The beans in this chili are a great source of complex carbohydrate and vegetarian protein. If you use lean meats, like this chili calls for, it also provides plenty of traditional protein.

Turkey And Fall Vegetable Stuffed Bell Peppers With Bulgur

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Bulger is made from wheat, and is usually a fairly hearty grain. Some versions are whole grain, making them a great source of fiber and a complex carbohydrate, and some have their bran removed. Both the bulger and chickpeas in this dish are good sources of carbohydrate.

Nectarine Roasted-Pepper Chicken With Summer Squash Panzanella

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Depending on where you live, summer may extend well past August, and being in California, I take the liberty to grill year round. If you are having trouble finding ripe nectarines, feel free to substitute in a fruit from the same family, like a peach or a couple of apricots.

Mustard Green And Yam Pizza With Fig And Goat Cheese Salad

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Seared Scallops With Swiss Chard And Spicy Sausage Polenta

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Featuring one of October’s highlighted ingredients, Swiss chard, this dish has tons of flavor and tons of nutrients. For more information on Swiss chard, check out the featured ingredients section. As I’ve said before, when using turkey sausage, be sure to check the nutrition facts, not all products made of turkey or chicken are particularly lean, and can sometimes contain more fat than a pork or beef sausage.

Butternut Squash Pork Enchiladas With Cilantro Lime Rice

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The butternut squash in this enchilada sauce gives it a subtle nuttiness or earthiness, and mellows out the tomatillo a bit, making the flavors in the dish a bit more complex. I like to use a lot of garlic (if you haven’t noticed) when I cook, especially when preparing pre-race meals, and this is the perfect example. This is not just to keep other competitors at an arms length, but because of its alleged performance enhancing capabilities.

Orecchiette Pumpkin Bolognese With Black Grape And Feta Salad

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Winter Squash, Mushroom, and Swiss Chard Lasagna

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For this lasagna I use tofu instead of ricotta cheese. This may sound strange, but trust me, it works, and it is a much healthier alternative to having a couple cups of whole milk ricotta in your lasagna. When processed, the texture of tofu is almost identical to ricotta, so much so that you can prepare this lasagna for someone who is unbeknownst of the substitution and they will undoubtedly remain so (I know, I have done it).

African Spiced Chicken with Israeli Couscous and Beet Tops

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Despite its name, Israeli couscous is really not couscous at all. While normal couscous is made from semolina (coarsely ground durum wheat), Israeli couscous is a mixture of bulgur and flour. Nonetheless, it is a great carbohydrate source. For the flat bread in this meal I use regular flour as opposed to whole wheat, or whole wheat pastry flour. This is mainly because there are already two other sources of fairly complex carbohydrate in the Israeli couscous and bean spread. The flat bread will help mitigate the effects of these two on your digestive track.

Carrot-Fig Whole Wheat Muffin

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Word to the baking wise: When making “nutritional” baked goods, the addition of fresh fruit, and in this case, vegetables, can really help to keep breads and muffins moist without the addition of a lot of butter or oil. Also, using honey to sweeten, aside from all the purported health benefits and advantages over sugar, is another way to keep baked goods moist.

Pumpkin-Spice Rice Pudding (Dairy-Free)

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This is a great seasonal variation of one of my favorite foods, rice pudding. It is an ideal recovery food after a long and hard session due to its high content of easily digestible carbohydrates, especially when served warm on a crisp fall day. You can also stick it in the refrigerator and serve it cold as a dessert.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Energy Bars

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These bars do not have the intense spiced flavor that some other seasonal energy bars have. They are a great snack before, during, or after a workout. Because they do not have a significantly high protein content, depending on your personal nutrition needs, you might not want to make them your only source of solid food during a particularly long training session.

Swiss Chard

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Swiss chard is often lumped in the notorious leafy-green category of vegetables, along with its companions collard greens, kale, and mustard greens. Chard comes in white, yellow, and red varieties, and with a multitude of vitamins and minerals reaching up to the excellent standard, is one of the healthiest, most nutrient-packed of this all-star group of vegetables.

Sporteve Playa Del Rey Triathlon

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The 2008 Playa Del Rey Triathlon was an inaugural race held at the beginning of this month, and was put on by VBC Multisport, llc. VBC (Victory Beyond Competition) was founded and is owned by Marcus George, a UCLA graduate with a BS and PHD in aerospace engineering (or some other ridiculously technical field of study). Marcus happens to be a former teammate and training partner of mine.

Roasted Brown Ale Pork Loin With Corn Cakes And Spicy Black Bean Sauce

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This meal has so much going on in terms of flavor, yet is packed with healthy sources of carbohydrate and lean protein. Pork loin is a very muscular, and therefore very lean, cut of meat, even more so if you take the time to trim off any visible fat.

Cast Iron: Invest For Your Future

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I think it only appropriate that the very first Culinary Competitor blog post focus on the cornerstone of my cooking, my twelve inch cast iron skillet. This single piece of equipment is my workhorse, and sees the more action than any other single item in my kitchen. Investing in a quality cast iron skillet is essential for anyone serious about making flavorful food night after night, and that is exactly what a cast iron skillet is, an investment for the future.