Proper Fueling with Many Feasts

My family friend wanted to cook a feast together.

My Plate Clockwise from Bottom Left: Chicken Tagine, Leeks from Tagine, Sweet Potato Turnip Bake, Persimmon Salad, Kale Salad

I mainly made this Persimmon Salad and my chicken tagine, but using the actual recipe with 1.5 chickens!  The salad wasn't really my style, heavy on the fruit, but fairly tasty nonetheless. The leek mixture from the chicken was probably my favorite, along with the Sweet Potato-Turnip combo from the same recipe as the chicken. Could of eaten it for days!

 Owen cutting Shallots for the Sweet Potatoes

 Tagine Check

The Crew

Then I prepared another feast for my friends.

The buffet line up (close to far): Baked Turnips, Baked Sweet Potatoes/Yam, Roasted Bacon Brussels, Sous Vide Grass Fed Steak

I baked the potatoes and turnips the same as for the first feast because they are too good. A tad spicy a tad herby and a tad sweet.

My Plate

 I also made a Balsamic Reduction with simple Balsamic Vinegar and Ghee (2 cups and 1.5T ea.) which I am stoked to have leftovers on. It's sweet and delicious on everything and easy to make, just boil down to reduce by half, mix and serve.

 First time making Bacon Brussel Sprouts (of course I've tasted and loved them many times), and was very pleased (along with everyone else).  I used Bacon Trimmings which were cheaper from El Salchichero (coming from Devil's Gulch where I ride road to in Nicasio), and just sliced/cooked some up in a pan, poured the grease into a baking tray, put the prepared Sprouts on, and then scattered the bacon pieces throughout and baked with the other dishes at 400º F for 30 minutes or so until soft all the way through.

For the steak I used some Herbs mainly Rosemary with the Sous Vide, cooked to perfect medium rare and then seared the outside afterwards in a tiny bit of the Balsamic Sauce. So tender!

Now onto some more elementary feasting...Post long ride base training! I've been putting in a lot of 4-5 hour rides and it's hard to eat enough carbs afterwards. I need to hit 500 per day which means if there's no lunch involved because of my ride i've got a small window afterwards to cram. It's kind of fun.

 I've been having something along the lines of 2 servings of Gu Recovery Brew Strawberry Watermelon (50g ea.), a sweet potato or yam, a persimmon or plantain or blueberries, and for yesterday a few dates/dried cranberries as well. And an extra scoop of whey protein. Then an hour later I'll eat my meal which has another sweet potato/kabocha squash/chestnuts and some nice meat. Massive.

 These 'ice cream' bowls have been awesome.

• 2 out of the 6 scoops of Gu Recovery Mix
• 150g Blueberries (frozen)
• 12g Whey Protein (1 scoop)
• Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon
• Dates/Cranberries/Yam Optional

I hit 4 out of the 6 scoops of Gu Recovery first to get the speedy fiberless absorption before the even more delicious fruit/vegetable concoction (I should take the skin off for even less fiber but it's too delicious).

While on the topic of eating lots of carbs I tried using fit day and it's pretty cool. Here's how it came out:

I was trying to eat less fiber because without grains it's easy to get too much.

Increasing my carb intake at the right times (pre-post-during) has really helped my training and haven't gained an ounce of weight!

Health Potion: Turkey Stock

This may not be a post about No Bake Christmas Treats, but I'm into it and people still eat whole chickens and turkeys on Xmas so this is what you get! Plus, I've decided everyone should be buying bone in meat/whole chickens all the time anyways. It's cheaper, more resourceful, and you get to make the following nectar of life!

These photos are from Thanksgiving (I know it's been a while, but I've been down under in Aus and a bit off the grid from the intrawebs).  I did this twice during November (two feasts) and it seriously yields so much more meat. This is me scavenging all the extra meat halfway through making the stock. You just simply can't get it all by conventional carving. Think a couple extra pounds of turkey. Win #1.

In my pot was just the carcass, water, apple cider vinegar, and various herbs (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, garlic).

All the meat taken off to the best of my ability, then it's back in for the bones! 

I got 3 delicious jars of Turkey stock out of one massive heritage bird carcass. I'm known to slurp a whole  jar after it 'gels' in the fridge (minimal calories, just a little protein/water/nutrients) and becomes delicious turkey jelly! It's also good for cooking veggies, or for soup and other things. Win #2 and #3.

I took some of it and made a grain free gravy simply by boiling (reducing) it down until it was as thick as gravy and it was delicious.

That's a lot of extra turkey! And it's oozing with way more flavor and delicious dark meat. (Don't be afraid of the fat if it's free range, then it's got vitamins not chemicals!)

Now onto the health benefits and the process:

Health: Bones in animals are considered organs believe it or not, putting them in the same category as the REAL superfoods (no not kale/goji berries which we can't even digest and absorb that well) like free range super nutrient dense animal organs like liver, heart, and nutrient dense free range fat (lard/tallow).  Kale may go right through you, but the fat soluble vitamins in animal fat get absorbed quite easily.

Inedible bones and connective tissue contain lots of goodies like collagen, glucosamine chondroitin (yes you don't need to pay $30 a month for the supplement to fix your achy joints), and other minerals.  Win #4 You just have to cook the crap out of them to extract them. Thus, we have soup stock.

The bone marrow (my favorite) is also fatty and delicious and nutrient dense along with the stock, which is actually very low calorie since after chilling all the fat floats to the top.  If your animal was free range, slurp it up or spread it on some sweet potatoes and roast veggies, but if not I'd throw it away because that's where the animals most likely store all those gross antibiotics and chemicals.  

Process: DON'T follow the conventional stock recipes/process! They do not recommend cooking times long enough for excellent nutrient extraction, just enough for good enough flavor.

Simply take your bones or carcass (best flavor after being roasted normally for the meat, but either works) and cover with enough water in a pot/dutch oven/slow cooker (maybe some wine if you have some, I always use mine once it's been open for a few days). Bring to a boil and then simmer for the appropriate time (fish bones 30min+, poultry 3-4 hours+, ruminants like beef 8 hours+). You can go almost as long as you want, just not long enough to make the bones soggy/break up and hard to deal with. These resources are the best.  Strain when finished and store in glass jars.  The fat layer on top will prevent bacterial growth and eating is optional.

Mark's Daily Apple

Balanced Bites

You can use this same idea to braise meat, I.E. with lamb shanks or short ribs that require long slow cooking. Just cook long enough for the meat, remove and put the bones back in for the time required to make stock, and then optionally boil it down to a sauce for the meat, adding in veggies/herbs/tomato sauce/lime juice at the end for even more flavor. Works especially well with Ham Hocks.

And yes this is different from what you buy in the store, with little to no sodium, and you can freeze it for later use as well!

Also worth mentioning, I came across the Four Pillar of Healthy World Cuisine, one of which is simply eating meat cooked with the bone in! So stop paying a premium for less healthy boneless skinless breasts that lack the nutrients the bone provides and the skin contains!

Guest Post: Italian Vegetable Bowl

Hi to all of Max's readers. I'm Ashlei and I blog over at the Vegster. Max and I have very similar eating styles and he always has great ideas for meals with lots of variety. I love cooking but at the same time I love simple meals I can easily throw together. I love Italian food and tomato sauce which was my inspiration for this meal. It's basically a vegetable and protein bowl topped with tomato sauce and lots of dried herbs. Italian Tempeh Vegetable Bowl

• 1 block of tempeh, cut into slices or cubes
• zucchini, chopped
• onion, chopped
• eggplant, sliced
• garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (canned or homemade)
• coconut oil
• dried herbs
• optional: shredded cheese

Heat a medium sized pan over medium-low heat. Add about a teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan and add in the onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start to turn translucent. Add in the rest of the vegetables and the tempeh and cook about 10 minutes until browned. While the vegetables are cooking, heat the tomato sauce over medium low heat until heated through. When the tempeh and vegetables are done, place in a bowl and pour the heated tomato sauce over top. Top with dried herbs and shredded cheese, if desired. I like to use basil, thyme, oregano and black pepper, or alternatively herbs de provence. Feel free to use another protein source instead of the tempeh. Tofu, chicken, ground turkey or beef would work really well also. Enjoy!

Noodly Day!

My first time cooking prawns/shrimp, and it's so delicious! I had some kale to use and bought some enoki mushrooms so decided to break it down.

Garlic Ginger Miso Prawns w/ Kale

I knew garlic would be good, and then jazzed it up using coconut oil, miso and minced ginger as well. It turned into an epic stir fry with soo much flavor.

With more goodies...

• Prawns
• Garlic, Ginger, Miso, Coconut Oil
• Purple Kale
• Enoki Mushrooms
• Accompanied by: Kimchee, Avocado, Carrot, Sushi Ginger

Sweetness from the miso/coconut and so much flavor from the ginger-garlic-miso with a hint of coconut! I loved the kale and yummy stringy mushrooms that were like noodles with a kick of spice from the kimchee. bomb.com. For vegetarians I highly recommend this dish even without the prawns!

This dinner got real fancy real fast! I originally just wanted pesto zucchini noodles...(just use a peeler)

Then I threw in every noodle like ingredient I had besides real noodles! Sautéed in garlic/olive oil/TJ's Everyday Seasoning with the chicken (and the less noodly zucchini pieces) and voila! 

 Some baba ghanoush/avo with my gluten free bread from before and some of the best thai bangkok pesto (non-dairy version with coconut milk instead of cheese).

 Thai Chicken 'Noodle' Pesto

The most extravagant chicken veggie noodle pesto dish ever! Best way to eat pasta grain free!

• Chicken Breast, Olive Oil, Garlic, TJ's Everyday
• Enoki Mushrooms
• Bella Mushrooms
• Yam Noodles! (thank you Japanese influence all over Whistler)
• Peeled Zucchini
• Carrots, Olives, Avo, Baba Ghanoush
• Gluten Free Bread
• Thai Bangkok Pesto Sauce (lots of coconut and lime!)

 The baba ghanoush made it like Mediterranean Basil Pesto but the Bangkok made it Thai! The best of both worlds...

Gluten Free Herb Dessert Bread

I'll leave with the last of my bread from before enjoyed as recovery food with a brown rice protein-brazil nut milk-vanilla shake! Toasted w/ hazelnut butter and drizzled w/ coconut butter and it's insanely delicious! I was so pleased. (it is fairly sweet from the date and agave despite it's herb flavoring so the butters go perfect). 

I hope you try either one of these dishes for your own benefit! Even without the meat if that's your thing.

What's your favorite fusion food?

The Marin Double

Since I'm off to live in Whistler soon i've been trying to hit all my favorite Marin spots. Cafe Gratitude is a must!

 I convinced my sister to get the BLT i've been meaning to taste and a milkshake. Coconut Maple Bacon is quite delicious. Definitely equal to some of the best tempeh versions.  I will definitely order this in the future, except on a gluten free bun option.  The Mint Chocolate Shake was even better! Their home-made coconut/hemp/chia/cashew ice cream definitely makes it and the cacao-mint-vanilla bean-vitamineralgreen combo tastes exactly the way mint chocolate chip should.

Of course I got my standard I Am Whole Bowl.

As usual, the slightly sweet Teriyaki Almonds balance the Garlic Tahini Sauce perfectly and I love the Sea Kelp, Kale, and Kim Chee (which I stock in my fridge from Whole Foods!).

After the epic mint chip shake  and wanting to try their cacao smoothie (figs and dates sound too good) I had to make one at home for breakfast. Especially b/c I had figs which I went out of my way to get b/c they are so good!

Raw Cacao Breakfast Smoothie

It turned out like an amazing chocolatey creamy smoothie with a hint of berry and pushing the boundaries of smoothie-milkshake without adding ice cream or any dedicated sweetener! A little like pudding and perfectly accompanied by a Bungalow Muncher (think of it like a breakfast muffin, or a dessert cookie, or a granola snack, so versatile!).  I chose one with less carob chips for a more breakfast like cookie and some Herbal Chai as well.

• 1-2T Chia seeds
• Glass of Almond milk
• 1-2T Cacao cacao powder
• 2 Scoops Tera's Bourbon Vanilla Whey
• 2 Fresh Figs
• Handful of Blueberries
• 1 Date
• 1t Vanilla 

I also added a little extra Bungalow Munch on top of the smoothie for some more yummy crunch factor.

It's a little bit expensive and fancy for lunch but I had to do it before I leave. Another Michelin starred restaurant.

Insalatas

 Mediterranean cuisine wins. The Vegetarian Middle Eastern Platter comes with so many goodies.  There's literally so many different epic flavors and spices in each portion it's unbelievable.  Lemony lentils, pistachio in the roasted tomatoes, curry in the sautéed veggies, and possibly paprika in the couscous? I love it. Enough said.

Syrian Fattoush Salad

This isn't just a normal fattoush. It's the best you can buy. The lemon and cumin in the dressing and the mint/cilantro are insane. I did mine sans-pita croutons/feta cheese, so normally it looks like this:

You can sub salmon for chicken and I bet that could be even better. I haven't attempted to make it because I don't think I can do it justice, but the recipe is online. My family has the cookbook as well so I could potentially make the other dish but have the same apprehensiveness. One day...

Is there a cafe gratitude in your area? If so what's your favorite thing?

Whistler II Home-Mades and More of the Best Ice Cream/Cookies/Burgers

It's so easy to make an awesome creation at Splitz Grill.  I was bummed at first at the no longer avialable gluten free bread, but the wheat wrap slightly toasted actually ended up being delicious.

I got:

• Spicy Lentil Burger
• Baba Ghanoush
• Hummus
• Sprouts
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Peppers 
• Onion
• Relish

A total Med theme.  Just a bit spicy, it definitely tastes like a burger with just a hint of garden that matches the sprouts. The best additions are the sweet and creamy ones to tame the spice, and the banana peppers were surely too spicy for me, at least on top of the burger.

 The Fuji Market is the best Japanese market ever! Inexpensive freshly made sushi/other foods and more Japanese groceries/items than any other market I've been to. Even than Japan town. I go on the regular.

Another Massive Cookie

There was one Apple Pecan Oatmeal Cookie left so I had to give it a try.  Pecan goes with the roastedness of the oats so well! And there were plenty of them (places often hold back). No chocolate chips and not as sweet as the other cookies.  Combine that with the dense mushiness added by the apple (less airy) and it reminded me of a delicious muffin. It would be even better with a kick of cinnamon! 

The only time i've eaten dairy ice cream in over two years! It's that good.  Cow's only.  At first I wasn't used to it (too sweet/creamy) and didn't care for the taste, but then harniced the flavors. 1 split single scoop in a waffle bowl.

• 1/2 Messie Bessie 
• Chocolate Ice Cream, Moo Crunch, Oreo Cookie, English Toffee
• 1/2 Half Gooey Mooey
• Burnt Sugar Ice Cream (Vanilla+Toffee), English Toffee Marble, Caramel Cups, Chocolate Flakes

    The burnt sugar ice cream tasted like yummy brown sugar or roasted maple syrup, caramelized and delicious. Which of course went with all the carmel and toffee elements.  The on the spot made waffle cones definitely taste like almond oil is a key ingredient and I love it. I could easily go in and buy just the cones. They use all real high quality ingredients and you can tell. The vanilla was epic. I was wishing for more cookies though (my true weakness).

   Unfortunately I found that I still can't digest milk or straight dairy well, only yogurt. I felt this ice cream in my stomach for almos 3 hours!  I also hate the taste of butter since I'm not used to it anymore, and could also taste it/cream on my lips for the rest of the night. Not my favorite feeling, but the ice cream was damn good.

 I went for a turkey burger this time, which is different from the buffalo burger but just as good if your in the mood for it. Also non-corn-fed from B.C.!  I did a sort of sweet spicy Mexi theme. 

• Turkey Burger
• Grilled Pineapple
• Baba Ghanoush
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Tomato
• Onion
• Pickle
• Dijon Mustard
• Cracked pepper 
• Wheat Wrap

The pineapple, pickles and salsa (little spicy) go so well together along with a bit of onion and then some vegginess from sprouts (my favorite sort of rare burger/sandwich topping).  Gotta have the delicious garlic and roastiness from their epic baba ghanoush as well.

I of course need to get my veggies in and threw lots of salads like this together in the room.  Nothing with real prep or complex ingredients. I dress with lemon mostly because it's not worth buying a whole container of olive oil I know I won't finish!

• Sugar Snap Peas
• Tomato
• Mixed Romaine Lettuce
• Sunflower/Pumpkin Seeds
• Kimchee from the Fuji Market 
• Lemon

Another similar salad, except with these additions:

• Avocado
• Corn
• Spring Mix instead of Romaine
• Cucumber
• Hummus

And the main items were Baked Sweet Potato w/ Greek Yogurt of course and some deli turkey breast. Simple and delicious. Hotel room dining at it's finest.

This is where I could almost say I got tricky. No cooked chicken breast at the market = how to cook chicken without buying oil? I used some kimchee and the liquid from the container it comes in with a bit of extra water and sort of sautéed/broiled the breasts in it. Flavor and spice in one simple ingredient (sort of)! Enjoyed with a sweet potato/hummus and another basic lemon salad. The kimchee tasted even better (more sweet/less spicy) after it got cooked with the chicken.

The usual Bungalow Munch Breakfasts! Easy on the go fosho.

The additions I had were generally:

• Blueberries
• Almonds/Sunflower Seeds/Extra Cashews/Pumpkin Seeds
• Dried Cranberries
• Dates
• Crystalized Ginger/Pineapple
• Dark Chocolate!

With Almond Milk every time! This last one was pre race!

Super Herb Chicken and WannaBe Peanut Sauce, then the 'Usuals'

A couple things worth mentioning, and others worth neglecting in this meal. I'll start with the don'ts. 

Herb Baked Chicken and Super Sauce

     Steaming Brussel Sprouts = Dont. They just don't taste good! Somehow they get really bitter compared to when you grill them, even with my usual mustard seed and sea salt/pepper. I drowned them in my new wanna-be peanut sauce making them palatable, which is a YES. #1 I don't know why i've limited myself to tahini for making dressings/sauces, when almond butter and sunflower seed butter are perfect options! It was like a delicious Asian Sesame or Peanut Sauce that tastes good on anything, but primarily a salad dressing for the tasty Japanese Hijiki Seaweed Salad (I first used the dressing sans-sunflower seed butter to soak the dried seaweed, then mixed it into the sunflower seed butter as dressing). Inspired by our cooking on the team trips, I finally baked a chicken breast. Tons of herbs/spices and delicious leeks, artichoke hearts, and pine nuts! So much flavor yet so clean tasting at the same time. Trader Joe's Marinated Artichoke Hearts (jar) are so delicious especially when baked with chicken. They totally gave me the sensation of eating pizza, but just the good parts of eating pizza!

-Chicken Breast Baked with Dill Weed, Ground Coriander, Dried Basil, Lemon Pepper, Olive Oil, Lemon

   -Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Leeks, Pine Nuts

-Steamed BSprouts w/ Mustard Seed, Sea Salt, Pepper

-Hijiki Seaweed, Cucumber, Tomato, Sunflower Dressing Sauce

    -Sunflower Seed Butter, Rice Vinegar, Lemon, Olive Oil, Water

-Short Grain Brown Rice

The chicken made a reappearance in my lunch, remixed with some extra spice!

   Wrap Action

    Implementing my new policy also inspired by my team-trips of having baked sweet potatoes on hand (make a batch and fridge), half of one conveniently served as a sweet addition to my lunch. I supplemented the chicken with some tofu since there wasn't quite enough. #2 Also digging the wrap selection from TJoes - it's far superior to any other market (stupid over processed 'low carb' wheat or gluten free wraps are lame!). Brown Rice Tortillas for the win! Keeping it wheat free for days.

-Brown Rice Tortilla (TJoes), Radicchio, Avocado, Tomato, Onion

-Leftover Herb Chicken + Firm Tofu

-Hummus, Zahatar, Ground Coriander

-Sweet Potato

The Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Herbal Tea is so good this massive jar barely lasted 30 min! Accompanied the spicy yet sweet crunchy breakfast bowl perfectly.

Semi Standard Berry Ginger Spice Crunch

This would be a standard overnight oats combo for me but there's a few yummy standouts. #3 First is the simple added crunch from the bottom of the bag rice cake puffs. Then go for some pomegranate thanks to more TJoes pre-prepped genius. Last but definitely not least would be the carrot/ginger juice infused into the oats for a nice bite to compliment the usual spice combo!

-65g oats, 200g soymilk/almond milk/carrot juice/ginger juice (had a bit of each left)

-Blueberries, Pomegranate, Strawberry, Dried Cranberries

-Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves

-Hazelnuts, Almonds, 'Bottom of the Bag' Rice Cake Puffs