Poached Egg Salad

I have been making more of an effort to boost my intake of protein within a meal. If I make a large stew, roast a chicken, or simmer a pot roast, protein intake is not a problem. During those meals my focus shifts to piling my plate high with fresh greens. When I make a salad, I need to think about how to boost the protein content. Poached eggs are a tasty edition to a salad. With my handy-dandy new silicon egg poachers, my eggs are pretty and perfectly cooked. 

Poached Egg Salad with Spiced Lentils and Olive Tapenade

Olive Tapenade

Makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kalamata olives, cut in half to ensure it is free of pits
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup roasted red peppers
• 1 tsp thyme

Directions:

Simply place the ingredients in a Vita-Mix (or blender) and blend until desired consistency.

Spiced Lentils

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cooked lentils
• A few Tablespoons favorite salsa
• 1 tsp cumin

Directions:

Combine the ingredients together.

Salad Assembly

Ingredients:

• Mesclun mix
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground pepper
• Poached Egg
• Sea Salt

Directions:

Mix the leafy greens together with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pepper.

Lay the greens on a plate, along with the olive tapenade, spiced lentils and poached egg. Sprinkle with sea salt. I used a delightful salt we bought in Quebec City on our honeymoon, Fleur de Merlot.

Zesty Festive Truffles

Over the weekend, amidst a baking extravaganza, I was swept up with creative inspiration. What happens when you combine cranberries, ginger and lime? The result, a festive, red and green bite sized treat with a gingery punch. These truffles are a little sticky, so I would recommend displaying them on a holiday tray rather in a decorative bag.

Zesty Festive Truffles
Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ¾ cup crystallized ginger
• 5 dates
• Lime, zested
• 1 ½ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Place cranberries, ginger, dates and lime zest in a food processor. Pulse until fruit is chopped and forms a large ball.
2. Form mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
3. In a saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate.
4. Spoon one teaspoon of melted chocolate over each fruit ball. Allow to harden.
Makes 24 truffles

After spending all morning in the kitchen, I need to move. I grabbed my iPod and cranked up the tunes. I used this high spirited mix last year when I taught an extended Christmas spin class at CIGNA. During class, I narrated this little story about Santa and the trials and tribulations he faced delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. I had forgotten how much fun and creative this assortment is.

Gingery Arugula Salad

Salads do not need guidelines. They are a lot like soups, take what you have in the fridge and pantry and combine ingredients together in style that you think might work. This salad came to life because our fridge was relatively empty. The apples and celery offer crunch, the avocado creaminess, and the peppery arugula is heightened by the sharp taste of the ginger. My intention is to profile my salads over the next few months and perhaps awaken some creativity in your kitchen.

Speaking of creativity, the soup pictured below is a Beanless Meatless Chili. I was craving a tomato, cumin veggie loaded soup. Ken does not care for beans and we'd had our fill of beef over the weekend. It featured an onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, yellow squash and tempeh. I liked it.

Gingery Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

• 4+ cups arugula
• 1 Ginger Gold apple, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• avocado, sliced
• 5 scallions, white parts sliced
• 8 pieces of crystallized ginger, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• handful of hemp seeds

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl. I prefer not to bother measuring my salad dressing ingredients. The olive oil is drizzled over the salad, a lemon half is squeezed over the bowl, and salt and pepper are sprinkled over the top. Salad is served.

Labor Day Family Reunion Potluck

We spent Labor Day weekend in Cooperstown, NY with Ken's family. For Sunday's potluck I was tasked with bringing a salad. I had a small challenge. We were headed to their summer house on Saturday and wanted the salad to still taste its best on Sunday, even though I was preparing it on Saturday morning before we left. My solution was to transport the Farro Salad in pieces. The cooked cooled grains, lettuce, and dressing were stored separately. Ten minutes before we ate, I assembled the yummy salad.

Farro is related to common wheat and therefore a grain containing gluten. The taste of farro is plump, nutty and chewy. Search for whole grain farro because it has the beneficial fibrous bran and germ still intact. Pearled varieties have these key parts of the grain buffed away.

Citrus Parmesan Farro Salad

Source: 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of salad greens
• 2 cups farro, rinsed and drained
• 5 cups water
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 medium orange, zest and juice
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/3 cup Parmesan, freshly shredded
• 1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• couple pinches of salt
• 1/2 cup Tamari almonds
• 1/2 cup goat cheese

Directions:

1. Combine the farro, salt and water in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer until the farrro is tender about 45 minutes. Remove from heat, drain excess water and set aside.

2. For the dressing, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, shallot, cheese, vinegar and oil. Salt to taste and set aside.

3. Just before serving, in a large bowl, toss the greens with a small amount of dressing. Add the farro and the rest of the dressing. Toss gently to combine. Finish by sprinkling with the goat cheese and almonds.

Sunny Side Up

Four weeks ago I almost missed the opportunity to race Nationals. I crashed during an off road triathlon and broke my elbow. I was told by an urgent care doc that I needed to be in a cast for 6 weeks! Then the orthopedist told me that I did not need to be in a cast for my broken radius, but I needed to take it easy. I couldn't get hurt. “Taking it easy” is not my preferred way of doing things. Two weeks ago I saw the Dr. again and I asked him, “when can I...”. He raised his eyebrows and asked “what?”. I was given a reluctant OK to do the race with instructions “not to get hurt”.

Before the race, I got gotten in a few runs. That felt OK. No pain in my arm. I tried swimming one week before the race and there was some discomfort at my wrist and along my forearm. Two days before the race I went out for a ride on my tri bike. No pain in my elbow, but my bicep felt so sore. I was experiencing constant pain. I couldn’t shift my bike. After that brief 30 minute ride, I worried that 24.8 miles during the race might not be possible. Then I used my personal training brain and did some research on Kinesio taping. It is popular with injured professional athletes and made famous by the volleyball player Kerri Walsh during the Olympics. So with the race less than 24 hours away, I was getting taped up by a massage therapist. I knew with the pink and beige tape along my entire arm I’d attract a bit of attention. Of course I got a few strange looks. A few times I explained to curious folks that the tape was to help me race with a broken elbow. I wouldn't know until race day if it would help.

We arrived in Burlington on Friday afternoon, got our packets, racked our bikes and headed out to dinner with fellow triathletes. The city was swarming with athletes and fast gear. On Saturday morning the sun was shining and it was a great morning to race. I was bodymarked by the retired pro triathlete and Olympian Barb Lindquist! So cool. Once the transition area closed we had an hour to wait before our wave went off. Athletes weren’t allowed into the water to warm up. Thankfully when we jumped in the water the temperature felt comfortable. I took a few tentative strokes and the arm felt OK. Then it was time to go! My race was underway. I felt good on the swim. I was missing some power in my stroke, but I was not in pain. Perhaps the coolest part of the swim was being about 100 yards away from the lighthouse as we swam through the harbor. Exiting the water, I thought, part one down, two to go.

I carefully moved through the transition area. The volunteers were calling out that the grass and timing mats were slippery. At the bike mount line, there were so many athletes moving through and it was quite congested. Once safely through, it took me about five minutes of talking myself down onto my aerobars. Once I got there and shifted gears a huge smile broke out across my face. I got into a nice rhythm, although it was too painful to stand up out of the saddle. Thankfully the course featured only a few small rolling climbs and was mostly flat. My mantra for the ride was to “keep the sunny side up”, kinda like the phrase “keep the rubber side down.” It applied both to my personality and the position of the bike. Coming into the transition, I had a brief rush of emotion. I completed the two legs that could have prevented me from finishing. I knew I could complete the run. Two parts down. One more to go.

I heard about the steep hill just out of transition. This was a tough one. It is about the same steepness of the hill on the Ironman Lake Placid course as you head back into town, near the traffic light. This hill was about twice as long. That was the worst of it, from there the course was mostly flat. I just didn’t have the legs. I made my way through the course and then I rounded the corner and saw the transition area. I can’t decide which finishing chute is better Ironman Lake Placid on the Olympic Speedskating Oval or this one with its red carpet. It was an emotional finish. I did it, broken arm and all! Ken poked his head over the fence and saw me finish! After grabbing ice from the first aid tent, I got a huge hug. It was such a special moment.

How did I do? Well I have never raced with so much top talent. Everyone was fast. Taking the last four weeks off certainly did not help my speed. I compared my times at Nationals with those at Rev 3 Olympic in June. I was 5 minutes faster at Rev3 in the swim. My bike at Nationals was faster. The run at Rev3, on that hilly course, was faster. But the important thing to remember, is that I finished. Four weeks ago I was told I was going to have a cast on my arm and I was not going to be able to race. Something worked in my favor and I was out there swimming, biking and running at Nationals.

Not so Hot in the Kitchen

Heat up your mouth and not your kitchen with this spicy cashew sauce served over zucchini "noodles". Leave the oven off as you use a blender and a spiralizer. A spiralizer is a handy kitchen tool that slices vegetables into thin, long ribbons. I use these noodles as a base to hold all types of sauces; tomato, pesto, and curry. Once sliced, the veggies can be served raw or heated in a saute pan or boiling water.

This cashew sauce also makes a fantastic marinade for grilled chicken.

Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Cashew Sauce

Adapted from: Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashew nuts
• 6 Tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 jalepeno pepper, stems and seeds discarded, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• Sea salt and pepper
• 2 medium zucchinis

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, add cashews, cilantro, oil, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, salt, pepper and 2 Tablespoons water.

2. Chop the ends off the zucchini and cut in half. Place a small slice along the length of zucchini, less than halfway through the veggie.

3. Use the spiralizer to create long ribbons of shredded zucchini.

4. Combine the sauce and zucchini together. Sprinkle with some cilantro for an added touch.

Baldface Mountain

On Saturday morning, we packed up the car with our gear and headed to the White Mountains for the holiday weekend. Our destination was the Baldfaces. One of my favorite hikes is the Layfette-Lincoln loop in the Franconia Notch area. That 8 mile loop features about 1.5 miles above treeline along the ridge. The trail along the South and North Baldface boasts 4 miles above treeline.

This loop could easily be accomplished as a day hike, but I wanted to prolong our time in the woods. We hiked up the Slippery Brook trail. At the intersection with the Baldface Crag trail we began to search for a place to pitch our tent for the night. We enjoyed our homemade Curry Chicken meal on a level patch of ground, mostly free of bugs.

On Sunday morning, after a breakfast of an apple and a homemade Aubrey Energy bar, we needed to replenish our water supply. We took a detour down the Slippery Brook trail to fill up in the brook. Coming back up we saw fresh moose tracks along the length of the trail. Keeping our voices to infrequent whispers, we hoped we catch a glimpse of him/her. All we got was the crack and crash of trees in the vicinity. After an extended pause, we moved on knowing that we’d missed out.

At the top of Baldface Crag, we were rewarded with our first views. The rain was just beginning to start. The rain continued as we hiked a little farther to the base of the South Baldface trailhead. Decision time. It just didn’t make sense to hike across the ridge, especially if afternoon thunderstorms made an appearance as forecasted. Hiking down the steep Baldface loop trail was inadvisable under wet conditions. So we once again found a level spot, only about a mile away from Saturday’s night’s location and pitched the tent around 1 PM. It was easy to drift off to sleep for a lengthy nap listening to the sounds of the rain. To enhance the enjoyment of our dinner, Ken cleverly rigged his poncho to four trees and we were treated to a covered location to enjoy our homemade Pot Roast.

I awoke to sunlight at 5 am the next morning. I eagerly got dressed, borrowed Ken’s camera and set off to enjoy the views that I had been craving all weekend. WOW! Utterly amazing! And I had this entire place all to myself. I spent about an hour here basking in the beauty of it.

We packed up our tent and had homemade Millet Almond Granola for breakfast here on this ledge.

Ken wasn’t feeling 100%, so I made the trip up South Baldface alone. It felt so freeing to hike the half mile up in my Vibrams and a day pack holding only water and the camera. This is one of the best views in the Whites that I've experienced.

For variety, we decided to descend the Baldface Circle trail. I was outside my comfort zone. We had to scramble down ledges and steep rock faces. These were even more challenging with a heavy backpack. We both made it down successfully. Ken with a little more grace than me, as a few times, I purposely slid down the rocks. Just before the Baldface Shelter, I slipped on some slippery rocks, not once but twice in the span of about a quarter mile. First on the right elbow, then the left. Brushing myself off, I inspected myself for serious injuries. Just some missing skin

and the knowledge that I’d be sporting some nice bruises later in the week.

About a mile before the car, we passed Emerald Pool. We resisted the temptation to rest and clean up there because we still had to schlep our packs back to the car. Once back at the car, we dropped off our gear and walked down to Charles Brook to freshen up.

I had a wonderful time in the woods. There are so many elements that easily come together to make the experience so memorable.

The views:

The food: All made by me. Nothing was from a package.

The company: