I know I am a strange person. That is not news to anyone who knows me.

Yesterday I was reminded again that the things I eat and the foods I crave are also not normal. I was doing an interview for DailyMile and we were discussing food and I mentioned craving salads and vegetables which produced a quizzical look. Later on that day, when I was talking to Scott my massage therapist at Psoas, he said “I never crave fruits and vegetables, just fatty food or sugar, etc”. Never? Really?!

I thought about it for a while since honest to goodness I don’t have sugar cravings, in fact I wouldn’t really say I have cravings at all. Usually on my long runs I start thinking about the food I will refuel with and get particularly fixated on something but it’s not a true craving and even if it were, well, I usually have earned it. On my 34.5 mile run this Sunday I got fixated on the idea of having roast chicken and salad for dinner and ultimately that is what we had. Rotisserie chicken from Limon and a big leaf salad. Really hit the spot.

After all the talk of food cravings or not, last night all I could think about was a big green salad. Not your restaurant style green salad which is usually just beautiful greens plus a delicious dressing. I am talking greens, green vegetables and even a herb-y dressing. Yes, I was craving it. I needed to tame that green monster.

And wow was it good. I actually ate WAY slower than I usually do so I could savor each and every bite. The only things that weren’t green in this salad were the baked tofu and the sauerkraut. I felt like a superhero after eating this salad. I felt invigorated and satisfied. It is definitely one that I will be making again and again. Salad may not be rocket science, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be profound on occasion.

Greener than Green Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup broccoli, lightly steamed (to make it less gas producing)

2 stalks of kale, cut into ribbons

4-6 cups of greens including arugula, spinach

2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup sauerkraut

1 package baked tofu

1/2 avocado

1 cup rice vinegar

4 cloves garlic minced

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp fresh ginger

2-3 tbsp mixed fresh herbs

1/2 cup+ peanut oil

Directions:

Mix vinegar, garlic, herbs, sesame oil, ginger in a blender. With the motor running, add in peanut oil until dressing emulsifies.

In a large bowl, put the cut kale into the bowl and add 2 tbsps dressing. With clean bare hands, massage the kale for 30 seconds until the leaves slightly soften. Add in greens, spinach, arugula, cilantro, and green onions. Toss to coat with dressing adding more to taste. Top with steamed broccoli, avocado, tofu and sauerkraut. Enjoy. This salad is definitely a meal, split it into two and have it as a side.

Speaking of weird cravings, last week I was seriously jonesing for chickpeas. I mean really, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I decided for Wednesday dinner that I would call on my inner Greek and make some recipes from Vefa’s Kitchen which I had gotten over the weekend. I made Vegetable and Garbanzo Bean Casserole as well as Chicken Souvlaki. Both were delicious and I am super keen to try more recipes from the cookbook. It is a good one, a classic and a compendium of Greek Food (it’s been called the bible of traditional Greek Food). I won’t share the recipes, but I will share a few photos of the delicious final product!

I am so happy. I love where I live. California rocks. Seriously.

View of the Pacific Ocean from Point Lobos

Over the weekend, I headed down the coast for a super secret mission that involved a trip to the Monterey Aquarium, wine tasting, and all sorts of adventures from San Francisco down to Monterey. There was Whale Spotting from Point Lobos Wildlife Reserve, Porchetta Sandwiches from Roli Roti and a Saturday night picnic of fresh greens, pickled vegetables (Happy Girl Kitchen), and roast chicken & potatoes (also Roli Roti) from the San Francisco Saturday Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Lunch in Santa Cruz at Walnut Ave Cafe of tofu scrambles and potatoes. There was a perfect run up the Skyline-to-Sea trail and watching the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean. I am sure I am missing a fresh from the market persimmon and loads of Jer’s Chocolate Peanut Butter in there too. It was fantastic. It was the kind of weekend where at the end you sigh and say, “wow, we live in an amazing place”. I ate good food, ran in amazing places, slept in the biggest bed ever, and pulled off the birthday surprise of the century. Ok, well maybe not the century, but I kept a secret for like a month and that is a big deal. While the weekend sounds packed, it was actually the most fun relaxed weekend I have had in a long long time. After the stress of the holidays, we all need a little vacation right?

Looking up and forward to the new year.

After the weekends activities, actually for about a week before and even now, I have been seriously hankering for hearty, pickled vegetable laden salads. Probably post-holiday balancing after eating a few things my body doesn’t like (gluten). I ate really healthy and light for most of the holiday season, but ate my mom’s Stollen that she makes every year and a super secret sugar cookie or two as well. As we were driving back, salad was on our minds and I suggested a salad I had been playing with over the course of the week. Fresh greens, arugula, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, roast onion and a very bright herb dressing. After a bit of brainstorming, we decided that the additions of a nice soft cheese and avocado would take it to the next level. It was awesome.

This salad balances the light crisp flavors of the greens, dressing, sauerkraut and arugula with the hearthy, warm winter vegetables of sweet potato and roast onion. Profoundly good for being profoundly simple. This salad is a keeper.

Sauerkraut, Sweet Potato and Roast Onion Salad

5 cups salad greens
3 cups arugula
2 sweet potato
2 small red onion, sliced
2 cups sauerkraut
2 small avocado, chopped
½ cup soft cheese, crumbled
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Baked Sweet Potatoes until tender. With about 10 minutes left before the sweet potatoes are done, roast red onions on a baking sheet with parchment paper until tender.

Compose salad in large bowls. Toss greens and arugula with red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients to taste.

I am finally back in the land of kitchens and culinary, back from a transformative journey brimming with ideas, direction and passion. Passion which is directed not just towards my running, but my passion for cooking. I am more motivated than ever to share my recipes, nutritional know how and culinary skills. It makes me giddy to think about getting into the kitchen and into writing all the things that I have brewing in my head. All in good time though. As I settle back into life, I have the opportunity to get back into the kitchen and create, create, create. The recipes below just happened into my head when I was wondering around in the grocery store this morning. They turned out fantastic, simple and nutritional.

I am back on top of things and looking towards planning a future where my website is even more of a tool that runners and athletes can meet their nutritional needs, cook and eat amazing gourmet food and find out all sorts of culinary and nutritional information. Also, I am keen to continue to try and work on a cookbook and have that published in the next year or two. That is a task that comes with no small undertaking and I am so ready to take on the challenge. In the meantime if you want to grab all of my recipes from this year and last, head over to the Tastebook badge in the left hand column and buy a Fast Foodie Cookbook. I have one book for last and one for this. This years is currently being updated to be complete, but the cool thing about tastebook is that you can buy pages and add them to your book. Check it out.

As the summer comes to a close, drink and eat up all you can of all the bounty of summer, both literally and figuratively!

Beautiful summer meal for a beautiful summer day

Sage and Garlic Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup water
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
In a saute pan, bring water to a boil and put green beans in the water to poach/parboil them for 2-3 mins. Drain the water, add olive oil, garlic and sage and saute until the green beans crisp up. Salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Melon and Goat Cheese Salad

Summer Melon and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups arugula
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup cantalope, cubed
2 tbsp. goat cheese
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt
pepper

Directions:

Soak sliced onions in ice cold water to remove sharpness. Meanwhile, arrange arugula, melon and goat cheese in a bowl. Add onions, drizzle with nice olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom and Fresh Herb Chicken

Ingredients:

3 sun-dried tomato, packed in oil
¼ cup mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp. mixed fresh herbs, minced
1 organic boneless skinless chicken breast, butterflied
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a oven proof skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Saute sliced mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet, leaving oil in pan.

Stuff the butterflied chicken with the sun dried tomatoes (3 slices approx), mushrooms and 1/2 of the fresh herbs. Close, sprinkle remaining herbs on top and salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil back to the skillet. Place chicken in the skillet and brown on both sides. Remove skillet from heat and bake in oven until chicken is cooked through about 35 minutes.