Blizzard Warnings in effect.

The weather outside is frightful, but the running is so delightful.

Fast Foodie, Even in the Snow

I spent about 2 hours running around in the snow. It was delightful, it was challenging. It is one, if not the, biggest storms that has hit Seattle in a while. It snowed on Thursday, then an even bigger dumping last night, complete with Blizzard Warning. Thus, there was plenty of snow on the ground. While I didn’t have the opportunity to get Yak-Traks or put Sheet Metal Screws, I decided that I would brave it anyways.  I ran around without aim, slipping, sliding, working hard and being silly. I was working up quite and appetite when the snow started falling really hard. I searched myself for what sounded good, warming and satisfying when it came to me. What is better on a cold day than a nice thick soup and a cheese toastie? Not much! So, I popped into the PCC on the top of the hill (thankfully, I was carrying my fastpacking backpack) and grabbed some ingredients, loaded up the pack and continued on home as the storm worsened. Inspired by the snow, I created a Chili-spiced Double Squash Soup and Double Tomato & Swiss Cheese Toastie. While the weather outside is frightful and has me snowed in, the food in here is so delightful.

Chili Spiced Double Squash Spice Soup

Chili Spiced Double Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 can pumpkin puree
1 can butternut squash puree
4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 large leek, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons agave nectar
salt
pepitas, toasted
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
⅙ avocado, diced

Directions:

In a good size stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the leeks and carrots. Saute until the start to get tender. Add the stock and the squash purees and stir to combine. Add in the chili powder, cumin, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, for a minimum of 15-20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or in a regular blender, puree until smooth. Make sure if you use a blender that you cover the top with a dish towel and start blending on low so that the hot liquid doesn’t come flying out and scald you. Return to pan and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

In a small dry saute pan, toast pepitas until golden, keeping them moving in the pan constantly. Serve soup and garnish with toasted pepitas, diced avocados and cilantro.

Double Tomato & Swiss Sandwich

Double Tomato & Swiss Cheese Toastie

Ingredients:

3 slices tomatoes
3 slices Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons Sun-dried tomato pesto
1 pita

Directions:
Slice pita open, keeping one side attached. Spread pesto on one side, place tomato on top and cheese on top of that. Heat panini press or cast iron sandwich press to medium high. Grease both sides and place sandwich on grill. Grill (flipping once) until golden, toasty and melty.

Enjoy with a warm bowl of soup.

I really think that what I love about cold days and getting cold, is the warming up and relaxing part afterward!

I was running along this evening, contemplating and somewhat racing, the butternut squash I had baking away in the oven. I had thought I’d take the baked squash that I had seasoned with some gobi masala spices and stuff it with some arugula, good organic goat cheese and some cheeky chutney from Saturday. But as I ran, the cold ripping and biting through my tights and across my face, the meal just didn’t sound like the right thing to warm me up. I knew the combination would work as I was inspired by a salad I made for Sunday supper, a Cider glazed Butternut Squash Salad w/ Arugula, Goat Cheese, Roasted Hazelnuts and an apple vinaigrette. And of course, the chutney has not been far from my mind since I made it. Naturally I wanted to take the leftover ingredients I had (half an uncooked butternut squash, arugula, goat cheese) and combine it with the chutney to create something new. My idea was good, but not great. The wind started to blow and I shivered and I thought about what my dad had been eating for lunch, which had looked very delicious at the time Tomato-Basil soup and a grilled sandwich. And that is when it struck me: I need more Cowbell! Seriously, that is what I thought but what I meant was, Eureka! I realized that a play on tomato soup and grilled cheese was in order. And thus was born what I consider, at least in part, the best recipe I have ever come up with: Curried Butternut Squash Soup and (this is the best best recipe of which I speak) Goat Cheese, Arugula and Chutney Quesadilla. The soup was good, but the quesadilla was amazing and really simple. I had a small side of roast brussel sprouts to make a well rounded delicious and flavorful meal. My dinner needed more cowbell and boy did it get it!

Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and halved
2 cups vegetable stock
gobi masala, garam masala, cinnamon to taste
salt to taste
a small squirt of Vanilla Agave

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Place the squash halves, cut side up in a baking dish. Fill the pan with 1-2 inches of water. Sprinkle gobi masala and a little olive oil over the squash. Bake until tender. In a saucepan, combine the stock and the butternut squash. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Once the combination is smooth, start spicing! I added a dash of garam masala and a smaller dash of cinnamon. A good whack of salt and a small squirt of vanilla agave. I brought it to a simmer and got to work on my quesadilla. When serving, feel free to top with a cooling spoonful of plain yogurt or sour cream, which balances the spices well.

The best quesadilla ever (at least for today)
Ingredients:
Earth balance
1 brown rice tortilla
Arugula
A good soft goat cheese
Cheeky Chutney
optional: a few slices of roasted turkey

Directions:
Spread Earth balance on one side of the brown rice tortilla and heat a skillet to medium high. Spread goat cheese thinly across the entire tortilla, pile on a few slices of turkey (or not), a good bunch of arugula and top with a few spoonfuls of chutney (see picture below). Fold in half and grill until golden on both side, with the cheese melty and the ingredients heated through. Cut in half and enjoy, immensely.

Oh yes and one final note, per a question I got about the chutney and preserving it. As Jamie Oliver discusses, you do sterilize the jars. I found that when I put the very hot chutney in the jar and closed them up immediately, that when I opened the jar a few days later, the top was sealed on quite tight. That said, feel free to do the water bath sealing. But then again, it may be alot of effort for nothing since frankly its so good, it probably won’t last that long!

Fall is here and I love it. Fall brings crisp cool air, even here in Atlanta. Fall brings all of my favorite fruits and vegetables back in season. I am already drooling over brussel sprouts, persimmons and many others. This weekend was a perfect fall weekend for me. After a grueling week at work and lots of mileage as I begin to peak for WC100k, including having to work late on friday night I was looking forward to running, relaxing and enjoying the fall weather.

I got up super early on Saturday morning to head out to the Silver Comet Trail for a flat and fast 30 miler. I had gotten connected with a local speedster, Jason, through an ultrarunning acquaintance and it turned out he was going to do 10-12 miles at 6:30am, so I decided to meet him there at 6:30, so I could have company for the first 12 miles. While he said he wanted to take it easy as he was feeling tired, we clipped along at a good pace and what felt like no time, we were back at the start and I was grabbing my water bottle and heading back out for the remaining 18 miles. I decided to push the pace and dropped down to 6:30/mile. At about mile 16, I suddenly started having stomach pains and my entire insides started hurting. That morning, I had started my higher dosage of thyroid medicine, 3x higher than my previous dosage because the lower dosage was not having any affect after 8 weeks. I had been diagnosed with hypo-thyroid in August, after beginning to investigate why I was having muscle loss, slight weight gain, anxiety, fatigue, low max heart rate, dizziness, among several other symptoms. My normal doctor had struggled with this diagnosis because I don’t fit the normal stereotype but in the end the numbers speak for themselves and it is great to feel like I am finally, at the very least, heading in the right direction. There is an interesting article about hypo-thyroid in runners here. Needlesstosay, after mile 16, the side effects started kicking in and I was not a happy camper. I kept pushing and manged to not only run 30 miles in 3:30, but along the way make a few new friends on the path.

After my run, I headed back to the house and went out to brunch with my dad at Perish. I then enjoyed a nap, ran some errands, including picking up a super cute new sweater, then I head out to Apres Diem with my friend George for dinner and drinks.

Today was another enjoyable day, I ran twice reaching 116.5 miles for the week, got a massage and more importantly made these:

I have been thinking about rice crispies treats for a few days, but traditional version didn’t really appeal. I came up with the idea for this combination on my morning run today. It was a well deserved indulgence. I shared them with my friend/massage therapist Oni and my dad and Fran and they all raved. I dare you to try and eat just one. I guess it wouldn’t be that hard to just eat one, if you didn’t cut them into squares….It was a great weekend and it was a nice respite from the run/work jam packed but nothing else weekdays that I have been experiencing since being in Atlanta.

Koala Crispies Treats with Peanut Butter Morsels

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 pkg marshmallows, organic if you can find em….but good luck
1 box gluten free Koala Crispies Cereal or any organic Cocoa Crispies cereal
1/2 package Peanut Butter Morsels

Directions:
Melt the Earth Balance, add the marshmallows and melt them, stirring so it doesn’t stick. I had it over medium heat. Most of you have made rice crispies treats at least one time in your life, so I have absolute faith you can make these successfully. Once the butter and marshmallows melt, add in the entire box of koala crispies and then after a few more minutes of letting it all cool, mix in the peanut butter morsels. They will will get partially melty, partially not. Put them in a greased pan and flatten. Let cool and then cut into squares….then attempt to not eat them all.

A few pictures of the delicious meal I mentioned in my last post….still no recipe, sorry !


And lastly, I just got an email from my friend Dan, whom I did the impromptu 50k with and he sent me this video!