Food for Thought

Besides swimming, biking, and running, I really enjoy cooking and reading.  I read all kinds of books but I most enjoy autobiographies of interesting people.  Inspiring people.  I recently read Scott Jurek's new book Eat and Run (which I loved by the way!) and Rich Roll's Finding Ultra (also fantastic!).  A common theme between the two endurance athletes is their approach to nutrition.  Both came to rely on plant-based nutrition for endurance sports and overall wellness.  As a food-lover and biochemist, I was intrigued by their knowledge of food and how proteins are processed in our bodies.  Though I'm not tossing all of the frozen salmon and pork out of my freezer yet, I am starting to re-educate myself on metabolism, and how a plant-based diet might be beneficial.

So recently when I had a little time in the kitchen I decided to re-create a fabulous dish I had at Gallop Cafe in Denver recently.  Check out the menu online.  The dish was called Sherpa's Sunrise Bowl and it was, quite simply, one of the most amazing interpretations of food I've ever eaten.  I never would have thought to put hot cereal together with roasted vegetables.  And the poached eggs on top.... heaven!  So this is what I came up with: 

Roasted Butternut Squash & 4 Grain Cereal
1/4 cup of uncooked grains:  I used steel cut oats, bulgar wheat, teff, and amaranth.  But you could use anything.  Quinoa, brown rice, wheat berries, millet or barley would have been other good additions. 

1 1/2 cups water

1 butternut squash (from Desert Roots Farm)

almond milk

To prepare:  peel and chop the butternut squash.  On a baking sheet, drizzle the squash with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven until fork-tender.  I had my oven on 350 for about 20 minutes.  I think 400 may have been a better choice to give it a little color, but my squash was done perfectly.  While the squash is roasting, combine the grains and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until the water is absorbed.  Combine the grains and the butternut squash and enjoy!  (See variations below for suggestions on serving.)

I refrigerated mine overnight, placing the cooked cereal in the bottom of a Tupperware container and the roasted squash on top.  When I was ready to eat lunch the next day, I microwaved it for a minute or two, mixed it all up and added a little splash of almond milk to give it the desired consistency.  It was fantastic! 

Obviously my version was a little tame, mostly because I was crunched for time and my final preparation was taking place at work.  Had I been in my own kitchen I likely would have added one or more of the following:

Variations:
1.  Top with a dash of cinnamon and a few walnuts for a delicious breakfast.
2.  Drizzle a bit of agave and some pecans.
3.  Saute greens (spinach, kale, or chard) and add to the dish.
4.  Following the Gallop method, top with poached eggs.  (Seriously, you have to try this!)
5.  Go wild and add roasted red peppers (or fresh bell peppers) and spice it up with a little crushed red pepper or paprika.
6.  Follow your heart.  Whatever your favorite veggie is (or combination of vegetables!) saute/ bake/ broil and add it to the hot cereal. 
7.  Think worldly.  Use spice profiles from different countries to make this dish Asian, Mexican, Thai, Italian or Indian. 

Let me know if you try this recipe and come up with other variations on the theme.  I have a tendency to find a "base" recipe that I like and then every time I make it, it comes out a little differently depending on what I have in my pantry, fridge or CSA bag. 

Along with my new favorite dish, I'm trying some new fuel for my race this weekend.  Reviewing my notes from last year's Tahoe Rim Trail Ultra, I was reminded that eating solid food at elevation while running was difficult because I couldn't breathe and chew at the same time.  In my notes I mentioned that gels, or liquids, were easier to take in.  But after a while, I get tired of sucking down gels.  The sugary sweetness just gets to be too much.  So taking a cue from our Grand Canyon adventure, I'm going to pack a few salted, boiled potatoes in my bag.  And I'm trying out Scott Jurek's brown rice balls.  Basically brown rice, with miso (I'm going to try some non-GMO soy sauce), wrapped in nori.  I think this will be easier to swallow as it's soft and less chewing is involved.  I'll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime... I've got a plane to catch!