Tag: Salty Running in the Kitchen

I’m Not Sure Why I Shied Away From Overnight Oats
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In true runner fashion, I love a good oatmeal. And as a breastfeeding runner, the oats are a good food to promote lactation—fun fact. But whenever I saw an “overnight oats” recipe, I thought it was too involved and too hard. Full disclosure: I never actually read the recipe. I’d see “overnight oats” and keep flipping or scrolling. Until a friend of mine sent me her favorite recipe and told me how easy it was.

In this new-mom-runner game I like easy; I like convenient; I like recipes that can be doubled or tripled. I tried it, and now I’m hooked.

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Cilantro’s Favorite Green Smoothie Recipe
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For at least 5 years now, probably closer to 8 years, my green smoothies have been a source of entertainment for my family (and the topic for a little good-natured ribbing). With exception of when I’ve lived in Hungary without a blender, I’ve had a green smoothie every day. With a few minor adjustments, the recipe I’m sharing today is basically the same smoothie I first tried so many years ago. That alone should be prove that this is a delicious recipe. Even my family, notably wary of drinkable greens, admit that this is, indeed, pretty delicious.

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Turmeric’s Mixup of President Obama’s Favorite Chili
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It’s definitely soup season, and chili is a Salty Running favorite! Here is another chili recipe from Turmeric, a delicious sounding version that includes pasta and ground turkey!

Having a six-month-old, time is a bit limited these days! I’ve made President Obama’s favorite Chili recipe runner-friendly, and added bell pepper, carbs, and delicious healthy fats. I love a good chili, and making one with the super-spice turmeric was an added bonus!

Ingredients

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 t ground cumin
  • 1/2 t ground oregano
  • 1/2 t ground turmeric
  • 1/2 t ground basil
  • 1 T chili powder
  • 3 T red-wine vinegar
  • One 28-ounce can peeled tomatoes
  • 1 29-ounce can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can light red kidney beans
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • Cheddar cheese to top
  • Avocado (diced)
  • Noodles or Jasmine rice

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil in pan
  2. Add onions, green and red pepper. Saute until crisp-tender.
  3. Add turkey and brown until no longer pink
  4. Add all spices and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the spices do not burn.
  5. Add all of it to a slow cooker OR keep on stove for 30 minutes
  6. Add all beans, tomatoes, red wine vinegar
  7. If using a slow cooker, cook for about an hour or longer on medium-high heat

Top with whatever you choose (I recommend cheese and avocado). Enjoy!

Cilantro’s Meal-Prep Quinoa Salad
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It’s not every day that you hear about a runner eating quinoa.

Just kidding.

Although it’s not the hot pseudo-grain that it was a few years ago, it’s still a pretty popular not-grain (because it’s actually a seed!  Who knew?) in part because it is high in protein, while still delivering the carbs runners need. And, of course, quinoa is delicious. For this installation in our Salty Running in the Kitchen series, I’ve adapted a few quinoa recipes to create a quinoa salad that is quick to make and keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. It keeps well because there isn’t a dressing — but you won’t miss it, as long as you have a favorite hot sauce and avocado handy!

Cilantro’s Quinoa Salad

(4 main dish servings, 8 side dish servings)

Ingredients:

1 c quinoa (cook as directed, remembering to rinse the quinoa prior to cooking)

2 c black beans, rinsed

1 red pepper, diced

1/4 c red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c fresh cilantro, minced (dry won’t do in this recipe. It’s gotta be fresh!)

1 cucumber (scoop the flesh out and dice)

1 avocado, cubed

1 T hot sauce of choice (I choose Frank’s Red Hot)

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients except the avocado and hot sauce in a bowl.
  2. If you are eating the salad now, add the avocado and hot sauce just before serving, and stir. The avocado and hot sauce, mixed together, are a smooth dream that far exceed any dressing you could make.
  3. If you are eating a portion, measure out how much you’d like to eat, and top with 1/4 avocado, diced, and hot sauce to taste. Refrigerate the rest. Without dressing, it’ll keep in your fridge up to a week.
Cilantro’s Meal Prep Quinoa Salad

I make this every weekend and portion it into 2-cup servings for weekday servings. I just bring an avocado to work on Monday, and cut out my portion every day. In a pinch, you can substitute olive oil for avocado, and I like it almost as well. I do like my food very spicy, but if you are not a fan, substitute 1 T apple cider vinegar + 1 t salt for your dressing in lieu of the hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Salty Running in the Kitchen – Chicory’s Vietnamese Coffee
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The next recipe in our Salty Running in the Kitchen series comes from Chicory! There are ways to think about chicory: leaf chicory, which includes a family of bitter greens including endive, escarole and raddichio; and root chicory, which is used as a coffee substitute in Europe. I love all these things — my moniker choice was no accident. There are tons of things you can do with the leaf version, but I love the chicory coffee you find in New Orleans restaurants.

Chicory has a fascinating backstory, too. Napoleon initiated a blockade that derived the French of most of their coffee in 1808 — sacré bleu! — that resulted in chicory becoming a common substitute. And that led to its popularity in NoLa, where it prospered during the Civil War when trade disruptions and blockades limited coffee delivery to the south. Coffee with chicory added remains a New Orleans tradition, and you’ll commonly find it served with beignets.

It’s also a natural decaf alternative to coffee if you’re on #TeamDecaf like me & Ginger. (For real, pseudonym game on point.)

One of my favorite ways to enjoy chicory AND coffee is with the Vietnamese coffee they serve at Pho Ba Luu here in Louisville. The wall of Café du Monde caught my eye on my first visit, not long after I became a Saltine, and I had to have it. And I love it.

This is a super-fun brunch recipe for a coffee-with-a-twist, or make it on your own. Café du Monde is available online and there are other brands around, too. This is my version inspired by my friends at Pho Ba Luu, who serve it iced. It’s equally good hot, especially this time of year, and I won’t blink if you add Kahlúa to it either.

French press all day.

Chicory Vietnamese Coffee

Ingredients

2 T ground coffee with chicory

2 T sweetened condensed milk

Boiling water

Ice (if you want it cold)

Per serving, scale as needed!

Directions

  1. You’ll need a French Press or a heatproof container and a coffee filter.
  2. Place 2 T chicory coffee in either the French Press or a heatproof container (like a glass Pyrex measuring cup). Pour 2/3 c boiling water over it and let steep for 4 minutes.
  3. While steeping, add 2 T sweetened condensed milk to a mug or glass.
  4. Press coffee and pour into mug or glass, or pour grounds through the coffee filter into the mug or glass. Add ice if you wanna. Or Kahlúa. Or both. Whatever, it’s the holidays.
  5. Drink heartily.

Salty Running in the Kitchen: Avocado’s Spicy Deviled Avocados
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Just in time for holiday party season, we’re serving up a bunch of recipes that pay homage to our own personal flavor within the Salty Running melting pot. I feel #blessed to have snagged avocado as my namesake as it’s one of my favorite ingredients (and let’s be honest, stand-alone snack).

Avo toast peaked sometime during the last year and is on a downward trend (though you’ll pry it from my cold, dead hands), so here’s something a little different to serve up for a party … or just a Tuesday. And good news, it’s almost as easy as smearing avocado on a piece of toasted bread. Almost.

This recipe is vegetarian but would be equally delicious with some shredded chicken. The quinoa adds some good protein, so if you’re looking for a meatless light meal or app, this play on deviled eggs is a quick and tasty option!

Prep Time: 20 min

Serves: 4 (2 halves per person — multiply as needed)

Ingredients

  • 4 avocados
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 1/2 cup black beans
  • Lime juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a small pot, prepare 1 cup of cooked quinoa. Let cool slightly

2. Dice peppers and onions and sauté in a small pan. Once the peppers and onions begin to breakdown, add 1 tsp of taco seasoning. Cook until tender and slightly browned.

3. While onions and peppers and quinoa are cooking, cut each avocado in half lengthwise and twist apart. Remove the pit.

4. Gently cut the avocado in a cross hatch pattern, being careful not to cut through to skin.

5. Using a spoon, carefully scoop the sliced avocado out of the skin and into a bowl, breaking apart the small cubes. Set aside the skins.

6. To the bowl with the avocado cubes, add sautéed peppers and onions, black beans (rinsed), cooked quinoa, remaining taco seasoning and 2 squeezes of lime juice.

7. Scoop mixture into avocado skins. Drizzle with hot sauce of choice and enjoy!

Sesame’s Salty Sweet Sesame Almond Bars
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Hey Salty friends! For the next recipe in our Salty Running in the Kitchen series, I am going to share with you a delicious recipe for salty, yet sweet, sesame almond bars.

Sesame almond bars make a wonderful post-run snack, as they contain a balance of healthy fats, carbohydrates and protein. It’s important to refuel with carbohydrates, ideally within 30 minutes of finishing up your workout, and to get a meal or snack that combines a protein and healthy fat source within 2 hours after your run. Fats, carbs and protein each play an important role in maximizing muscle glycogen recovery (i.e., rebuilding energy stores) and supporting protein synthesis (i.e., enhancing the speed at which your body repairs micro-tears in the muscles).

I am not usually super hungry right when I finish up a run and I find these bars to be the perfect in-between snack after a run and before my next meal. I also grab these bars when I am on the go during the day. I tend to be a much nicer human being when I keep my brain and body well nourished throughout the day. Snacks are a big part of this for me! If I let myself get too hungry, it is not pretty (I get hangry and my brain gets foggy). I love the ease and convenience of being able to snack on a substantial bar that will hold me over until my next meal.

Without further ado, here are the deets of my salty and sweet sesame treats (I’ve got rhymes today folks):

Sesame’s Salty Sweet Sesame Almond Bars

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Anise’s Family Christmas Sugar Cookies
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Anise shares a family favorite in our next recipe of the Salty Running in the Kitchen series! Every family has that special dish that makes you remember childhood fondly and creates wonderful memories. My mom was a SAHM who baked, cooked, cleaned, and took care of her four kids like it was her job. We always had homemade cookies (except Oreos, because, well, it is hard to make them taste “real”), but the Christmas cookies were special.

This recipe may have originated on a box since it’s on paperboard, but it was well before I was born and nobody remembers the exact source. Proper credit intended.

These are the best sugar cookies ever. They can have food coloring added to make them festive, they can have a variety of decorations added and we’ve used them for other holidays depending on the cookie cutters for the shapes. Here’s where they become “anise” — while the recipe calls for either vanilla or a combination of vanilla and almond extracts, I have preferred using anise. I am one of those licorice-loving people and there is nothing better than making these with anise.

Anise’s Family Christmas Sugar Cookies

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