Recipe of the Week: Double Broccoli Quinoa

When I started the Recipe of the Week on my blog, my running friend Maria immediately e-mailed me three of her favorite recipes. While they all looked yummy, I've had time to try one and I must say it was excellent!!

Now I understand that some of you may have never heard of quinoa, let alone cooked it yourself, but please don't be afraid of it! Quinoa is a whole grain that cooks up much like rice or couscous does. One of the reasons I love quinoa is that it also provides protein (14g of protein per 100g serving) and it has a balanced set of amino acids making it a complete protein source....perfect if you are a vegetarian.

We all know broccoli is good for you (that includes you Mr President George HW Bush). Broccoli is high in Vitamins C, K, and A as well as dietary fiber.....Vitamin C is very important this time of year with all the colds going around! It also contains multiple nutrients with anti-cancer properties.

As if this isn't enough good-for-you reasons to eat this dish, it also adds avocado and almonds for healthy fats to promote heart health and lower cholesterol!

Now I know what you are thinking....all this healthy food so does this really taste good? YES!!! I made this recipe pretty much exactly as written. One thing I added was some left over baked and shredded chicken breast to make it a complete meal. I wanted my dish to be hot so I made sure everything I added (broccoli florets, quinoa, and chicken) were still hot when mixed together. Also I didn't have time to make the chili oil so I left that out and I used regular almonds and didn't toast them. Here's the recipe (with my comments in parentheses)......ENJOY! You will practically feel yourself getting healthier while eating it :)

Double Broccoli Quinoa

3 cups cooked quinoa* 


5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves


2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted 


1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan


2 big pinches salt


2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


1/4 cup olive oil


1/4 cup heavy cream

Optional toppings: slivered basil, fire oil (optional)**, sliced avocado
crumbled feta or goat cheese

Heat the quinoa and set aside. (I kept my quinoa hot)

Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside. (I wanted my dish to be hot so I didn't run the broccoli under cold water. I took half for the pesto and put the other half back in the pot to stay warm)

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. (This is where I added the cooked and shredded chicken....you will need to add more of the pesto if you do this to make it moist enough). Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pest a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds, a drizzle of the chile oil, and some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.

Serves 4 - 6. (I served this as a main dish so we got 3-4 servings out of it....you'd get more if it's a side dish)

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa, two cups of water (or broth if you like), and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

**To make the red chile oil: You'll need 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. If you can, make the chile oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, then store in refrigerator. Bring to room temp again before using.

Pop Quiz

Multiple choice question:

At the track last night, which stunk more?

A: The port-o-potty
B: The skunk that was hiding under the bleachers
C: Sarah's ability to run intervals
D: They all stunk equally as bad

And the answer is........C

Not sure what was going on last night, but I was having an off night! Last week, my combo of 1200m and 800m repeats went really well so last night I was planning to do 8 x 800m repeats. After a 2 mile warm up, I started off on the first 800m and my legs felt like someone had poured lead into them! I did another 800m and still couldn't shake that dead-leg feeling. I know sometimes it feels like you are running really slow but then your times are actually pretty decent....well, not last night!! Both repeats were about 3-6 seconds slower than I was last week. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but that's a big difference over 800m!

I decided rather than sludging through 6 more 800m, I would shorten the length of each repeat.....not the same training effect as running the 800's but better than nothing and I still got some speed in (if you can even call my pace speed!). So here's how it shaped up:

2 mile warm up
2 x 800m with 400m recoveries
3 x 400m with 200m recoveries
6 x 200m with 200m recoveries
cool down to get me to 8.3 miles total

I haven't run 200m repeats since high school track but they were actually kind of fun :)

So yes, I stunk at my original interval plan but managed to turn it into a slightly less stinky run with a few adjustments. I figure I had some left over fatigue in my legs from doing my long run (that included MP miles) on Sunday rather than Saturday so I only had one day recovery. Let's face it....some days you have it, and some you don't!

Now how many of you got the pop quiz correct?

A Sign From The Yogis

I just finished making my nightly cup of tea and tonight I chose an herbal Yogi Tea. On the tag of each tea bag, there is always a little saying....almost like a fortune cookie :) I thought tonight's saying was just perfect and wanted to share it.

"Joy is the essence of success"

Many times I have said to my running friends (and to myself) "if you aren't having fun, then why do it??" So I'm not quite as eloquent as the yogi masters, but you get the idea.

Namaste

Kicking it up while trying to keep the Gatorade down!

As I said, the BAA Half Marathon helped me to gauge where I am in my training. This week marked 5 weeks until the Philly Marathon.....that means 3 more weeks of hard training and a 2 week taper. My motivation to train has been so-so this time around but I am really kicking things up knowing that there is a light at the end of the training tunnel.

This week has been a good one for me as far as training goes. Here's how the week went:

Monday: Rest day....I usually put these later in the week, but I had a lunch meeting and a massage after work (aahhh....hurts so good!)

Tuesday: 10 mile intervals.....thought about cutting the # of repeats short, but really happy I didn't!

3.2 mile warm up

3 x 1200m (5:13, 5:18, 5:16) with 400m recoveries
3 x 800m (3:27, 3:28, 3:28) with 400m recoveries
1.7 mile cool down

Wednesday: 8.3 Goldilocks miles (not too slow...not too fast....just right!)

Thursday: 5.4 miles over lunch with a coworker. I wanted to take it nice and easy but we got talking and averaged 8:39 min/miles on a fairly hilly route. Legs were tired!

Friday: 10.8 miles on the Newton Hills at an easy peasy pace

Saturday: 4.15 naked miles :-0 Yes, I was wearing clothes.....just no watch, ipod, Garmin....technology naked!

Sunday: 18 miles with 7 at around marathon pace (7:57-8:10). I was planning for 10 at MP, but was really windy when I started heading back west from in town and I just didn't have it in me. Plus my fuel belt was digging into my right hip...ouch!

Overall I had 56.7 miles for the week...not too shabby for 5 weeks pre-marathon! While my legs are feeling good, I've been having these pukey feelings during ad after some of my runs. Its not the normal "runner GI distress" but more of a "if I don't stop running soon, I might just throw up this Gatorade all over Heartbreak Hill!" I think its coming from this head cold I've been fighting for a couple weeks.....whenever I run (especially if its cold out) my sinuses have been draining into my stomach creating a not so pleasant feeling :( Luckily the Gatorade has stayed down (with a few close calls!) but the pukey feeling lingers for a while post-run.....blah!

Hopefully the cold will clear up soon, my legs will continue to feel good, and the next two weeks of training go as well as this one did!

Running Snobs....ugggg

My mother-in-law sent me this article today from the NY Times online titled Plodders Have a Place, but Is It in a Marathon? It debates whether so called 'plodders' or slower marathoners should be allowed to race. Are you kidding me with this?!?!

I couldn't believe that people would be so condescending about other runners! I think its ridiculous that other people feel the need to judge and put others down for being slower than them.....who do these people think they are saying that others aren't good enough to race?!?!? Personally, I don't feel like my accomplishments are any less important because someone behind me finishes 3 hours after me......and really, my accomplishments are only important to ME....let's face it, the rest of the world DOES NOT CARE!! Running snobs.....uggg :(

Rant over.....time to move on!

Paula, Kara, and.....ME??

What do marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, American marathon debut record holder Kara Goucher, and I have in common?

No, its not our marathon pace or ripped abs....its our taste in jewelry! Or its that we are all suckers for gimmicks! Notice the simple black cord necklace we are all wearing? Its a Phiten Titanium necklace. Paula started wearing it first and Kara followed after her lead (yes, I am on a first name basis with them) so who am I, a 3:39 marathoner with no World or American records to my name, to argue?

So why are we all wearing this necklace? From the Phiten website:

Phiten products work with your body’s energy system, helping to regulate and balance the flow of energy throughout your body. Proper energy balance helps to alleviate discomfort, speed recovery, and counteract fatigue. Athletes find that they tire less easily and recover faster from intense physical activity. Further benefits of Phiten’s exclusive technology are more relaxed muscles leading to less stress and a greater range of motion that can be of great benefit to an athlete or anyone in any walk of life.

Titanium in a necklace to help me recover faster, feel less fatigue, and heal my injuries?? I know what you are thinking....'sucker!' But.....remember that tendinitis I had in my left knee earlier this summer? The nagging injury that bothered me every time I ran more than 7 miles and that I iced every night? Well, that nagging injury went away within a week of wearing this necklace.....and I was running more miles and longer long runs at the same time. Coincidence? I think not! (OK so maybe it is a coincidence but does it really matter? I've been running pain free since then and its not going to do any damage, so why not?!?Sometimes the placebo effect is all we need!)

Like I said, if its good enough for Paula and Kara, then its good enough for me!

New Recipe of the Week: Chicken Chili

Even though it's only October, the snow was falling in Boston today (yikes)!! Nothing makes me feel warm and cozy on a snowy Sunday than a big bowl of chili! Today I made one of Bryan's favorites that his mom has passed down to me. Rather than the traditional beef with kidney beans version of chili, this one has roasted chicken and lots of peppers. Its healthy and yummy....perfect! Served with some corn bread and tortilla chips and its a perfect meal! Enjoy :)

Chicken Chili (from Maureen)

Serves 6 (it often tastes even better the second or third day!)

2 onions, chopped
Few tablespoons of olive oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp dried red pepper flakes
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 – 28oz cans diced tomatoes in juice
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped
2-4 split chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)

Cook onions in oil for 10-15 minutes. Add garlic, peppers, and all spices (you can add more or less spice depending on your taste). Cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and basil. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes (you can add either water or chicken stock if you need more liquid).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub chicken with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly. Separate meat from bone and skin. Shred or cut meet into chunks.

Add chicken to chili and summer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips.