Run Gretchen Run

Last night I ran the Milton Junior Women's Club 10K road race - my first race since high school cross country! And it was actually a lot of fun! It was cool and rainy all day yesterday, which I was a little nervous about, but it ended up being perfect running weather. I ran faster than I have in any of my training. All those people and the adrenaline of running a race definitely kept me going. I ran the race in just over 56 minutes, which is a little more than a 9 minute mile. I usually run about a 10 minute mile so I was psyched with my time! Derek was there to cheer me on and document me crossing the finish line.  Go #120!





I smiled for the camera. And the big finish!

Liz and Jane ran the race with me, although they both totally kicked my ass. Jane ran it in 51 minutes and Liz was right behind her and just over 51. I'm so impressed because this was Jane's first race too! They both rocked it. After the race we all went back to Jane's house. Liz and I showed off our numbers.

Then dove in to the feast Jane had prepared for us - we needed to refuel!





Jane made shrimp and chicken satay with a delicious peanut sauce, along with a big fresh salad with goat cheese and warm crusty rolls.

This was just my first round. I went back for more shrimp and salad. Jane also made my cherry buttermilk cake, and one with raspberries, which was what the original recipe called for. I was too busy devouring them to get a picture, but they were both great!

I'm surprisingly not too sore today, and feeling really good about my first race experience. Next up, I have the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 5K on June 25, and then my big 8 miler in Stowe, VT on July 19. Lots more running to come!

Ramp it Up

I got a beautiful bunch of ramps at Russo's this weekend. Ramps are one of those very special vegetables that have such a short season in early spring that you just have to snatch them up when you can.

I wanted to use them in a recipe that would really show off their mild oniony, sweet flavor. I turned them into a ramp pesto, which I tossed with grilled vegetables and fresh lemon pepper fettuccine from Russo's.  I gave the pesto a bit of a Spanish touch by using Manchego cheese and Marcona almonds.





Ramp Pesto

1 bunch fresh ramps

1/4 marcona almonds

1/4 shredded manchego cheese

1 clove chopped garlic

salt and pepper

1/4 cup EVOO

• Slice ramps and separate white stems from green leaves
• Saute stems in 1 Tbl of EVOO over medium-low heat until softened (do not brown)
• Add green leaves and saute for another minute
• Transfer ramps to food processor with almonds, cheese, garlic, and a little salt and pepper
• Process until finely chopped and well combined
• With motor running, pour in EVOO until combined

I manned the grill for the first time this year to grill up some zucchini, summer squash, vidalia onions, and Italian eggplant.  They added the perfect smokey flavor to the peppery, garlicky pesto.

Summer Sunday

What a beautiful summer Sunday we had today! The weather was just perfect - warm, sunny, lovely. Yesterday was sort of a wash from a food perspective - not much to report, other than the delicious blueberry strawberry whole wheat pancakes I made for brunch after a 6 mile run. My 10K in Milton is on Tuesday and I have to get ready!

This morning I had my usual bowl of oats, containing 1/2 cup oats, 1 sliced banana, a sprinkle of brown sugar, golden raisins, and 1 chopped white nectarine.

Then I headed over to my Sunday morning yoga class, which happens to be right next to the South End Open Market. After class I stopped by the market to buy a baguette, and ended up buying my lunch as well.

I ate this delicious, buttery apple and almond square with a glass of pomegranate lemonade and this strawberry yogurt I was curious to try.


I don't usually buy any individual flavored yogurt. Too much packaging buying them individually, and they are usually FULL of sugar. Just because it says "light and fit" does not mean its good for you! But this yogurt has no added sugar, and has whole grains in it. I thought that sounded so odd, I had to give it a try. It was quite good - there were little chewy bits of oats mixed with the pureed strawberries, and the yogurt was nice and tart. I won't be buying this regularly, but it was a nice little treat.

Derek had a big bike race today, and when he came home he wanted to watch more cycling - the Daulphine Libre race in France was on TV. So I fixed us a lovely french snack.

Sliced baguette with boucheron, great hill blue cheese, manchego, and gruyere, along with fig and ginger jam and olives. I also sipped a glass of French chardonnay while I made cookies. Yes, more cookies. These were a bit of an experiment inspired by this week's breakfast cookies.


Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

makes about 2 dozen

1 cup oats

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 ripe mashed bananas

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup milk (I used whole milk, but you could use soy or almond milk for vegan cookies)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cups cocoa nibs

• Preheat oven to 350º
• Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl
• In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix mashed banana, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla
• Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until well combined
• Stir in cocoa nibs
• Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and space on baking sheet about 2 inches apart
• Using floured fork, press balls to flatten in criss-cross
• Bake 12-15 minutes until crisped on outside
• Cool completely on wire racks

This recipe is still a work in progress - I think the batter could have used more milk, or some oil.  But I was trying make these as healthy as I could!  They're still a tasty treat.

For dinner I made Molly Wizenberg's Creme Fraiche Salmon and added some snipped chives over the top. The creme fraiche kept the wild salmon very moist and the chives from my herb garden were delicious.

I served the salmon with stir fried baby bok choy and napa cabbage tossed with a little sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.

Donuts and Ketchup

Happy National Donut Day! Today Dunkin Donuts was giving away a free donut with every beverage purchase. So in honor of this national holiday, I decided to indulge in one of the most unclean snacks there is - a chocolate glazed donut!

I got the donut with a medium unsweetened iced tea and was literally shaking after. I'm not used to all that caffeine and sugar!  I hope I can sleep tonight.

I came home to find Derek hard at work in the kitchen, a rather unusual sight. He was inspired to make Jamie Oliver's ketchup recipe.

I thought it came out quite good, but he's not happy with it. He's going to continue to tweak the recipe. It was definitely more vinegary and sweeter than ketchup usually is - but too me, that wasn't a bad thing.

To compliment the ketchup I made black bean burgers and oven baked fries. These fries are great and so simple. You just julienne potatoes, toss them with EVOO,salt, and pepper, and roast them on 425º until browned and crispy.



I also served some spring tabbouleh on the side.  But it was ALL about the ketchup.

Cocktails. That's It.

The only notable thing I consumed today...

Derek spent his day making a big batch of homemade half and half - lemonade and iced tea. He mixed me up some of the extra lemonade with vodka and pomegranate juice. That's all I needed today.

Vegan...Sssshhh...

This morning I made a very indulgent breakfast cookie. I mixed 1/2 cup of oats with 1/2 mashed banana, 1 scoop of creamy peanut butter, 1 scoop hemp protein powder, and 1 scoop of cocoa powder.
I topped it with blueberries, and some greek yogurt when I got to work.

For lunch I ate a leftover crab cake over a salad with greens, red and green peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and avocado.

For dinner I made a recipe out of Eat, Drink, and be Vegan - Moroccan spiced phyllo rolls. They started with a big sheet of roasted summer squash, zucchini, yellow peppers, fennel, carrots, and dried apricots.

These were mixed with chickpeas and wrapped inside sheets of phyllo and baked until golden.

I served them with a balsamic maple sauce. Derek liked them - until I told him they were vegan and he claimed they were no good. But I think he really thought they were good - he ate 3 of them.

I'm completely my vegan dinner with a vegan chocolate peanut butter cookie.

Sunday Supper on a Tuesday

I don't have an ounce of Italian blood in my veins, but to me Sunday supper always means a big Italian dinner. And sometimes it means a big Italian dinner on a Tuesday. I had an eggplant in the fridge, which inspired a big pot of tomato sauce, lots of mozzarella, and eggplant parmesan. I try to make my eggplant parm a little healthier, by baking the breaded eggplant instead of frying it. I think it tastes just as good, especially when layered with a delicious sauce and fresh mozzarella.  Tonight I made my sauce with a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, garlic, kalamata olives, and balsamic vinegar.  I serve the eggplant, always, with spaghetti.  Like any good Italian girl would. 

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large purple eggplant

All purpose flour

2 Eggs

Fresh bread crumbs

Fresh Mozzarella

Parmesan

Tomato Sauce (recipe of your preference)

-      Preheat oven to 400

-      Slice eggplant in ¼ to ½ inch rounds

-      Set up 3 shallow bowls for your battering station and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray

-      Fill the 1^st bowl with about ½ cup of flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper

-      Fill the 2^nd bowl with 2 eggs beaten with a little water

-      Fill the 3^rd bowl with about 1 cup of bread crumbs

-      Using your left hand, dip 1 eggplant round in the flour so both sides are coated, shaking off excess flour to keep the coating light

-      Using your right hand, dip the eggplant in the egg mixture to coat both sides

-      Using your left hand, dip the eggplant in the bread crumbs and coat both sides, pressing to make the breading stick (switching hands for the wet and dry ingredients helps keep hands from getting coated in batter)

-      Place eggplant on cookie sheet and continue battering all eggplant.  Lay all eggplant on cookie sheet in a single layer so they don’t overlap

-      Bake battered eggplant 25 – 30 minutes, turning half way through, until crisp and golden brown

-      Spray a casserole dish or glass baking dish with cooking spray

-      Spread a layer of tomato sauce over bottom of dish

-      Arrange a layer of eggplant over sauce, overlapping slices so they cover the bottom of the dish

-      Spread another layer of sauce over eggplant, then top with mozzarella cheese and grate some parmesan over that

-      Top cheese with another layer of eggplant, then sauce and cheese.  Continue layers until all eggplant is used, topping final layer with cheese.

-  Bake 15 – 20 minutes until sauce bubbles and cheese starts to brown.  Let cool a few minutes before serving.