"The Mountain Biker's Cookbook by Jill Smith-Gould" - Sausage-Beef Stew

Date I made this recipe:  April 10, 2016

The Mountain Biker's Cookbook written and compiled by Jill Smith-Gould

Published by:  Velo Press

ISBN:  1-884737-23-4; © 1997

Purchased at Bloomington Crime Prevention Association's annual sale

Recipe:  Sausage-Beef Stew – p. 48 by Chrissy Reden, Milton, Ontario (profile p. 92)

"Wind is an artificial hill and yesterday, it was a mountain."

Thus saith my husband, Andy Martin, after an absolutely grueling bike ride with some friends around Ames, Iowa this past Saturday.

Andy is a member of the Minnesota Randonneurs, a group of long-distance bicycling enthusiasts who take great pleasure and pride in participating in day-long rides.  This past Saturday, the Iowa Randonneurs group kicked off the spring season with a 125-mile bike ride around Ames, Iowa, home of Iowa State University.

And so it came to pass that Friday night, we motored our way down I35W to Mason City where we spent an overnight with friends, Doug and Emily.  Although both of them ride bikes, Doug and Andy like to do the long-hauls and since the ride started at 8 a.m. in Ames, requiring them to leave by 6 a.m. to get there on time, we gladly let them.  We are such accommodating spouses, I cannot tell you.

The weather in Minneapolis when we left was probably a sign of the apocalypse to come as it was windy as all get out with periodic snow showers to boot.  Seriously—one minute, it was clear and the next minute, it looked like someone split open a bean bag chair and threw the contents in the air.

When we arrived at Doug and Emily's, the wind velocity was nearly (Dorothy) Gale-force (I reference the Wizard of Oz) and we felt the need to batten down the hatches even if we weren't in Kansas or Oklahoma where the "wind comes sweeping down the plain."

And it continued to sweep down the plain, or at least the cornfields of Iowa, into the next morning and throughout the entire day.  And by the time the ride was done, in most cases a couple hours later than anticipated, the guys and gals who participated were all done in.  Most felt like they biked standing up which is what you'd feel if you were pushing against a major headwind from the north all day.

Although I suppose one could do these randonneur rides on a mountain bike, it is usual and customary to use a "regular" bike which is to say a "touring" bike, as opposed to a racing bike.  And Andy has a mountain bike but who would of thought that he would need it in Iowa which is pretty much hill-less?  Answer:  nobody.  (PS—I must have show-tunes on the brain because as soon as I re-read "hill-less," I thought of Professor Harold Hill's character from The Music Man.  The Music Man's writer, Meredith Wilson, is from Mason City, Iowa which is where we spent an overnight.  Anyway, now I have a hankering to listen to that soundtrack Which. I. Love.  "Oh-o the Wells Fargo Wagon is a comin' down the street, oh please let it be for meeeee.....")

So as Andy said after the fact, wind creates an artificial hill and by Saturday morning, it created a monster mountain.  By mile 50, all participants (about 20 in all) were spent and every mile thereafter was sheer torture.  When Doug called Emily in early afternoon, he stated that this ride was worse than another one he and Andy completed in Wisconsin a few years back called, appropriately and hilariously, Arcadia's Brute. During that ride, they climbed hill after hill after hill in Wisconsin (who knew it Wisconsin was hilly) and swore never to do that ride again.  But there they were, on a worse ride than that, all because of the wind.  ("They call the wind Maria – pronounced 'Mariah.'"  Yes, folks, another show tune – Paint Your Wagon.)

But when Emily inquired as to whether or not we should hit the road in our car to pick them up, Doug said "WE ARE FINISHING THIS RACE!!!!"  leaving us in no uncertain terms that the elements would not have the best of them that day – or any day bwahahahahaha.... 

Meanwhile, Andy's ride was no picnic and he probably could have finished had not his knee started aching somewhere around mile 50.  By the time he got to mile 100, he was screaming in pain and so when he got to one of the checkpoints – a bar called the Flat Tire Lounge (ha!)- he propped up his knee, ordered a beer, and called for reinforcements.  Poor guy.  But if he bailed out on the ride, at least he did so in a bar where he could ask for, and was granted, a bag of ice for his knee.

So that concludes the story of the guy's wild "What the hell, Mother Nature?" randonneur ride, the first ride of (ahem) spring.

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Emily and I had a leisurely day.  After getting coffee at a local coffee shop, we hit the road in a car (what are we nuts) for Ames.  Unfortunately, the wind was again whipping across I-35W making it seem at times like we were stuck in place.  And even though Emily filled up the tank before we left, the wind sucked out any decent gas mileage, that bastard!

When we got to Ames, we took a leisurely tour of ISU's campus, a place last visited by me circa 1985 (some friends are alums) and strolled into some of the buildings, partly to get out of the wind, and partly just to see the sights.  As is the case in the Midwest, when spring (or something akin to spring) makes its presence known, building facility management has a hard time keeping up with the usual and customary yo-yo temperatures (freezing one day, balmy the next) and the buildings we were in were saunas.  And so we spent the afternoon taking off jackets, putting them on, rinse and repeat.  Still, this was better than being on the open road, amiright?

And after our leisurely tour of all that was Iowa State (we also saw Ames' high school prom get underway at the Union - awwww), we shopped and strolled in downtown Ames.  And what a cute downtown it was!  Unfortunately, most stores closed at 5 so we didn't get much of a chance to peek in, but we managed to stop at three of note:    Ali Cakes for a "tide-us-over" snack of cookies and cupcakes; Random Goods, a store selling used and vintage apparel and knick knacks (I found a fabulous wooden tray and coasters from Puerto Rico, circa 1970?) and Chocolaterie Stam where, inexplicably, an adorable older man in his 80's was playing a grand piano of "pop standards" (songs sung by Sinatra, Ella, Bing, etc.) while shoppers perused then purchased their chocolate.  He even let me select a song from his song list and then played it beautifully, his fingers dancing across the keys.  The last time I was near a piano, my fingers danced because I was dusting. ;) 

And so this concludes the guy's biking (and cursing) portion of our program and Emily and my takin'-life-easy moment in Ames.  Guess who had the better time?

And with that, we hit the road, and as we were driving back to Minneapolis, I recalled that I had a mountain bike cookbook in my collection and since we now know that wind creates artificial hills and mountains decided to find it and cook from it for Sunday dinner.

As these things go, sometimes it takes me forever to settle on a book, never mind a recipe, for this blog but this time it took me mere seconds to settle on a "winning" recipe – Sausage-Beef Stew.  I ran it by Andy who said it sounded good (and it was) and so while off to do a few (low-impact) errands, we stopped and shopped for groceries and I came home and put this together.  Of course, this type of meal is best made before the ride to prime the muscles and carbo load but we didn't have time and frankly, I think it was a tasty reward for a job well done (past tense).

As to this cookbook, author Jill Smith-Gould, pictured on the cover seated at an elegantly appointed table in her muddied and dirty mountain biker gear, is a professional mountain biker who apparently also enjoys cooking.  I can get behind that.  Some of the recipes in this book are hers while others were submitted by mountain biker brethren.  As you might imagine, these are fairly nutritious recipes, perfect for an amateur or professional athlete both pre- and post-event and speak to vegetarians as well as meat eaters. Recipes range from "Veggies and Main Courses;" "Pasta and Pizzas;" "Baked Goods;" and Miscellaneous that includes soups, salads, breakfast items, sauces and dips and "Quickies" i.e. food made in a hurry (so as best to get back on the race course).

So hmm, what to choose, what to choose?  Many of these sounded great such as "Awesome Veggie Enchiladas" (p. 33), "One-Dish Chicken Pilaf," "Ratatouille Bake" (p. 44), or even "Sweet & Sour Chicken" (p. 49).  Several pasta and pizza dishes also sounded good and the Baked Good section was mighty tempting!  Still, I tend to like to make a main dish, especially on a Sunday night, and so went with the stew.

Also included in this cookbook were profiles and photos of mountain bike racers, the recipes they submitted, and an section about nutritious eating. 

Not included in this cookbook?  Serving sizes!  I looked and looked and looked but there's either some secret handshake section that I missed or we're supposed to guess.  And if you read my blog, you know how I feel about guessing!

But guess I did and seeing that the recipe called for six Italian sausages and 1 pound of stew meat, I decided to halve the recipe as that sounded like a lot of meat for two people, never mind the rest of the ingredients.  As it turned out, we had a decent amount of leftovers so half this dish could probably serve four unless you are a mountain biker in which case...I have no idea!

Still, even though I decided to halve the meat, I was at a loss for what to do with the two green peppers included in the recipe ingredient list.  The recipe instructions said "...add green pepper" and I was pretty sure they did not intend for me to just throw a whole green pepper into the pot so I diced it into medium-sized dices.  You should do the same with the potatoes and (if used) turnip or sweet potatoes as you won't find direction beyond "peel and cut."  I ask you:  how is that helpful?

My version of this dish then, was composed of three Italian sausages, one-half pound of stew meat, 2 regular potatoes, 1 sweet potato (I skipped the turnip) and half of everything else.  This bakes in the oven for a little over an hour and it was great and oddly rejuvenating but then it would be given that our get-out-of-Iowa Saturday dinner consisted of a sandwich on the run from Jimmy John's (subway/sandwich take-out)! Andy took the recipe-submitter and mountain bike racer, Chrissy Redden's serving suggestion to pair this with crusty bread and beer to heart (we skipped the salad) and was a fairly happy, if not sore, camper come Sunday night. 

With all that, you'd think the man would wait a while before hoping on a bike again, right?  Oh no, in addition to riding to work this week, he's back in the saddle for another group ride on Saturday, April 16^th.  Here we go again.  I keep trying to remind my man  that Nature is NOT your friend (my life motto) but he's not having any of it.

This then concludes our post-bike (mountain or wind-created mountain) bike repast or, as I posted on Facebook "Yesterday In Iowa."

Sausage-Beef Stew – serving size not given but estimates are serves 4 if you make the  full recipe below and 2 if you halve it (still with leftovers)

6 sweet Italian sausages

1 lb stewing beef, cut in 1" cubes

1 large onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 medium green peppers (Ann's Note:  diced)

4 potatoes, peeled and cut (Ann's Note: cut into a large dice)

Turnip or sweet potato (optional) (Ann's Note:  cut into a large dice)

2 cans red kidney beans

1 tsp basil

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 beef bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water

Beer (optional)

Brown sausages well.  Cut each link into thirds and place in 3-quart casserole dish.

Brown beef cubes in same frying pan or skillet.  (Ann's Note:  the next instruction is to cook the onion and garlic but it didn't say if I should leave the beef in the pan or not.  I decided "Not.")

Cook onion and garlic until tender, add green pepper and cook one minute longer.

Turn into casserole dish.  Add potatoes, drained kidney beans, and, if desired, turnip/sweet potatoes.  Sprinkle with seasonings and mix lightly.  Add bouillon mixture.

Cover and bake at 350F for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until beef and potatoes are tender.

Add beer for an interesting flavor!  (Ann's Note:   Andy said he'd rather drink a beer than include it in the recipe so we made is sans that "interesting" flavor.)

Ann's Note:  I had some celery that I wanted to use up so I sautéed it with the onion, garlic and green pepper.  You could probably do that with other vegetables if you wanted.

"The Athlete's Palate" (by Runners World magazine) and "Sweet Corn Spectacular" - Orange Cumin-Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Corn Chowder

Date I made these recipes:  August 3, 2014

The Athlete's Palate Cookbook – Renowned chefs, delicious dishes, and the art of fueling up while eating well by Yishane Lee and the Editors of Runner's World®; foreword by Mark Bittman

Published by:  Rodale

ISBN:  978-1-60529-578-7

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores

Recipe:  Orange-Cumin Glazed Pork Tenderloin – p. 114

Sweet Corn Spectacular by Marie Porter

Published by:  Minnesota Historical Society Press

ISBN:  978-0-87351-892-5

Purchased at:  Half Priced Books Tent Sale

Recipe:  Roasted Corn Chowder – p. 66-67

So a couple of months back, my husband, a biking aficionado, got the bright idea that if riding a couple 200K bike rides was good, a 300K (185 miles) bike ride was better!

We are both here to tell you that this was not exactly a great idea.  In fact, it could have been disaster.  It wasn't, but we're both going to file that under "Don't do this again – ever" and leave it at that.

Because folks, here's the thing:  this 185 mile bike ride took 16 hours, 15 of which were in "the saddle" and maybe an hour or so was allotted to rest stops.  That's just cuckoo crazy!  Fifteen hours doing nothing but riding a bike – say what?  My butt hurts thinking about that.  The ride started at dawn-o-clock and he finished up around 11:30 p.m.  I was a tad nervous about him riding in the dark and so when he called me to say he was back at his car, I was relieved and so was he! 

Now, unlike Andy, I like to go for a walk rather than ride a bike but even then, I don't think I've ever logged 185 miles per year.  Not even half that.  So the effort is commendable to be sure.

So...what to feed an athlete about to do "battle" with his bike?  Well, for a wide variety of recipes, some geared for training, some geared for recovery, you should look to The Athlete's Palate Cookbook, published by Runner's World® magazine.  I earmarked several recipe selections to make for my crazy man and he decided that the pork with cumin glaze was the one he wanted.  I might have steered him in that direction by telling him that we already had leftover chipotles in adobo sauce but then again, he's a man who knows his own mind and his own palate so pork it was!   But you should know several other worthy recipes await.  

In addition to great-looking (and tasting) recipes, this book is filled with bios of all the renowned chefs, many of them athletes in their own right, who contributed to this book such as:  Mark Bittman; Patricia Wells; Cat Cora; Hubert Keller and Dan Barber.  Even local Minneapolis chef, Vincent Francoual, of Vincent A Restaurant, is featured – www.vincentarestaurant.com.  But don't discount the other chefs in the book, some of whom are well-known at the restaurants in which they work, while others are on their way up, as every one of them submitted great-looking and sounding dishes.

Ivy Stark, the young chef who created today's Orange-Cumin Glazed Pork Tenderloin, is executive chef at New York City's Dos Caminos restaurant, "which is known for its inventive Mexican cuisine." (from her bio – p. 6)  Had I known about Ivy, I would have likely dined at her recent on a very recent trip to NYC but alas, we "missed it by that much." (Get Smart) Given that we loved the flavor profile of this dish, I think we'd enjoy her restaurant cuisine as well.  (By the way, Dos Caminos is owned by the BR Guest Hospitality Group which also owns and runs Isabella's, Ocean Grill and Ruby Foo's in NYC, restaurants we've frequented and enjoyed in the past.)

Then there's the accompanying Roasted Corn Chowder from Sweet Corn Spectacular, a book published by our very own Minnesota Historical Society Press.  Again – what to choose, what to choose?  After much hemming and hawing, we went with the Roasted Corn Chowder and the sweetness and creaminess were perfect offsets to the bit of heat found in the tenderloin.

But – true confession time – we sort of cheated.  And by "sort of," when we were shopping and I was reaching for fresh ears of corn,  Andy suggested that we eliminate all that potential mess with the corn silk and the husks and just buy frozen.  I'll admit that this surprised me as it was tantamount to culinary treason but he had a point.  Just so you know, short of having the real deal, frozen vegetables, vegetables that are picked fresh and frozen immediately to preserve flavor and vitamins, are recipe lifesavers and are way better for you than canned.  And so okay, we used it during the summer when the real deal was available—so sue us!  Absent the char marks from the grill, the oven-roasted frozen corn was just as delicious as the real deal and was far less trouble to prepare.

What I really liked about the recipe was that you pureed corn at several stages and I appreciated the texture of the dish as it was both smooth and chunky—just like peanut butter.  I also had some leftover peppers that I roasted then coarsely chopped and added to the chowder.   Delicioso! 

In conclusion, although you may not take on 185 mile bike ride (and please don't!), you don't have to miss out on delicious summertime food.  Enjoy.

 

Orange-Cumin Glazed Pork Tenderloin – makes 4 servings

Ann's Note:  You'll need to marinade the pork for at least an hour to overnight.

½ cup fresh orange juice

1-2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce

Peel from 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon) Ann's Note:  they say "peel" but think "grate" and you'll be better off!

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted

¼ teaspoon salt

2 pork tenderloins (1 ½ pounds each)

2 oranges, segmented (about 2 cups)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

½ bunch cilantro, chopped (about ½ - ¾ cup)

Salt to taste

Additional Ann's Notes:  We purchased one tenderloin instead of two and so cut the ingredients in half.  To toast the cumin seeds, put them in a fry pan (no oil!) and let toast over low to medium heat until lightly browned.  You should know that they didn't really pulverize all that well in the blender.

Also, when I made the marinade, I used orange peel which I then chopped but it was still too big.  And the sauce wasn't really smooth after I pureed it; instead, it was more like a paste.  So when the time came to cook the tenderloin, I left the marinade "paste" on it and then made a second, and much smoother sauce, for serving, this time using grated orange peel.  The result was a fantastic flavor bomb!  But if you are shy about an overabundance of flavor, then combine all ingredients and puree as directed but then add a little water so as to make a saucier marinade sauce and you should be fine.

At least one hour ahead or overnight:  Combine the orange juice, chipotles, orange peel, cumin seeds, and salt in a blender.  Puree until smooth.

Place the pork tenderloins in a shallow dish and pour the orange mixture over them.  Cover with plastic wrap and marinate the tenderloins in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to overnight.

Take the tenderloins out of the marinade.  Reserve the marinade.

Put the reserved marinade in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sauce is reduced by half, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Keep it warm.

Place the meat in shallow baking dish.  Brush it with a little of the reserved marinade after 15 minutes.  Bake for a total of 20 to 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160F when tested in center of the meat.

Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest in a warm place for 10 minutes; this seals in the juices before serving.

Toss the orange segments, red onion, and cilantro in a small bowl with a little salt.

Cut the pork into ½"-thick slices before serving.  Place the slices on a warm serving platter and drizzle them with the hot, reduced marinade.  Surround the meat with the orange and red onion mixture.

(For those who are interested, here's the per serving information:  313 calories, 49 G protein, 15 G carbohydrates, 6 G fat.)

Roasted Corn Chowder – Serves 4
6-7 ears fresh sweet corn, husks removed (Ann's Note:  I used two, regular-size bags of frozen sweet corn and that may have been a bit too much as my chowder was really thick but it tasted great!)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4-5 red potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks

1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided

Salt and pepper (Ann's Note:  I didn't use enough and as a result, the soup was almost overly sweet.  I adjust the seasonings when I reheat.)

Prepare grill.  Brush 3-4 corncobs with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and grill corn until as "done" as you like.  Set aside to cool.  (The author notes that she prefers some grill marks but not an overall char.)  Ann's Note:  If you use frozen corn, thaw it out first, then put on a baking sheet/baking pan and put in a 350 oven until it is roasted to your satisfaction.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut kernels off remaining ears of corn.  Add kernels to a food processor or blender with 1 cup of the water.  Puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes.  In a medium pot over medium heat, cook celery and onion in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring occasionally, until veggies are translucent and tender.  Add corn puree, remaining cup of water, and potatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Carefully cut kernels off roasted cobs or corn.  Add kernels to a food processor or blender and puree with ½ cup heavy cream until somewhat smooth, about 30 seconds.  Add roasted corn puree and remaining heavy cream to the pot, and simmer until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Variations

• Add some chopped roasted red peppers along with the roasted corn puree.  (Ann's choice)
• Add some fresh basil and Parmesan cheese with the roasted corn puree.
• Add a couple of grilled jalapenos, finely chopped, with the roasted corn puree.
• Add about 2 cups shredded cheese along with the roasted corn puree.
• Top with crumbled bacon.

"Pasta" - Pasta with Beef Ragu and Sweet Pepper

Date I made this recipe:  May 18, 2011

Pasta – The history and preparation of one of the world’s most popular foods with nearly 650 classic recipes by Vincenzo Buonassisi

Published by:  Rizzoli

© 1973 (Italy); 1976 U.S.

Recipe:  Pasta with Beef Ragu and Sweet Pepper – p. 274

I am getting lazier by the minute.  I made this recipe on Friday night and yet here it is Sunday and I am (reluctantly, no less) getting around to writing this up.  In my own defense (and as an attorney, I always have one), the weather today is very overcast and very threatening and it’s making me very sleepy!  Very sleepy.

So meanwhile, back at the ranch, the reason I made this dish on Friday night was because my husband, Andy, did a 150K (almost 100 mile) bike ride yesterday (Saturday) in Wisconsin and wanted a dish that combined carbs with protein.  After careful perusal with suggestions from me, he decided on recipe #511 – Pasta with Beef Ragu and Sweet Pepper.

While he liked this recipe a lot and thought it was tasty, I’m wishing we would have gone with a couple others in this book because the flavors just didn’t hit me.  My biggest disappointment was that the wonderful taste of sweet pepper was overwhelmed by the taste of beef and beef broth.  As my Sicilian grandmother would have said, “That’s-a too bad-a!”

And that’s not my only “beef” – hahahaha.  I get supremely annoyed with recipes that leave out things that I consider basic, such as the level of flame to be used – low/simmer, medium, high?  Next, it would have been nice to know if the beef stock was supposed to reduce or not.  One minute, I had almost a beef soup going, the next minute, I almost burned my pan! Also, and perhaps this is just me, but when I see “lean beef” listed as an ingredient, I want to scream.  What kind of lean beef is required – ground beef, stew meat, steak?  This was so unclear!  Finally, a serving size would have been nice.  Perhaps this book declared a serving size at the beginning of the book, but I don’t want to look at the beginning of the book!  I want it to say exactly how much it makes for each recipe.  As it is, we barely ended up with enough for two servings.  As my late friend, Carol, would say “details, I need details!”

Okay, enough with the kvetching already.  The one thing this dish did have going for it was that it was easy and it used only a few ingredients I didn’t have on hand – the meat and the sweet pepper.  Other ragu recipes in this book looked very good and very interesting but required more ingredients than I wanted to buy and/or required very long cooking times (we’re talking 6 hours or so).  I have done long cooking times before but not this time around.  I had to get my man fed and ready to get going for his 4:00 a.m. departure for this race.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I wish I could say that all’s well that ends well and that this carb/protein combination did the trick, but my guy had a rough ride yesterday.  Who knew that WI had so many big hills?  He said that by the time he got to the last of the hills on the course, his legs were screaming but he soldiered on - barely.  Another guy who stopped at the same place as Andy experienced muscle twitches and cramping, such that he reluctantly had to call it a day and hail the sag wagon.  As for me, maybe there was something about the weather (hot, humid and stormy) because I went for a walk around one of the city lakes and was about done in on the first lap; I usually do two very easily.  Had it not been for a last-minute breeze, I would have said “Screw it” and hobbled to my own “sag wagon” a/k/a my car.  But I made it as well and the two of us shared war stories when he got home.  (For the record, and this is a no-brainer, his 150K ride topped my 3 mile walk.)

By the way, I bought this cookbook for a mere $3.99 at Arc’s Value Village Thrift Store in Richfield, MN.  Sweet!

Pasta with Beef Ragu and Sweet Pepper – serving size not listed

1 lb. pasta

¾ lb. lean beef (I used beef stew meat that I cut up into smaller pieces)

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 large sweet pepper

¾ lb. onions

1 stick celery

1 carrot

Beef stock (I used almost a full container)

Salt and pepper

3 oz. grated parmesan

Roast the pepper over an open flame until brown all over, then moisten your fingers and remove the skin immediately (or used peeled, tinned/canned peppers).  (Ann’s note:  this was probably the most fun I had while making this dish.  It’s like roasting a marshmallow until it practically turns into charcoal!) Chop roughly and remove the seeds and ribs.

Heat the oil and lightly brown the chopped onion, celery and carrot, then add to the coarsely chopped meat.  Let it brown all over, then add the chopped pepper.  Season with salt and pepper, add enough stock to cover and cook until meet is tender – about one hour.  (Okay, big note on my part—I started with my burner on high, then turned it down to medium and then to simmer and yet, as I said above, I almost scorched the thing.  This did not make me happy.  I suggest maybe a half hour or less on high and then the remaining hour on simmer.)

"The High Performance Cookbook" - Power Pasta (Whole Wheat Pasta with Ground Turkey Tomato Sauace)

Date I made this recipe:  May 5, 2012

The High Performance Cookbook by Susan M. Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D. and KarenRae Friedman-Kester, M.S., R.D.

Published by:  Macmillan

ISBN:  0-02-860370-2

Recipe:  Power Pasta p. 64

Talk about a case of good timing!  A few weeks ago, I spied this book at the Paperback Exchange bookstore (50^th and Penn) and thought it would be perfect for my husband, Andy.  Andy has become quite the biking enthusiast (he did the RAGBRAI bike ride across Iowa last year) and has been in semi-training mode this spring for several bike rides including tomorrow’s Minnesota Ironman, a 100-mile (a/k/a “century ride”) bike ride through parts of the Twin Cities’ southwest metro.

As I posted on Facebook today, while Andy was out riding 100 miles, I completely overextended myself cleaning my downstairs bathroom.  True story. 

But I am nothing if not supportive so not only did I pick up this cookbook just for him but I also agreed to make this pasta recipe that he selected involving ground turkey.

As previously stated in this blog, I normally don’t have what other friends describe as a “textural problem” with any other meat except ground poultry.  But the very thought of ground or diced poultry just gives me shivers.  Of course, this recipe called for ground dark turkey meat and seriously, I felt ill at the very thought of it.  So poor Andy said that he would make it if I couldn’t bring myself to but I rallied because what kind of wife am I to send my man off on a 100 mile ride after making him prepare his own dinner? (In the end, we bought white meat ground turkey and that has less of an “ick” factor than dark meat.),

So I overcame this new idiosyncrasy and dumped the turkey meat into the pan as directed (and did not do anything with it for oh, quite some time until it practically incinerated itself) and got to it.

Truth be told, this recipe is so easy to make I almost feel guilty posting it.  I mean, come on, when it says to go out and buy a jar of spaghetti sauce and you do and you add garlic powder and pepper and serve, is that really considered cooking?  (Let’s not forget though, that I boiled the pasta!)

But I followed directions and heated the sauce thoroughly, almost over-boiled the whole wheat pasta and it was actually decent.  Actually, more than decent, it was pretty good.  And Andy wrapped up the 100 mile ride in about 6.5 hours so there you go—it worked!

But. I do feel a tad guilty using jarred sauce if only because the sodium content is so high but I didn’t have time to make my own sauce.  So perhaps Andy could have shaved off more time had he not been as bloated as a camel but such is life.

Power Pasta – serves 3

½ pound ground dark-meat turkey

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch white pepper

12 ounces spaghetti sauce

½ pound whole wheat spaghetti

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Brown the meat in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat with the garlic powder and pepper.  The meat should be thoroughly cooked.  Add the sauce and cook until the sauce is heated.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Poor the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

For those needing to know the calorie-protein, etc. breakout, here you go:

For 2 servings each serving contains

688 Calories

31 g Protein

116 g Carbohydrates

15 g Fat

31 mg Cholesterol

1,147 mg Sodium

For 3 servings each serving contains:

458 Calories

21g Protein

77 g Carbohydrates

10 g Fat

20 mg Cholesterol

765 mg Sodium