Author Archives: Bibi

Quinoa with Courgette, Feta and Sumac

Posted on May 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

2013-04-25 18.53.25

Recipe Number Two for #recipeaday for #nvw2013. This meal is a great showcase for National Vegetarian Week, showing that veggie eating doesn’t need to be a pastiche of your traditional meaty dinner with a “star of the show”.  In fact, I had some trouble naming this recipe. None of the ingredients is really ‘with’ the other ones – they all take centre stage, playing off each other. There is no Diana Ross to the Supremes here, no Martha Reeves for the Vandellas. It’s more a Shirelles situation, if you’re still following along with me.

This is based on a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe, but I found the original a little flat. I countered the earthy courgette and nutty grain with sharper feta and citrus-y sumac, both of which boosted the Middle-Eastern feel to the dish.

Health-wise, you’ve got micronutrients and protein in your quinoa, calcium in your feta and fibre and vitamins in your courgettes. I don’t believe in hugely changing your diet for carb-loading before a race (why would I start eating huge amounts of white flour now, even if it is disguised as pasta?), so I’ll be having this towards the end of the week before we do the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday. Even if the race profile wasn’t all downhill, which thankfully it is, I’m sure I’d fly through.

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Tofu Tikka Masala

Posted on May 20, 2013 | 2 Comments

tofu tikka massala

I strongly believe that cuisine is like language – living, and ever changing. Orthodoxy has no place in my kitchen. The quest for “the authentic ratatouille/baba ganoush/tikka masala” is not that interesting. I’d prefer to have the best one! Besides, playing by the book is not as much fun as a bit of experimentation. (I mean in the kitchen, people.)

Tikka Masala is one dish that has morphed to become unrecognisable through time and tweaking. While originally based on Indian home cooking recipes, the concept of tikka masala is distinctly British – Glaswegian, to be precise! Between differences in each restaurant in their approach to marination, spicing, added vegetables, consistency and heat, it is said that the only thing consistent about chicken tikka masala is the chicken.

And that’s about to change here! My TOFU tikka masala recipe marinates the tofu overnight in yogurt and spices, then bakes  in a hot oven for a lovely toothsome consistency, before adding to the brightly coloured sauce. The almost luminous colour is all natural, as you’d expect from Veggie Runners, coming from a marriage between ochre turmeric and bright red tomato paste.

The tofu is low in fat, and the sauce is a great source of anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial ginger and garlic. There are 52g of protein in a block of tofu, so if you even just eat 1/4 you’ll put a good dent in your protein intake for the day. Give it an extra boost by eating with quinoa. The cooked tomato is a source of lycopene, which is known to be an anti-carcinogen.

This may not be the first tikka masala recipe, but it’s up there with the best, and it’s good for you too!

What’s your favourite curry? How do you think you could make it a bit healthier? 

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The Bricks That Built My House – Anna Wall Running Mix

Posted on May 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

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We’re happy to add DJ Anna Wall’s ‘The Bricks That Built My House’ Mix to our Veggie Runners Playlist collection – she’s a woman in demand! In the three years she and I were at university together in Newcastle, she’s rocketed from playing fantastic beats that made everybody move in my living room to playing the same but better all over the world – Miami Penthouses, Ibizan Terraces  and Croatian Yachts. Last month she was tipped by Mixmag as a DJ “to keep your eye on in 2013″, and quite rightly – the music speaks for itself.

Fun fact that the music press don’t know: she makes the BEST eggs florentine the morning after the night before, too. She’s a real all-rounder.

This deep house playlist has a deep, driving feel that’s perfect for pulling you along on a run. I don’t know much about cool music, but I know this mix just makes you want to move, be it round your kitchen grooving, or getting those miles in in training.

Enjoy.

For more information, visit Anna’s facebook page or read this great article on the woman herself.

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Cabbage and Caraway Soup

Posted on April 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

Cabbage and Caraway Soup

When I was a Veggie-Toddler, my mum used to make something for me with caraway. At least, I’m sure of it, because when I started frying this up, I had a Proustian moment, and the earthy smell transported me back our our teeny flat where I had stuck Babar transfers wherever I thought she wouldn’t notice them. She can’t actually remember the dish she used to make, but the feeling was so strong I know it to be true.

While we wait for her memory to catch up, we can enjoy the aniseedy, fennelly seeds in this grown-up soup. Unlike lots of seeds, caraway can be used without grinding – easy-peasy!

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Runners and Community after the Boston Marathon 2013

Posted on April 18, 2013 | 1 Comment
Boston Marathon Runners from Washingtonpost.com

Boston Marathon Runners from Washingtonpost.com

Running at its simplest ought to be a very solitary sport. The book isn’t called ‘The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner’ for nothing. You have no team, you have no shared uniform. Most practice is done alone. Unless you’re running a relay or a three-legged-race, your endeavours make no difference to the success of anyone else in the world.

And yet, through running I have connected with more people than I ever have through more ‘sociable’ pursuits.

These have been people on a local, face-to-face, scale. The kids who high-fived me as I was flagging towards the end of my half-marathon, the woman in my first 10K who shared her sweets and the marshalls who urged me on every step, then did the same again and again to everyone who passed. The man at work who has given me advice on the profile of all the races I’m lined up for, because he’s done every single one. Men and women at parties, turning our backs to the speakers so we can hear each other compare Garmin watches, running apps and beautiful race pics.

It has also connected me on a worldwide scale to a community like no other. Through comments on the blog, and friends on twitter, I know about what it’s like to be a runner in countries as diverse as Malaysia and Mexico. Your emails, tweets and comments bring smiles to my face every day, revelling in those “oh, I thought that was just me!” moments with people thousands of miles away.

This is why the events of Monday’s Boston Marathon have been so unthinkable. The community of runners and their supporters are, I know from experience, some of the nicest people in the world. I am unsurprised by the reports of runners who, having completed 26.2 miles, kept running to donate blood in such numbers that they had to be turned away.

More runners have caught my eye this week and said ‘Hi’ than ever before. Our loss is nothing compared to that of friends and families who came to celebrate effort and resilience and lost so much, but we are united in our support for those who did. Our sense of community is stronger than ever.

It’s appropriate that the Virgin London Marathon goes ahead this Sunday. For those of you who will be running the VLM and other runs, make it count for those who can’t. I’ll be cheering you on all the louder for it, solidarity with other runners from around the world.

As President Obama said to the people of Boston today – “We may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we will pick ourselves up. We will keep going. We will finish the race.”

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The 4 Raddest Races We’d Love to Try

Posted on April 4, 2013 | 2 Comments

Next weekend, mum will be running the Pain Barrier Mud 10K. She doesn’t even like getting her feet wet on a normal run! Stay tuned to see how she does. In the meantime, here are 4 races from around the world that I’d love to have a bash at, one day.


flosmall1. Color Me Rad 5K, Nationwide US

You start off the race in pristine white, and bombard each other with different colours at various checkpoints along the race. In their own words – “Each section of the run adds a new explosion of color to your clean, painter’s palate until you cross the finish line into a final blitzkrieg of color.” Totally rad.

Medoc-marathon-0012. Marathon du Medoc, Bordeaux, France
(Photo: De Tienda/Dubroca/AMCM/PR via The Guardian)

Set in the picturesque Medoc area of Bordeaux, we could pretend that seeing some French scenery is what we find interesting about this race. In fact, it’s the 30 chateaux that you pass through, offering cheese and wine instead of the more usual power bars and water. I doubt anyone’s ever run a PB on the course, but that’s not what its there for. Santé!

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3.  Hatfield and McCoys Marathon, West Virginia and Kentucky, US

At the site of the famous and bloody feud between two families in the Wild West, descendants of the two compete over something actually important – to have the shortest combined time over 26.2 miles. Don’t worry if you don’t happen to be related – you get to choose a family at the time of registration and you race for them. Just picture the duelling banjos from Deliverance when you start flagging for an extra boost.

Zombie Race copy4.  Zombie Evacuation 5K, UK (But lots of these in the States as well)

A 5K obstacle race with “a theatrical twist” – ZOMBIES. The aim of the race is to make it through the 5K with all of your 3 ‘lives’ (tags attached to your waist) intact, while the volunteer army of zombies shuffle/dash after you trying to grab them.
You thought nothing could beat the adrenaline of running across the Tyne Bridge with thousands of other runners in the Great North? You didn’t factor in fleeing from decomposing hoards across an obstacle-ridden trail in the British countryside, did you?

What’s the weirdest race you’ve heard of? What’s the best race you’ve ever done? 

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Hot Cross Bun French Toast

Posted on March 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

hot cross bun french toast

These sound like a bit of a novelty ‘just-for-the-sake-of-it’ food, but I assure you they’re beautiful. The spice of the bread lends a grown-up air to breakfast, tasting like something much more complicated – sort of like a beignet. 

The factory I work at is open on Good Friday, so it’s not quite my holiday yet, but happy Easter break to those of you who have time off! If you’re observing passover, you can have these on Tuesday. If you’re like my mum, and have given up bread for lent, maybe someone will treat you to these on Sunday morning (ahem).

The white flour in these means that they’re not an everyday food, but that’s the point of seasonal foods – you wouldn’t live on mince pies and brandy butter either. I made mine with almond milk but regular would be great too.

A four-day weekend is basically two extra Sundays – are you going to do more long runs this weekend? 

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Irresistible Tahini-Miso Dressing

Posted on March 24, 2013 | 2 Comments

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In my own words, I used to be a complete “peanut-butter head”, eating about a jar a week on everything, from sliced apples to porridge. The thought of being without a jar filled me with dread, so much so that I would take it to hotels when I was working away. And yet, I haven’t even fancied any in weeks, possibly months. What changed?

I discovered tahini.

I’ve had a jar of peanut butter languishing in the cupboard since I moved house in January, but I’m on my sixth jar of this liquid gold. It makes me think of this, from ’10 Things I Hate About You’:

Bianca: There’s a difference between like and love. Because, I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack.
Chastity: But I love my Skechers.
Bianca: That’s because you don’t have a Prada backpack.

Like, I like peanut butter, and I thought I loved it, until I found true love with a sesame paste, of all things. I’m not the only one who thinks it’s marvelous – this week it’s the “Good for You” food of the week in the Guardian and Yottam Ottolenghi would probably rather go without water than tahini for a day. 

We’ve talked about the health benefits here, too. Protein, minerals, vitamins, and it tastes darn fine.

Whip up a batch of this dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge. It works well as a dressing over raw spinach for a salad, or steamed or stir-fried veggies. As in the picture, all it takes is some grains and some toasted seeds to make stir-fried greens a substantial, tasty meal.

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4 Things to do while you can’t exercise

Posted on March 23, 2013 | 3 Comments

Bibi What should you do when you get injured? I’m not talking ice, rest, compress etc. This isn’t going to be a medical advice post – Mum’s the only doctor in Veggie Runners, and she’s a doctor of philosophy, so not much good for a broken ankle or other injuries. This post is talking about things to do in the weeks after your injury, when you don’t hurt too much any more, are prowling around the house like a feral cat, and still have 4 weeks until the doctor says you can run again.

I’m out of commission on doctor’s orders for 6 weeks (nothing serious!), and I’m halfway through. My doctors say I’m allowed to start ‘light jogging’ again in 20 and a half days… Not that I’m counting, or anything. I was feeling pretty down, and lethergic until bedtime when all of a sudden I wouldn’t be able to sleep. A plan of action was needed!

This post looks at the things that I’m doing to stop myself going totally coco bananas in the house. I hope that they will help you too if you’re currently not able to get out and do whatever exercise you normally love.

  • Read Chi Running by Danny Dwyer. The book takes the concepts of mindfulness normally associated with yoga or t’ai chi and applies them to running. Not only will you feel more zen about your rest time away from running, the tips on best running form will mean you’ll be less likely to go crazy and injure yourself when you start up running again!
  • Know your limitations, but try to keep your strength up within them. I’m lifting light weights, doing the plank and walking as much as I can so I don’t atrophy and fall on my face when I start running again.
  • Take the 30 Day Happiness Challenge to counteract the loss of the endorphin boosts that you usually enjoy. I’m only on day 6 of the challenge, but I’m really enjoying the chance to focus on what my brain, and not my body, is capable of. All you need to do is meditate each day, do one kind thing for others, and keep a gratitude journal. These are all things that are recommended by Action for Happiness, an international movement for positive social change.
  • Volunteer your time. A) you’ll have a bit more time on your hands and B) doing things for others will make you feel happy. If you want to keep in the running community, you could volunteer your time as a race marshall, as Mum did last summer. I’m helping with my local Rainbows – such a nice way to give back to the community while feeling great too.

Are you injured at the moment? What are you doing to feel less bad about not getting to go out? 

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Wonderfood Smoothie – Mango, Cinammon and Tahini

Posted on March 19, 2013 | 1 Comment

Wonder Smoothie

We know our readers hail from around the world (Hello, lovely reader in Kaula Lumpur!), so for this recipe you’ll need a bit of background information.

Here in the UK, Winter will. not. die. It is interminable, like The Hobbit but even longer than that. Despite the fact that it is the vernal equinox tomorrow morning, marking the beginning of spring, it is due to hover around zero degrees all day. If I were a duckling, I’d hop back in my egg.

So, in the absence of real sunshine, we decided to whip up some sunshine in a glass.

There is calcium from the tahini and greek yogurt, B vitamins in the tahini, fibre in the prunes, vitamins A and C in the mango and the cinnamon is anti-inflammatory. Phew!  This smoothie is designed to get you out of the doldrums and fortify you for the day ahead, whatever the weather.

 

Ingredients (makes around 500ml)

5 ready-to-eat prunes
300ml milk or milk alternative
3 tbsps greek yogurt
1 tbsp tahini
1 very ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Blitz all of the ingredients, except the cinnamon, in a blender.

2. Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon, blitz again and taste. Add the rest of the cinnamon to taste.

 

What are you eating to cope with the weather where you are? 

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