Philly Cheese Steak

4 slices of fresh cooked roast beef*
1/2 a small onion
small handful of mushrooms
1/2 a bell pepper (green is traditional, but red, orange, and yellow are a sweet variation)
mild cheese (like Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, or Cheddar)  For a kick, try blue cheese instead.

Heat a bit of oil in a large frying pan, over medium-high heat.  Cut up the veggies and add to the pan.  After a couple of minutes, push veggies to the perimeter, and lay beef slices into the pan.  Flip the meat after one minute. One minute later, break up the meat a bit and stir the entire contents.

Toast a large bun, if that’s how you plan on eating this.

Push the beef and veggies together in the centre of the pan.  Add some of your favorite BBQ sauce, and grate (or slice) a bit of cheese on top of that. Turn off the burner.

When the cheese melts, but before it drips through the rest, serve the whole lot on a bun, or wrap.

*Get this from Jeremiah’s Deli in the Saint John City Market, unless you're fortunate enough to have some leftovers.  Alternatively, you could use about 100g of ultra-thin steak but it’ll take a bit longer.  In a pinch, processed cold-cut roast beef could be used but it won’t be anywhere near as good.

Chicken Tomato Delight

This recipe was contributed, by CCAA Volleyball star (and Proto Strength & Conditioning Athlete) Jasmine Lavoie.   It's a tasty one!

olive oil
1 shallot
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
bruschetta mix (see below)
1 tomato
parsley

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.  Finely chop the shallot. Cut up the chicken into cubes.  Add these to the frying pan.

Dice the tomato.  When chicken is almost cooked, add a few spoonfuls of bruschetta mix and the extra tomato.  Sprinkle in the parsley.  Cover and let simmer until chicken is fully cooked.

Equally good on it’s own, with garlic bread, or on pasta.  You can double the recipe add some chicken broth and a handful of cooked rice to the leftovers to make a nice soup for tomorrow.

Bruschetta mix is sold at the deli counter of the large grocery stores.  It’s pretty simple to make on your own though:

Chop up some tomatoes and onion in about a 2-1 or 3-1 ratio. Mash and chop a few garlic cloves.  Put everything into a bowl.  Drizzle some olive oil over the top and more salt than you think is right.  (The salt draws the juice out of the tomatoes and garlic so the flavours can blend.  Drain off the excess salty liquid before you use it.)  Add some pepper and plenty of oregano.  Mix it all up and allow some time for osmosis to do its thing.  If you wish, add some dried chilies and/or parmesan and/or basil.

Peach Basil Chicken Pasta

Great this time of year, with peaches in season, and fresh basil from the garden!

1 small onion
1/3 red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
2-3 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or one breast)
1 peach
basil
salsa (or a small tomato and hot sauce)
lime wedge

Start a pot of water for the pasta and heat some olive oil in a frying pan just warmer than medium heat. (The timing of this recipe works perfectly with Italian styles as they typically take 8-12 minutes to cook, but you can use whatever you want.)

Dice the onion and red pepper, and crush the garlic, then add to the pan of hot oil.  Dice the chicken and toss it with enough basil to cover about 25% of each die.  When the onion softens, add the chicken to the pan.

When the water boils add the pasta to the pot and cook.  At this time, stir a chopped and crushed peach (liquid and all) as well as a few spoonfuls of salsa into the frying pan.  Continue to cook the chicken-peach mixture allowing it to reduce until the pasta is ready.  Squeeze a lime wedge over the dish before serving.

Beef Pho

Soups are great meals for maintaining hydration this time of year, and this Beef Pho recipe is an incredibly flavourful version that's simple to make in a hurry.  The relatively high glycemic index of the rice noodles combined with the bovine protein, make it a great meal for right after a workout.  See here for more  info on nutrient timing.

1 litre beef broth
3 cm ginger
1 small shallot
crushed dried chiles
a handful of bean sprouts
100g of beef (cheap round steak is fine)
2 green onions
a small bunch of cilantro, or fresh Thai parsley or Thai basil
sesame oil
soy sauce
a small brick of rice vermicelli (75-100g)


Pour 1 litre of beef broth into a saucepan over maximum heat.  If you have some sake or rice wine vinegar add a shot to the saucepan.  Grate about 3 centimeters of garlic into the broth.  Thinly slice the shallot and add to broth.  Add some crushed dried chilies, and some Thai curry powder or Asian 5-spice blend if possible.  You can also add a spoonful of tamarind sauce if you wish.  Cover and bring to a vigorous boil.

Wash the bean sprouts and place in the bottom of a big bowl. (If you haven’t got a big bowl, you’ll have to eat right out of the pot.)  With an extremely sharp knife, cut the beef into paper-thin strips.  If you have the foresight, partially freezing the steak, maybe for 45 minutes, will help with this process.  Spread the beef slices over the sprouts, and add a few grindings of pepper and salt.  Thinly slice the green onions, and cilantro and place them on top of the beef.  Drizzle some sesame oil and soy sauce over the whole lot.

Assuming it is now boiling vigorously, ladle out about half the broth to freeze it for later use.

Add rice vermicelli to the stock that is boiling away in the saucepan and cook for 60 seconds (or as recommended on the package directions).  Pour the noodles and broth from the saucepan into the serving bowl to cover the onion, beef, and sprouts.  While it cools to eating temperature, stir the soup a few times to separate the beef strips and ensure all surfaces get cooked by the broth.

10-minute Beans

olive oil
a small onion
1/2 bell pepper (any colour, and/or use a hot variety)
a carrot
chili powder
cumin powder
a small tomato
a clove of garlic
1/2 can of kidney beans
cilantro
1/2 an avocado (or more)

In a frying pan, heat a small amount of oil over medium-high heat.  Chop up the onion and add to the pan.  Do the same with the pepper(s), carrot, and anything else you wish to add.  Shake in some chili and cumin powders to taste and stir.  Mash the garlic then chop it with the tomato.  Add these to the pan as well, then stir.  Rinse and drain the beans, then dump them into the mixture.  Add a dash of tequila, or lime juice, or orange juice, or all three.  Scrape up any brown bits.  Chop up the cilantro and dice the avocado.  Turn off the heat, toss in these last two ingredients and serve.

Corn Soup with Avocado and Shrimp

handful shrimp
juice from 1/2 a lime
1 shot of tequila (or agave nectar cut with water)
crushed chili flakes
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 a small onion
1/4 sweet bell pepper
oregano
1 can creamed corn
1/2 an avocado


Peel the shrimp and marinate in a few drops of the lime juice and tequila, along with some salt and pepper, and chili flakes. Set this aside while you mince the garlic and, chop the the onion and bell pepper into tiny bits.

Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium-high then add the garlic, onion, and peppers. to get all the flavours out and blended.  Add all that remains of the lime juice and the shot of tequila, and a pinch of oregano.  Stir, scraping up any brown bits, then add the can of creamed corn.

In a separate frying pan, over high heat add a drop of oil and quickly cook the shrimp, along with any liquid from the marinade.  As soon as one side turns pink, turn off the heat and flip the shrimp so they cook on the other side.

Add the shrimp to the soup which should be heated to serving temperature by now, but not boiling. Garnish with diced or sliced avocado.

Variation:
Replace the shrimp with slices of cured (Spanish) chorizo.  Follow the same directions, replacing the word “pink” with “brown”.

Steak and Pasta Salad

 300-450g grilling steak
steak spice
Pasta or Israeli couscous
1-2 tomatoes
avocado
1/2 bell pepper
small garlic clove
lime juice or red wine vinegar
olive oil
coriander

Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the pasta when it is ready and cook following package directions.

Meanwhile, preheat a broiling pan (in a toaster oven will only take 5 minutes) at 200º C (450ºF).  Chop the tomatoes, pepper, and avocado.  Place them in a large bowl, sprinkle with coriander.  Grate the garlic over top, then toss it all with a bit of lime juice/vinegar and olive oil.

When pan is hot, place the steak upon it, and sprinkle with steak spice.  Broil for 2-3 minutes.  Flip the steak, add more spice, and broil for 1 minute.  Reduce the heat to 175ºC (350ºF) and cook for 2-5 minutes depending on thickness.  Turn off the heat, open the oven door, and let it rest for few minutes before slicing.

Slice the steak, and add it along with the drained pasta to the bowl. Toss and serve warm.  The leftovers are great cold for tomorrows lunch or supper.

Snacks

The Coaching Association of  Canada recently posted this article.  I prefer to reference materials rather than simply reposting them, but I've already discussed this topic in detail throughout this blog, especially here.  So there's no point in me repeating myself.  Check out some snacking advice courtesy of Coach.ca

Pasta with Tomatoes and Basil

Time for another quick, flavourful, nutrient-dense, recipe easily modifiable for weight gain or weight loss:

pasta
1-2 cloves of garlic
handful of grape tomatoes
small bunch of fresh basil (or pinches of dry)
olive oil
parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the pasta when it is ready and cook following package directions.

Meanwhile, place a few drops of oil in a frying pan and spread it around with a spatula.  There should be barely enough to just moisten the base of the pan.  Turn up the heat to medium-high.  Place the whole garlic cloves, still in their skins, into the frying pan.

As the oil warms, place the whole tomatoes into the frying pan with the garlic.  When the skins begin to change colour, toss the contents of the pan, being careful to not break the skins.  Turn off the pan.

Drizzle some olive oil into the serving dish. Chop the basil and stir it into the serving dish along with some parmesan cheese and some salt.

Squeeze the garlic out of its skin then chop it.  Mix the garlic into the oil-basil-cheese mixture.  Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters.

Drain the pasta and add it along with the tomatoes to the serving dish.  Stir to coat.  Add more oil, cheese, and basil to taste.

Chickpea Salad

This is ridiculously simple.  Hot or cold it's a quick meal on it's own, or a filling for a pita, or a side dish.  You can beat in some eggs and turn it into an omelette, or leave it alone and serve it as a a steak topping (seriously).

1 can Chickpeas
4-6 green onions
1 clove of garlic
handful of baby spinach (or parsley)
roasted red pepper strips
salt and pepper
cumin, cayenne, and turmeric (or curry powder)
1 lemon
olive oil

Rinse and drain the chickpeas.  Finely chop the onion, spinach, roasted peppers, and garlic.  Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.  Add lemon juice.  Drizzle a bit of oil on top, stir and serve.

Mandarin Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
vegetables
1 can mandarin oranges in light syrup
1 1/2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons of corn starch
salt and pepper

Heat a bit of oil in a large frying pan, over medium-high heat.  Slice the chicken into strips then add to the pan.

Slice up whatever vegetables you have. (Such as carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn, etc.) Add them to the pan and stir.

Add the sugar and corn starch to the mandarins with their syrup and blend until sugar and starch dissolve.  Add to the pan for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

Serve with rice noodles or rice.

Tomato-Cheese Pasta Sauce That Becomes Minestrone Soup

Pasta Sauce:

olive oil
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
handful of peas or green beans
oregano
fresh chilies (or dried chili flakes)
1 jar of tomato sauce (500ml)
1 can romano beans
1/2 cup of mozzarella (parmesan or romano for more kick)
pasta
salt and pepper

Put water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat the oil in a pot on medium-high heat.  Finely chop the shallot and red pepper then add them to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Dice the zucchini.  Mash and chop (or grate) the garlic.  Chop the green beans if you have some.  Add the zucchini, garlic, peas/beans, oregano, and chilies to the pot.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the (drained and rinsed) romano beans, and the tomato sauce.  Simmer until pasta is cooked.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grate the cheese.  Just prior to draining the pasta, remove the sauce from the stove, add the cheese to it, and stir to melt.  Drain the pasta and serve with sauce.

Minestrone Soup:
Add broth to dilute the leftover sauce into a soup.  Bring to a boil, add a handful of small shaped pasta and cook until al dente.

Recipes for Athletes

I've been asked lately for recipes and meal plans, so I will be putting up a series of recipes on this blog; a sort of cookbook for athletes.  I think meal plans are too structured and take the pleasure out of eating.  I'll concentrate on tasty dishes that make it easy for athletes (and non-athletes, too) to meet their daily nutrient requirements.

All of the recipes must meet five requirements: They must be 1) nutritionally dense, 2) flavourful, and 3) focus on real ingredients; 4) they can be prepared and eaten in 30 minutes or less; finally, 5) they can be adapted to accommodate weight-gain or weight-loss goals.  This last requirement is achieved through criteria 1 and 2, so small portions for weight loss leave you satiated but large ones for weight gain aren't a chore to stuff in, and by having a (easily and) highly variable CHO portion without affecting the recipe.

Stay tuned...