First ice-bike of the year under my belt. Technically speaking, it's still "the holidays", so we all played hooky and sported the studded tires for the first tour of the Humber River, leaving out of Bolton, heading down river. Half frozen, half underwater, making for some very dicey white-knuckled riding - awesome...
- did you know that studies on endurance cyclists have shown a 20% (really) increase in stamina and endurance performance power after daily consumption of 500ml of beet juice on a daily basis?? It is a great blood builder, converting the nitrates in the juice to beneficial nitric oxide that fuels the body- it increases oxygen uptake; reducing the rate of oxygen consumption, therefore providing more energy! Wow - who wouldn't want that? - here's to nitrate rich foods! (celery, radish, green beans, carrots, squash, and spinach...)
- quercetin - in grapefruit, apples, berries, onions, cabbage, tea and red wine (!) is an incredibly powerful flavonoid, so important for boosting immunity - and I don't know about you, but hours in the saddle, or on the trail, or on the race course, leaves my immunity pretty stripped. Add to that the travel to and from races (in buses, planes and cars with lots of people around) and we are just waiting for a bug to enter the system. The more I can do to shore up my defenses, the better. I also know that I have pretty poor absorption, so the more the merrier when it comes to immune boosters. New studies also show quercetin to be a good energy booster - increasing focus, drive and endurance - huzzah!
- I can never say too much about coconut oil, and I would be flogging a dead horse if I wrote even more here - past posts and recipes tend to wax on and on about it's virtues...all I can say is eat it - use it- bathe in it - rub it on your skin - bake with it - fry with it - make love with it...whatever floats your boat. (90% saturated, but MCFA with sooooooooo many health benefits it is ridonculous - easily digested; instantly turns to energy without needing conjugation or storage as fat; a functional food full of fibre, vitamins and minerals; immune boosting; great for the skin; supports thyroid health; improves insulin secretion - and this is just to name a few - truly a miracle food.)
Roasted Carrots, Radish and Beets with Tart Grapefruit Glaze (adapted from Mollie Katzen)
3 medium beets – scrub and large dice
2 large carrots – peel and chunk
Handful of radishes
2 TB melted coconut oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper TT
1 c Grapefruit juice
1 tb raw cider vinegar
2 tb Plus 2 teaspoons real maple syrup
1 tb arrowroot powder (great for digestion)
Toss carrots, radishes and beets in coconut oil, s and p, and roast at 450F until they are fork-tender. Serve them hot, warm, or at room temperature, coated with a generous drizzle of Tart Grapefruit Glaze.
NOTE: If you are roasting red and yellow beets at the same time, keep them separate, so the yellow ones won’t get irreparably stained.
TART GRAPEFRUIT GLAZE 1.Whisk together grapefruit juice, vinegar, and maple syrup. 2.Place the arrowroot in a small saucepan, and drizzle in the liquid, whisking until all the arrowroot is dissolved. 3. Place the pan over medium heat, and heat just to the boiling point, whisking frequently. Turn the heat down, and cook, stirring often, until thickened (3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat. 4.Drizzle the hot glaze over hot, warm, or room-temperature roasted vegetables. Preparation time: 10 minutes Yield: 1 generous cup glaze (enough for 4 to 6 servings of roasted vegetables)
Yum
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