Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving & Apple Crisp

Before my overindulgent Thanksgiving dinner with the family, I woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the Rockland Road Runners Thanksgiving 5-mile Turkey Trot. This year was my third time racing the course, so I felt pretty confident while waiting for the race to begin. I haven’t raced since my half-marathon in May, so if anything I felt a bit out of the racing loop. Also, my training has been far from impressive — I run the same 4.8 mile loop from my apartment, around Prospect Park once and back, about six times a week. With all of this in mind, I didn’t expect much out of myself. I hurried over to the start after using the men’s restroom, as the line for the women’s room was moving at a snail’s pace. I started a trend — several women jumped in the men’s line after me. Yeah, I’m cool.

And then… I ran. Five miles to be exact. I felt pretty defeated watching a couple of little fifteen year old girls pass me, but tried not to let it get to me too much. I ended up completing the race in 34:11, which is a 6:51 pace. Not too shabby, considering I beat my time from last year by almost two minutes, and my time from the year before last by 1 minute. I know I could have run faster, but I’m not accustomed to running shorter races — I’m more of a 10K/ half-marathon type of gal, races that I run between 7:00-7:15 minutes per mile. Oh well. Maybe next year I’ll run it in the 33-minute range. Time will tell.

Post-finish. I looked tired:

My fabulous mother/ biggest supporter/ professional momma of runner-foodie-crazies like myself was waiting at the finish to congratulate me:

Isn’t she fab? I’m so lucky. She even takes embarrassing/ mildly inappropriate pictures of me with blow-up turkeys, when asked:

Okay, let’s get serious now:

These types of people make turkey trots more fun:

After refueling the car at a gas station and refueling Crunchy Granola Gal at Dunkin’ Donuts, Crunchy Mama drove us back to the country home, where I locked myself in my room and slept away the afternoon. Racing wipes me out! I woke up a couple of hours later to the wafting aroma of Thanksgiving dinner. Mmmm. Check out our organic baby:

I forced myself out of my race-induced coma to bake our dessert, a simple apple crisp.

Crunchy Apple Bake

Apple Bake Ingredients:

• 6 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Crunchy Topping Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter, softened

Method:

1. Peel, core and slice apples. Toss with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and spices
2. For the crunchy topping, mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Use your fingers to spread the softened butter evenly throughout. I try to break the butter into chunks, then mix throughout the oat mixture:
3. Cover a square pan with the apple mixture, covering with the crunchy topping. Cover the pan with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

Pre-bake:

Post-bake:

While baking my delicious apple creation, I started off my amazingly indulgent dinner with some Marqués de Riscal rioja. At least three glasses were consumed throughout the night, which, along with the intense food-induced coma I put myself in, encouraged an early bedtime, only after many second-helpings and a photo shoot with bro:

After all that running, eating and family time, I am dedicating this Sunday, once again, to me, and I am doing all of the things I love: running, brunch with a close friend, and relaxing in my apartment. As long as I can forget that whole 9-to-6 gig I’ve got going during the week, this is going to be a great day. Bring it!

Red Lentil Soup, Bruschetta and an Ode to the Roomie

This post is dedicated to the most fabulous girl in the world, my roommate/ best friend/ life partner, the Roomie.. It was love at first sight when we met at our Jewish day camp back in ‘89, and since then we’ve had plenty of good times together. Roomie is my conscience: she guides me through difficult times, helps me make good decisions, and always supports my endeavors (as long as they are rational and positive, of course!). Without her in my life, I don’t know what kind of person I would have grown up to be. Certainly not as strong-willed and confident, that’s for sure. Her influence has been not only positive but has also begun to mold me into the person I one day hope to become.

Not only is she an amazing human being, but the girl can cook. I came home on Monday night with freshly painted, 80’s red nails, ready to down a can of lentil soup because I couldn’t cook with freshly manicured hands and risk chipping and or smudging. The Roomie, however, was hard at work in the kitchen and as always was more than happy to share her home-cooked meal with me.

We started off with toasted crusty bread:

…with bruschetta on top. I believe the Roomie combined diced tomatoes, vidalia onion, garlic and basil:

Fresh mozzarella cheese:

All together now (sung to the tunes of the Beatles song, obviously):

Simple butter lettuce salad with Annie’s roasted red pepper dressing:

And finally, mom’s curried red lentil soup, making its reappearance ’cause it’s that darn good:

The soup artist and her creation (I have beautiful friends. I know.):

Goofy granola gal and her favorite cookies:

I feel so blessed to live with someone who not only is my closest friend, but also shares my love of food. Though we sometimes disagree, and my sloppy habits get a bit out of control (I’m working on it!), we are closer than ever before, and for that I am extremely grateful.

I am also grateful for mom’s red lentil soup, also known as…

Mom’s Anti-Gloom Soup – adapted from Annemarie Colbin

Ingredients:

• 1 medium vidalia onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1-2 teaspoons curry powder
• 4 cups of water or vegetable broth (I use 2 low-sodium bullion cubes)

Preparation:

Saute onions in olive oil for three to five minutes until brown. Add curry, saute for another minute or two. Add lentils, mix with spiced onions, and add water. Cover and bring to a boil, lower flame and cook on medium-low for approximately twenty minutes, until lentils split and the soup is a yellow color. Serves 2-3.

Healthy Sunday

I have come to discover that I am very inconsistent when it comes to my healthy habits. After a Friday night of mixed drinks, stale Halloween cookies, and plenty of tortilla chips, I spent Saturday recovering from, once again, a bit too much fun, and trying to get my body and mind back on track. I have a lot to focus on right now (grad school applications, furthering my career goals, maintaining some sense of sanity, the male species — normal twenty-something mental garbage) and thus I find myself craving both crazy fun (example: Friday) and “me” days — such as today. “Me” time entails doing everything I love — running, cooking, writing and spending time with friends — all very healthy, self-improvement-focused activities. Today I managed to do all of those things, leaving me content and energized for yet another hectic work week.

I woke up early (as always) and went for a lovely 4.8 mile run from my apartment to Prospect Park, completing the loop one time. I felt energized and thus ran at a faster pace than usual, which is always very satisfying. Upon my return I solidified plans with a good friend of mine, Shannon, to take her fitness class at a local gym. It was a core-focused class incorporating blocks and balance balls. We did several exercises that not only engaged the core muscles but also worked up a sweat. Several of the exercises I found myself too weak to complete without just half-assing it — which though I do feel guilty for, I never like to risk injury, so I let myself take it easy. I’m always impressed by Shannon’s energy throughout her classes she teachers (this is my second), as she not only completes many of the exercises with the class but is also guiding us the entire time, her calming voice fighting to overpower the loud music — a task that takes a lot out of you! By the time the hour was up I was ready to run home, cook and relax.

In preparation for my evening plans, I prepared a peanut sesame hummus from Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. The result was a spicy, kick-in-the-butt dip that was very different from any store-bought hummus I’ve had.

The ingredients:

Final result:

The aforementioned event of the night was a small get-together, hosted by Shannon, to watch Food, Inc. I know — everyone has seen the movie already and I missed the boat approximately four months ago, but I was glad to finally get myself in the foodie loop — and learn a bit more about factory farming and the food supply and means of production. Shannon and I prepped some delicious snacks before the party started:

Kale chips, pre-oven roasting:

Sweet potato fries:

Raw veggie mix – farmer’s market grape tomatoes, coop purple carrots and fennel:

Apple slices, with (not pictured) hazelnut butter for dipping:

Crumbled vegan carrot cookie from our local farmer’s market:

The spread (more snacks seemed to appear as the night went on, of course, including some organic wines — which I unsurprisingly had a glass of!):

After the film, the group of us — the Roomie, Big Bro, four former XC running chicas, and other friendly neighborhood friends — discussed our thoughts on the movie. Luckily we had some very educated ladies in the group — Shannon knows a ton about nutrition and food processing, while one of my runner friends is very knowledgeable about environmental issues and the intense impact of the meat industry at a global level. We also had an international perspective, as two of the women who attended the movie screening were German. The discussion evolved into the idea of detoxing and cleansing, as a couple of the attendees had gone through these processes. Because I’m big on the idea of balancing health and fun, a cleanse doesn’t seem quite right for me, but I am intrigued by the process and hope to attend one of Shannon’s detox days or cleanse events in the near future!

Stop and Smell the Cupcakes

Sometimes, I get really busy. So busy in fact that running, healthy eating and sleep move down on my priority list.

Fun, on the other hand, becomes very important:

With fun comes excessive intake of mood-altering beverages:

Delicious meals with old friends at classy restaurants:

(Red Kuri Squash Agnolotti with chanterelles, grilled halloumi & brown butter-hazelnut sauce)

And of course, the classic New York dessert: Magnolia cupcakes.

I got a snickerdoodle cupcake. Not the best, but enjoyable nonetheless:

The LA girls were very pleased with their cupcakes of choice:

And I dug in, fearless as always:

As much as I’ve embraced the cupcake as of late (I’ve been asked to buy Crumbs for the office three times in the past three weeks), I don’t understand what all the hype is about. Countless cupcake bakeries (cupcakeries?) have opened in New York and other large cities nationwide in only the last couple of years. I would go for a cookie or muffin over a cupcake any day of the week, but regardless I have tried to enjoy the complimentary sweets available to me on any given day. Crumbs, despite the hubbub around these insanely large frosting-laden concoctions, are quite delicious, but only in moderation. About 1/2 of a cupcake can easily overwhelm the taste buds of sweet fiends such as myself, as they are just too big. Magnolia offers a perfectly sized cupcake, but is lacking in taste – the cake is a little dry and the texture of the frosting isn’t quite right. Clearly I’ve given up on the cupcake, so in order to regain my faith in baked goods, I took some time (amidst all the fun) to bake a batch of pumpkin white chocolate chip muffins:

A nice change of pace from the onslaught of cupcakes, I’d say. I’ll probably change my mind overnight and be back at Crumbs in no time… oh well. What’s life without a few indulgences from time to time?

Mexican Sushi

Mexican food has been a favorite cuisine of mine for a few years now. I tend to get stuck in food ruts during which I cook the same three things for dinner every week, and anything Mexican-inspired tends to be one of those three meals no matter what I’m craving. Last year the top three meals were burritos, bagel pizzas and veggie burgers. This year, I’ve been dining out often so I couldn’t pinpoint any particular meals. Last night, however, I found myself home for dinner with a nostalgic hankerin’ for homemade gringa Mexican. I knew I wanted a burrito and was inspired by an entrée at a cute Manhattan joint called Mexicana Mama Centro. Here they slice up the vegetable burrito like sushi, making for an artfully delicious meal.

Mexican Sushi

Ingredients:

-1 wheat wrap, square in shape

-refried beans

-red pepper

-spinach

-corn

-chili and cumin powder

-avocado

-sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Sauté red pepper, corn and spinach in a non-stick skillet with a mist of spray-oil, cumin and chili pepper. Keep stirring until peppers are semi-soft and spinach is wilted.

2. Layer wrap with a coating of refried beans.

3. Pour vegetable mixture on top. Top vegetable mixture with avocado and cheddar cheese.

4. Roll ‘er up! Slice into six or seven pieces (make sure you use a large, very sharp knife.) and bake at 350 degrees F for ten minutes. Serve immediately.

Neat idea, huh? I think it’s time for another Mexican dinner out, as if I don’t eat enough Mexican food already. I might have to hit up the new local joint pronto. I think I need another job to support my dining habits. Sigh.

Pumpkin Carving and A Fancy Breakfast

Last night the Roomie and I hosted a small pumpkin carving party at our apartment. We called it Drunken Pumpkin, although there wasn’t much drinking involved — mostly carving, laughing, snacking and many photo opportunities. By the end of the night the four of us carved pumpkins of many diverse backgrounds — there was George the simpleton, Beelzebub the killer, Badass lawyer chick, and Harry Glickman, Esq., the Jewish lawyer. We also had pumpkin stains and remains on the floors and walls as a result of the great pumpkin-gook-fight of 2009. I’d say overall the night was a success.

I rushed home after my volunteer gig to bake a batch of pumpkin cupcakes:

No makeup. Just cupcakes:

Bite outta crime:

Snackage — blue chips and guac, frosted sugar cookies, candy corn:

And for the trick-or-treaters, or just us big kids:

The workspace:

Roomie and the Military Man:

And the fight begins…

The end of the fight, live on YouTube TV:

The damage:

From left to right: George the simpleton, Badass smoker chick, Beelzebub, Harry Glickman, Esq., and their creators, emulating pumpkin expressions (pumpspressions?):

Individual shots:

After a silly night of pumpkin carving and sweet treats, I was spent. By 12:30AM, I was sleeping like a baby, woke up early on this lovely Sunday (as usual), had my usual pre-workout toast with nut butter and jam, and went for a quick five miler followed by a weight-lifting session at the gym-bob. (Yes, I affectionately call it the gym-bob. Makes it seem like a more pleasant place). I was craving something more savory than sweet to refuel, and came up with a snazzy-looking and delectable tower of pumpkin-eggy goodness, as inspired by my Flatbush Farm brunch last Sunday.

Spicy Pumpkin Parmesan Tower

Serves 1.

Ingredients

-1 whole grain tortilla or two corn tortillas

-1 whole egg

-1/3 cup pumpkin

-1/4-1/2 cup spicy salsa

-Parmesan cheese, to taste

Preparation

1) Slice circular shapes out of wheat tortilla (if using):

2) Mix together egg, salsa and pumpkin:

3) Mist non-stick pan with a bit of cooking spray and sauté pumpkin mixture on low until it starts to brown (approximately 5 minutes):

4) Start building the tower, with sprinkles of Parmesan cheese on top of each pumpkin layer:

5) Dig in:

Lots of pumpkin action in this lovely edition of Crunchy Granola Gal. It’s Sunday and another busy week awaits. I’m thinking I’m gonna nap for a bit, check out the new Asics store in Manhattan, engage my brain with some fine art at the Brooklyn Museum, followed by a homemade dinner with Brooklyn friends. I’m in Go-Go-Go mode lately — no rest for the wary!

Crunchy Autumn Sandwich

As much as I feel that I am straying from my crunchy roots (as elucidated by my intense desire for a Coach handbag, Ugg slippers and North Face puffy jacket with a fur-trimmed hood), I know that my inherent food cravings are still the epitome of crunchy granola.

My two new favorite T. Jizzle’s products…

…make the perfect sandwich. Or should I say slamwich? ‘Cause it’s that good.

Crunchy Almond-Pumpkin Sandwich

Ingredients:

-whole grain bread of choice, 2 slices

-Smooth almond butter

-Pumpkin butter

-1/2 banana, sliced in thirds lengthwise

Check this slamwich out:

That’s all, folks. Coming up next: mini pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, in preparation for a drunky pumpkin carving gathering. Fall is fun!

Flatbush Farm

Yeehaw! This morning I had the pleasure of sharing a delicious meal with the fantastic Mel of She Runs Brooklyn. We decided upon brunch at Flatbush Farm in the Park Slope/ Prospect Heights area of Brooklyn after discovering that the new Mexican spot I wanted to scope out isn’t open for brunch just yet. I guess that’ll have to wait, but in the meantime, we found a classy little place with tasty and reasonably priced fare. The restaurant prides itself on using local and organic ingredients whenever possible, along with organic/ hormone-free meats and dairy products. Crunchy folk like myself dig this. You should too.

The facade is a bit dreary, not at all farm themed, and overall just kind of plain:

(photo credit)

Once inside, the decor is ultra-modern, with dark paneling and dim lighting:

We started off with classic brunch beverages: Mel got a Bloody Mary and I got a mimosa. Hit the spot on a rainy Sunday. For my meal I decided upon the Ranch Hand, a casserole of sorts with braised corn tortillas, salsa and two eggs sunnyside up. I swear there was pumpkin in here. Or something orange of the pumpkin family. To be honest, I’m not even quite sure what I ate but whatever it was, it was hearty, filling and delicious:

Mel ordered the curried tofu scramble with sautéed kale and whole wheat toast:

Brunch brings smiles:

Definitely want to stop by again for dinner, or even some fancy cocktails at the bar — with boy + his wallet, of course. Maybe next time we’ll hit up some place in Williamsburg and drink margaritas with the hipster folk? (Whaddya say, Mel?) With restaurants like this just outside my door, I think I’m gonna be a Brooklyn-dwelling gal for quite some time.

Running Artifacts

Sometimes I run. I wake up at the crack of dawn to get a workout in. Sometimes I do this on early Saturday mornings to pace ten mile runs in preparation for the NYC Marathon. Sometimes I don’t want to hear my obnoxious alarm with its 4:15AM wake-up call, but I know that I will enjoy flying through the streets of upper Manhattan, the Bronx and Central Park before most people have even gotten out of bed. I know that afterwards I will feel fantastic. And this makes it all worthwhile, despite the many details and steps it takes to attain a sense of well-being through running.

I always wake up with really bad hair:

I fumble with the coffee maker and toaster, and scarf down delicious almond butter and jelly toast with a strong cup of joe:

I don the new running goods, a Nike Sport Band and Dri-Fit top:

Maps are needed to navigate the busy streets:

Bibs are needed to identify pace groups:

Post-run re-hydration, courtesy of the folks at OWater:

These artifacts remind me of the little details of the sport I love: early mornings, good nutrition, technical gear, and the great enjoyment of running with others. Many thanks to Coach Mindy and the members of The Running Center for providing me with a challenging and satisfying early-morning run.

FEED Whole Grain Granola

Last week, the awesome boys over at FEED shipped me a package of four varieties of whole grain granola. I was excited to try their products for a couple of reasons: 1. I am a granola fiend (note blog name) and 2. The creators, Jason and Jason, developed the original recipes out of their West Village apartment. So imagine fumbling around in your tiny New York City kitchen, creating some tasty granola recipes, and eventually starting your own business. How neat is that?! Obviously there were many steps along the way to get their product out on the mass market, but I’m still pretty impressed with the Jasons and their grassroots creation. So, many thanks to my fellow crunchy granola New Yorkers at FEED, and onwards with the granola testing project…

My first granola tasting occurred the night this wonderful package was received. I eat ice cream/ frozen yogurt almost every evening after dinner, so it was very natural for me to jazz things up a bit with some bittersweet-ness, a flavor with vanilla and chocolate thrown into the mix. This granola tasted very distinct — it is definitely more of a sweet, dessert-type of treat. I liked the crunch and the fact that the chocolate wasn’t too overpowering — just the right amount of dark chocolate bittersweet-ness:

I took pictures of all of the short inspirational notes on the back of the bags. I think this is my favorite, as it is my food mantra:

Close up and personal:

The following morning, I opted for the raisin nut variety. I bought my favorite yogurt from the Union Square Greenmarket, Hawthorne Valley Farm Plain Whole Milk yogurt. As an aside, this yogurt is amazing rich and delicious. The granola and fresh yogurt combined perfectly to create a fulfilling breakfast. I like the texture of this granola — crunchy, but not too crunchy like other brands’ low-fat varieties. Also, the level of sweetness was on target.

High quality for sure:

The following morning, I decided to slice up an apple in my yogurt and combine it with the apple a day variety. I’m not usually a fan of apple-flavored granola because I hate the dried apple pieces, but this variety had very small pieces so it didn’t throw off the texture of the granola.

For the record, I eat at least one apple every day…

Back to the good stuff: dessert. This time I went for real vanilla ice cream with cranberry coconut granola. Can we say foodgasmic? Because it was.

You’re jealous of this mix:

The Verdict

FEED Granola is a delectable, healthful breakfast item, dessert addition, or snack, made with all-natural ingredients such as agave nectar and flax seeds. I prefer it over other brands because its taste and nutrition are somewhere in the middle — it’s not too sugary but it has a decent amount of sweetness to it. Nor is it very high in fat, but it has enough canola oil so it’s not super crunchy and cardboard-like. I’ve had many granolas in my day (I am Crunchy Granola Gal, after all), but this brand takes the cake thus far. Now all I need to do is figure out more creative ways to eat granola to make a dent in the four bags I’ve got in my cupboard!

Fine granola art:

Silly granola lovin’ gal: