Eat Run Eat: Part 1

I've never been what one would call a serious runner. I run out of a desire to stay in shape rather than any actual love for the craft. For the most part I waiver between hating running and growing accustomed to its face, but alas, like the masochist I am, I continue to return to the run.

In my early years of running, my focus was on doing several races a year. As my interest has waned in recent years, so too has my yearly race count, but one constant has remained: my yearly appearance in the DC Rock and Roll Half Marathon. 

I first did this race in March of 2011. Having lived in the District for almost a year at that point, I still loved everything about the city and was excited to do a run that took place in my backyard. The course has evolved in recent years, as too have my feelings for the District, but even with my still-recentish move to Baltimore, I couldn't help but sign up for the race that's become my favorite St. Patrick's Day tradition for the 4th straight year.

One of the things that keeps me coming back to this race, masochist tendencies aside, is the food. So much wonderful food goes into the pre and post race process that I can't quite turn my back on race-life just yet. By now, this blog has been around long enough that I've been able to share a couple of my pre-race meals. In 2012 I whipped up this easy, 10-minute pasta sauce for my pre-race fuel and last year I returned to an old favorite. This year, I decided to be adventurous and try something I'd been wanting to do for a while: crockpot pasta sauce. 

Even though I work from home on Fridays now, I usually don't have a ton of time to devote to dinner prep. I also had to turn in fairly early as I prefer to sleep in my own bed pre-race, and thus would have to head down to DC on Saturday morning. Enter my trusty crockpot.  We've been together only slightly longer than I've had this blog and during that time I've found myself coming to love him, especially during the winter month. He proved to be the perfect vessle for which to create this delicious pre-race sauce [the remains of which also make a great base for pizza night].

Crock Pot Veggie Pasta Sauce

Ingredients
Original Recipe Found Here

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 (8 oz) package sliced mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• Pasta of choice

Preparation

1. Cook onions and garlic in a medium skillet for 4-5 minutes or until tender.
2. Once tender, add in carrots, mushrooms, and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Line the bottom of the crock pot with veggies. Top with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings (salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and sugar).
4. Cook on high for 4 hours. Stirring periodically throughout. Remove lid after 4 hours and cook on high for 1 hour to allow sauce to thicken.
5. Serve over your favorite pasta! 

Stir Fry Time

Oh Thursday, how I both love and loathe you.

Since moving to Baltimore I have come to greet Thursday with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I'm only one day shy of the weekend, and even closer to my favorite day of the week (Friday). On the other hand, it's the second of two days in the week that I have agreed to spend in our Bethesda office.

While I love a majority of the changes that have come with life in Baltimore: more space, car ownership, cheaper wares, closer to my family, there is one thing I loathe about my new life....the commute to Bethesda. To put it bluntly, it's a bitch. It takes me a solid 2 hours, door to door, to get from my apartment in Baltimore to my office in Bethesda. When I actually stop and think about all that goes into the commute (the insanely early rising, driving to the train station, taking the train to DC, and taking the Metro from DC to Bethesda) I get a slightly angry. 

The train isn't all bad. I'm learning how to make the best of it from my fellow riders. 

As you may suspect, alcohol is part of the solution to this problem.

Thus, I force myself to focus on the silver ling: my train and metro rides are paid for by work, I get to use my beloved noise canceling headphones to pass the time (in addition to reading, sleeping, and getting caught up on emails), and I only have to do it two days a week. The latter makes me so giddy that come Thursday afternoons I'm as anxious as a child on Christmas Eve. I cannot get off the train and home to my abode fast enough, all the while knowing that I won't have to return to life on the train until the following Tuesday. 

Today I found myself especially anxious to get home as I'd failed to adequately pace my snacks throughout the course of the afternoon and thus was on the cusp of ravenous. Because I start my Bethesda days before the sun (4:30 to be exact), I'm beyond exhausted by the time I finally get home at the end of the day. Despite being both tired, and today hungry, I still usually want to cook something for dinner. As I've grown to enjoy, and dare I say love, cooking over the past couple years, cooking has become more a form of relaxation than a chore for me. I don't really make a menu or plan what I'm going to eat during the week ahead of time. Instead, I pick up things I think I'll likely be hungry for or want to eat during the week (along with the usual staples) and then just go where the wind (and my stomach) take me. One benefit to a long commute: I have lots of time to think about what I want for dinner and to research recipes if need be. 

Tonight's dish de jour was one I've made before, but have to really be in the mood for to pull out of my tiny top hat: stir fry with peanut sauce. It's super easy, so I really wish I was hungry for it more than once every 6 months...and it's a great way to use up the hodgepodge of fresh veggies I so often have left in my fridge. This is a very free spirit dish (which is the complete opposite of my type-A personality) and perfect to round out a crazy work day. 

Stir Fry with Homemade Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

Makes 2 servings 

• 2 cups Shandong noodles (or an Asian variety of your choosing) 
• 4 medium Brussels Sprouts, stems trimmed and halved
• 1/2 cup broccoli, stems trimmed
• 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 small leek, chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste

For Peanut Sauce

• 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 2 Tbsps soy sauce
• 2 Tbsps sesame oil (I substituted olive oil because I didn't have sesame on hand)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Things started out a little bumpy when I went to pick up the package of noodles and didn't realize I'd put in on the shelf upside down, thus spilling it all over the floor. Luckily, the package was huge so I was able to salvage the ones that weren't touching the floor (which was most of them) and press onward.

1. Bring pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, wash and chop veggies as desired. In addition to cooking, I've discovered peeling carrots to be extremely calming. I honestly think it's one of my favorite things, so if you ever need a bunch of carrots peeled, you know who to call!

3. Mix peanut sauce. Bax loved this part because she loves peanut butter more than anything else in the world...and because she knows that if she looks at me with her sweet puppy eyes I will put a little on a tiny biscuit treat for her. Sly, very, very sly. 

4. Heat a Tbsp or two of olive oil in large sauce pan (I prefer my wok) and add in larger veggies first, then smaller ones after a couple minutes and cook until warm and at desired tenderness.

5. After noodles are cooked, drain and add to veggies. 

6. Toss a time or two to combine, then add in peanut sauce. Toss until well coated.

 7. Heat through and serve.

Hello perfection

Thanksgiving Recap: Part 1

It came and it was wonderful. Oh Thanksgiving, I miss you already. Thankfully, I can relive the day in food through a few last posts before diving head first into the Christmas season! 

This year, as my cooking has continued to blossom in recent months, I decided I was ready to take on my largest role yet in the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. I have spent the better part of the last decade dreaming of the day that I will play host to Thanksgiving dinner. The pieces are slowly starting to come together and I'm loving it. Now that my cooking skills are up to the task, I just need to acquire a home large enough to host the gathering and I'll be good to go. I can barely stand the anticipation. To pacify myself this year, I volunteered to make two sides, as well as my usual slew of desserts. Last year I went a little crazy with the desserts (I think I made three), so I was determined at the least to top 2011-Gian. In addition, TF was going to be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner and I wanted to make sure he was not disappointed. 

Early on in our relationship I learned that TF did not share my love of Thanksgiving (or even enjoy it). While the proclamation nearly killed me, I made it my personal mission to change his feelings towards this glorious day. Unfortunately, I haven't had nearly as many opportunities as I would've liked over the years to sway his opinions. Prior to this year, we'd only spent one other Thanksgiving together (with his family), so this was my first real opportunity to work my magic. When crafting the menu, I decided that I would  make a version of his homemade mac and cheese (I should also mention that he claims to not be a fan of Thanksgiving food in general, so that presents another hurdle that I must overcome) that would serve as his main dish. My dad makes a mean mac and cheese, but since this was going to be 90% of TF's meal, I wanted to make sure he got some veggies as well :) And so, without further ado, I present to you:

TF's Bake Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
Adapted from this 3-cheese version

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion 
• 2 Tbsps all-purpose flour 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk, plus some additional for baking
• 2 cups smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
• 1 1/4 cups 6-cheese Italian shredded cheese blend (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Fontina, Romano and Aged Asiago)
• 3/4 cup 6-cheese Italian shredded cheese blend, save to sprinkle on top before baking
• 2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1-2 cups fresh broccoli, uncooked
• 1 dozen or so small-medium tomatoes (enough to cover the top of the casserole), sliced 
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I made my own from whole wheat bread, but store bought work fine as well)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Love making homemade bread crumbs

Preparation

1. Cook pasta in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Drain well

It pretty much took everything in me not to eat all of this....LOVE smoked gouda

2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add cheese, about 1/2 cup at a time, and salt and pepper; stir until cheeses melt

3. Preheat oven to 375° F

4. In a large bowl (or pot) combine pasta with cheese mixture, stirring well. Spread evenly in 13x9 baking dish. Top with tomatoes, lining evenly in rows, then add remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle milk along the sides of the pan to keep it moist and creamy while baking

5. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until heated and bread crumbs have begun to brown. Allow to cool for a minute or two and then dive in

And, as I dreamed, TF loved my creation....as well as my mom's broccoli cheese casserole and he even had turkey?! My plan is beginning to take shape :)

The perks of having a mom that's a teacher--seasonally appropriate stickers. Keeping with his semi-embracing of Thanksgiving, TF adorned one...along with  Sister and our aunt [mom's sister] 

In addition to this killer mac and cheese, I also made a vegetarian stuffing (or dressing if you will). Usually I make my Grandmother's version, but use pho-sausage to replace the actual sausage, but this year I was really into trying an herb version. And so I did, using this sourdough bread stuffing recipe courtesy of the Food Network. I found the finished product to be a little too moist but the flavors were dead on. The fresh herbs really made the recipe!

Toasting sour dough bread for the base

Baked and ready to eat. I can still smell the fresh herbs!

And tomorrow, dessert time!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Nothing like an impending hurricane to get me caught up on some blogging. With Hurricane Sandy's arrival imminent, I spent the better part of yesterday on my couch, both recovering from some Halloween festivities the night before and anxiously stalking Twitter/email for news that I wouldn't have to venture into work today. Mother teaches in Maryland and her school district was one of the first to see the writing on the wall and tossed in the towel yesterday morning. This further heightened my hopes of a day off work as well. Although the feds (I work for the government) spent most of the day toying with me, they finally made the call around the dinner hour and I was gifted another day to do all the things that I didn't do yesterday (namely cleaning and sharing the recipes I had stockpiled from last week).

And so, here we are. The rains have been present for some time and poor Shepherd dog is not amused. She hates been damp more than anything in the world. Despite my care to dress her in her rain slicker every time we go out, she's already begun to pray for daylight. Here's hoping that city living has some perks and we can survive the storm with electricity in tact. While we await the end of this storm, I'll be spending some time thinking about all the fun fall flavors in this recipe:

Roasted Butternut Squash Linguine

Ingredients

• 1 medium/large butternut squash
• 1 package of whole wheat linguine
• 2 cups fresh kale (washed and torn into small pieces) 
• 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 cup olive oil + some for drizzling
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Slice butternut squash in half starting at the stem. Using a spoon or fork, scrape out seeds. You can either wash and toast them (like pumpkin seeds) or discard. Sadly, I was not feeling up to picking through and cleaning the seeds, so I opted to discard them this time around.
3. Drizzle halves with olive oil and place skin side down in a 13x9 baking dish
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender
5. While squash is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions
6. In a large skillet, saute minced garlic in 1/2 cup olive oil + Italian seasoning (this will create an olive oil and garlic sauce to be used on the pasta)
7. Once squash is cooked, allow to cool and then remove skin and dice into 1 inch cubes
8. Add pasta, squash pieces, and kale to large skillet. Toss with olive oil and garlic sauce. Heat through until kale begins to wilt before serving
9. Enjoy!

Tour of Italy

So apparently it is as hard as I anticpated to stay put long enough to complete a blog post during the gorgeous fall season. The leaves are finally starting to morph into their beautiful colors and the college football season is alive and well. As the daylight hours begin to get shorter, I find myself wanting to be outside and doing as many fall activities as possible before the darkness of winter sets in. Consequently, this means I recently found myself with several recipes that yet to share. Shameful.

Although this recipe was made most recently, and thus should be featured last, I am still riding a weekend high and am anxious to relive it before settling into the harsh reality that is the work week. So induldge me if you will...

I spent the last couple of days in OKC, which isn't unusual at this point, but this visit included a visit to my alma mater (the University of Oklahoma) on homecoming weekend. As a student there for 7 years, (I feel the need to mention that this was for college and law school...I think my parents may have killed me if I stretched out college that long, although I now miss it desperately and it doesn't seem like the worst idea in the world) I always ensured that I had season tickets to the football games and going to the games basically commandeered my fall Saturdays. It's been 3 years since I've been there during football season, so when I found out I'd be in town at the same time as a home game, I was beyond thrilled. I spent most of last week marking off the days as the excitment continued to build within me like a child waiting Santa's arrival. Finally, Saturday came. The game wasn't until the evening, so I wanted to spend as much of the day down there as possible. Being the kind girlfriend that I am, I obliged TF in his request to dine at his favorite Mexican restaurant beforehand. We're both somewhat connoisseurs of Mexican food, but when we'd taken me to this place years ago I was less than impressed. Well, as it turned out (much to his joy) I kind of loved it. I hate giving TF any reason to say 'told you so,' but it was kind of impossible for me to deny this one. Damn. I'm chalking up my enjoyment to the fact that my eating tastes have evolved substantially since the last time we ate there (I still ate meat for starters). Plus, any presentation of food that is this beautiful and laiden with fresh ingredients scores major points with me:

After the joy that was my meal was over, the fun continued. I often find it difficult to explain to people that didn't come from football schools how big a deal Sooner football is...it basically shuts down the town and there are people adorning crimson and cream for as far as the eye can see. TF and I had been somewhat indifferent about whether we wanted to try and scalp tickets to the game. Since it was homecoming, we were playing Kansas (not a challenging opponent, as proven by our 52-7 victory) so neither of us was into spending much on a ticket. Well, as luck would have it, we ended up finding tickets for $10 each (down from their original $65 value) outside the stadium, thus making my day even better than it already was. TF grew up in Norman attending football games with his family, but I never went until I was a student at OU. Consequently, until Saturday, I had never experienced the wonder that is having an assigned seat, not having to get to the game 4 hours before kickoff, and not having to spend the better part of the game standing. One thing I do not miss about college: life in the student section. Our seats ended up being fairly decent (the stadium holds 85Kish, so being super high up is always a fear of mine) and I was beyond thrilled to be back watching my Sooners play live (and stomping Kansas).

While my day in Norman was clearly the highlight of the weekend, I did find some time to try out my ever-improving cooking skills on TF. Unlike me, he is a huge fan of the Olive Garden. Since he'd already gotten his way with choosing our dining place Saturday, I was not willing to allow a trip to the Olive Garden into the mix as well. Aside from my growing distain for chain restaurants, I also dislike paying for food that I can make healthier and better in my own kitchen. So, as a compromise, I agreed to create a pasta sampler based on TF's favorite Olive Garden dish: the Tour of Italy. We hit up our beloved Whole Foods for fun pasta noodles and then got to work picking out the sauces to include in our feast.

First up, one of TF's ultimate favorites, broccoli alfredo, gets a healthy makeover.

Broccoli Alfredo

[hat tip to Minimalist Baker]

Ingredients

• 1 box pasta noodles of choice
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup low-fat milk [plus more if sauce is too thick]
• 1/2 cup veggie broth [or chicken]
• 5-6 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 each tsp. salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cups fresh broccoli (cooked for 2-3 minutes with pasta)

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil (add pasta when ready) and cook until al dente. Add broccoli 2-3 minutes before pasta is done
2. Heat medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and garlic, stirring quickly to ensure it doesn’t burn
3. Next, add milk and veggie broth and stir
4. Then, begin adding 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time, stirring with a whisk to reduce clumps
5. Add salt, pepper, and cheese and stir
6. Reduce heat slightly and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you notice the sauce is too thin, add a little more flour. If too thick, add a little more milk
7. Once sauce is done, drain pasta/broccoli and mix with pasta in saucepan. Toss until evenly coated. Top with parm and serve

I'm not an alfredo fan (and actually didn't even taste any because I made it with chicken broth at TF's request) but it looks and smelled delicious.

Next up, another sauce of TF's choosing, carnbonara, joins the party courtesy of this Food Network find.

Carbonara Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces pasta (we chose a fun squiggly noodle....definitely not the correct term, but just go with whatever speaks to you)
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
2. Combine the bacon, olive oil, garlic and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps, about 12 minutes
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water as the label directs. Mix the eggs, cheeses and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water
4. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pasta, reserved pasta water, and the egg mixture. Toss until heated through, gently cooking the egg 1 to 2 minutes to make a creamy sauce. Garnish with more parmesan

Similar to the alfredo sauce, since I don't eat bacon I didn't taste test this one, but it too looked divine  If I liked eggs I would possibly try a vegetarian version of this.

Finally, the last chosen sauce was I could get on board with. It's definitley a go to favorite for us that we've been making for years and it never fails. You can make it as chucky as you want to suit your tastes which is one of my favorite things about this recipe. We both perfer a chunckier sauce, but like I said, it's definitely amendable.

Chunky Marinara

Ingredients

• 2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (large) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine dice tomatoes, garlic, and whole tomatoes (drained) into a large pot
2. Simmer on medium until tomatoes are cooked down (about 25 minutes or so)
3. While tomatoes are cooking down, crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon and season as desired 
4. Serve over warm pasta of your choosing

As this was the only one I could eat, it was my favorite :)

Basil Pesto and Veggies

Sophomore year of college was the first time I was forced to start cooking for myself. I was living in my first apartment, sans any roommates (except my beloved Shepherd, then a mischevious puppy) and since I had neither the money nor the desire to eat out every night, I had to learn how to bring the food in my pantry and refridgerator to life. I can still remember the first meal I made on my own: parmesan pasta (from a package), broccoli, and sausage (the link kind sliced up, not the breakfast kind), with a glass of apple juice on the side. I was very proud, even taking a picture of it (as is my custom). It was a meal I'd had many times growing up (recall that Mother is very anti-cooking) and it reminded me of home. A lot has changed since that first meal (both in terms of skill level and taste), but my desire for comfort food every now and then still lives within me.


The other day, finding myself with some fresh veggies in need of use before going bad, I turned to a trusted favorite: basil pesto. I'll caveat this recipe by noting that I did not make the pesto from scratch (something that I've been wanting to do forever) but definitely will be doing so very soon as fresh basil runneth over this time of year.


I discovered basil pesto during my junior year of college, oddly enough, while dining with my aunt on a visit to the east coast, and have been hooked ever since. There are very few version of pesto that I don't care for (the ones I dislike usually involve olives) and since I no longer eating pasta that frequently, I sometimes forget just how much I love the substance! This recipe was an easy and quick post-work dish to whip up. And it was great fuel for my long run the following morning.

Basil Pesto and Veggies

Ingredients [makes 2 servings]

• 2 cups whole wheat thin spaghetti
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
• 1 grilled portobello mushroom, diced (I had one left over from our cookout over the weekend)
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp basil pesto
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in frying pan, cook onions for 2-3 mins. Add in mushroom, cook until heated
2. Bring pot of water for pasta to a boil. Add in pasta, cook according to package
3. With 5-6 minutes remaining on pasta, add in broccoli
4. Once pasta and broccoli is cooked, drain (do not rinse) and return to pot
5. Stir in basil pesto, salt, and pepper until coated evenly. Add cooked onions, mushrooms, and tomato slices
6. Serve, topping with cheese if desired

I served mine with a slice of whole wheat bread, topped with fresh garlic powder 

[both acquired at the local Amish market over the weekend :)]

Rock Climbing Fuel

Rock climbing has quickly become my new favorite activity. I dabbled in it for a time during high school, but viewed it more as a fun activity rather than something I strived to be good at. About two month ago, however, my interest in it was reborn and has been alive and well ever since.

It all started during a trip to OKC back in April. There are some old silos in downtown (yes, I know, shocking, there are silos in OK) that have been turned into an indoor rock climbing gym. For years (pretty much the whole time I was in school there) I wanted to give them a try but never could find anyone to accompany me.

Then one day a miracle happened, TF wanted to go climbing! I was estatic. We went the next time I was in town and were instantly hooked. It's really amazing how much better I've gotten in just a couple months (and I don't even get to go nearly as often as I'd like). I think, similar to yoga, my long limbs and natural flexibility make it something I take to naturally. This is something I'm thankful for because my upper body strength remains minimal at best despite my increased use of weights at the gym. Anyway, we loved climbing so much we even bought our own gear....and much to TF's dismay, matching shoes :)

Shoe twins

Inside one of the silos

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was in OKC yet again and TF and I made sure to plan multiple trips to the rock climbing gym into our itinerary. Before one such trip, we decided to make some pasta with a homemade sauce to help fuel us for our hours of climbing that lay ahead. The sauce we made is a standby favorite of ours. We've made several variations over the years, usually as part of our pre-race dinner before our half-marathons and it never fails to delight the tastebuds. We don't usually eat cheese pre-race, but for this version we decided to pick up some smoked gouda (a shared favorite for us) during our trip to Whole Foods (where we also shopped along side one of the Thunder players [Nick Collison])...highlight of my trip :)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Homemade Marinara

Ingredients

• 1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (we usually get the garlic and onion or basil one)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
• Olive oil (2-3 tbsp)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 package whole wheat pasta

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in skillet, added onion and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes (they'll continue to cook once combined with the tomatoes)
2. Combine tomatoes in large pot (we typically use a wok, but any large pot will work) and bring to a boil
3. Add onion and garlic to tomatoes, plus salt and pepper
4. Reduce heat slightly and continue to boil on medium-high for 30-45 minutes (or until reduced to desired consistency). We prefer a chunckier sauce, but the longer it cooks the more reduced the tomatoes will become, so it's just about preference
5. While sauce is reducing, cook pasta according to package directions
6. Once pasta and sauce are done, plate and serve!

Half Marathon Pre-Race Fuel

Since this blog is also supposed to be about running, I guess it's about time that I have a running related post. In addition to being one of the greatest holidays of the year, Saturday was also the DC Half Marathon. I am a big fan of this race. Because DC is so small, the half literally takes you around the whole city. I did this race for the first time last year and loved it so much that when Alicia expressed an interest in doing it this year I was thrilled. This year, the race fell on St. Patty's Day, allowing us to not only run and enjoy all the fun incorporations of green in the ensembles of our fellow runners, but to also spend the rest of the day celebrating with a little less guilt.


One of my favorite parts of running long distances used to be the pre-race pasta dinner. I'm always encountering people that think vegetarians spend their days downing pasta. Perhaps surprisingly to many, I probably eat less pasta since becoming a vegetarian than I did before. I used to love the grain, but perhaps as a result of consuming it too frequently during my ill-experienced cooking years in college, I find more often than not that I have to really mentally psych myself up to get in the mood for a pasta dinner. (This is admittedly another of my weird food tendencies) 


To help get me excited for my pre-race meal, I decided a new pasta recipe was in order. Not wanting to spend too much time cooking the night before the race, I was thrilled when I discovered a 10 minute sauce recipe while browsing the pasta aisle at market. I'm not a huge sauce person and this allowed me to combine the needed sauce to prevent the meal from being too dry with my love for chunky tomatoes. The results did not disappoint and I was carbed up and ready to go for race day. 

Pasta with 10 Minute Sauce


Ingredients

• 1 box, whole wheat pasta (I usually just go with whatever looks good to me on a given day)
• 2 14.5oz cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup onion, diced 
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 4 tbsp olive oil

*I also tossed in some fresh broccoli to add some extra nutrients and color

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender (about 5 minutes)
3. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Drain pasta, pour sauce over pasta and serve. Enjoy!

Alicia and I pre-race

Finished! Ready to start celebrating

A big part of why I run...that and the post-race pancakes I had prior to this