A Vegetarian Tour de France: A Culinary Adventure in July
by Megabeth on Jul 6, 2009 11:23 PM EDT
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PrintBegin Troy McClure Voice: Some of you may remember me as the star of "The Tipsy Gal that Hijacked Podium Cafe to Figure Out Her VDS" and "She puts up with Sui Juris? For free?". But, did you know I also have a vegetarian cooking blog? (I've got to feed that beast in the back room somehow...)
In fact, I've been nudged by that very beast into a rather interesting project regarding my cooking blog - Veggin'. In the month of July, as a tribute to the 96th running of the Tour de France, I'll be featuring French vegetarian recipes. (And a few cycling related recipe surprises.)
So, even though I’ll be glued to my TV and computer watching every stage, I’ll also be heading into our kitchen during the commercial breaks. And, well, I can't just live on cycling alone for the next month, right?
When new French recipes go up, I'll post a link in the Fanshot section. In the meantime, here's a link to my first recipe - Spinach Parmesan Croquettes. Please do enjoy!
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I'll just note that the Ads by Google you see above
are Ads by Google, and not any promises about Megabeth’s recipes:
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Megabeth’s more an all natural kind of girl.
(cf au . . naw.)
Cooking Lessons!!!!!
I am so all over this. Very, very cool.
I made these tonight
And they were really good, MBG agrees.
Thanks Megabeth!
"I get paid to hurt other people. How good is that? How good is that?
I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, that's good." Jens!
One minor adjustment
if you mince up some bacon and throw that into the mix and then fry them in a little duck fat…. much more unctuous…
Pinarello, accept no substitute...
Oh luv the blog
Now what to try first
"the rest was over 30. And that doesn't mean old and useless, but experienced and with the stamina"
Jens! Voigt, Crit Intl Interview, 2009
Oh man that looks good...
Question; Are you a racing or ‘hard core’ cyclist….if so, how do you get the required protein?
PS. I don’t eat cheese.
Thanks for any input
Bah....Cavendish?!
But, but, but
you live in a country with a different cheese for every day of the year…
nasty...
…most of those cheeses have animal rennet, ew… :(
by gregm on Jul 7, 2009 7:32 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I've eaten
tripe, haggis, kokoretsi, and such, and I’m quite fond of the sort of cheeses that have trouble standing up by themselves and really ought to be served with a nosepeg. I have a very high ew threshold.
no, that's not the "ew" I'm talking about...
I’m talking about rennet, which is in many cheeses, not about taste or smell.
As in, “ew, cheese with rennet, that’s as nasty as a marshmallow or gummi bear with gelatin!”
So, I meant a vegetarian ew, not a taste ew. :)
-Greg
by gregm on Jul 7, 2009 8:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Do they sell veggie gummi bears?
not that the taste is one of life’s unmisseables, but the “which bit shall I bite off next” debate certainly is.
i hear that in corsica
they have some cheese with worms crawling around in it. I forget if you eat the worms or not. Obviously i haven’t tried it or i’d remember. Anyway, how would your ew threshold do with that? Although i like most smelly cheeses, i draw the line at worms.
Casu marzu?
Sardinia. it’s technically illegal now, what with EU health regulations, but the Italians show their usual disregard for laws.
maybe the same thing
but i’m definitely talking about corsica. I know several people here from Corsica and they were telling me about this wonderful cheese.
I’ve done 600k & 300k brevets, a flèche, and multiple 200k brevets and self-supported 100-mile rides so far in 2009. Is my “core” “hard enough”? :)
Beans, rice, eggs, milk, soy, tofu, seitan, ice cream, corn chips, peanut butter sandwiches… where’s the difficulty?
NB Brad – chui végétaRien, pas végétaLien… vegetarian, not vegan.
by gregm on Jul 7, 2009 7:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'll second all those
except the tofu. That’s the veggie equivalent of Walmart’s 20 burgers for a dollar.
Hey easy big fellow.....
I couldn’t find a better term to describe a cyclist who day in and day out puts the body under significant nutritional stress. I didn’t mean to question your or anyone’s ‘core’…crikey…easy now. Poor choice of words. I sometimes find it difficult to recover (in muscle repair terms) after races of around 140-160k with a veg/vegan diet. I recover fine from long distance 200k brevet….as there are significantly less or no relances, and a moyenne well less than 40k/h, which is not the case during races….especially in French Elite level. What’s your typical recovery meal? Any input would be helpful….
Bah....Cavendish?!
eh?
I’m easy. Not sure how I came across as otherwise. I don’t race, and I don’t know your definition of hard core, so I don’t know if the cycling I do matches the kind of body abuse you’re talking about.
I don’t have a super-typical recovery meal. I often have chocolate milk, cow or soy, immediately when I get home, and shortly thereafter eat a bunch of whatever looks good. Not candy or anything like that, but pasta, eggs, rice, vegetables, and whatnot.
You may very well have different needs after race-level efforts, but I wouldn’t really know. Tes co-equipiers, que mangent-ils? Tête de vaux? :)
by gregm on Jul 7, 2009 9:02 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
it really is sort of amazing
(to me, anyway) how your body will go straight for the good (for it) stuff after big efforts. I might like a slice of pizza, but after a race/hard training effort? I am all about hoovering up mass quantities of lentils, greens, steamed veggies, etc.
+1
…tho I often wonder if the restaurant stuff is like 40% ghee…
by gregm on Jul 7, 2009 9:03 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I have a few indian recipes, too.
That don’t rely on ghee…they are pretty durn good. (But, I’d still cut my arm off (or sell Mark) for a palaak paneer. MMMMMMMMMM.)
lots of beans.
Tofu. And, a lot of soy based products. Protein drinks also help.
And, no, I’m not a ‘hard core’ cyclist. I just play one on tv. Mostly a weekly bike commuter and weekend warrier.
raced veg.
I usually used a protein supplement of some kind – but that’s mainly because I’m freakin’ lazy about cooking. Then, I ate lots of beans, cheese, rice, lentils, the usual veg type diet. Worked no probs. Skipping cheese makes it more difficult, but not impossible. Get a good veg cookbook – or just read megabeth’s bloggy :-)
The hard thing is if you travel a lot. Then, it gets harder to find good veg food.
You're right on the travel.
It’s really hard sometimes where I subsist on just french fries and a plain salad. I’ve become adept at asking favors of the room service folks to hook me up. Rarely do I get any pushback but sometimes I get an idiot that thinks that shrimp is a vegetable.
it could be that there not idiots
but that they’re just so used to “vegetarians” ordering fish & seafood- I know quite a few people like that.
But it’s more likely that you’re right and they’re idiots.
"I get paid to hurt other people. How good is that? How good is that?
I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, that's good." Jens!
My wife was a "fishitarian" until I corrupted her with my pork
obsession… hehe…
Pinarello, accept no substitute...
bacon is good
"I get paid to hurt other people. How good is that? How good is that?
I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, that's good." Jens!
it goes something like this
vegetarians don’t eat meat.
meat is beef. and probably pork and chicken.
seafood is not beef or pork or chicken.
seafood is not meat.
vegetarians eat notmeat.
how ’bout some shrimp?
ditto for chicken broth. broth is notmeat.
how ’bout some chicken juice?
But don’t you get hungry?
Etc….
Looks delicious
but sounds awfully fattening for someone who will be lying inactive in front of the telly for three weeks.
Any alternatives to to the eggs, frying and suggested cheese?
Egg substitute.
I used actual eggs, but thought that next time I’d us egg substitute. It would probably work just fine.
You could probably put it into the pan mixture just fine. It just serves to congeal it. And, perhaps save the real egg for just the outside.
I’d also add a lot more spinach and perhaps do it with some brown, instead of white, rice.
I'm drooling.....
Thinking hard - really hard - of something witty to say....
They look great!
We’ll have to try those—and looking forward to what else you come up with for the Tour. Thanks!
Among his many talents, Mark Cavendish can make it rain in Southern California--Chris Jones, ESPN Magazine
The recipe link doesn't work for me
and I’m hungry!!! :(
Been following your blog for a while - love it!
What did you end up doing with all the green onions? ;-)
Thanks MB
Been wondering what to do with the spinach in my fridge this sounds like just the ticket!
Go Lance! (Don't tase me, Bro, don't tase me!)
Oh I read that one too!
It is all too yummy, I’m def. going to try that one. Saw a butternut squash polenta recipe earlier, might be good with this bread.
Go Lance! (Don't tase me, Bro, don't tase me!)
We had the Spinach Parmesan Croquettes tonight
Delicious! Served with a side of tomato basil sauce, some flat bread, and fresh corn. Very satisfying meal, we have some left over for lunch.
Go Lance! (Don't tase me, Bro, don't tase me!)
I'm so in and I'm an omnivore...
Too bad I live with one untrainable slob. We are trying to do something with him… but until the clue wagon parks on top of his ass, my kitchen is off limits to any form of real food prep.
Bummer
As to the racing/recovery as a vegie person thing, I tried it and it just didn’t work. I ended up spending way to much time and money (good fresh veggies ain’t cheap in these parts) on food and supplementing what I wasn’t able to eat. Granted it was nearly 25 years ago and things have changed greatly.
by Christopher See on Jul 8, 2009 12:01 AM EDT reply actions
Could some of you please rec this
So it stays on the front page? Thanks
Go Lance! (Don't tase me, Bro, don't tase me!)
The moment she adds a bit of pork belly
that’s when I rec
Fray Bentos
I haven’t eaten one of those since I was a kid. ….. 12 books or so later … OK that gets you a rec
Another recipe coming right up!
Looks absolutely delicious, but I think my arteries would go into shock.
I wonder how it would be with fat-free half and half (or at least a partial substitution).
Among his many talents, Mark Cavendish can make it rain in Southern California--Chris Jones, ESPN Magazine
I am definitely trying this recipe
I love potatoes. I am not afraid of calories because it is not be goal to be the slimmest or healthiest corpse in the graveyard. Ha.
Go Lance! (Don't tase me, Bro, don't tase me!)
I'd go for the partial substitution.
The skim/cream mixture did really well. If you do the fat-free half and half let me know how it turns out. I’d love to be able to eat this more often…
one of the things to keep in mind is
you need the fat and all the good stuff in heavy cream so that as it cooks is reduces, or gets thicker. Half and Half and any thing else with lower fat content, will not form that thick sauce. You can work around the low or no fat part by making roux, a 50-50 mix of butter and flour, but you’re just substituting one form of fat for another….. Also things that have been made using roux to thicken will have a very different consistency, flavor. The potato dish Beth has will thicken nicely with varying mixes of cream and lower fat dairy, because of the starch in the potatoes. At some point though you will end up with something like potato soup, because you removed to much of what it needs to thicken.
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
For those interested, Roux is
50% butter (margarine will not work well, don’t know why, it just doesn’t probably something about the chemistry of the oils used) Some oils work as well, the consistency and flavor of the finished roux is different.
50% flour
Heat the butter till it melts and whisk in the flour. Cook it through, or it will taste like flour (kinda like mom’s Thanksgiving gravy used to.)
The art is in learning how much hot liquid to mix with the roux in order to dissolve it, then add this small bit back to the original dish and then cook it all together to achieve your desired final thickness. Done correctly it comes out smooth and creamy, and tastes like food. Not so well and it has lumps, like that gravy I mentioned, and tastes like flour, or worse wall paper paste.
There are other ways to thicken soups and sauces, this is one of the most basic.
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I made the potatoes tonight
but with the roux as Fred Marx suggested, as I did not have the luxury of time. I used a nice med. size russet we got at the organic grocery last week and the taste of the potatoes was incredible.
Go Lance! (Don't tase me, Bro, don't tase me!)
yes but as I'm sure you know she has er uh redeeming qualities
only guessing here… You guys still thinking of UT in August? I may have buried the slob in th eyard by then …
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions
you're safe though
cause like my younger sib.. I dislike the east coast…
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
And, tonight...
As I stated in the live thread, I will be posting a paella recipe to honor the rain in Spain.
(I’m eating it right now for lunch and it’s darn good.)
mmm I gotta have mine with seafood and other non veggie additives
but that looks really good…
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Enjoy!
The cooking time would be different, of course, when you add meat. You’d probably have to saute and pre-cook your choice of meats or fishies or shrimpies. Do that first, then cook the rest. I won’t hold you back.
it really easier than that, as most of it is fish. You can toss that right as you drop the lid on. A good friend does paella uses a bit of sausage sauteed with the onions and garlic to flavor the broth. It comes out and is added back later with the seafood. The seafood just steams away as the rice finishes.
I really will have to make an opportunity to try your stuff out and see what I can do with it.
BTW I did pro culinary for nearly 15 years in another life.
Chris II
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Sweet!
I’m coming to you, then, when I have questions. Any advice would be most appreciated.
When I stopped eating chicken and red meats, I remained a pescatarian for a little bit. Until, one day, while cooking fish, I looked at our fish tank sitting in the next room and got sad. I used to cook a mean salmon…until that fateful day.
I may throw some veggie sausage in the next time I make this. But, I was too tired to head to the store to get some. (As well as too tired to tell Mark to get his butt to the store for me…)
feel free
if I don’t know the answer I’ll just do what we always did..
… make it the ^%$# up as we went along…
you can mail me at the gmail addy in my profile.
Veggie sausage would work well. The really hard part of veggie cooking I found was finding the things that made up for the dimension that you get from certain meats. I really struggled when I could no longer brown off trimmings for example to add the savory base to things. Good veggie cooking is a real talent. As I said somewhere else I’ve been a non land animal consumer in the past, but I just missed some things too much. Now I’m back to being an omnivore, but a very choosey one.
by Christopher See on Jul 9, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Manna from heaven
Thank you, this is great. Link and request forwarded to my veggie wife, who enjoys finding new recipes.
Love the theme, of course :-)
Anyone interested in food/cooking might be interested in the books by a New Jersey photographer & food writer acquaintance of mine, Brian Yarvin (Brian’s books at Amazon).
picked up fresh spinach and cooked the rice last night
Should be good to go tonight for Croquettes! :D
Push those sleeves up...
and let me know how they turn out. (You’re lucky, you don’t have to wipe your hands off to try to get pictures of the cooking process. So jealous!)
It's Friday!
The paella is cooking right now.
It. Smells. Good.
Among his many talents, Mark Cavendish can make it rain in Southern California--Chris Jones, ESPN Magazine
Beets!
French Baked Beets
I’m still moving forward with the sprinters points on this Vegetarian Tour de France. I’m looking for fast and flavorful recipes and these beets fit the bill. As a bonus, they are so brightly colored that they’ll liven up any dull plate. (Rather than a sprinter’s jersey perhaps these should get the most aggressive jersey because of the deep red color?) They do have a strong flavor but they do take some of the "ick" out of the beet aversion some folks may have.
Looks like a shot of some new planet, doesn't it?
But seriously gooooood. I have ordered two barrels for winter.
Must Change Opinion About Deep Red Food.
However!…..Made the squash tomato gratin tonight. Served with a parmesan risotto and garlic bread.
Nice.
Go Lance!
this needs someone to give it a new rec to get it back on the front page...
I’d do it but mine is already counted…
by Christopher See on Jul 21, 2009 9:46 PM EDT reply actions
Don't fret!
I’m still here. Mark and I have been working towards our grand finale. In the meantime, please enjoy this recipe. I’ll admit, I ate this and was wishing I had made more. It’s dang good. (I’m lucky that I made something else at the same time so I could distract Mark from eating this all by himself…)
Green Bean, Mushroom, and Hazelnut Salad
(La Salade de Haricots Verts, Champignons, et Noisettes de Gallopin)
Soup, soup and more soup
We’re coming to an end here at the Vegetarian Tour de France…so it’s time for another quick and easy recipe.
Cucumber Soup (Crèm Doria)
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