Q: How do you practice for a mass swim start?

A: Swim at your local pool during the afternoon peak period, that’s how!!

“But Lisa, why were you swimming in the afternoon when you normally swim in the morning” I hear you ask.

Let me explain.

My swim session was almost the "swim session that wasn’t". See my alarm went off at 5.15am, I drove to the pool, was about to enter the pool and realised....I had forgotten my towel. Dammit.

You would think that after all this time, remembering to bring essential workout items would come naturally to me. Unfortunately today's omission, as well as those here, and here, and here, would suggest otherwise. I suspect the fact that we are living out of boxes / bags at the moment in anticipation of next week's house move may have something to do with the disarray.

While I seriously contemplated attempting to 'drip dry' after the swim, the chilly temperatures outside spoke reason to me and I headed into work nice and early instead. Plus, one bonus of getting to work at 6.00am, is being able to leave early! After a dash home this afternoon to collect a towel, I headed back to the pool for a late afternoon swim.

If you could call it a swim.

The medium lane was a frenzy of arms, back strokers, kids with kick boards and even a guy with a snorkel! Over the next 45 minutes I was kicked, hit, smacked and even had a head-on collision while swimming along in my side of the lane (snorkel guy is high on my list of suspects). I may have done my share of mass swim starts in triathlons over my time, but I swear this was crazier! Hey, it was great practice for swimming in congestion though and I managed to complete 1.5 relatively unscathed.

As it has been raining steadily in Canberra over the last few days, I wasn't sure whether my usual Tuesday  interval running session would be on.

As the session is conducted on a grass oval, during periods of steady rain the local government often 'closes' the oval to ensure that it is not ruined. This doubt (when combined with the lure of dinner and also having run 11km in the rain last night) was enough temptation for for me to head home (and not to the ovals) after my swim.

Dinner

Walking in the door I knew I had made the right decision. I was met with wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen, where I found  Mr BBB's mum making the most of the cool weather and cooking up a storm.

On the menu, leftover roast beef from the other day.

With a couple small slices of sucuk.

Together with a big tray of roasted vegetables.

Sweet potato, parsnip, carrot and garlic, seasoned with butter, honey and thyme.

Plus a side of green.

  

A delicious end to another soggy day in Canberra.

On that note: Are any of my other Aussie readers finding that fact that tomorrow is the first day of summer somewhat inconsistent with the current weather!? Check out the view at lunchtime…

 

It has barely stopped raining in 3 days - and the rain is set to continue for the remainder of the week?! Bring back the sunshine I say!!!

----

Well, its time for me to go and pack my bag for tomorrow's (no doubt soggy) ride to work. Here's hoping I don’t forget anything this time!

Happy Baking :)

Will run (in the rain) for tofu

I can't believe that it is Monday already! While my weekend was filled with:

• A bike ride and baking with one of my favourite herbs
• Wetsuit struggles and olive tapenade
• A successful spelt pide experiment

sometimes 2 days off work just doesn't seem long enough does it?

Disclaimer: I just wanted to clarify something about my last post and my comments on spelt, as I didn't mean to mislead anyone. As wheatman rightly commented, spelt does contain gluten so it is not suitable for people with coeliac disease.  I am intolerant to wheat (not the protein that is gluten) and have found that I can tolerate spelt as an alternative with no reaction. I guess it is a matter of working out what works for you :)

Training: Run

Due to inclement weather yesterday, I missed out on my scheduled run / bike training session. So today, while I didn't have time to do both, I was determined to fit in a long-ish run after work - 'rain hail or shine'.

Unfortunately when it came time to putting on my sneakers,  it was all about 'rain'. 11 super soggy kilometres later, I called it a day and headed to the shelter of my car and had a chilly drive home.

Dinner

After a long shower to warm up, I was grateful that tonight's dinner plans were speedy.

My Mystery Box inspiration....

Tofu!

       

Did you know? Tofu originated over 2000 years in China, and is the curd of soya milk pressed into semi-solid blocks. It comes in a range of consistencies, from silken to firm, and can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes. Tofu is a great source of both protein and iron, and may assist in lowering cholesterol.

To be honest, I had originally planned to create a tofu dessert (given I often use tofu in savoury dishes), however the lure of a veggie-packed tofu stir-fry after a soggy run was all too much.

So a tofu and vegetable stir-fry it was.

In a bowl I mixed together tamari, garlic, ginger and chilli sauce, then added a block of firm tofu that I had cut into cubes.

While the tofu was marinating, I prepared the other stir-fry ingredients.

Red cabbage, zucchini, carrot and capsicum...

Then it was time to get my stir-fry on!

The best part about stir-fries is how quickly they come together (which is particularly useful when you are hungry after a soggy run!).

I served the tofu stir-fry with white rice (I was outta brown rice).

 

Topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds,

And sliced green onions.

Gobbled up in 5 minutes flat.

(Even if the tofu did turn a nice shade of purple because of the red cabbage!).

What about you? What is your favourite way to use tofu?

Happy Baking :)

Sunday Spelt Pide

This morning I had plans to meet with friends for a bike ride / run combo, but unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas.

When my alarm went off at 6.30am, it was bucketing down, so after a few phone-calls we decided to wait an hour then re-assess the situation. Sadly when 7.30am came around (and 8.30, and 9.30 and 10.30…you get the idea) it was still raining so we had to cancel our training plans.

No training = time for porridge.

And a morning spent reading in bed.

 

Hey - if I cant train due to inclement weather,  I might as well make the most of having a rest day!

And also make the most of having time to get creative in the kitchen – inspired by the Mystery Box…

Spelt!

Did you know? Spelt is an ancient grain related to common bread wheat. Although it fell from favour in the 19th century, it has recently made resurgence owing to its value as a food source and its nutritional qualities.

Unlike wheat, where vital nutritional nutritional bran and germ are usually removed during milling, the vital substances of spelt are found in the inner kernel of the grain. Also, as the genetic makeup of spelt is different to wheat, it is a grain that many people who are sensitive or allergic to wheat can use. While spelt does contain gluten, it contains larger quantities of available protein which are soluble and, therefore, can be easily assimilated by the body with minimum of digestive work.

When I drew out “olives” from the Mystery Box, closely followed by spelt, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. 

See Mr BBB and I used to frequent a favourite Turkish restaurant, where each time we would order, without fail, Turkish Pizza  (usually sucuklu / salami) and a side of hummus. However, unfortunately due to the presence of wheat flour in the pizzas on offer, my Turkish pizza cravings have remained unsatisfied for quite some time.

That was, until tonight. When I decided to have a Sunday night food experiment of sorts. The challenge?? To make a Turkish pide using spelt flour.

I made a dough using spelt flour, rice and tapioca flour, yeast, milk, salt, sugar and egg.

Then covered it and left it in a warm spot to prove for 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile – I prepared the toppings.

(From top left: mushrooms, capsicum, onion, olive tapenade, mint, parsley and tomato).

I also sautéed a section of this sucuk – Turkish sausage.

 

When the dough had doubled in size, I divided the dough into two, and rolled each piece out into a thin rectangle.

I topped one pide with olive tapenade, mushrooms, tomato, feta, parsley and a sprinkle of mozzarella and sesame seeds.

With the edges folded over to form a ‘boat’.

The other pide I topped with tomato paste,  onion, capsicum, sucuk (Turkish salami), mint, parsley, tomato and mozzarella cheese – as requested by Mr BBB.

Then it was into the oven for 25 - 30 minutes at 200C.

I was quite nervous waiting to see if these pides would turn out. When the timer went off after 20 minutes, I anxiously opened the oven door, and was relieved to see well risen and golden brown pides.

The edges were crispy, yet the filling was soft and dough-like – just as a good pide should be.

Served with a slice of lemon and a dollop of hummus…

I am calling this a “Sunday night food experiment win”.

My local Turkish restaurant better watch out – it seems there is a new pide making kid on the block ;)

 

Spelt pide dough (makes 2 large pides)

(Adapted from here)

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour + 1/2 tapioca flour (or you could use a GF bread flour)
• 1tbs active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg (+ 1 extra)
• 3 tbs vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Place the warm milk in a medium sized bowl, and add the yeast. Once dissolved, add the egg, sugar, salt and oil.
3. Combine well then add to the flours in a large bowl.
4. Knead until the dough is smooth and springy.
5. Lightly oil the dough, then place in a large bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, then a tea towel.
6. Rest the dough for 1 – 2 hours, in a warm place, until it has doubled in size.
7. ‘Punch’ the dough to deflate, rest for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead for a minute until smooth, then divide into two dough balls. Place each ball on a large rectangle of baking paper.
8. Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball out until it resembles a thin oval shape. Transfer to a baking tray.
9. Top with your favourite toppings, then fold in the sides of the pide – pinching so that it resembles a ‘boat shape’.
10. Make an egg wash with the remaining egg, and brush the sides of the pide. Slowly pour the remaining egg over the topping  of each pide evenly.
11. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.
12. Cut into slices and serve.

What about you? Do you like Turkish pizza / pide? What is your favourite topping?

Happy Baking :)