Speeed Tuesdays

Today I ran a 6 mile Tempo Run.  Pretty similar to what I did Thursday.  15 minutes of easy running (6.5MPH at 1.0 incline on the treadmill) then 5 minutes hard (7.5MPH at 1.0 incline), 5 minutes easy (6.0 MPH at 1.0 incline) and then repeating 4 times  Felt great! 

 Last night for dinner I made two dinners inspired by Food & Wine.   What I started first was 

Sweet Potato, Chipotle and Apple Soup  (orginal recipe)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1 cup for frying

1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 Gala apples—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 celery rib, thinly sliced crosswise

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3/4 of a quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 cups water

1/2 a canned chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

In a medium soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the apples and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the fruit and vegetables are very tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in the chipotle. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and return to the pot.

I also made Shrimp Enchiladas with the soup.  This was also inspired by Food & Wine.

Ingredients: 

Cooking Spray

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

8 6-inch  low- carb flour tortillas

1 2/3 cups drained and rinsed black beans (one 15-ounce can)

1/4 pound Mexican blend cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

2 cups chunky peach salsa 

Instructions:

Cover a baking sheet with paper towels. In a large heavy frying pan, spray cooking spray over moderately high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with the salt and pepper. Put the shrimp in the pan and cook, stirring, until just done, about 4 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan. In the frying pan, spray more cooking spray over moderately high heat.  Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Cover half of each with the beans. Top with the cheese and then the shrimp and add the salsa. Fold the tortillas in half and spray cooking spray on hot skillet.  Add the enchiladas to the pan and brown then flip. Serve with soup.

I wish this photo looks better but these kinda fell apart. Hey at least they tasted good! 

Tonight I made 

Pita Pockets with Chicken, Lentils and Hummus

Ingredients:  

1 cup cooked lentils

1/2 onion, chopped

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup cooked coarse bulgar wheat
1 1/2 teaspoons Sirachi
1 cup of chicken broth
8 pitas
1 chicken breasts, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup of store-bought garlic hummus
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the chicken broth. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the cooked bulgar and continue cooking, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and bulgar are heated through. Remove from the heat, stir in the Sricha sauce, and let sit, partially covered, for 5 minutes.  Dice chicken breast and cook over medium high heat until cooked through. Wrap the pitas in aluminum foil and warm them in the oven, about 10 minutes. Cut the top third off of each pita. Spoon 1/4 cup of the lentil mixture into each pita. Divide half the chicken and tomatoes among the pitas and to with hummus. Top with half the lettuce. Repeat. Serve with the remaining hummus. 

 So in general, I wish these photos looked better.  But it was tasty.  I am now on the couch with hot chocolate and fluff. Mmmmm.  Night!