Just as there different reasons for why we ride, there are different reasons why we eat. Beyond survival anyway. Food can be consumed for comfort, as a social experience about sharing, or just to get quality nutrients and energy. For active or competitive cyclists, the latter can be very important
The Feed Zone by Biju Thomas and Allen Lim has been around for almost three years, and holds a variety of recipes for riding snacks, post and pre ride meals, and in general a way to prepare foods from fresh ingredients that avoid the pre-packed options that might be otherwise available. It’s designed for cyclists, to help them eat for performance and health.
I love to cook after a ride or race – and some of my favourite memories from racing road trips or weekends are the meals that I get to share with my Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team mates. Often Naomi Hansen is in charge, but I recall Graeme Arnott preparing a great ‘meat and three veg’ in Graz, Austria.
Naomi Hansen can whip up a good meal.
So with The Feed Zone in hand, it’s time to start reviewing some of the recipes it holds. You can pick this book up online or in bookshops. This isn’t the place for a nutritional breakdown, but just an overview of what it’s like to prepare these meals, how they taste, and how our legs feel the next day.
Wine and Soy Mushrooms
A quick look at the key ingredients of bread, mushroom, fresh herbs, wine and soy sauce and this one looks like a reasonably light meal. With a preparation time of 15 minutes it was quick. It wasn’t ingredient heavy, so this would be an easy one to do on a road trip with a bunch of parsley, some garlic cloves, a bag of mushrooms, some olive oil, wine and bread picked up at the supermarket. The stock listed in the recipe could be skipped to be frank. It was a one pan, one knife dish. Easy.
I halved the recipe as it was just for two people, but to make a complete meal we prepared some tofu and some steamed spinach and broccoli (with lemon) to accompany the dish.
‘Plated Up’. Not leaving the day job.
In all, it was delicious. The mushrooms were soft and full of flavour, the sauce softened the bread which made the rye sourdough that was used fall apart in your mouth. A very satisfying meal, and one that would be easy to travel with! The recipe on it’s own was easy, but it does need additional food for protein and extra vegetables. It could also make a great second breakfast, especially with a poached egg.
And with some extra greens and tofu