Food that warms your heart and keeps your engine running.

By Lynda Diamond
Photos by Teddy McCrea

With the arrival of colder weather, athletes look for healthy, hearty comfort foods to sustain energy during training and exercise. Our bodies require a combination of carbohydrates, protein and fat at every meal, and during the colder months we need to eat foods slightly higher in fat and protein because food increases our core temperature and our muscles work more efficiently when warm.
In my experience, training for marathons and other sporting activities during the fall and winter requires a shift from summer’s lighter fare to heartier foods that we associate with Canadian winters.

Here on Vancouver Island, we are fortunate to find a wide variety of healthy, seasonal, local produce, meats and fish to create sensational meals to nourish our bodies during the winter training months.

I chose my first recipe, a favourite of my South African husband, because nothing says warmth like curry. And I’ve included all things local for my quick and easy Fall Bounty Quiche. I adapted the Bunny Chow to include local free-range chicken, artisan bread, potatoes and spices readily available from resident vendors.

This recipe is particularly suitable so you may prepare and leave it to simmer while enjoying a training session.

Chicken Curry Bunny Chow
3 tbsp (45 ml) canola oil
2 whole star anise
1 5" (12 cm) cinnamon stick, halved
3 whole cardamom pods
1/2 tsp (2 ml) fennel seeds
1/2 tsp  (2 ml) cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1" (2.5 cm) piece ginger, finely chopped
3 tbsp (45 ml) garam masala
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
1 tsp (5 ml) cayenne
2 tsp (10 ml) turmeric
5 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 lbs (1.25 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes
1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken broth or water
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 large loaves sandwich bread, unsliced

Preparation:
In a large heat-proof casserole, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, fennel and cumin seeds and sauté until fragrant, for one to two minutes. Add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until onion becomes soft. Add garam masala, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and curry leaves (if using) and sauté until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir until soft. Add chicken and mix well. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer.
Cook until meat is just about tender, about 1/2 hour. Add broth and potatoes and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked.
Depending upon length of bread loaves, divide and slice across the loaf into 4 thick portions with a sharp bread knife. Cut out most of the soft inside bread, leaving a thick wall and bottom, reserving removed bread. If desired, you can toast bread in preheated 350F (180C) oven until lightly toasted.
Before serving, stir cilantro into curry.
Place bread onto serving dish and ladle curry into hollows. Top with reserved bread. You may want to serve this in bowls with crusty bread on the side.
Serves 6, Per Serving, Calories  280, Fat  8.2 g,
Potassium 1,255 mg, Protein 11 g, Niacin  28%, Vitamin C 91.5 %, Vitamin B-6 44%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher
or lower depending on your caloric needs.

Fall Bounty

Enjoy this wonderful quiche for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. Simply pair it with a salad and you have a complete meal. A quiche is an easy, quick and healthy way to enjoy a variety of vegetables and provides you with a good source of protein, fibre and calcium. We used fall’s bounty of zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, onions and wild mushrooms. Try chanterelles, chicken of the woods, morels or simply button mushrooms if you can’t find wild ones.

Fall Vegetarian Quiche
1 9” prepared pie shell
1/2 small white onion
1/2 yellow Hungarian pepper

1/2 cup wild mushrooms (chanterelles, morels, hedgehog or buttons)

1 small tomato, diced

1/4 zucchini, diced

3 large eggs

1/4 cup low fat milk

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preparation:
In a large pan, sauté onion, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms in olive oil until mushrooms have released most of their moisture (approx. 10 min.).
Season with salt and pepper then add the diced tomato and cook another two minutes. Cool and spread into the prepared pie shell. Sprinkle mixture with goat cheese.
Whisk eggs and milk together and season with salt and pepper and any herbs you like (oregano, basil, chives and parsley are good choices).
Pour over mixture in pie shell and bake in preheated oven at 350F until egg has set — approximately 45 minutes.
Serves 6, Per Serving, Calories 232, Fat 12 g, Potassium 242 mg, Carbs 15.9 g, Protein 14 g

Chef Lynda Diamond is a graduate of SAIT’s Professional Cooking program. She owns and operates Island Estuary B & B/Culinary Retreat in Ladysmith, B.C.