Black Bean, Qunioa Tostada with Avocado

I went to an amazing weekend of training and bike skills with some great women. On the way back we stopped at the Chicago Diner in Chicago. Their slogan is "Meat Free Since 83". I had this as my Linner (lunch and dinner) and it was so good I made it when I got back. Here is what I threw together.

Makes 4 - 6 Tostadas depending on how much you pile it on!
1 bag of tostadas preferably organic
1 can of vegetarian re fried black beans (you can make your own beans but I was hungry)
1 can diced green chiles (Trader Joes) (you could flavor this with chipolte too!)
1 clove of garlic
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt
2 avocados
1/4 red onion diced
1 bunch of cilantro
Lime wedges
Hot sauce to taste - I used Sriracha sauce

heat 2 cups of water to boiling and add quinoa. Simmer 15 minutes. take off heat add cumin and salt to taste and let steam for 5 more minutes. Add about 1/2 cup cilantro. or not if you are a "cilantro-phobe".

While quinoa is cooking, mince onion, mince garlic, slice avocado and clean and chop cilantro.

Cook re-fried beans in a non stick pan with chiles and garlic. Heat through.

Assembly: Put tostada on plate, top with beans, top with quinoa, top with avocado, onion and more cilantro. Serve with hot sauce and lime wedges.

2 is an entree size, 1 is a good snack size.



Enjoy!

shiner and a busted shoulder

It's been almost two weeks since my mountain bike crash, and I'm doing better. I can now drive short distances, stay awake for a full day and I am off the painkillers.

I had just finished my triathlon season with a 2nd place AG finish and a 9th place AG finish at the Chicago Triathlon. I was very happy and riding high on these two personal bests. Then, I got on a mountain bike. My friends all made it look very easy...well its not. I crashed by making a dumb decision and now have a broken collarbone, some awesome bruises on my leg and hip and a shiner. I lost a bit of memory and still have no recollection of the crash, getting up and walking back to the parking lot.

So how does this relate to food? Since I can't work out like I was, I have to cut back on my calories. So far my weight hasn't gone up. I'm still holding 134 lbs. I'm really happy about that. When I train a lot and race a lot, and all of a sudden that is taken away from me, well it can get depressing. When I get depressed and bored, which I am, I eat. So I have been coming up with menus and dishes to keep me satisfied, full and keep my weight under control.

Since I am starting a personal chef business cooking for athletes and people who want to make healthy eating a priority in their lives, I am having fun being my own guinea pig. I have always experimented with food and cooking, but now I can see the direct results of diet and being sedentary and how to control your weight and be happy.

Now I just need to go get some clients and use myself as an example. The proverbial making lemonade out of lemons, no?

So would you hire a personal chef with a shiner and a busted shoulder?