My race season officially began last Sunday with Burlington’s Chilly Half Marathon. Granted, it was only a running race thus not my main sport inline speed skating. But a race is a race and it was a hard one. I am proud to report that I achieved my time goal even though just fell short on my placement goal. My chip time of 1:49:24 is quite respectable considering it had been two years since I last ran 21km/13.1mi. My training does not focus on running at race pace for such long distance so I am more than happy with my result.
You probably heard of runners carb loading before a marathon and the traditional pasta dinner evening before a race. There are lots of science that support different approaches to better performance but I will not bore you with that. As a general rule of thumb, I do not eat anything special to prepare for workout under two hours. Just a nutritionally balanced meal of familiar food is enough. I enjoyed a hearty Tempeh Brussel Sprouts Stir Fry in Maple Sriracha Glaze. I love it so much that it should not be limited to pre-race fuelling.
You would think running a half marathon gives me license to pig out after the race. Alas, that was not to be. I wanted to visit a schnitzel house but was shivering so much that I ended up having a pedestrian three egg breakfast with peameal bacon. The race is named “Chilly Half” for good reason! It was –5C and I was freezing as soon as I stopped running! Well, at least the coffee warmed me up nicely.
This chunky stir fry is packed with seared brussel sprouts, tempeh, zucchini, and crimini mushroom. Tempeh is a plant protein powerhouse and one of my favourite vegan dinner ingredients. Unlike a traditional stir fry recipe, I take my time to patiently sear all the ingredients separately and on all sides. The nicely caramelized surfaces give a huge boost to flavour. Of course it means this dish takes a bit of time to make but I often simply set the kitchen timer and check my emails in the mean time.
The star of the dish is the Maple Sriracha Glaze. it is sweet, it is spicy, and it is savoury. Do you know it’s sugaring off time in Canada? Of course I have to showcase what the True North Strong & Free is known for.
Tempeh Brussel Sprouts Stir Fry in Maple Sriracha Glaze
serves 2 as main course, 4 as side dish
Ingredients
- 250g tempeh, diced to 1.5cm cubes
- 12 brussel sprouts, halved
- 1 cup of thick sliced crimini mushroom
- 1 zucchini, sliced to 2cm half moons
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan in medium high heat. Sear tempeh on all sides until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Set aside.
- If the frying pan looks very dry, add a bit more oil. Otherwise, sear the brussel sprouts about 4 minutes on each side until brown and crispy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Sear the mushroom about 3 minutes on each side until brown. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together maple syrup, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, Sriracha, and cornstarch to make a slurry.
- Sauté zucchinis just until cooked and stir in tempeh, brussel sprouts, and mushroom. Give the sauce one last stir before pouring over all the vegetable. Keep stirring until evenly coated and glistening. Serve immediately, with or without rice.
