Hot Day, Hot Dinner

The weather for the last couple of weeks in Toronto has been very hot and even more humid. It's been terrible for running and I haven't been able to top my last personal record of 17.5k. I'm not too worried about it though. Even though I'm officially signed up for a half marathon in October, I'll have plenty of time to train when the weather cools off slightly. I am, however, signed up for a 10k run on the 27th of this month, so hopefully the humidity will break, even if just for one day. So far, for my last two runs I've "hit the wall" around 7k and have had to stop, take a five minute break, and then continue. Not fun. Anyway, onto food. 

I wanted to talk about my impressions of the three recipes I made yesterday. For lunch I had a slice of the quiche and I have to say...I almost wish I'd made the whole batch. It was so good. It was also easy, came together quickly, and reheated well. I actually don't know why I've gone this long before making quiche. I'll certainly be bringing it into the regular rotation. 

I had a muffin after class and it was much better than the one I nearly burned my mouth on yesterday. Having some time to sit in the fridge meant that the flavour was perfect - mostly coconutty, and helped greatly by the blueberries. The texture was dense and tender, though maybe a little on the dry side. There was a warning in the recipe to grate the carrot and apple as finely as possible to ensure moistness, but next time I may purée half the dates as well. All in all, the muffin recipe is certainly a keeper and is certainly customizable by switching out various fresh and dried fruits. 

Finally, the chocolate chilli. I had this for dinner this evening atop some simple cauliflower rice. I love this chilli recipe. It's also very simple and the spice blend is perfect. The obvious contenders are there - chilli powder and cumin - but it also includes allspice and, of course, the cocoa. There is no notable punch of chocolate flavour, rather, the cocoa adds a great depth of flavour and slight bitterness. I've mentioned before that I like making chilli with sweet potato, maple, and bourbon - but this different approach is very warming and savoury. Another winner with this one.