Don’t Freeze Those Rice Cakes!
Q: When I make rice for Allen Lim’s Rice Cake recipe, I end up with more rice cakes than I can handle. Can I freeze extra rice cakes for use another day?
A: Don’t do it! Chef Biju says this won’t work; the thawed rice cakes have an unpleasant consistency. If you happen to have a vacuum sealer, you’re in luck, as they will seal up nicely. There are many portable recipes in The Feed Zone Cookbook that do freeze well, though. Biju says that any of the muffins and “most of the portables that are brown and not white colored” will hold up well in the freezer.
Here are some alternative approaches to the rice inventory problem.
- Grain Silo: Make a bunch of rice for the week. Put it in a covered container and let it cool. Refrigerate it and pull out the amount of rice you need for whatever you’re making that day.
- Rice Just-in-Time Inventory: Most Feed Zone recipes use nice, round numbers for the ingredient amounts. Simply cut them in half to suit your portion needs. This will require making rice more often, but with a $15-20 rice cooker, it’s extremely easy. Just add the rice, the water, push a button and walk away.
- Repurpose that Rice! A reader just commented on this post with a great idea. If you make the rice cakes and don’t eat them all, you can break them up and use the rice for another Feed Zone recipe, like Chicken-Fried Rice or another savory rice dish.
The Feed Zone Cookbook includes:
- 150 delicious recipes illustrated with full-color photographs
- Allen Lim’s take on the science and practice of food
- Portable whole foods, including Lim’s famous rice cakes and more
- Dozens of quick-prep meals for before and after workouts
- Shortcuts, substitutions, and techniques to save time in the kitchen
- Gluten-free and vegetarian alternatives to favorite dishes
Buy The Feed Zone Cookbook from your local bike, tri, or running shop or from these booksellers:
- Amazon.com: The Feed Zone Cookbook
- BarnesandNoble.com: The Feed Zone Cookbook
- Chapters/Indigo.com: The Feed Zone Cookbook
- VeloGear.com: The Feed Zone Cookbook
- TriSports.com: The Feed Zone Cookbook
- SkratchLabs.com: The Feed Zone Cookbook
- Your local independent bookseller: The Feed Zone Cookbook
Welcome to the Feed Zone!
The Feed Zone Series of cookbooks by Dr. Allen Lim and chef Biju Thomas have revolutionized how cyclists, triathletes, and runners think about food and sports nutrition.
In their best-selling cookbook for athletes, The Feed Zone Cookbook, Dr. Lim and chef Thomas offer 150 athlete-friendly recipes that are simple, delicious, and easy to prepare for breakfast, lunch, dinner, portable snacks, drinks and desserts. This cookbook showed busy athletes that they can cook great-tasting meals for every meal of the day.
Feed Zone Portables is an ingenious collection of 75 portable snacks tested with elite athletes for flavor and function during exercise, These easy, healthy portable snack recipes taste great during exercise and fuel athletes so much better than packaged sports nutrition products.
Athletes don’t have to eat alone. Science shows that it’s not just what we eat that matters but how we enjoy meals with friends and family. Dr. Lim and chef Thomas explore the new research on social eating in Feed Zone Table, which offers 100 recipes to bring friends and family to the table in a way that nourishes life and sport.
Here on feedzonecookbook.com, we offer a sampling of free recipes from the Feed Zone Series. We hope you enjoy them! And if you do, please show your support and purchase the cookbooks from SkratchLabs.com, VeloPress.com/feedzone, or from your local bike shop, running store, or bookstore.
For more excerpts and sample recipes from the Feed Zone Series, please visit velopress.com/feedzone.
Feed Zone Table Recipe: Bitter Chard on Grilled Bread
Chef Biju Thomas and Dr. Allen Lim have returned to the kitchen to champion dinner, the most social meal of the day. In their third cookbook, Feed Zone Table, Biju and Allen offer over 100 all-new recipes to bring friends and family to the table in a way that nourishes life and sport.
Try Bitter Chard on Grilled Bread from Feed Zone Table! Simply grill or toast some bread to enjoy this tasty appetizer. You can split a baguette lengthwise, pile everything on, and cut before serving. The acidity of the lemon juice and olive oil softens the chard without cooking, making this the perfect appetizer for entertaining. It will be messy . . . and delicious.
Republished with permission of VeloPress from Feed Zone Table. Please contact us to republish this recipe.
Serves 6
6 thick slices of rustic bread or one long half of a baguette
½ cup orange marmalade
¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
1 bunch rainbow chard, stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 cup toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice from half of a lemon
coarse salt and pepper
Brush the bread with olive oil and grill on the stovetop in a hot pan or under the broiler for just a few minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning the bread. (Grill marks are a nice touch—simply warm for about 5 minutes over medium heat.)
While the bread is being prepared, toast the walnuts in a dry pan.
Smear the marmalade on the grilled bread and top with blue cheese crumbles.
In a large bowl, toss the chard and walnuts with the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper until well coated. Pile the chard on top of the bread and serve.
You can make dinnertime better right now. Inspire your dinnertime with family-style meals from Feed Zone Table.
Feed Zone Table includes more than 100 all-new recipes to inspire family-style dinners in a way that nourishes life and sport.
VeloPress
Skratch Labs
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Chapters/Indigo
local booksellers
Complete footnotes and references for studies cited above are available in the print edition of Feed Zone Table.
Feed Zone Table Recipe: Miso & Maple-Marinated Cod with Sweet Pea Risotto
Chef Biju Thomas and Dr. Allen Lim have returned to the kitchen to champion dinner, the most social meal of the day. In their third cookbook, Feed Zone Table, Biju and Allen offer over 100 all-new recipes to bring friends and family to the table in a way that nourishes life and sport.
Try Miso & Maple-Marinated Cod with Sweet Pea Risotto from Feed Zone Table! This is a simplified version of the classic miso-marinated black cod made famous in the United States by Master Sushi Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The cod works best when cooked under the broiler with the heat blasting down. You can also prepare it in a pan on the stovetop or on a grill. Cod is a delicate fish—in fact, as it cooks you will see the layers begin to separate a bit. For this reason, avoid flipping during the cooking time. Keep in mind the side you want to present, and make sure to cook that side up. This creamy risotto pairs beautifully with the fish.
Republished with permission of VeloPress from Feed Zone Table. Please contact us to republish this recipe.
Serves 6
6 thick pieces of cod or any other white fish (about 3 pounds)
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
coarse salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon zest
juice from 1 lemon
SWEET PEA RISOTTO
6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, plus additional to taste
2 cups arborio or risotto rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
zest from half a lemon
coarse salt and pepper to taste
Place the fish in an oven-safe baking dish with some space between each piece. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl. Brush the fish generously with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the risotto. (If you have the time, you can let it marinate overnight.)
TO MAKE THE RISOTTO: In a saucepan, bring the stock to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer. This will speed up the cook time. Warm the olive oil or butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the rice and garlic and gently toast, taking care not to let it smoke or burn. The rice will become translucent as it soaks up the oil or butter. As it begins to brown, add the white wine, stirring continually until the liquid has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 2 cups of warm stock, stirring periodically until fully absorbed, about 10–15 minutes. Then add another 2 cups of stock and let the mixture cook down again, approximately another 10 minutes. The risotto will thicken as the stock is absorbed. Add the remaining stock and stir until you have a creamy risotto. The risotto will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so use a bit more stock than you think you need.
Add in the peas, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper and additional olive oil or butter, if desired. Remove from heat and keep covered until ready to serve.
TO COOK THE COD: Heat the broiler to high. Place the cod under the broiler for about 8–10 minutes, or until the marinade takes on a light char and the cod begins to flake. Let the fish rest for about a minute and serve with risotto while still warm.
CHANGE IT UP You can also use 1 cup leftover salty meats like prosciutto to make a more savory risotto. Pair with a hearty vegetable such as asparagus or broccoli florets. Add blanched vegetables and meat in place of peas and lemon zest.
You can make dinnertime better right now. Inspire your dinnertime with family-style meals from Feed Zone Table.
Feed Zone Table includes more than 100 all-new recipes to inspire family-style dinners in a way that nourishes life and sport.
VeloPress
Skratch Labs
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Chapters/Indigo
local booksellers
Complete footnotes and references for studies cited above are available in the print edition of Feed Zone Table.
Feed Zone Table Recipe: Arancini Italian Rice Balls with Red Pepper Oil
Chef Biju Thomas and Dr. Allen Lim have returned to the kitchen to champion dinner, the most social meal of the day. In their third cookbook, Feed Zone Table, Biju and Allen offer over 100 all-new recipes to bring friends and family to the table in a way that nourishes life and sport.
Try Arancini Italian Rice Balls with Red Pepper Oil from Feed Zone Table! Also known as arancini, these rice balls are the perfect fare for a large gathering. You can also serve them as a carbohydrate boost to a fresh green salad. You’ll want to use fresh-cooked, warm rice, which helps the rice balls stick together.
Republished with permission of VeloPress from Feed Zone Table. Please contact us to republish this recipe.
Serves 8
2 cups uncooked short-grain rice (short-grain brown rice works well)
1 cup ricotta
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian herbs (basil, tarragon, thyme, parsley)
zest from half a lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
1 cup gluten-free panko or bread crumbs
½ cup olive oil
ON TOP
freshly grated Parmesan
RED PEPPER OIL
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt to taste
Prepare the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop, following the instructions on the package.
TO MAKE THE RED PEPPER OIL: While the rice is cooking, blanch the bell pepper in salted boiling water for no more than 1 minute. The skin will be wrinkled. Run the pepper under cold water, then peel off the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Place the pepper in a blender with the olive oil and purée. Season to taste with coarse salt and set aside.
TO MAKE THE RICE BALLS: Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Once the cooked rice is cool enoughto handle, transfer it into a large bowl and add the ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, herbs, lemon zest, and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon. It will be sticky. Shape into large, firm balls, about 2 inches in diameter (the size of a golf ball). Makes about 32 rice balls. Brush egg and water mixture onto each rice ball, then roll in the bread crumbs.
In large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then add the rice balls in batches. Don’t crowd the pan. Turn frequently until golden brown on all sides. Each batch will take about 8–10 minutes to cook. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you finish making the remaining rice balls. Add more olive oil if needed.
Pile the rice balls on a serving platter and top with freshly grated Parmesan. Serve with red pepper oil, pesto (see p. 80 for Lemon Pesto), or your favorite marinara.
CHANGE IT UP Next time around, try making basil oil: Blanch 2 ounces fresh basil, squeeze out any excess moisture, then place it in a blender with ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, juice from half a lemon, and coarse salt to taste.
You can make dinnertime better right now. Inspire your dinnertime with family-style meals from Feed Zone Table.
Feed Zone Table includes more than 100 all-new recipes to inspire family-style dinners in a way that nourishes life and sport.
VeloPress
Skratch Labs
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Chapters/Indigo
local booksellers
Complete footnotes and references for studies cited above are available in the print edition of Feed Zone Table.
The Feed Zone 