Eat like Shalane Flanagan for a day

If 2017 TCS New York City Marathon winner, Olympian, and Bowerman Babe Shalane Flanagan is your running hero, then check out her newest cookbook: Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. 

Building on their first book, Run Fast. Eat Slow., Flanagan and her co-author, Elyse Kopecky, have produced a second, and equally exciting cookbook for the busy runner. Their 2016 New York Times bestseller revolutionized how many runners see food. Flanagan and Kopecky encouraged runners to ditch the calorie-conscious diet, and embrace whole foods. Their motto is “food should be both indulgent and nourishing and need not be time consuming to prepare.”

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In a letter attached to the book, Flanagan explains her inspiration. “When I moved off the track, from racing the 5,000m and 10,000m distances to the marathon, my training required doubling the amount of miles I was accustomed to. This was the first time I realized that my diet and the food I was putting in my body were crucial to getting me through additional training.”

RELATED: Shalane Flanagan to run New York City Marathon

She continues, “Fast forward to four years ago, insert Elyse and her nutritional wisdom, and I no longer have the uncontrollable and wild cravings for naughty snack foods.”

If you haven’t had the chance to pick up the book yet, check out these three recipes to help you eat like Flanagan for a day.

Thai Quinoa Salad: for fighting inflammation

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups grated carrots (about 2 large)
2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage
3 green onions, white and green parts sliced
1 cup packed mint leaves, chopped (cilantro works too)
1 cup packed basil leaves, chopped
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeds removed, minced (optional)
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

DRESSING:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¹⁄³ cup fresh lime juice (2 to 3 limes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)

METHOD: 

1 Here is a foolproof method to cook quinoa: In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil 1½ cups water and the quinoa. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Transfer to a large salad bowl, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.

2 Meanwhile, put the olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce or tamari, honey, and fish sauce (if using) in a glass jar or bowl and stir to combine.

3 Once the quinoa is cool, add the carrots, cabbage, onion, mint, basil, and pepper (if using) to the bowl and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss again. Taste and, if needed, add more fish sauce or soy sauce.

4 Top with the peanuts. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

5 This salad will stay fresh in airtight glass containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serves five. 

GLUTEN-FREE // VEGAN: Omit the fish sauce.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: for legit chocolate cravings 

CHOCOLATE:

¹⁄³ cup virgin coconut oil
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
½ cup peanut butter (made from 100 percent peanuts)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla
¹⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt

METHOD: 

1 Line a mini muffin pan with 12 mini paper muffin cups.

2 To make the chocolate: In a small bowl, microwave the coconut oil for 30 seconds, or just until melted. Stir in the cocoa powder and maple syrup.

3 Place 1 teaspoon of the chocolate in each muffin cup to fill the bottom. Place the muffin tin in the freezer until the chocolate solidifies, about 5 minutes.

4 To make the peanut butter filling: In a small bowl, microwave the coconut oil for 30 seconds, or just until melted. Use a fork to stir in the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.

5 Spoon about a tablespoon of peanut butter filling on top of the chocolate. Then spoon another teaspoon of chocolate on top of the peanut butter filling to fill the cups (if the chocolate begins to harden, microwave it for 10 seconds). Place peanut butter cups in the freezer until solid, about 30 minutes. 6 Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes prior to serving. Makes 12 mini cups.

GLUTEN-FREE // VEGAN

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Turkey Trot Meatballs: for reviving sore muscles

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
¹⁄³ cup almond flour or oat flour (see tip, page 138)
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey
1 egg

METHOD:

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle the oil across the paper (use your fingers to spread evenly).

2 In a large bowl, combine the Parmesan, flour, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and egg and use your hands to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes to absorb moisture.

3 Use a spoon to scoop and your hands to form the meat into golf-ball sizes, about 16 total meatballs. Place the meatballs evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet.

4 Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip each meatball, and return to the oven for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are crispy and lightly browned. Cut open a meatball to check for doneness (no pink).

5 Optional: Simmer in our Basic Pizza Sauce (page 182) for 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens or heat your favorite marinara sauce, add the meatballs, and serve on top of pasta. Serves four.

GLUTEN-FREE: Use almond flour and serve on gluten-free pasta. // DAIRY-FREE: Skip the Parmesan.

Reprinted from RUN FAST. COOK FAST. EAT SLOW. Copyright © 2018 by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Alan Weiner. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.