Looking for a different taste treat when you’re on a ride? Guest poster Don Blount might have just the ticket.
So I started digging for other options and came across recipes from Allen Lim, the exercise physiologist who has worked with Lance Armstrong and a number of cycling teams.
One recipe I had test-tasted by several people who are into fitness, including members of my biking club, was for Lim’s sushi rice cakes.
Lim has said he made them as a fresh and savory alternative to the sweet, pre-packaged foods his cyclists were eating.
These rice cakes are far from the ones available in grocery stores. They are soft, moist, salty and/or sweet depending on how they are seasoned and have a shelf life in the refrigerator of about a week.
They are also surprisingly easy to make. (Click pictures to enlarge.)
Cook the sushi rice. This sticky rice serves as a binder for the rice cake.
While that is cooking, cut up and cook bacon (I used turkey bacon) and also the eggs (I used egg whites).
Mix in a bowl with the other ingredients – soy sauce, grated parmesan cheese, brown sugar.
Then place in a pan, shape, cut and wrap in foil.
Lim also has a way to wrap these so that they are easily opened even while riding.
Most don’t get it but once it is explained it is surprisingly simple and efficient to hold and eat the rice cake. The recipe I used made eight, which I stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Here is the nutrition breakdown of one rice cake: Calories 225, Fat 8g, Sodium 321mg, Carbs 30g, Fiber 1g, Protein 9g.
I prefer mine salty to balance all of the sweet foods available and to help avoid cramping.
You can get the full recipe here and view a video of Lim making the cakes here.
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And while we’re talking about Allen Lim, remember that he is making his SkratchLabs drink mix available to Bike Noob readers at a 15% discount. Just go to the website, skratchlabs.com, and use the code Bike Noob when ordering.
I’ve made the chocolate peanut rice cakes from Allen Lim’s “Feed Zone” cookbook. They are also really tasty and as stated really easy to make. I also found that they freeze well and thaw out from the body heat during the ride.
Those were a nice change to my Cliff bars, etc.