7 Edible Gifts to Wrap Up for Cyclists This Season

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THOMAS HENGGE During this celebratory time of year, gift-giving is standard practice. While there are plenty of gear options for cyclists , as we seemingly can never have enough stuff to make our rides better , if you really want to impress your favorite cyclist, consider handing over a […]

Click here to view original web page at www.bicycling.com

During this celebratory time of year, gift-giving is standard practice. While there are plenty of gear options for cyclists, as we seemingly can never have enough stuff to make our rides better, if you really want to impress your favorite cyclist, consider handing over a gift they can eat. After all, the way to a person’s heart is often through their stomach.

So, this holiday season forget battling the mall crowds and spend more time in your kitchen to cook your way through your gift list. Whether you need a hostess present that is more imaginative than a bottle of wine or something that will impress an athletic foodie, homemade, edible gifts are guaranteed to please. A delicious way of saying “from my kitchen to yours.” Bonus points: The edible gift recipes included here offer up a healthy options that can help fuel winter workouts.

Here are the best festive recipes to tie with a bow that don’t require baking up a storm—but do require a bit of love and prep. Now, you just have to convince your friends to share the final product.

Edible Gift Recipes for the Holiday Season

1. Italian Barley Lentil Soup Mix

THOMAS HENGGE

Healthy eating can be tricky come the holidays. Give the gift of nutrition with this satisfying plant-based soup mix—the perfect frugal holiday present. The lentils and barley deliver a payload of dietary fiber, which can not only up the satisfaction factor of a meal, but also help improve sleep, a key part of athletic success.

Ingredients

• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup black or green lentils
• 3/4 cup pearled barley
• 1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (dehydrated, not packed in oil)
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, crush the bouillon cube into a fine powder. Mix in Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
2. Add to a 16-oz wide-mouth glass jar or cellophane bag, layer in lentils, barley, sun-dried tomatoes, seasoning mix and bay leaf.
3. Along with the package of dry ingredients, include a gift tag that has the following cooking instructions: Bring 6 cups water, one 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes and soup mix to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils and grains have softened, about 30 to 40 minutes. If too thick, thin with additional water. Stir in juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar.

Notes: The soup can be bulked up with additional vegetables such as chopped carrots, cubed sweet potato, diced parsnip, and/or spinach. Farro would be a good grain alternative to pearled barley.

2. PB&J Spread

THOMAS HENGGE

Consider this a jar of spreadable gold. Reminiscent of everyone’s favorite preride sandwich, it will be hard to resist gifting this to yourself and eating it by the spoonful. Plus, antioxidants in tart cherry may help the body better handle the rigors of training by reducing exercise-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. And peanuts supply a power punch of plant-based protein and healthy fats.

Ingredients

• 1 cup tart cherry juice
• 2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Place cherry juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until juice is syrupy and reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 20 minutes.
2. Place peanuts in a food processor. Pulse several times until the nuts are broken down into small pebbles. Then turn on the machine and let it run until a creamy peanut butter forms, about 3 to 4 minutes. It is a good idea to pause blending a couple of times to wipe down the sides of the container and let the motor rest. Blend in cherry syrup, honey and salt.
3. Place mixture in a small wide-mouth glass jar, seal shut, and chill until ready to gift.

Notes: If your peanut butter is not becoming creamy try blending in 1 tablespoon of a neutral tasting oil like canola or grapeseed and process again until the desired texture is reached. It’s also possible to make the nut butter using some high powered blenders.

3. Muesli Pancake Mix

THOMAS HENGGE

Breakfast shortcuts like this pancake-muesli hybrid will surely be appreciated by anyone who suffers from harried mornings but still wants to enjoy a tower of flapjacks. This is great fuel to power any early day trainer sessions. Even better: A 2021 study in the Journal of Nutrition found that oat intake can boost levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome which may translate into improved digestive and immune health.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• 2 cups oat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup powdered buttermilk, such as Bob’s Red Mill
• 3/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup dried coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread oats and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until oats turn golden and smell toasted, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time. Be careful not to burn the oats. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and the remainder of the ingredients and mix well. Place mixture in a large wide-mouth glass jar and seal shut.
3. Along with the jar of dry ingredients, include a gift tag that has the following cooking instructions: Place 1 1/4 cups pancake mix in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 beaten egg and 3/4 cup water. Stir wet ingredients into dry and let rest 10 minutes. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup of batter in a hot greased skillet.

Notes: One recipe of homemade pancake mix is enough to make six pancakes, enough for two servings. You can play around with other flour, nut, and dried fruit combos. For instance, spelt flour, walnuts, and dried cranberries.

4. Cider Whole Grain Mustard

THOMAS HENGGE

A present of this homemade mustard with some sinus-clearing kick is sure to be appreciated by the sandwich and hot dog lovers in your life. Make sure to also trumpet how great this mustard is in dressings. Mustard seeds are a surprisingly excellent source of selenium, which a 2019 study in the journal Nutrition showed may help improve mood if anyone is suffering from the holiday blues.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup hard cider
• 1/4 cup black mustard seeds
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar and secure lid. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for several hours to soften the seeds.
2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender container and process until the mixture thickens, but not to the point where a smooth paste forms. You want some texture to remain. If necessary, stop the machine as you blend to wipe down the sides.
3. Transfer mustard to a glass jar, seal shut and chill until ready to gift.

Notes: This makes enough for one larger gift of mustard or two smaller amounts. But you can scale up the ingredients to make enough for several presents. For less heat use more yellow mustard seeds and fewer brown ones. For a different flavor, the cider can be replaced with a stout beer or orange juice.

5. Orange-Scented Chai Tea Mix

THOMAS HENGGE

This chai is a sultry blend of rooibos and cozy spices, which produces an elegant tea that can help with hydration morning to night, as it’s free of caffeine. A 2021 investigation in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests going bigger on spices, like cinnamon, in the diet can lower signs of inflammation in the body. Meanwhile, herbal rooibos tea is a source of health-protecting antioxidants, including polyphenols.

Ingredients

• 2 navel oranges
• 1/3 cup loose leaf rooibos
• 2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the rind from oranges. Try to leave behind as much of the white pith as possible. Spread orange rinds out on a metal baking rack and place on a baking sheet. Place in an oven and heat at your oven’s lowest temperature setting until the rinds have dried completely and curled, about 1 1/2 hours. They should crumble to the touch. Turn off oven and let cool in oven. Pulverize orange rinds into a fine powder using a spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar and pestle.
2. In a small bowl, mix together orange powder and the remainder of the ingredients. Package in a small jar or spoon some into a clear cellophane bag and stuff into an oversized mug.
3. Along with the tea mix, include a gift tag that has the following cooking instructions: Place 2 teaspoons of chai rooibos mix in a tea strainer and add boiled water; steep for 3 to 4 minutes. Add milk and/or sweetener if desired.

Notes: For a more traditional mix that delivers some caffeine you can use loose leaf Darjeeling black tea.

6. Maple Walnut Multi-Grain Porridge Mix

THOMAS HENGGE

Give the gift of cozy mornings with this porridge mix that offers a welcome respite from the standard oatmeal. It will also guide anyone towards eating more whole grains which may help improve heart health metrics, including cholesterol and inflammation.

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat berries
• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup millet
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup maple sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Place grains and flaxseed in food processor or high-powered blender container and grind until the consistency of coarse flour. Be careful not to grind into a fine powder. Add walnuts, maple sugar, cinnamon and salt and pulse until combined.
2. Place mixture in a large wide-mouth glass jar or cellophane bag and seal shut.
3. Along with the jar of dry ingredients, include a gift tag that has the following cooking instructions: To prepare porridge, for each serving, combine 1/2 cup grain mixture with 1 1/4 cups water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes, or until grains are tender and mixture is creamy, stirring often.

Notes: Other grain combinations are also possible including spelt, oats, rye, and sorghum. If maple sugar is not available you can use coconut sugar or brown sugar.

7. Coffee Plum Compote

THOMAS HENGGE

You just made someone’s bowl of yogurt or ice cream way better. A great consumable gift for any coffee lover. Using cacao nibs offers a nice crunchy textural contrast. A 2022 study in the Journal of Medicinal Food suggests that regularly eating dried plums (a.k.a. prunes) may have a protective effect on bone health, too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried pitted plums (prunes), halved
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine coffee, plumes, honey, star anise, lemon zest, and cardamom. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
2. With a slotted spoon, remove plumes and star anise from the pan. Reserve plums and discard star anise. Simmer liquid, uncovered, over medium-high heat until reduced and syrupy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Return plums to pan along with vanilla extract and cacao nibs. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Place mixture in a small wide-mouth jar and seal shut. Keep chilled until gifting.

Notes: Sliced dried figs are a good stand-in for plums and you can make this vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey.