Adventures & Stories: A Day Trip Of Getting Lost, Chickpea Burritos and Fougasse Bread In Eagle, CO
What happens when life hands you an impromptu trip and you need a quick snack to power you through the day’s activities? You reach in your snack bag for an Aussie bite!
This weekend Haley and I made a day trip to Eagle, CO. Filled with amazing des(s)rt trails, a laid back city vibe, and of course some fun eats.
This trip features fougasse bread from Amaza Bread, homemade Hawt Buffalo Ranch Chickpea Wraps, and an ah-mazing tempura-fried avocado “sushi” roll from the Assembly. Oh, and not too forget the amazing trail system the City of Eagle has in place. What a special place to have available to us less than an hour’s drive away from Breckenridge.
Recipes from the Trip
Aussie Bites
The perfect, snack-size Aussie bite is a bit like a muffin, slightly sweet, soft and crumbly. These little biked good snacks pack a big punch of flavor and hit all the sensory
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 24 count mini-muffin pan. Pour 1 cup of rolled oats into a food processor. Process for about 1 minute until oats are pulverized into oat flour. Add in the remaining 3/4 cup rolled oats, sugar, dried apricots, raisins, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, coconut, quinoa, chia seeds, and baking soda. Pulse until apricots and raisins are in small bits. Pour in honey, melted butter, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Pulse just until combined. Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove pan from oven and let cool in pan on a wire cooling rack in the pan. Once completely cooled, remove from the pan and store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for longer.
*Inspired from the recipe by Stay At Home Chef
Hawt Chickpea Buffalo “Ranch” Salad + Burrito
The base for Hawt Chickpeak Buffalo Ranch Burritos
I’ve been experimenting with different chickpea salad mixtures lately. This one happens to be one of my favorite. Think buffalo ranch chicken wrap, but instead all plant-based. Including fresh veggies mixed with a homemade Aquafaba (leftover canned chickpea water) Avacado Ranch, this recipe is a perfect post-bike ride lunch with a little kick!
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 carrot shredded
2 celery stalks finely chopped
1/3 red onion chopped
2 oz chives finely chopped
1 Roma tomato chopped
1/2 cup Avocado aquafaba ranch (Follow this recipe + add in 1-2 avocados while blending!)
1-2 Tbsp hot sauce or sriracha
Sesame seeds
Directions
Rinse and drain chickpeas. Optionally you can roast your chickpeas over medium heat in a skillet for 4-5 minutes with salt, pepper, garlic, onion and mustard powder. Mash chickpeas with a fork in a glass storage container, leaving a few whole chickpeas left. Shred carrot and chop celery, chives, red onion, and tomato. Add to the chickpea mixture. Pour in avocado aquafaba ranch and hot sauce. Gently stir to combine. Top with sesame seeds. Enjoy on your favorite bread, in a wrap, or on top of a mixed green salad.
Restaurants, Cafes and Bakeries To Check Out In Eagle, CO
Color Coffee & Amaza Bread
Now we get to talk Fougasse bread! I’ve never heard of it before stepping into Color Coffee and Amaza Bread. These two spots are cojoined and make the perfect pair. Color Coffee has a chic cafe that serves up fresh and vibrant green coffee. Their focus is on coffee sourced from single farms, co-ops, and villages.
Amaza Bread is a bakery that specializes in naturally leavened sourdough bread made with whole, simple ingredients. They only use heirloom grains sourced from Moxie Bread Co. out of Louisville, CO in their baked goods. I reached out to Amaza Bread to learn “why” heirloom grains and they responded with:
“We love using heirloom grains because not only do you gain the benefits of eating whole grain, but the heirloom varieties contain more vitamins and minerals than typical mass-produced white flours. They also have more distinct flavors.” - Amaza Bread
So this brings me to Fougasse bread. Fougasse is a traditional french flatbread topped with mixed herbs and cheese. While checking out our coffee order I took a quick glance at the loaf. I was intrigued. After finishing up our coffee, we began to head out - but Haley could sense I wanted my hands on that bread. She encouraged me to go back in and out I came. Fougasse bread in hand and a smile as wide as the Eagle sunshine. I love my bread! This was also my fuel during the afternoon ride in the West Eagle trail system. A great companion to have in hand (and stomach) while out on the trails!
The Assembly Eagle
After a long day out on the desert trails, we were ready to settle down for the day and find some dinner. We were up for something fresh and unique. Then we found The Assembly. Serving up fresh, seasonal and globally inspired dishes, this is exactly what wanted. We ordered takeout and got these ah-mazing tempura-fried avocado “sushi” rolls for an appetizer from their weekly menu. And for dinner, we ordered the Charred Cauliflower, made with wild rice, golden raisins, brussels sprouts, peppers and Colorado Honey. It was all soaked together in this guajillo pepper sauce which was FANTASTIC! And you can bet your bottom dollar I was soaking that sauce up with my Fougasse bread. HA!
Bike Routes and Trails in Eagle, CO
So, I mentioned getting lost…About that. Usually, when I go on a trip, I plan out all my routes and upload them to my GPS advice. But sticking to a plan is not always fun, right? Plus, with it being a last-second trip I simply decided not to plan my routes for the day. Chalk that one up as my fault.
Although, I will say I did have a hard time navigating the trails sometimes due to lack of directions & signs out on the trails. So when you see my routes from the trip below, don’t get all confused about what I was doing. I WAS LOST. Do your research beforehand, get a plan (of sorts), and go have fun so you don’t need to go through what I did. (And bring plenty of food and water just in case you do)
East Eagle Trails
The East Eagle trails took me on a tour around the local trails right out of town starting at the city pool. I started out on Haymaker and then made my way on the Pool and Ice Rink Loop. It started with a good climb followed by an awesome, newly built downhill flow trail. This part was defintly the highlight for me on this trail system. Here is a link to my Strava route.
West Eagle Trails
In the afternoon I made my way to the west side. The trails here are considered to be more of the backcountry trails and are mostly smooth and fast, with a few features mixed in here and there. This is where I got all mixed up. I intended to do the Abrams Loop, but I kept climbing and climbing until I reached basically the top of the mountain. From there I made my way back down Itch, The World’s Greatest, Tick Alley and School House Rock. Regardless, these trails are AWESOME and sometimes it takes getting lost to uncover some really cool terrain. Here is the link to my Strava route.
Join The Biked Goods Recipe Club
Would you like to see more recipes, cycling adventures and other ways to fuel your trips like this? Then the Biked Goods Recipe Club is the place for you! This recipe club was born to bring together foodies and cyclists like you together. Get exclusive recipes, digital cookbooks, and access to a community that lives and breathes cycling and good food. Learn more about this club and sign up today so we can get cookin’!
