Easy Black Bean Burritos

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

A funny thing happened the other day.

I went to a sausage making class and emerged three hours later a fleeting vegetarian.

Bring on the beans and cheese.

Of course, I expected a slightly different outcome when I signed up for the class. Visions of grinding my own meat and hand-stuffing thick chicken, turkey, and pork sausages filled my thoughts while mounds of frozen links filled my fantasized freezer. I was one excited sausageer – that is until I spent 3 hours huddled around fifteen pounds of raw pork. There was just so much meat and so many people and so much talk about the step-by-step process involved in getting the poor free range piggies from the farm to that fork you’re holding in your hand there. And the smell…. oh dear god the smell.

I didn’t know it was possible to get the meat sweats without actually consuming meat.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a run in with meat-nausea. It took me years to be able to handle raw meat. In fact, during college and my first post-college years I lived on pasta, rotisserie chicken, lunch meat, canned tuna, and EGGS. Lots of eggs. As I grew older, I slowly started cooking my own meat. Sure, at first I had to use two tongs to handle the meat, taking special care that my skin did not come into the slightest contact with anything slimy and especially taking care not to get a whiff of anything. Anything. I had no problem eating meat–in fact I loved meat–I just didn’t want to be near anything that wasn’t fully and completely (is that pink I see?!) cooked.

After time, I got past it. I stopped thinking about meat as animal remains and instead chose to shroud myself in a cloud of blissful unawareness. I completely broke the link between the meat case at the grocery store and the cows grazing the farm next to my highschool. Heck, I even started making my own hamburgers and meatloaf—without using gloves, no less.

And then I went to this sausage making class….

And, whelp, I haven’t eaten meat since Sunday, which by my calculation is the longest I have gone without meat since the day my mom switched me to solids.

At first I was confused. If I don’t eat meat… well, what do I eat???

Thus far, I’ve managed to nourish myself with potatoes, beans, hummus, Trader Joe’s Veggie Masala Burgers (love!), and lots of veggies and fruit. Honestly, I don’t intend to remain a vegetarian nor am I devoted to it for the short term. I think the human body needs meat. It is designed to eat meat. I WANT to eat meat… as soon as I quit getting queasy every time I see or hear the word “meat” that is.

Easy Cheesy Black Bean Burritos

Print recipe

Serves	2
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	25 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Serve Hot

Ingredients

1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 cup white onion (chopped)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon Mexican chili powder (or substitute regular chili powder)
1/3 cup water
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup prepared salsa
hot sauce (to taste)
2 low carb tortillas (I used Trader Joe's brand)

Optional toppings

shredded mexican cheese blend
tomatoes (chopped)
white onion (chopped)
plain nonfat greek yogurt

Note

Adapted from Cooking Light's Chipotle Bean Burritos

Stats on 1 burrito (includes half of bean mixture using Trader Joe's organic black beans, 1 Trader Joe's low-carb tortilla, salsa of choice, 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt, tomato, onion, 2 tbsp cheddar cheese): 344 Calories, 57g carbs, 6g fat, 26g protein, 14g fiber

Directions

Step 1	Heat a small skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, 1/4 cup onion, cayenne, chili powder, and salt. Saute for a minute, then add water and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 2	Remove beans from heat, stir in salsa and hot sauce, and use a wooden spoon to partially smash the beans (chunky texture is good). Spoon half of the mixture onto a tortilla and add toppings of choice, such as additional salsa, hot sauce, plain Greek yogurt, tomato, onion, or cheese.

200 Calorie Tuna Salad Recipe

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

Growing up with divorced parents, my brother, sister, and I split our time between week nights at dad’s and weekends at mom’s. Everyone once in a while, we’d have to flip flop our schedule, and it seemed when those rare occasions popped up both mom and dad had an unspoken urge to make them special. On those weekends, dad would make breakfast: dippy eggs, buttery toast, and his breakfast potatoes. I do believe my love affair with potatoes started with these very ones around the age of eight. Sure I’d take an egg and a small piece of toast, but the remainder of that 10-inch plate was devoted solely to those piping hot slightly crunchy potatoes and the biggest squirt of Heinz 57 my kid muscles could muster. Recently, I texted my dad to finally, after all these years, ask what he put in his breakfast potatoes. (By the way, it still makes me giggle to think of him texting.)

His response?

“I dono.”

After our bodies worked through the haze of early morning overeating, dad would move on to lunch. Lunches were varied, but one of my favorites were the tuna melts he’d make on cold days, rainy days, or days that otherwise demanded a comforting hot melty sandwich. After the recent potato-text heartbreak, I didn’t bother asking dad what he put in those tuna melts. Rather, I choose to focus solely on the memory: jumbo kaiser rolls loaded with mayonnaise-laden tuna, hunks of fresh cheddar cheese, and chopped up dill pickles. He’d wrap those giant sandwiches in foil and toss them right into the oven—no cookie sheet needed (which I remember wordlessly opposing). After a half hour or so, he’d reach into the oven with a giant pot holder. We’d line up, plates held tightly in our little hands, and dad would plop a massive foil pack on each one.

I still put pickles in my tuna on occasion, just for nostalgia sake, but more often than not I go with this lightened up tuna recipe. Chopped celery and red onion give the tuna bulk and a desirable crunchy texture. Pickles, optional. And if you use Miracle Whip, I will personally come to your house and flog you.

Tuna Salad

Print recipe

Ingredients

4oz solid white albacore tuna (drained)
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's)
2 tablespoons fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon mustard (Dijon, stadium, or brown)
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon celery seed (optional)

Note

Stats on the tuna salad: 196 calories, 7g carbs, 6g fat, 26g protein, 1g fiber, 2g sugar

Directions

Step 1

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve as a sandwich or atop a bed of mixed greens with tomato, cucumber, or veggies of choice.

Pants-friendly Paella

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

I vividly remember my mom sitting cross-legged in the pantry, furiously flipping through cookbooks and earmarked magazines, her disheveled auburn curls in disarray around her face as she searched for that one recipe she’d seen months ago and mentally filed away. As far back as I remember, my mom was adventurous in the kitchen. I helped her bake bread in recycled tin cans, wrinkled my nose as she savored caviar loaded crackers, and hesitantly obliged to mandarin oranges in our dinner salad (which was UNHEARD of at the time). I remember raising my eyebrow and dramatically cocking my head to the side as she scraped this mysterious spaghetti squash onto her plate. I gagged at the anchovies on her pizza, and I cried, yes cried, when she urged me to try her sushi.

Mom was always cooking something big, and when she made her Spanish paella she’d use this absurdly large dish–big enough to feed a family of four twice and a half over. It took her hours to prep and cook the meal–well, at least it seemed that way to her teenage “mom, I swear to god I’m dying of starvation” daughter.

I hated peas and hated shrimp, but man did I love her paella. How could I not with those huge hunks of sausage and pieces of chicken poking through the steaming bed of orange rice?

This is not my mom’s paella recipe because, according to her, she “doesn’t have one.” Uh huh. Surrrrrre mom. This is my lightened-up version of paella, which uses chicken sausage rather than Spanish chorizo, simply because I wasn’t able to find any at the grocery store. Traditional? No. Pants friendly? Absolutely.

Pants-friendly Paella Recipe

Print recipe

Serves	8
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Freezable, Serve Hot

Ingredients

1.5lb chicken breast (cut into 1/2 inch chunks)
3 Links hot chicken or turkey sausage (casings removed) (for more authentic flavor, use Spanish chorizo)
2 cups yellow onion (diced)
1 cup red bell pepper (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped, plus extra for garnish)
14oz can whole tomatoes (drained)
2 cups short-grain brown minute rice
2.5 cups fat-free low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white cooking wine
1 large pinch Spanish saffron
4oz shrimp (peeled, deveined)
1 cup sweet peas (defrosted)
S&P (to taste)

Chicken rub

1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Note

This pants-friendly paella uses chicken sausage. For a more authentic flavor, sub in a link or two of Spanish chorizo. Spanish saffron can be quite expensive. I've seen bottles for as little as $6 at Trader Joe's, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls.

Per serving: 274 calories, 27g carbs, 4g fat, 31g protein, 3g fiber

Recipe inspired by my mom and Tyler Florence's Ultimate Paella

www.ferventfoodie.com

Directions

Step 1	Combine chicken rub ingredients in a medium size bowl or large zip top bag. Add chicken breast, and toss or shake to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the fridge for one hour.
Step 2	Heat a large pot coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Once hot, add the sausage. Break apart sausage with your spatula, and cook until no longer pink. Remove sausage from pot and set aside. Add additional cooking spray to pot, if needed, then add chicken pieces. Sear chicken on all sides then remove from pot and set aside.
Step 3	Add onions, garlic, and parsley to the pot, season with S&P, to taste, reduce heat to medium. Cook for 3 minutes, using your spatula to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and crush with your spatula. Season with S&P. Add uncooked rice to the pot and stir to combine. Once the liquid is absorbed, add chicken broth and cooking wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 4	Add the sausage, chicken, and saffron to the pot and stir to combine. Add the shrimp, pushing them down into the rice. Simmer for 15 minutes then add the peas. Garnish with remaining parsley.

5 Easy Brunch Recipes that use Yogurt

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

Breakfast is arguably my favorite meal of the day, and lunch, well, I love that too. Brunch, though? I just don’t get it. Seriously, I need to know–is it breakfast or is it lunch? Do you eat eggs Benedict or do you eat egg salad? Pancakes or paninis? Brunch is a big fat grey area, and I don’t like it one bit. I’m just one of those people. In fact, I’m morally opposed to breakfast for dinner.

Don’t stone me.

Despite my aversion, this weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and invited some friends over for a yogurt-inspired brunch.

Take a look at the spread!

When preparing the brunch menu, my goal was to cook up a variety of tasty nibblets that incorporated Activia yogurt (since I had some Foodbuzz freebies to use). Heavy emphasis on tasty, of course.

The mainstay of our meal was my Western Sausage Crustless Quiche:
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Cinnamon Pecan Yogurt Coffee Cake

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

When I go to coffee shops I like to play a game called “if I could eat any of these baked goods, which three would I choose.” I’ve no doubt drooled over thousands of cases of baked goods over the years, analyzed the contents, and debated each variety of glistening pastry and chocolate loaded what-have-you’s. Meanwhile, each bagel beckons me to slather it with cream cheese and take it to a private spot in the corner. I don’t mind when I have to wait in line for my cup o’ joe—it’s more quality time I get to spend at the case. More time to ensure I’ve got my line up just right. It’s important to consider how each choice can impact future selections because, as with any team, it’s important to have balance. One item with chocolate, one savory treat to balance out the sweets, and one coffee cake.

Always a coffee cake.

Truth be told, I rarely end up ordering anything from the case (for fear of sugar induced comas or caloric catastrophes) but should the day come when I order not one but three carb loaded delicacies simply knowing that I have a plan of attack is almost as comforting as that steaming hot bagel would be.

Almost.

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Yogurt Biscuits & NASCAR

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

My dad is a huge NASCAR fan.

Don’t judge.

When I moved to Charlotte, I made my dad a promise: if he (hater of all things urban) made the trek down to the Queen City, I (the darling bribing daughter) would take him to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NASCAR racing experience. Honestly, the thought of my dear dad whipping around the racetrack at speeds of over 150 miles per hour was borderline gut-wrenching, but I figured if seeing his daughter wasn’t incentive enough to come to Charlotte, surely NASCAR would get him here.

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Easy Tomato Basil Bruschetta Recipe

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

In my family, it’s customary to tell embarrassing stories about your friends and loved ones when celebrating a big life moment. Weddings, graduations, birthdays–whatever the case may be, nothing shows you care like a little rib jabbin. Given this, I feel obligated to tell an embarrassing story about my fellow Charlotte Food Blogger, Brooke, who is expecting TWINS!

When I first met Brooke, the brains of Baking with Basil, she was just a few months pregnant (and nowhere near the size she is in this photo). We crammed into a car with Vanessa and Jamie and headed west for the Food Blog Forum in Nashville.

On the trip we shared some close sleeping quarters, so I was sure to warn the gals about my peculiar sleeping habits. You know, the sleep talking, sporadic sleep walking, and the occasional mid-night fisticuffs I engage in. I shared a bed with Brooke, so I had purposeful intentions of being on my best sleep behavior so as not to disturb the wee ones. In the middle of the night I went in for one of my trademark flip-and-rolls and accidentally booty bumped Brooke right in the belly. I remember the instant horror that washed over me as I bolted upright in the bed trying to determine if I had in any way injured the mama or the cargo. I held my breath waiting for a sign, or a sound, or a grunt of some sort, but Brooke didn’t budge. After a few terrifying minutes, I laid back down as straight and stiff as possible all the while clinging to the edge of the bed so as not to stray back into baby territory. I don’t think I slept the rest of the night.

Crap… wasn’t I supposed to be embarrassing Brooke here?!

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Baked Balsamic Chicken with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pesto

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

We walked nearly 20 miles during our weekend in Savannah (according to my Fitbit, that is), and our aimless meandering about the city included a dozen or so passes by Paula Dean’s Lady and Sons restaurant. I’ve liked Paula Dean since the first time I stumbled upon her TV show. I adore her southern charm, youthful excitement, and penchant for using a stick of butter (or two) in every friggin recipe. When it comes to ingredients, I don’t possess Paula’s steadfast dedication to any one particular item, but rather four: onions, garlic, Frank’s Red Hot, and balsamic vinegar. These are my four superstars, and I believe any one of them can take a meal from blah to brilliant. In another life, I’ll write cookbooks dedicated to each of them. Promise.

Tonight’s dinner was all about *BALSAMIC VINEGAR*

Come.to.mama.

Baked Balsamic Chicken with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pesto (serves 4)

Adapted from Eat, Live, Run Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mozzarella and Pesto

4 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs, or 6 ounces each)
2 cups balsamic vinegar, divided
4 large cloves garlic
4 ounces mozzarella (preferably fresh)
1/4 cup prepared pesto (try my basil almond pesto recipe)
S&P
Dried oregano

Step One: Season chicken breasts with S&P. Place chicken, 4 cloves garlic (minced OR roughly chopped, your call), and one cup of balsamic in a ziploc baggie or Tupperware and marinate in fridge for 1 hour. Don’t exceed the one hour mark as the vinegar may start to break down the chicken in weird ways.

Step Two: While the chicken marinates, heat 1 cup of balsamic vinegar over medium high heat for 15-20 minutes until liquid has reduced by half. Remove from heat, and use a spatula to pour the reduction into a small bowl or serving pitcher to cool.

Step Three: Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Remove chicken from balsamic marinade, place on prepared baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove chicken from oven and turn on the oven broiler. Top each chicken breast with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with S&P and dried oregano. Leaving the oven door slightly ajar, broil chicken for 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top each breast with 1 tbsp pesto and a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

“I’d rather die with a potato in my mouth than a piece of lettuce.” – Paula Deen

Chicken Pesto Paninis

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

It’s Thursday–the day I spend approximately two to three hours scouring the internet, flipping through cookbooks, and rifling through my big black book in search of amazing recipes and/or inspiration for things to cook this weekend. It’s a ritual that borders somewhere between dedication and obsession.

Nothing cheeses me off more than spending all those hours (HOURS!) researching on top of shelling out my hard earned moo-lah on ingredients, taking the time to cook the darned thing, and having it turn out to be a flop. After trying one-too-many frown-evoking recipes, I adopted a new blog bylaw in 2012: only post recipes that I would recommend (without hesitation) to a friend. Even though I painstakingly snap photos of everything I cook, if it ain’t delicious, it ain’t going on the blog. Jarrod knows exactly what I mean when I ask if a dish is “blog worthy,” and he’s pretty truthful about so-so meals (in a I’m-just-glad-you-cooked-please-don’t-make-me-do-this sort of way).

When he REALLY likes something, he doesn’t hesitate to let me know. Like this Chicken Pesto Panini, for instance, which he declared the BEST SANDWICH OF HIS LIFE.

If those aren’t fighting words, I don’t know what are.

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How to halve a spaghetti squash without losing a finger.

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Fervent Foodie

Right or wrong, perfect sense or nonsense, I often do things a certain way simply because that’s the way I’ve always done them. A prime example of this ridiculous stubbornness is my method for tying shoes. I remember trying to learn the whole bunny goes round the tree and jumps in the hole spiel on a wooden practice shoe in elementary school. No matter how much I practiced, it just didn’t feel right. I’d memorized the story line, but my bunny wanted nothing to do with that stupid tree and my stinkin’ index finger kept messing up the loop. Honestly, I didn’t see what the big deal was. For weeks I’d been using my own method—the make-two-bunny-ears-then-crisscross-then-fold-one-under-and-pull-to-tighten method—and my shoe laces looked perky and perfectly bowed. So why change?

I have a lot of these little quirks, especially in the kitchen. My knife skills border on horrifying (trust me, you’d shudder if you saw me chop an onion), but hey, I get the job done. Even though I’ve nearly severed several fingers over the years, I’d never really given much thought to the dangerous method I employed to halve a spaghetti squash. I always proceeded in cutting a spaghetti squash as if it were a giant rock-hard avocado—with a knife painstakingly seesawing around the perimeter of the squash. I’m not sure what events occurred that caused my subconscious to one day realize this was a horrible HORRIBLE idea. I’m just thankful it did before I’d involuntarily amputated something.

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