Mary – Page 19 – Fervent Foodie

Spicy black bean burgers two ways

July 7, 2011 7 Comments

ONE:

TWO:

Boom.

Homemade black bean burgers. FINALLY. After all these years I can check you off the Things I’ma Make List. Thank you to this recipe for showing me that homemade black bean burgers are actually super simple to make. Also thank you to Google for always helping me find delicious recipes to try out. I may not be a recipe creator, but I’m one heck of a recipe tryer-outer-and-tweaker if I do say so myself.

Here’s how to make your own black bean burgers in four easy parts.

ONE: Give the following a quick pulse in the blender, then strain out the excess liquids:

1/2 green pepper cut into chunks
1/2 onion cut into chunks
4 large cloves garlic, minced

TWO: Rinse and drain 1 can of black beans and pat those little bean babies dry with a paper towel. Once dry, pour them into a bowl and give them a good mash with a fork. The beans will have a thick and pasty yet slightly chunky (in a good way) consistency.

THREE: Whisk together the following in a small bowl:

1 egg
1 tbsp cayenne pepper (or less if you are a wimp)
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Franks Red Hot

FOUR: Combine parts 1, 2, and 3, then sprinkle in 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs and mix until combined. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to evenly portion out four burgers. If you’re anal like me, your burgers will have precisely the same circumference. This is optional (though highly recommended).

Cook those burgers up in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes on each side.

*Ding ding ding* Burgers are done!!!

Now it’s time to get creative.

Last night, I had one of the burgers in a big burger salad (just like we had at Pike’s over the weekend)!

I’m fairly certain ketchup and mustard have never looked so good:

Once the leftover burgers were cooled off, I wrapped them in parchment paper and then in a Ziploc baggie, and tossed them in the freezer. Tonight, I heated one of the burgers up in the oven (again, 375 degrees 10 minutes on each side).

I plopped the burger on a Trader Joe’s low carb tortilla along with some tomato, onion, avocado, and dijon mustard:

Coming in for your close up:

I really enjoyed these spicy black bean burgers. The patties held together well even though the middle of the burger had a soft refried bean consistency (which I actually liked). Next time I think I’ll cook them longer in the oven and see if the burger firms up at all. Regardless, I’ll definitely be making these guys again! I think I’ll try swapping out the bread crumbs for oats and egg whites for the egg.

I’m pumped I still have 2 more of these in the freezer Smile

Stats on 1 black bean burger: 182 calories, 30g carbs, 3g fat, 4g protein, 7g fiber

Ramblings, Restaurants

It wasn’t THAT good, actually.

July 6, 2011 11 Comments

As a foodie, I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that my world revolves around food. I spend countless hours each week reading about it, researching it, cooking it, exploring it, talking to strangers about it, sharing it… you get the point. From the 5:30am pre-body pump peanut butter toast to the hot fudge brownie bowls I’d like to cap every night off with, food is the thread that links the pieces and parts of my days together. It’s what brings passion to my eyes during conversation. It’s what brings a smile to my face at the end of a trying week. It’s what intrigues me, and challenges me, and nourishes my body and mind.

Bottom line: food brings me joy.

Of course, with all this love and warm fuzzies there is a dark flip side: the food flop. Nothing is more disheartening than experiencing a food flop. Perhaps it’s a new dish that’s lacking in taste or worse yet a new dish that straight up makes you ralph. Either way, a food flop is like a sharp nail on a chalkboard. It brings a party to a screeching hault in a matter of seconds.

It’s no secret that trying out new restaurants is one of my favorite pastimes. I love the excitement of experiencing something new and the opportunity to have ALL of my senses blown away by a fabulous dining experience. When I try a new restaurant and that restaurant doesn’t rock my socks off, whelp, it’s downright depressing. It feels like a waste—not only a waste of money, but more importantly a waste of time that could have been used to try out a different much more fabulous establishment.

Does anyone else feel this way? Maybe I’m a foodie extremist.

Speaking of trying new places, after my Ladies who Lunch post last week I headed to lunch with a lady (Jamie) at King’s Kitchen uptown. I was thoroughly excited for the opportunity to lunch with a new friend AND to try out a new restaurant that I’d passed so many times but never stepped foot inside.

While perusing the menu, I was pretty pumped when I saw “macaroni and cheese” as a vegetable. That HAD to be a good sign.

Another plus were the free biscuits we were brought:

Then the meal came—grilled chicken with macaroni, broccoli, and collard greens:

And that’s where the plusses stopped.

The chicken was dry – so dry that it was difficult (and awkward) to cut through even with a knife.

And the mac and cheese?

Whelp, it was oily and lacking flavor… As were the collard greens… and the broccoli.

Even with this disappointment, at the end of the lunch I put my hand on my belly and said almost robotically “that was so good!” As soon as the words left my lips, I thought to myself “ummm Mary, no that was NOT good.” But what didn’t come to me until later that day was that it was OK to admit the food wasn’t good. It’s not always rainbows and chocolate ganache. Sometimes it’s dry meat and oily side dishes.

Despite the food flop, Jamie and I had a great time getting to know each other. Some might think it’s crazy that I invite random people I’ve never met to lunch. But if you want to be a Lady who Lunches, sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do 🙂

Restaurants, What I ate

Time to eat your face off

July 4, 2011 13 Comments

I’m all for healthy eating, but I believe there’s a time and a place for eating a brownie the size of your face. Case in point: when your very first visitors come to your new town, you are obliged to eat your face off during the length of their stay.

So I ate. And I ate. And I ateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

One of the added perks of having my first visitors was that it provided the swift kick in the butt I needed to get the rest of my crap unboxed from the big move.

The new home is FINALLY nice and clean and box free.

Never underestimate the joy a clutter-free home can bring Smile

Ok, so maybe it’s a little sparse… But you know, I actually prefer it that way. Less to clean, less to worry about, less things to absorb my energy.

And more room to just be.

I feel relaxed already. How about you?

One of the MANY foodie stops I made with my friends Tim and Jaci this weekend was Pike’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop.

Pike’s is tucked away in a little nook off of South Boulevard in South End Charlotte. The brightly colored umbrellas lining the patio, low strung lights, and old fashioned soda shop sign made me feel like I’d been transported back to the 1950s.

Once we walked inside, we realized Pike’s really lives up to being “old fashioned.” The walls were covered with old advertisements, the wait staff was incredibly friendly, and the faint smell of ice cream and homemade baked goods lingered throughout the entire place. Add to this a menu overflowing with dozens of old fashioned tasty treats, and I’m sure you can imagine the serious salvation that was going on in my mouth.

Jaci was a little bummed she didn’t bring her poodle skirt with her, but she and Tim were still able to force smiles for the picture Smile

It took us an exceptionally long time to order because each of us were going back and forth debating our decisions. Philly Cheese Steak? Onion Rings? How about the meatloaf? Ooohhh the homemade chili sounds really good. Blue cheese potato chips?!?

Tim went with an unpictured buffalo chicken sandwich—I snagged a bite of the crispy chicken on the sandwich and was a big fan of their buffalo sauce.

Jaci and I both decided on Burgers in Bowls. She created her own bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and avocado:

I went with my new obsession (meat chili and coleslaw) and got the appropriately named Carolina Classic. It had a homemade meat chili, coleslaw, mustard, and onions:

This was pure heaven. I’m in love with this combination of the hot slightly sweet chili against the cool crunchy coleslaw. Pair that combo up with the smoky char of the fresh ground chuck and it’s a match made in heaven, I tell ya. I was never a fan of coleslaw until I moved to North Carolina and tried this combo for the first time. Now I cannot get enough!

Each of the three of us downed our meals with gusto. The waitress let out a little laugh when she came back to three near-sparkling empty plates. Full is an understatement, but we still felt obliged to try out one of Pike’s desserts. We took a quick peak into the dessert case, and even though the Key Lime Pie, cupcakes, and blueberry cobbler looked amazing, we were all drawn to the giant brownies on the top shelf. These brownies were large and in charge. Several inches thick and big enough to surely require two hands to eat. They looked just too darn good to pass up, so we agreed the hot fudge brownie bowl was the way to go:

I haven’t had REAL ice cream in AGES. I’ve found Charlotte to be a hard-core Frozen Yogurt town, and I’ve been searching high and low for some good old fashioned ice cream. This ice cream hit the spot—dense enough to eat with a fork, creamy, and perfectly sweet.

30 seconds later, we declared ourselves champions.

After our large lunch, we thought it would be nice to take a stroll in Freedom Park. A little sun, a little nature, and a little jump start on digestion Smile

This was my first time visiting Freedom Park, and I was pleasantly surprised by how large the park was and by how peaceful and serene it was. I can see myself coming here, sprawling out in the shade, and reading. Or napping. One of the two Smile

Restaurants, What I ate

Whew Wednesday.

June 29, 2011 7 Comments

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

AND HAPPY WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY!

ANNNND HAPPY WHAT-I-ATE-WEDNESDAY!

Today was such a particularly packed Wednesday, I think I’ll rename it Whew Wednesday Smile

The day started off with a handful of Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins:

I affectionately call this the Cereal of the Gods. It really is THAT good. I also hear Barbara’s now makes chocolate peanut butter puffins. Don’t worry. I’ve added finding the new cereal to the weekend to-do list.

After I popped the puffins, I headed out for my interval run (which consisted of a short 2-interval series of 1 minute walking and 9 minutes running).

Post run, it was time for eggs and bacon … sprouted 7 grain bread. Mmmmmmm Smile

These are the eggs I make pretty much every day. I call them my fake out dippy eggs because it’s actually a 3 egg white scramble topped off with 1 dippy egg.

When you poke the yolk it oozes down over the egg whites and tastes just as darn good as a plate full of dippy eggs. Thumbs up

After the eggs, I headed to work (insert 2 hours of number crunching here) and around 10am it was time for Breakfast #2!

Overnight oats, my friends. Overnight.Oats. Yes, I STILL love and adore them. Yes, I STILL eat them every day.

(insert two additional hours of number crunching here)

2+2 = Lunch time.

Today’s lunch consisted of some leftover ground turkey taco meat that I threw onto a bed of lettuce along with some tomato, onion, black beans and corn:

If you are looking for a tasty side dish for Mexican food, try out this recipe for Corn and Black Bean Salad. I made it over the weekend, and it was super tasty and SUPER simple.

Afternoon snack consisted of an un-pictured apple and some cocoa roast almonds….

After work, I headed to Dandelion Market for happy hour with some coworkers:

The Dandelion Market is a tapas restaurant that serves up a variety of intriguing small plates. The atmosphere in the restaurant was rustic, yet chic. Dimly lit and extremely cozy.

I’d of felt equally comfortable sipping a cup of coffee in a chair in the corner as I did sipping a glass of cabernet at a table near the window.

Tonight I had the pleasure of sampling two of the tapas. First was the pepperoni flatbread. Isn’t it beautiful?

Don’t be fooled. This was not your typical peperoni pizza. This flatbread had cured peperoni, ricotta salada, a rustic tomato sauce, and BASIL. It was light and delicious, and honestly I think I could have ate three of them. The basil was the perfect finishing touch.

I also sampled the grilled steak skewers:

The steak was cooked PERFECTLY medium rare and was incredibly juicy. But what REALLY made the dish was the sweet and spicy honey soy marinade that came along side:

Coming from a lady who puts A-1 Steak Sauce on EVERY steak that goes in her mouth, you KNOW it must have been amazing if I devoured the entire plate without even pausing.

After dinner, I headed to TCBY for some froyo with the Charlotte Food Bloggers! Now, truth be told I am an ice cream snob. I worked at the world’s most fantastic locally owned and operated creamery throughout all of high school and college (biased much?), and during these years I had the opportunity to taste, sample, and create some of the most outrageously delicious ice cream concoctions.

So, frozen yogurt? Meh. Doesn’t really do it for me. Which is odd, given that this town is littered with Fro Yo joints. What DOES do it for me though is the crazy assortment of toppings all these frozen yogurt places have.

Here’s my combo of the evening:

PB and Cake batter froyo…. with a little cookie dough, some heath bar, a little brownie, mochis, Peanut Butter drizzly drizz, and some blueberries for good measure.

Let’s focus on what’s really important here:

Who’s with me?

Fitness, What I ate

Run and done(ish)

June 28, 2011 6 Comments

The low down: This week marks week four of my self-proclaimed Kick the Knee Pain running program. I started off this new program with intervals of 2 minutes walking 1 minute running, and each day I run I bump my run interval time up by 1 minute. Sunday I completed 3 intervals of 8 minutes running and 1 minute walking.

Status: Other than some mild tightness in my knees, I haven’t had any knee issues so far!

Contributing “Success” Factors:

Buying new running shoes BEFORE starting to run.
Running primarily on softer surfaces (trails, paths, etc.)
NOT running every day and giving my knees a chance to recuperate
Being conscious of my natural tendency to heel-strike and focusing on NOT
Strength training. Building up the muscles in my legs and my core supposedly takes stress of the knees.

Conclusion: Boo ya.

*Note that stretching is not on the list above… feel free to leave angry comments about the importance of stretching. Maybe that will get it through my stubborn brain.

Short-Term Goal: Be at 30-minute running only intervals (i.e., no walking) with no knee pain by August 15th.

And now on to more exciting things… like this lovely tuna wrap I had for dinner Smile

Isn’t it perdy? This was a quick hodgpodge I threw together after work and consisted of:

1 can chunk tuna in water, drained
1 tbsp light HELMANS mayo (none of that miracle whip crap )
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 small dill pickle, chopped
Handful of romaine lettuce
Handful of grape tomatoes
S&P
Dried Dill
1 light Italian Flat-out wrap

This made for one gynormous wrap, that I basically inhaled. Along with some cucumber salad:

This should be called the Lazy Girl Salad. It consisted of 1 sliced cucumber, some white vinegar, and some dried dill. Easy peasy!

Tomorrow is Wednesday! And for the 92nd week in a row, I’m going to attempt to NOT forget it’s What-I-Ate-Wednesday. I even put a reminder in my phone Smile

Question of the evening: How do we feel about my giant head on the right hand side of the page?

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