Five a day, what you say?! Part 2 the Veggie side!

Okay,

So you need a way to get your five servings of vegetables in and have no idea how to do it.  You may for some reason think that salad is not a good way to get them in, but you'd be wrong.  Think about it, most salads consist of  lettuce, and you can use more than one type of lettuce in your salad, for instance, romaine lettuce and sweet butter lettuce which brings your total so far to 2!!!  Woohooo! LOL  Then you could add tomatoes, don't laugh that brings you to 3! Then some diced onion or shallots which is a milder type of onion and you have 4!  You can then add some blanched broccoli or cauliflower to some already boiling water in a colander {a metal one, not plastic} for about 5-10 seconds and then put in a bowl of ice to stop the cooking process this brings you to 5!!!! What you say, I've got five, yes you now have 5, lolol. 

Since this is a salad we're talking about, the sky is the limit.   You can add some cooked corn, some matchstick carrots, or baby carrots, you can add whatever your favorite (vegetable) salad ingredients are to make sure that you get in your 5 for that day.  And think about this in one large salad or one medium sized salad, you can get all 5 of the daily recommended servings of vegetables and if you don't really like veggies, then you're done for the day!

Now I'm not going to explain to you how to make a salad, I'm just going to suggest that you get creative and add some color, lots of color to your salad.  Even add some fruit if you like, make it really pretty and colorful, don't be afraid just use your imagination and go for it!

Let me know what you come up with and enjoy your salad creations!

Much love,

J

Beans, beans good for the heart - part 2

 I didn't realize I'd already posted this recipe, but I'd not yet made it, so forgive the duplication and try the recipe!!!

Okay, so I like to try new things, love learning new things and most of all I like to eat, while trying not to look like I like to eat.  One day I was watching the Food Network's show "Big Daddy's House" and the chef on that show made something I'd been wanting to try.  Black Bean Burgers.  Now for those you who know me, I'm really opposed to many processed foods, so I don't think I'll ever try a Morningside veggie burger, I'd rather make my own from scratch and here was the perfect recipe and I'll share it with you here.  I made them yesterday and let me just say, they are good!!!!!  So for my vegetarian friends this one's for you!!!!


Ingredients are:

2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 shallots ( regular yellow onion will do) minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika ( I used what I have in the house)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon freshly chopped cilantro
1 egg white, slightly beaten
I added some minced garlic to this mixture, cause mama has to have some garlic with her beans! LOL
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt ( I don't cook with salt, I prefer to add salt once the food is on my plate)
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper (I did not measure this, just twisted the pepper mill a couple times)
3 tablespoons olive oil.

Now Big Daddy made these burgers as a sandwich, I opted not to do that, just had one with a salad.

So now, in a large bowl, mash the black beans with a potato masher or your hands.  Add the onion (or shallots), red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, cilantro, egg white, and the flour.  Mix well with a wooden spoon, then form the patties with your hands.    Now you can make these smaller if you like, this recipe calls for 4 burgers and they are fairly large.

In a large frying pan (skillet) heat the oil, his recipe says to sear the patties for 3-4 minutes I cooked them a little longer and they had a nice crust to them.

This is a really fast way to get some protein in your diet and with a salad on the side, you're set for dinner or lunch. 

Hope you'll try this recipe and  let me know how you liked it!

Much love,

J