elly says opa!

Beautiful Bones: Santa Fe Chicken Salad

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:39:30 -0500

Susan the FoodBlogga has one of my favorite blogs. Everything is always so fresh, simple, and beautiful. When I saw she was hosting a blog event, Beautiful Bones, I knew I wanted to participate. The event asks bloggers to make a calcium-rich dish to bring awareness to osteoporosis.

I was actually planning on thinking something up and making it next week for the event, since I already had my dinners planned out for the week. But, as I was reviewing the event on Susan's blog (and also inputting my meal into SparkPeople), I realized the chicken salad I was making was mighty high in calcium. Cheese? Check. Sour cream? Check. Avocado? Check. Black beans? Check. Lime? Check. Corn tortillas? Check. Tomatoes? Check. Oregano? Check. Tequila? Okay, that's not high in calcium but it's good to have.

When it was all said, calculated, eaten and done for, this salad provides you with a shade under 40% of the recommended calcium intake for the day. w00t! It's good to know I am naturally planning calcium rich foods without really thinking about it.

I suppose this is what is called a "Santa Fe Chicken Salad." Honestly, I have never had one of these concoctions before in a restaurant, but that goes without reason. I love all the components in this salad and it's a nice twist on a boring ol' grilled chicken salad. I haven't calculated the nutritional value for this (other than the chicken itself) because it will really vary based on whether you use full fat cheese, sour cream, ranch, etc. If you don't, this is definitely a light, healthy and filling salad. Take that, osteoporosis!

santa fe chicken salad (2)

Santa Fe Chicken Salad
Serves 2

Tequila Lime Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4.5 oz. each)
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp. Tequila
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chili powder
2 cloves garlic, smashed
salt and pepper

Combine the lime juice and zest, tequila, orange juice, canola oil, spices and garlic and whisk together. Pour into a dish or resealable bag along with the chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes - 2 hours (any longer and the acid in the citrus could start to "cook" the chicken).

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then grill or saute the chicken, basting with the marinade, until cooked through (about 4-5 minutes per side).

Nutritional information per piece, if consuming all marinade (which, you probably won't): Calories: 225 / Fat: 7g / Carbs: 4g / Protein: 29g

Dressing
1/4 cup salsa
2 heaping Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. ranch dressing
hot sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients (and a few dashes of hot sauce, if you'd like) and refrigerate as you make the rest of the salad.

Salad
3-4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1/3 cup black beans, drained/rinsed
1/3 cup corn
1/3 cup cheddar jack cheese
2 corn tortillas
cooking spray

Cut the corn tortillas into squares and spray with oil. Bake at 350 in your oven (or toaster oven, as I like to use for these small jobs) until crispy.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and then stir in the crispy corn tortillas. Top with chicken.

santa fe chicken salad

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Lubyee Bil Lahmi or Lubyee bi Laham or Lubia...

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:59:30 -0500

...or fasolakia me arni, if you're Greek :)

I love almost every type of cuisine but if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be Lebanese. It's probably a bit of a cop out, really, because it's just so similar to Greek food. That's probably why I like it, eh? I could honestly eat Middle Eastern or Mediterranean food every day for the rest of my life and I would be okay with that. Actually, I had Lebanese for 3 meals last week alone.

Lubyee bi laham (or any varation of that spelling) is a Lebanese lamb and green bean stew. Greeks make almost the same thing, with slightly different spices, and occasionally with okra instead of lamb. It is one of my absolute favorite things to eat, no matter who makes it. I grew up in a city with a population that was about 50% Arabic. In other words, I was extremely spoiled with Middle Eastern food. The local restaurants were authentic and the foods my friends' parents made me were, too! There are some great Lebanese joints in Chicago but I haven't found one that is totally up to par with Dearborn. But, that doesn't stop me from getting my fill of shawarma, kofta, pilaf, fattoush and jerusalem salad in a week, apparently.

This recipe is basically a combination of the one from Ally's blog, Culinary Infatuation, and the one from Katie's blog. Good Things Catered. Both have some Lebanese blood in them so I knew it had to be good.

And good it was. So tasty, so comforting. Letting this simmer for a few hours is seriously killer. It smells SO good. I was ready to dive into it before I had even added the green beans. Like Ally, we had this over some Middle Eastern couscous, which I already had in my cabinet. I just toasted it in olive oil and then cooked in a mixture of water and broth.

This was a little too liquidy, so next time I'll simmer uncovered for a few minutes at the end to thicken.

Lubyee (2)

Lubyee bi Laham
Serves 4

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. lamb stew meat
2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
allspice (errr, I never know how much because I only have the whole allspice and I throw in quite a few; maybe 1/2--3/4 tsp. if you have it ground?)
1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
salt and pepper

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and then add the oil. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the lamb and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add the onions and cook until tender. Add the garlic, sauteing until fragrant. Pour in the water and crushed tomatoes, deglazing the pot and scraping up all the browned bits. Add salt, pepper and allspice and bring to a boil. Put the lamb back in. Cover and turn the heat to low, simmering for 1-2 hours.

Add the green beans and simmer covered for an additional hour.

If you need to thicken the stew, simmer uncovered for a few additional minutes at the end.

Lubyee

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 300 / Fat: 10 / Carbs: 26 / Fiber: 5g / Protein: 28.5

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Spanakorizo

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:02:06 -0500

Or, a fancy schmancy Greek way of saying spinach-'n-rice. In Greek, "spanaki" is spinach and "rizi" is rice. I hope you're paying attention to some of the Greek tidbits you're learning from my blog because you never know when you may need them. Maybe your next Cranium question is going to ask what a spanakophobe is, and of course you're going to know right away that, obviously, it's someone who fears spinach.

[Okay, I just did about 20 seconds of googling and was not able to confirm that a person who is scared of spinach is called a spanakophobe or anything remotely close to that. So let's not use that example, but it could come into play somewhere, I promise. Maybe not with spanakophobe or rizophile, but some time.]

At any rate, spanakorizo is a very common Greek side dish. The flavors are very typical of other Greek dishes and they taste great when combined. The bonus is that this can double as your vegetable and your starch side. Normally, I am not one to do that (veggies are important and most veggies incorporated into starches tend to be in very small quantities), but here I am giving you the go ahead. About 1.5-2 lbs. of spinach are put into this rice, and the amount of rice you eat is actually less than the serving (how often can you say that about a starch?) but don't worry, the portion is still plenty.

Traditionally, spanakorizo has quite a bit more olive oil to start, but I like to make a healthier version. I suppose using brown rice would make it even healthier but for some things, even I just say no to brown rice. Some Greeks add tomato paste or fresh tomatoes to their spanakorizo but I am not one of them. I don't believe that there's anything wrong with that, but I like the combo of the dill, spinach and lemon as it stands.

In case you're wondering, we had this with a very Greek-flavored pork tenderloin that I quick marinated in fresh lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and oregano and then seared and roasted.

Spanakorizo

Spanakorizo
Serves 4

1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2/3 cup long grain white rice
1-1/3 cup water
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 bunches or about 1.5-2 lbs. fresh spinach, chopped (and remove any stems that don't seem very tender)
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped (or about 1 T dried)
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Once heated, add the onions and saute until tender. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the olive oil, "toasting" it for a minute or two. Add the water and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

Add the spinach, dill and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture down to a simmer. Cover tightly and simmer about 15 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 205 / Fat: 6g / Carbs: 33g / Fiber: 4.5g / Protein: 7.3g

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Chicken Lo Mein

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:38:29 -0500

I love lo mein. It's one of those things I love to eat at a Chinese restaurant (or for take out), but I've never actually made at home. A few weeks ago, I was doing my usual aimless wandering around Whole Foods when I saw some lo mein noodles. I decided to pick some up and, well, here we are.

I made this almost exactly like I make my stir fry and I thought it turned out quite tasty. One of the great things about this is that it's a way to curb your craving for Chinese food without all the fat and oil that is typical of restaurant Chinese restaurant food. In fact, one of my favorite places to get lo mein is SO oily that when I reheat the dish the next day, I usually pour out a good 1/4 cup of grease that has accumulated at the bottom of the container. Ick. Any by "ick" I mean "mmmm tasty, but I really shouldn't eat this."

This is meant to be a healthier version of the dish, so I didn't use a lot of oil but you could definitely add more if you'd like. The addition of the sesame oil at the end gives it a nice extra nutty flavor in addition to making it a little more fatty and luxurious without being horrible :) Some fresh ginger would be great in this, but unfortunately I didn't have any around. And, of course, you can use any vegetables you want, have around, or like.

I am submitting this over to Ruth for Presto Pasta Night.

chicken lo mein

Chicken Lo Mein
Serves 2

4 oz. lo mein noodles
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium chicken breast, cut into strips or bite sized pieces
1/2 small onion, sliced or diced
1 large carrot, cut into coins or matchsticks
1 large celery stalk, sliced
4 oz. mushrooms (I used a combo of shiitake and oyster)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peapods, whole or sliced
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lo mein noodles and cook, then drain and rinse under cold water. In a bowl, make your sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Bring canola oil to just under a smoking point in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until done.

Add the vegetables and stir fry until tender-crisp, just a couple minutes. (If you want certain veggies more done, just cook them longer and stagger your vegetable additions; I often add onions around the same time as the chicken because I like my onions to be totally sauted and for their flavor to come through the whole dish).

Add the sauce, and then add the noodles. Mix everything together well. If the veggies need to cook longer, cover and steam until done. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 448 / Fat: 9.4g / Saturated Fat: 1.2g / Carbs: 58g / Fiber: 4g / Protein: 29g

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Back in town and lacking produce

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:14:07 -0500

Well, we're back. We had a great time visiting family in Michigan and I ate my weight in Greek desserts (and lamb and potatoes and tzatziki and bread and...). Calorically speaking, the last 5 days didn't happen ;)

As a result of being out of town, we came home to a pretty empty kitchen. We won't be getting groceries until later tonight so in the meantime, I had to make due with what I had around. Frozen shrimp is one of the greatest things for those kinds of nights. You can cook it from frozen or just thaw it under some cold water for a few minutes. And there you go, you have a lean protein that is great in pasta or rice, grilled, in tacos, whatever you want.

A while back I came across two recipes for shrimp baked with feta and below is my version of this dish, made a little more Greek with the use of hilopites. Normally, I would make this with fresh basil and parsley but we didn't have any around. I did have the chopped/frozen basil from Trader Joe's, though, so I actually used a couple cubes of that.

This is a really simple, delicious and healthy dish. Hey, it won't erase the diples from the past weekend, but it will still make you feel great.

Baked shrimp and feta pasta (2)

Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta
Serves 2

1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup hilopites (or orzo)
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried basil (I used 2 of the fresh/frozen TJ's cubes)
1/4 cup white wine
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook hilopites until just al dente (won't take long at all for such a small pasta). Drain.

Meanwhile, in a skillet or a small dutch oven, heat the olive oil until shimmering and then add the onions and cook until transulent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Then, add the white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, basil, and salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavors.

Off the heat, stir in the shrimp and the hilopites. Move the mixture to a small baking dish (unless you are using a dutch oven; if so just keep it like that) and top with the feta. Bake about 10-12 minutes or until the shrimp has cooked through.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 422 / Fat: 11g / Carbs: 46g / Protein: 28g

Baked shrimp and feta pasta

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LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:02:08 -0500

Yellow squash

As I mentioned, there are so many great blogging events going on right now and sadly, I haven't had the chance to participate in as many as I would like. Thankfully, though, Barbara at Winos and Foodies extended the deadline for this year's Taste of Yellow, so I was able to sneak a submission in tonight before going out of town tomorrow. If you haven't already participated in LiveSTRONG Taste of Yellow 2008, definitely try to!

I picked up some yellow squash the other day, and sort of decided what I was going to do with it about 5 minutes before cooking it. The filling consists of ingredients I always have around, and that I love in combination with one another. Plus, I think it makes for something quite pretty!

Taste of Yellow is to show your support of LiveSTRONG Day 2008, which is May 13. Cancer. It's one of those things that I feel affects nearly everyone in some way, unfortunately. It hit me the hardest as a freshman in high school when my grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer.

I lived with my grandparents from when I was 3 years old until I was 10 years old. They were obviously like a second set of parents to me. My yiayia (grandma) and pappou (grandpa) took me on their biannual vacations, gave me my first job as a "hostess" at their restaurant, and, well, made me talk to anyone who called because they couldn't speak good English :) Speaking of poor English, one of my earliest memories is of my pappou yelling at my preschool teacher. See, when I started preschool I was armed with a very small set of English words as I spoke Greek to my whole family. I was also armed with quite a temper and stubbornness (some things never change). One day, we were supposed to be napping in cots. I was not used to taking naps in the afternoon and I tried to let my teacher know that. The teacher, increasingly frustrated with me, eventually dragged my cot (and me) out to the hallway and made me sit there for the rest of the afternoon. When my pappou came to pick me up and saw me crying in the hallway, he was absolutely furious. You can imagine the the screaming in incredibly broken English that ensued.

I was alway close with both my grandparents, but my pappou and I shared a special bond. I was the typical spoiled only grandchild, but it was so much more than that. We always had a good time together, and he loved me more than anyone. I'd stay up waiting for him to come home from the restaurant and practically every night, like clockwork, he would eat a steak and drink some ouzo. So now you know where I get my adoration for both steak and ouzo :)

When my pappou was diagnosed with cancer, it was obviously a scary thing for me but more than anything, I assumed he would pull through it. My grandpa was tough. He was a big guy. He came from Greece on a boat and became successful in the States. He raised me in addition to raising three of his own children. Cancer? He could beat cancer! Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Watching someone you love so much get weaker, get thinner and just get sicker as the cancer spread is something I hope I never have to go through again. My pappou lost his battle with cancer in 1995. It was devastating. And, it's still devastating. I still think about him all of the time, and I often wish he were here to share so many things with me. On our wedding day, Tom and I wore the "stefana" (crowns prevalent during an Orthodox ceremony) that my yiayia and pappou wore on their wedding day in 1959. It was a way for him to be there with me on my special day, and I know that he is still "here" for me on other special days. Or maybe on a day that doesn't even seem that special...watching over me, wondering why I am eating chicken and drinking wine when I could be having a piece of steak with a shot of ouzo instead.

Squash boats

Mediterranean Squash Boats

2 yellow squash
a little olive oil
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
1 large clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
fresh parsley or additional basil for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Wash and scrub the squash, and then cut lengthwise. Scoop out the "meat" of the squash, chop it, and put it in a bowl. To the bowl, add the sundried tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

Brush the outside of the squash with a little olive oil (or spray with a Misto) and sprinkle the insides lightly with salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini with the mixture from the bowl. Drizzle each piece with a little balsamic vinegar. Top with the crumbled goat cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is warm.

Squash boats (2)

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Baby Cheesecakes

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:57:14 -0500

There are so many great, inspiring blog events being hosted right now. One of those (that I am posting about just under the wire!) is hosted by Holly, the Phe/MOM/enon, to raise awareness of the Little Wonders March for Babies. Be sure to check out her Blogging for Babies event. Even if you don't have time to participate, it is definitely inspiring to read her story and possibly help to reach her donation goal, if you can. Thanks, Holly, for sharing your story!

A couple of weeks ago I had dinner with a coworker at Tallulah and it was great. For dessert, I had the pistachio cheesecake with tart cherry compote and it was fab. The cheesecake was a little firmer than usual and I loved that the pistachio flavor was in the filling and not in the topping or crust. It also helps that I love anything with pistachios or pistachio flavored (especially ice cream and pudding) and I love cherries.

So, I set out to make something similar. All I did here was take a basic cheesecake and add toasted/chopped pistachios to it. I wanted to add pistachio extract to it but I couldn't find it at any store and I didn't really feel like ordering it online, considering I probably wouldn't use it often and it cost twice as much to ship as it did to buy. But if I make this again, I will definitely use pistachio extract because mine was not quite as pistachio-y as the one at the restaurant, and I would like it to be.

I have a hodge podge of mini pans, so I used 2 tart pans that are about 4 or 4.5" and 2 smaller 2" tartlettes. Next time I'd just use two of the larger ones and make them a little thicker.

I'm hoping for one more blog entry before leaving for Michigan this week to spend some time with my family for Greek Easter. I have been so busy and haven't been making my usual rounds of blogs, so I apologize. I'm not ignoring you!

Pistachio cheesecakes (3)

Pistachio Cheesecake
Makes 2 4" tarts; double to make 9x13 pan of bars or quadruple to make a standard cheesecake in a 9" springform pan (you will probably only need to double the graham crackers, though)

3.5 graham cracker sheets
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 (8 oz.) packge cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or pistachio extract)
1 egg
1/4 cup toasted and finely chopped pistachios
*I really don't have a recipe for the compote. I just threw some cherries, a little sugar, and a splash of water and a drizzle of in a saucepan and called it a day*

Pistachio cheesecakes (2)

Preheat the oven to 350. (If you are using a springform pan, wrap foil around the bottom and up the edges.)

Crush the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and then beat with a heavy object :). Stir in the butter. Press the graham cracker picture into the tart pans to form a crust. Bake for about 7-10 minutes (depending on the size of your pans) or until it's aromatic and golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Beat in the egg. Fold the pistachios into the mixture. Pour the mixture over the cooled tart pans.

Pour hot water in a large baking dish. If you are using a springform pan, place it inside the pan with the water (it should come up about halfway) and then place in the oven. If you are doing bars or mini tarts, place the hot water on the bottom of the oven and then place your tarts on the rack above it. Cook until the edges are set and puffed, but the middle still jiggles slightly (about 13 minutes for the 2" tarts and 16 minutes for the 4" ones). Set aside to cool completely, and then refrigerate before serving.

Pistachio cheesecakes

Want to know more about Little Wonders March for Babies Team? Fantastic!! Here is the Team Page. Any amount that you can sponsor is extremely appreciated. Please, please help spread the word and sponsor Little Wonders if you can! Thank you!

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Topolobampo

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:08:36 -0500

I've been wanting to go to Topolobampo for pretty much as long as I've known it existed. The problem with Chicago (which is actually not a problem at all) is that there are so many great restaurants that even if you try a new one every week, you will never get through all the ones you want to visit. With Bayless becoming increasingly popular, I decided we needed to go while he still had some involvement there. As he continues his foray into celebrity chefdom (and, of course, gets a little older), he will probably be more likely to promote books, appear on television and come out with grocery products than continue working a saute station or something. We did luck out and Bayless was there on the night we went. We saw him in the kitchen and then later talking to some diners.

peacanwood-smoked Gunthorp duck salad with first-of-season Honey Manila mangos, Three Sisters Garden "shoots," chipotle-black olive dressing and homemade fresh cheese.

red chile-marinated, pan-roasted Maine lobster in cashew pipian (ancho chile, pumpkinseeds). Toasted black barley and bacon-braised green beans.

lamb two ways: roasted, ancho-crusted rack of Elysian Fields lamb and red chile-braised leg of Crawford Farm lamb. Savory black bean sauce, sweet plantain fritter, jellied "crema," queso fresco and watercress salad.

Warm dark chocolate cake with Mexican chocolate crema, margarita shaved ice with Honey Manila mango salsa, flaky pastry rhubarb empanada.

The brisket threads were great and the salsa roja, perfectly spiced. I would have loved a bigger serving of this but that's my only complaint. The duck salad was so good. The duck was perfectly cooked and the the smokiness was subtle, but definitely gave it a great flavor. Admittedly, I don't recall the fresh cheese so it must not have been terribly memorable. The lobster, delicious. (You are starting to understand why I don't do reviews, right? I can't exactly describe things as well and as convincingly as Ruth Reichl). I think the pipian might have been my favorite thing I ate. I could have eaten it from a bowl, like a soup. The lamb was good, but probably my least favorite. This is in no way to say that it was bad. The braised lamb was incredibly tender and the black bean sauce was really delicious (I was scooping it up with a tortilla). The rack of lamb was good, but maybe had a tad too much fat on it. But like I said, it was not a disappointing course, at all. As for the dessert, the crema was my favorite. It was similar in consistency to a flan, which is funny because I am not the world's biggest fan of flans, custards, etc. It had a great almost toffee-like taste to it. Mmm. And in the end, two more complimentary candies: a strawberry candy and a truffle.

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The Return of Eat to the Beat

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:09:18 -0500

Eat to the Beat

Thanks to the great response from my first Eat to the Beat blogging event as well as some feedback from readers, I am excited to bring the event back! As of now, I plan on making this a quarterly event. If I start getting a huge amount of response (which would be great!) I may seek out a cohost (so feel free to "apply" by shooting me an email). There are SO many great blogging events out there right now (in fact, I have 4 I want to participate in within the next week and I just don't think I will make most of them, sadly), that I thought quarterly deadlines might be better in terms of flexibility for bloggers.

This year's remaining deadlines are below. I will try to post the round-ups the week after the deadlines and, if you've sent me your submission by that deadline, it will be included in that particular round-up. If you send it after that date, I will just roll it over into the next round-up. Sound good?

2008 Deadlines:
Monday, June 30
Tuesday, September 30
Tuesday, December 30

So, here's a refresher course.

For EttB, please make and blog about a food or drink that somehow relates to a song, an album, a band, etc. Maybe you'll create a dish based on a song's literal lyrics about food. Perhaps you'll allude to a band's name in your creation (Smashing Pumpkin bread, anyone?). Maybe your favorite band is from Poland or your favorite song is about Chicago, and you want to blog about popular cuisine in those locations. Were you listening to a particular song as you were cooking or eating a specific dish? As long as you explain why the food/drink you have chosen to make reminds you of something musical, it works for this event. From "On Top of Spaghetti" to "The Spaghetti Incident;" from Pearl['s] Jam to "She Don't Use Jelly," the possibilities are endless.

In your entry (which you can post at ANY time), please mention this event and also include a link back to this URL. Then, email me at ellysaysopa [at] gmail [dot] com, and include your:

-name
-blog name and URL
-permanent link to your entry for this event
-where you live
-picture of your food or drink (as an attachment or as a URL within your email)

If you don't have a blog, no worries! Just send me an email with a picture of your food/drink and the story behind why you chose to make it.

I will send you a response email within 2-3 days of your submission. If you don't get it, that means I didn't get your submission. I try to check my spam as carefully as possible, but things sometimes slip through the cracks. So, email me again or leave me a comment here to make sure I get it.

I look forward to your submissions! Happy blogging, eating, and music-listening to all.

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TCB and BBB

nobody@vox.com(Elly) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:46:51 -0500

First, a little TCB/taking care of business. I'm working on bringing Eat to the Beat back. I think it will be a quarterly thing where I make a deadline every 3 months or so. If you miss that deadline, your entry will just roll over to the next round-up. I've just been lazy about posting it, but I promise to do that soon. So, get your thinking caps on! I'm so excited to see everyone's submissions, so I hope you will all take part!

Also, since Vox only lets me put 5 personal links on my page, I decided to make a post with some of my favorite blogs. You can access it here, or I've now put it as the sole link on my left sidebar, <---- over there. This was next to impossible because I follow something crazy like 200 food blogs in my Google reader, so I had to pare down the list a bit. That said, if I visit you a lot and I missed your blog (because, let's face it, despite being young I am quite forgetful), just let me know and I will add you.

Speaking of Vox, I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to move to a different blogging service because of the limitations/annoyances here, but haven't had any luck yet. A lot of sites will import blogger, Wordpress, etc. but not Vox and, as I said earlier, I am lazy--so I don't want to copy and paste well over 200 posts. In the meantime, I want to apologize for everyone who has problems commenting, signing in, etc.. I know it's annoying that you need to sign up with Vox to begin with and then when your comment doesn't work, or gets cut off...grr. So thanks to those of you who have been persistent in commenting or letting me know you read my blog via email, even though Vox has been quite craptastic in that regard.

Now for a little BBB (black bean burger, that is). I admit that it is very, very rare for me to make a dinner that doesn't have some sort of meat in it. Tom and I are the epitome of carnivores. Even when I make something like spinach pie, I make a piece of grilled chicken (or something) to eat with it. It's not only about taste and being full, but also making sure I eat enough protein. So, when I told Tom I was making black bean burgers he was (rightfully) perplexed. "On a Thursday?" he asked (assuming the reason had to do with lent, or some other day of the week where people don't eat meat, I guess).

The truth is, I am trying to use what I have around and well, I always have a can of beans or two around. What I didn't have around was any thawed meat. I was looking around and saw two recipes from Cooking Light for black bean patties/burgers so I decided to take that idea and adapt both a little for what is below.

These turned out quite tasty. I thought the patties were pretty small and wouldn't fill me up but I guess the fiber in the beans, mixed with the bun (and the huge salad I had) did because I was stuffed. I topped these with a little salsa, some habanero cheddar (from Whole Foods and oh so tasty) and a dollop of sour cream.

black bean burger

Black Bean Burgers
Makes 4 burgers

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup grated or finely diced onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste

Place about 1/4 of the can of beans and the egg in a food processor and pulse until combined.

In a bowl, place the remaining beans and mash lightly with a fork. Stir in processed beans, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until just combined.

Form the mixture into 4 patties. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Cook the patties approximately 3 minutes per side or until browned and heated through.

Nutritional Information (patties only): Calories: 130 / Fat: 1.9g / Carbs: 21.4g / Fiber: 6.1g / Protein: 7.7g

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