Like Rice and Beans

I am loving having one class down and only one paper standing between me and 2 weeks of relaxation!  Thanks for all your sweet comments!!

In between working on my paper, I have been hanging out with Luvy and doing some fantastic pilates.  I haven’t been doing pilates in a while, and I forgot how much it burns!!  :)  I have been doing videos over at blogilates.com.  She is incredible and super fun to “work out” with.

Tonight, Luvy made us dinner since I had to work late.  He made a staple meal around here.  Rice and beans!

Not many meals are better than rice and beans with veggies, salsa, and HOT SAUCE!  Yum.

After dinner, I got to talk to one of my college roomies over skype!  We haven’t seen each other in a 1.5 years.  I can’t believe how fast time flies!

We try to keep up with each other over our blogs, but it isn’t the same.

I miss talking to her…  I also miss coffee dates and her hugs.  We go together like rice and beans.  :)  Miss you Mary!!!

Hope you all are having a great week!  Just think.. tomorrow is Friday!  Luvy and I have a day out planned.  :)

What do you all have planned for your weekend?

Wanna Be

I wanna be anywhere but here right now.

I have been confined to my “office” aka kitchen table for the past two and half days.  I have three big assignments hanging over my head, and I have a feeling I had better get comfortable.  I’m thinking of investing in a nice soft cushion for my seat, because my hiney will be glued there until the end of the semester.

Luvy is in the middle of PhD seminars, so he has been writing and studying like a mad man as well.  It is nice to not be alone in this!  

We have both been a little under the weather this weekend.  Mine is allergies, but I don’t know what his is.  I have been drowning him in orange juice and healthy foods though.  We don’t have time to be sick.

Tonight I was craving comfort food.  All I could think about was how I wish Chaco Canyon could come to me from Seattle.  What does a girl do?  She recreats Chaco Canyon at home, of course!

I made lentil dal and turned it into a wanna be Lentil Dal warm grain bowl that I got at Chaco Canyon!

Wanna Be Chaco Canyon Lentil Dal (inspired by Chaco Canyon and this recipe)

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 2 Tbsp ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 Tbsp turmeric
• 2 cups lentils (I mixed red and green, but I liked green best)
• 4.5- 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 large tomatoes chopped (or one can)
• 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, sauté your onion in cooking spray or olive oil over medium heat.

After it starts to soften, add in all ingredients up to lentils.  Stir and let it cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Do not let it burn.

Add in rest of ingredients and bring to a boil.  

If only using red lentils, cook about 20 minutes.  If using green lentils allow to cook for 30 min or until lentils are tender.  Add additional broth if necessary.  I started out with 4.5 cups and had to add in another 1/2 cup or so.  It should be thick- you do not want this soupy.

To make like Chaco Canyon, first add in your rice.

Then your spinach.  (or grated carrots)

Next comes the Dal topped with cilantro!

Now I wanna be asleep, but I MUST finish this paper before turning in for the night.

Hope you all are having a great Halloween weekend!!  I’m having to miss out on all the fun.

Come see me tomorrow in your costumes! I might treat ya!

Special and Spicy

I can’t believe Monday is already over!  This week is going to FLY by.

We leave at the end of this week for London, and I’m so excited!!  What is super exciting is that it looks like I am going to be able to meet up with a couple of bloggers that I have met that live in the area!!

Lots of packing ensued today to get ready.  Before I started packing, I decided to try to run again today to see how the knee felt.  I am hoping to run some in London.  I didn’t make it very far before I started feeling a twinge in my knee.  I never let it get so bad that it actually hurt, so I don’t really know how far I could have gone.  I came home, stretched, and spent the rest of the morning icing my knee.

It was so humid out that I was drenched in buckets of sweat when I got back in.  Even though I didn’t get far, I sure looked like I worked hard!  I ended up just doing some weights and ab work today.  I tend to put weights on the back burner, but they are just as important as cardio.  Thanks to my sweet friend, Mary, for reminding me of that today!

Lunch today was SUPER special.  As you all remember, my brother-in-law, Matt, is deployed to Iraq.

Today, he just happened to be on Skype while Luvy was at home for lunch waiting on a call from London.  We buzzed him, and he answered!!!!  This was the first time we have talked to him since his deployment.  It made our day.  Matt let me know he liked my hair short, and that I should cut it.  I had to tell him that I’m too big of a chicken!  It is cool that Delights and Delectables is being read in Iraq!

Matt, we are praying for you daily, and we can’t wait for you to come home!!  We miss you and love you!

I have been promising several of you my black bean burger recipe from the other night for a long time now. Sorry about that!  This recipe was adapted from my wonderful friend, Donna.  I am unsure where she got the original recipe.

Without further ado..

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1.5 cups black beans (or one can rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup cooked brown rice or bulgar wheat
• 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp salsa

Cook onion, garlic, pepper, and jalapeno in skillet until soft.  I use water to cook mine, but feel free to use some olive oil.

Stir in seasonings and cook 1 minute to get fragrant.

Place this into a food processor and add in beans and rice*.  Process until well blended.  (* I leave some beans and rice out and add back in after the rest has processed to give it a prettier look and to make it more chunky)

Rip up bread and add into mix.  Stir in salsa.  Mix well.

Flatten 1/4 or 1/3 cup amounts onto greased baking sheet.  Bake 12-15 minutes on each side at 375°.

Try not to eat the whole pan at once!

These go well on a salad, in a burrito, or as “hamburgers”.  They also freeze very well!

Hope you all had a great Monday!!  It’s back to work tomorrow.  EEKKK!