Easy Black Bean Dip for One

Hello, blog friends! How was your Wednesday? 


Tonight, I'd like to share one of my favorite go-to recipes for a quick weeknight meal: black bean dip! This is great with raw veggies, tortilla chips or by itself and eaten with a spoon. The recipe doesn't get any easier, and I'd like to think that eating a healthified version of bar food is rock n' roll. You know, the black beans are higher in antioxidants, a great source of protein and this dish is damn tasty. And the veggies on the side can't hurt either. So, here ya go:


Easy Black Bean Dip for One


Ingredients:
1/2 can vegetarian refried black beans
1/4 cup salsa of your choice
1/4 cup shredded cheese of choice
1. Scoop 1/2 can vegetarian refried black beans into a microwave-safe bowl. 
2. Cover and heat in microwave for two minutes.
3. Remove from microwave and stir in salsa and cheese
3. Recover, and heat in microwave for an additional minute
4. Remove from microwave, stir and enjoy!

That's an entire chopped green pepper right there. Ooh, yeah.

Can't be 'healthy' all of the time. We roll with salt-free chips, though.

With a side of puppy (optional).

New on the home front: The first two raspberries of the season! 

In other news... T-minus 4 days until the half marathon... and check out the forecast (Sunday):

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Ughhh. Fingers crossed that the weather-person who predicted this is wrong, and that it's a mild, partly cloudy day.


You do the talking: Have you done races in unpleasant weather? Any last-minute tips to share with me? I've been chugging water and sports drinks like it's my job, and have been mentally bracing myself for the worst case scenario. 


I'm pretty nervous about the race overall, and found a great article from Active.com: 4 Mental Tips to Overcome Pre-Race Jitters

My favorite bit of advice from this is "Set Yourself Up for a Life Experience:"  

Create a positive mental attitude about your personal expectations on race day. Focus on the overall experience... You'll be participating amongst hundreds or thousands of people that decided to get themselves out of bed early to put their bodies into action. That is a group of people you can learn from; embrace the event for all that it can bring to your life.


Open your mind and heart; be on alert to absorbing the special moments that will present themselves on event day. There may be a sign held by an onlooker that emotionally touches you, and motivates you to stay strong. 

Absorb the environment around you, and you will have an opportunity to take home inspiration. The memories of race day will be like a gift for your spirit that whispers, "You can do it" the next time you hit the road for training.


This really struck a chord with me, the race will be about so much more than the stupid weather. I'm going to try and focus on enjoying the race, taking photos with my friends and enjoying our running journey across the iconic Hoan Bridge. It's gonna be so cool (even if the weather is a challenge)!

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Friday night, is bourbon night.

At the end of a rough week, I am not always a social butterfly. I love my friends and enjoy my coworkers, but sometimes it's best if I spend a little time home alone, instead of kicking off the weekend at a concert.


Especially when on Friday afternoon, a celebrated blogger posts a recipe that sounds so delicious it makes one speed from the office, straight to the grocery store. To buy heavy whipping cream, of course.


For what? Caramel sauce. *Insert Homer Simpson drooling sound*


After seeing Jenna's recipe, I just had to try and make this myself. I very much enjoyed the process!


It's chemistry, really, but I found it fascinating that a pile of sugar and a couple tablespoons of water went from this:

To this, almost instantly boiling.

To this (!)

After adding the whipping cream:

And then, I added my own personal touch to the recipe. 

What goes better with caramel sauce than bourbon? :-) Just a little bit (1/4 cup).


Technically, Jack Daniel's is whiskey (not Bourbon). I know. I think that bourbon sounds fancier, so I'm sticking with it. So there. This caramel sauce would taste excellent with real bourbon, such as Basil Hayden's or Maker's Mark.


Once I was finished making the sauce, I decided I would need something to eat it on. A caramel sauce vehicle, if you will. And what better to go with Bourbon caramel sauce, than ice cream?


Frozen banana soft serve ice cream, that is. If you haven't heard about this recipe, you must have been living in a cave for the past year and a half.


Anyhow, you start with your frozen bananas, chop into pieces and discard the skins.

Then take 'em for a spin in your food processor.

I usually add a little almond milk to smooth things out, but was out of that so used the next best thing... more whipping cream ;-)

Keep spinning in your food processor, stopping every now and then to smooth out clumps that form. After a couple minutes, the mixture will have the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Mmmm.

I spooned some into a ramekin,

Topped with some bourbon caramel sauce, 

Dropped the spoon in the saucepan... drat. Will just have to lick the spoon later.

Pecans,

And more sauce.

Put it all together, and what do you get? Exactly what I needed tonight, and 100% homemade and wonderful.


Oh, and I 'dropped the spoon' again. Darn :-) Guess I'll have to fish that one out, too! What to do with another caramel-covered spoon? Hmmm....

Recipe: Pumpkin Oat Power Nuggets

Hello my friends - it's time for a new recipe!

Last night I wanted to celebrate being 95% moved in to our new place, and try out our new oven. Zak has been working hard on moving things every day, and I wanted to bake him some treats as a thank you.

I looked in the pantry and wanted to make something with the canned pumpkin, oats, raisins and whole wheat pastry flour I had on hand. Put 'em all together and what do you get?

Pumpkin Oat Power Nuggets!

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

2/3 cup of raisins

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup of canned pumpkin - Libby's is my fave

1/3 cup of honey

1/3 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed

Dry ingredients:

2 cups of oats - I used Quaker quick oats

1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour - I like Bob's Red Mill

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Add-ins:

1/3 cup of chocolate chips

1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.

2. Beat the eggs. Mix in raisins. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften the raisins.

3. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

4. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the egg / raisin mixture (I started with a teeny bowl and had to transfer to a large one). Mix until well combined.

5. 1 cup at a time, mix the dry ingredients into the wet combination in the large bowl

6. If desired, add chocolate chips and walnuts. Combine for even distribution.

7. Use a cookie scoop or drop onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until firm when pressed with the underside of a spoon.

These turned out great! The texture is more that of a muffin or scone, and these are not overly sweet-tasting like your typical cookie, so I decided to call them "nuggets." They are high in fiber and packed with Vitamin A, and very low in fat. These are great for an on-the-go breakfast, or a pre- or -post workout snack!

Baking in cowboy boots, oh yeah.

Next time I am going to experiment with vegan-izing the recipe, removing the eggs and perhaps substituting with a flax "egg" mixture instead. Also, I will try and "plump" the raisins by soaking in hot water for a few minutes. I've heard that applesauce is a great way to add moisture to low-fat recipes, so that could be a variation as well.

Do you have any recommendations on a good website to calculate the nutritional value of your recipes? I registered for NutritionData.com but have not yet figured out how to use their tools!

Back to work. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons, and Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs are playing tonight at our Turner Hall Ballroom! Can't wait :-)