Another day of this..
The weather forecast is saying it should get better tomorrow so I have my fingers crossed. You better be right on this, weather.com !
3 gloomy mornings in a row had me craving for a happy bright breakfast. Happy to me is a banana split 
Stuffed with plain yogurt, mashed sweet potatoes, sliced strawberries, country pumpkin spice granola, and cinnamon
Oh, the mixture of all sweet deliciousness crammed between two halves of a creamy ‘naner. I want to oversize it and lay right in the middle of the yumminess!
Excuse me while I stare at this photo and daydream about my awesome breakfast for a bit…
Okay, I’m done, I swear. 
Right before I left my apartment, I threw in some dry black beans that have been soaking in water overnight into my rice cooker.
I love my rice cooker. I may not have a slow cooker, but a rice cooker can do much of the same stuff that a slow cooker does. Mine’s even the simplest travel sized version where you can’t control the time or temperature. It just has one button that you press, which pop up automatically when it’s done and turns off on its own. I don’t think I have burned anything with it. I would definitely love a fancier version one day like the one that Emily mentions in her blog, but mine suits me fine for now and it was free from my mom. Nothing can beat free, especially from your mommy!
Dinner
When I left earlier in the day, this is what my black beans looked like.
1 cup of beans and 2 1/2 cups of water. You can tell my rice cooker has been used ALOT.
And look at what was waiting for me when I got home from work!
Soft and plump and nicely cooked
I love when my food expands while it retains the same nutritional calories. It means I can eat a large quantity of it without feeling guilty, which is always a great thing in my book.
Needless to say, I based my dinner on the black beans and made a Black Bean Dip.
Dips are my one of my favorite types of food. They are just so addicting and deliciously salty. When I make my black bean dip, I go a bit crazy with my ingredients and tend to put in anything and everything I can find that sounds good. Here’s what tonight’s composed of:
- Black beans mashed with a fork
- Onions
- Red bell peppers
- Fresh basil
- Chopped escarole
- 1/2 wedge of Garlic & Herb Laughing Cow cheese
- A squirt of spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 tbsp lite mayo
- Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili oil
Have you ever had chili oil before?
You can get it at any Asian grocery store and it adds a delicious spice to your meal. You really don’t need much – just teaspoon or less, and you will definitely taste it.
WARNING: If you like spicy food, you WILL get addicted to this stuff and put it on EVERYTHING. Trust me, I’m speaking through experience and I had to hide it from myself so I don’t go on a chili overload.
I enjoyed my dip with some carrots and
Joseph’s Lavash Bread , which I cut into chips and put in my George Foreman grill for several minutes.
Getting nice ‘n crispy
Dip it low! Pick it up S-L-O-W…
I balanced out the spicy bean dip with a side of sweet corn on the cob. Another filling and satisfying dinner.
Hope everyone got through their hump day without too much stress. Top Chef tonight! Who’s watching?
Another day of this..
The weather forecast is saying it should get better tomorrow so I have my fingers crossed. You better be right on this, weather.com !
3 gloomy mornings in a row had me craving for a happy bright breakfast. Happy to me is a banana split
Oh, the mixture of all sweet deliciousness crammed between two halves of a creamy ‘naner. I want to oversize it and lay right in the middle of the yumminess!
Excuse me while I stare at this photo and daydream about my awesome breakfast for a bit…
Okay, I’m done, I swear.
Right before I left my apartment, I threw in some dry black beans that have been soaking in water overnight into my rice cooker.
I love my rice cooker. I may not have a slow cooker, but a rice cooker can do much of the same stuff that a slow cooker does. Mine’s even the simplest travel sized version where you can’t control the time or temperature. It just has one button that you press, which pop up automatically when it’s done and turns off on its own. I don’t think I have burned anything with it. I would definitely love a fancier version one day like the one that Emily mentions in her blog, but mine suits me fine for now and it was free from my mom. Nothing can beat free, especially from your mommy!
Dinner
When I left earlier in the day, this is what my black beans looked like.
And look at what was waiting for me when I got home from work!
I love when my food expands while it retains the same nutritional calories. It means I can eat a large quantity of it without feeling guilty, which is always a great thing in my book.
Needless to say, I based my dinner on the black beans and made a Black Bean Dip.
Dips are my one of my favorite types of food. They are just so addicting and deliciously salty. When I make my black bean dip, I go a bit crazy with my ingredients and tend to put in anything and everything I can find that sounds good. Here’s what tonight’s composed of:
Have you ever had chili oil before?