Vegetarian Blues

This vegetarian thing is much harder than I anticipated. I had this idea that this cleaner eating would make me feel more energized, healthy, less bloated, socially responsible and satisfied. The one I may feel most is healthy but I am struggling.

My biggest problem is staying full. I will eat a meal and less than an hour later I am ravenous. I try to get a lot of protein in my diet with black beans, hummus, cheese, flax seed and nut bars and greek yogurt but nothing is working. I am tracking fats and protein and I am getting plenty.

Perhaps I am use to the feeling of being overly full or uncomfortably full? But at the same time I would like to feel staisfied and or full at all. I even had a dream that I ate a cheesebuger the other night...this lets me know I'm feeling a little deprived. I don't even eat cheeseburgers that often.

Please help!? Any advice on how to stay full without snacking 24/7?

I can't be that crazy person longly staring at someone elses turkey sandwich or standing in the refrigerator section eyeing chicken breasts and or glorious strips of bacon! I may need to have some seafood soon.

Last night was the first meal that I finally felt satisfied for over an hour. The menu: homemade blackbean burgers with veggie tabouli.

Don't judge my pictures...I was too hungry to take clear and awesome pictures


The black bean buger was hearty and had lots of flavor and next time I would even add more veggies to the mix.

The tabouli was light and fresh with lemon juice, cucumbers and tomatoes.



I definitely reccommend these black bean burgers! They even yield 4 hefty size patties which means Left Overs!

Black bean Burgers:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Rinse and drain the black beans. In a bowl mash them all up.

In a food processor add onions, garlic, and the pepper until pureed.

Add the pureed veggies to the black beans and mix. Add the egg and spices (feel free to use whatever spices meet your fancy, you can't go to crazy on flavor)and mix. Then add the bread crumbs.

Form into patties.

Heat a saute pan with some olive oil and cook the patties until brown on both sides.
Then transfer patties onto a sheet pan lined with tin foil and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Viola! Serve on a bun or on a bed or rice/tabouli!

Wish I could say I made the tabouli from scratch but it came from a box but I added lemon juice and fresh veggies.

Strawberries and Chocolate Oh My

I decided to make a tart again this past weekend. I am in a tart making mode, once you start to make them you can't stop. They taste too good.

This time I bought the dough because I wasn't going through that melting buisness again.

I chose to do a chocolate tart, something I have never attempted before but I figured what better time than the present.



Strawberries and chocolate...you can't go wrong here folks.


Melt the chocolate in some heavy cream and add some eggs


pour in the crust and bake


decorate with whipped cream, strawberries and more chocolate


Heavenly


I was surprised how light the chocolate mixture was once baked. It was smooth, mousse like and custard like all at the same time. But don't let that fool you, it is still very rich, and if thats wrong...I don't want to be right. Not one bit.

Plus strawberries are healthy right?


Chocolate Tart with Berries:

1 Frozen/ pre-made pie crust

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

~adapted from Tyler Florence

In a sauce pan, simmer milk and cream. Once warm, add the chocolate and stir until dissovled. Add sugar and mix again until dissovled. Take off of heat.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and then add 1/3 of the chocolate mixture to the eggs stiring constantly. Then add the egg chocolate mixture back into the sauce pan and stir.

Pour the chocolate into the tart pan with unbaked pie crust and bake at 325 for 50 minutes. Let cool.

Add whip cream to top and cut strawberries to top and decorate.