Day 29

Workouts. . .
1-hour pilates class.

Today I had a lunchtime sandwich using Worthington’s Turkey Slices, cheddar and mustard. The meat slices were not how I remember them, with a hairy consistency that pulls audibly apart and makes you feel you’re eating a fuzzy cattail. The flavor is not bad, if you can overcome the texture, but I’m sure this won’t be replacing real turkey for anyone anytime soon. George couldn’t even be burdened to try it, so that’s how real it looks. However, it’s not as though they tried to fool you with the graphics. Even the package cover depicts the exact texture you’ll find inside. I think the only reason I can eat this is that I’ve had it years before and am not offended by it. Still, it was not my favorite.

Originally, I planned to make something simple so that George could heat it up while I was in class. This was not how it worked out. He didn’t, apparently, even enter the kitchen so he didn’t see my many notes — one pasted onto the fridge at his eye level and the second scrawled across the foil on top of the burrito pan with oven info. So I walked in after my class expecting the warm smell of dinner and was greeted by cool, unscented air. Very disappointing. We ate dinner at 7:30 p.m. instead, after I had consumed two brownies during the wait and created a huge dish of guacamole out of desperation and a need to be occupied while things cooked. These burritos tasted really good when they were finally ready though.

Smothered Baked Bean Burritos

This was my makeshift leftover bean soup recipe, and it turned out to be really, really good. If you don’t have leftover bean soup on hand, you could use a canned one or just replace it with a can of chili beans in sauce and an extra scoop of salsa to replicate the consistency of a soup.

2 c. or so leftover black bean soup
1/2 can refried beans
1 c. reduced fat sour cream
1-1/2 c. Monterey jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. salsa
6 tortilla shells

Coat a deep 9”x12” baking dish with cooking spray and heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the bean soup, refried beans, 1 c. cheese and 1/4 c. sour cream. Scoop filling into the tortilla shells, tuck ends in and fold into rectangular pockets. Place filled burritos into the baking dish seam-side down. When all the shells are filled, mix the remaining sour cream and salsa in the same bowl the beans were in, using up any leftover filling. Place a dollop of sauce on each burrito, and spread it around to cover the entire top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake with foil cover for 30 minutes, then remove cover and turn oven up to 400 degrees. Bake an extra 5-10 minutes, until cheese crust has formed over burritos. Serve with extra salsa and sour cream. Guacamole is also good, if you have it.

Christine’s Guacamole
1 ripe avocado
2 T chopped cilantro
1 T finely minced red onion or shallot
squeeze lime juice
cayenne pepper or chopped, deseeded jalapeno, to taste
lots of salt and pepper

Add items to a bowl using a pastry cutter to mash the avocado to the perfect chunky consistency. Taste the seasoning and add more heat or salt, as you like.