addiction

It may just be my seasonal depression talking, but New Year's resolutions make me feel like a cold, lame, wet duck. Why do I make them every year when the cynic that I am knows they will be forgotten by month's end? Probably because that which holds my cynical heart together is optimist's thread.
Here is the year's end--my twenty-eighth New Year--and only now am I giving enough thought to my bleak resolution history to realize that what I lack is not attainable resolutions, but success in equipping my self with the tools to make good ideas into habits. (I really should have read more Steven Covey.)
So, after eating my way through much of the last forty days, I revisited an article on the curses of my favorite tooth's treat: sugar. It's a good, short, top-ten-ways kind of piece that many friends have borrowed and copied so I've found it here, online, for your sad pleasure. Hearing the long list of reasons (which I already know but choose to ignore) why I should limit (or cut entirely) my refined sugar intake makes me sad and ever so guilty. Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? Damn it. I know the answer.
The article helped turn my gloom into motivation, as the part about how to break cravings and avoid unnecessary sugars is much longer than the refined-sugar-is-killing-you part. Combining list numbers '5. Add protein and fiber' and '6. Spice it up' I made up a super quick, no bake, low sugar, energy bar thing, but let's call it the Keep Me Off the Smack Bar. Apparently, "craving sugar...can be a sign that your body needs more protein," and cooking with cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves may help regulate blood sugar. (I recognize all of the "can be" and "may" in these statements and accept the placebo affect will at least be of some assistance in my quest to break the addiction.)

Keep Me Off the Smack Bar
(Truthfully I just made this up today so feel free to adulterate the quantities and ingredients to suit your self.)

Pile on a cutting board and coarsely chop:
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
a couple walnut pieces

Put into a bowl and combine with:
2 tbsp flax seeds
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
(shredded coconut would be super good, but I forgot)

Add:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp honey (yeah, I know, sugar)

Mix it all up then get a couple pieces of wax paper. Scoop about a 1/2 cup's worth onto each paper and mold it into bars, using the paper to press it. After that I sprinkled them with black sesame seeds. I put them in the refrigerator to stiffen them up. They are really filling, thanks to all that fat and protein from the nuts and germ. I'm still working on my first one and my sweet craving is satisfied.

wrapped up in the wax paper

let's eat

The following is one of my family's favorite meals we make. It comes from the Simply In Season cookbook with a few modifications. I have had some requests from friends for the recipe and offer it to all of you. I serve it with a good corn salad, whose recipe is below.

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos
from Simply In Season cookbook
yields 8

3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, chopped
Saute in a large frying pan in 1 tbsp oil just until tender. Add water or apple juice as needed to prevent sticking.

2 cups cooked black beans
1 tsp each ground cumin and ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Add and cook until heated through.

8 flour tortillas, each fried briefly in vegetable oil on both sides to soften
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded or Mexican cheese
Divide bean mixture and cheese among the tortillas and roll up. Place in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Separate those burritos you do not want smothered in enchilada sauce by cupping them in tin foil. Smother the rest with prepared enchilada sauce (see below). Cover pan with foil and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, salsa, avocado and/or fresh cilantro.

Enchilada Sauce: My favorite is found at Whole Foods and looks like this:
I mix it with a little oil and a lot of water, per package instructions. What isn't used for this round of enchiladas I store in a jar in the fridge for the next batch.
Corn Salad
from Mexican Family Favorites Cookbook
serves 6

12 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 fresh tomato, chopped
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt/ pepper to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
3 tbsp white vinegar
In a bowl, mix all ingredients and chill for 30 minutes. Garnish with avocado slices.