Mexican 3 Bean Salad

I love beans...  There, I've admitted it.  Pre-surgery, the humble bean  meant little to me - I could take them or leave them, but now they are a huge part of my eating plan.  They are high in fiber, filling and nutritious.  Plus they have a rich luxurious mouth feel and sit comfortably in my pouch - not to mention TASTY and EASY!

This recipe combines my penchant for beans with the flavors of the southwest for a classic three-bean salad with a Mexican flair.

1/2  cup olive oil
1/4  cup lime juice
1-3 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
1  tsp ground cumin, or to taste
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1  15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1  15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1  15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1  green bell pepper,  cored, seeded, and chopped
1  red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1  red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)

Combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to emulsify. 
Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. 
Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

Serves 6 to 8.

Cook's Notes:  If you want to kick up the heat level you can add a chopped and seeded jalapeno or Serrano chili - or a pinch of cayenne.
Best if allowed to marinate for 30 minutes or more.

HUNGRY MAN's Breakfast Burrito

I woke up this morning and I was HUNGRY.  Not just nibbly or peckish, but intense growling stomach HUNGRY.  I have these days occasionally and I've learned that in order to get over them I have to give into them.  But that doesn't mean pizza or cookies and ice cream, it just means that I allow myself a larger portion of a healthy breakfast, which today was a breakfast burrito.

BREAKFAST BURRITO!!!  REALLY DAVE!!!  You'd feed us a high calorie - high carb breakfast burrito!!

Of course not!  I'm gonna make a burrito the Bariatric Food Dude way.  

First, we eliminate the high carb tortilla wrap and substitute our low carb tasty replacement - an oatmeal cottage cheese crepe..

For 1 giant sandwich crepe:

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 oz. water
1 egg
tiny pinch of salt

Add oats and salt to blender and process into a fine flour.  Add egg, water and cottage cheese and process until smooth.

Pour into a 12" non-stick skillet over medium high heat and swirl to completely cover the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the edge gets firm and begins to lightly brown.  Bubbles will appear all over the top - flip and cook 30 seconds to a minute on the other side.  Note..  because there is no flour (and therefore no gluten) in this recipe there is nothing to hold it all together except the melted cottage cheese, so cook it thoroughly before the flip, but not so long as to become crisp - and treat it gently.  Remove to a plate for later assembly.


Filling:
I recommend scrambled eggs, sausage and cheese, but my philosophy is: "If you are going to do it - OVERDO it!", so instead of my usual breakfast sausage choice, I opened a package of locally made Mexican style chorizo that I picked up at the farmer's market.

I cooked the crumbled chorizo until it was little crispy bits and removed it to a plate, leaving the amazing flavored oil it gave off in the pan  to use to scramble the eggs.

Service:
Arrange the scrambled eggs down the center of the crepe, sprinkle liberally with crispy chorizo, cheese and optionally, salsa.  Flip up the bottom edge and roll into a tight package - Enjoy!!

Cook's Note: When making your own sandwich crepes you can flavor them any way you like! Toss a few spinach or basil leaves into the blender - or add a pinch of onion or garlic powder.  Or add Splenda and vanilla extract to wrap them around fresh fruit compote with a dollop of whipped cream for a spectacular dessert!
There is no reason these couldn't be made into smaller rounds for tinier portions.

By The Way: Even for all my hunger this morning, I was only able to eat about half of this monster.  Thankfully, my eyes really were larger than my stomach!