For Alton Brown, some Good Eats

Yes, I’m really running late today but I’ve had so much to do and this is the first opportunity I’ve had to sit at the computer. I almost skipped blogging today, but I’ve had such a good streak, I hate to break it. So, here I am--hopefully it was worth waiting for.

My sister says I inherited the ‘sweet tooth gene’ and that she inherited the ‘savory gene’. I have to disagree with her though, I think I just got the ‘I love food, period, gene.‘ I truly believe that there is a 350 pound woman inside me dying of starvation! I love food and I love to eat. I’m thankful I’ve learned to love running because it keeps me from weighing 350 pounds in real life.

My latest and greatest culinary discovery (and I should probably let you all know I could give the Frugal Gourmet a good run for his money, because I’m cheap…) is Aldi’s new Benita Spicy Black Beans, seasoned with cumin and chili spices. And, I can just hear my husband complaining how come he’s not had any of these delicious spicy beans--he’s so deprived…I only found them this week at Aldi’s and thought I’d try them as a snack alternative in place of my usual afternoon salad since all their bagged butter lettuce was expiring that same day. And they weren’t even marked down! Brown rotten lettuce at the same price as brand new fresh bags? That’s seriously wrong. So I needed something else in place of my salad and there they were--cases of Benita Spicy Black Beans, right next to the cans of Mexican Style Corn. Bingo! I could almost taste them right there in the store!

I bought only one can that day just to make sure I wouldn’t be disappointed in this new product. Then, when it was snack time, about mid-afternoon, I mixed the beans with the Mexican corn and heated them on the stove. Just the aroma of the cumin in the sauce made my tummy rumbly! I spooned some out in a small bowl, topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese (2% lowfat, of course) and a dollop of light sour cream and a few chopped cherry tomatoes from our garden. Oh, it was so good!! Just the perfect seasoning, not too spicy, in fact not spicy hot at all. You could add a scoop of your favorite salsa and go to town dipping tortilla chips in these beans! Or drain a big spoonful and wrap them in a whole wheat tortilla for a healthy, low fat, high fiber lunch! I bought four more cans today, and I believe it’s almost snack time…mmmm!

The Tucker Twist--that doesn't even look comfortable!!