Update

Just letting you all know that I have transferred all of the old posts from Full of Beans to my new blog, Vegan Awakening. I will be erasing Full of Beans very soon so please update your blogroll, followers list, favorites, etc. if you haven't already!

New Blog

After using Blogger for almost 2 years now I decided it's time for a change. Come check out my new Wordpress blog Vegan Awakening. I am keeping this blog open for a while, but I will not be posting on it. So please add my new site to your blogroll, favorites, followers list, etc. Thanks!

Black Bean Burgers, Take II

For the first day in weeks there is no clouds overhead and no threat of rain. Nico, Ditty, and I are sitting out on the balcony, soaking up the sun. Ditty made her first venture onto the balcony a few weeks ago and now she never wants to come back inside. I was a little hesitant to bring her out here at first because I had visions of her doing a swan dive over the railing (so far so good). She loves it out here! She can chase bugs, eat my plants, and give mommy a heart attack when she climbs between the bars of the railing. Unfortunately, Ditty thinks this is her balcony though and she won't let Ocho come out with us.

An old favorite made it's way to the dinner table again last night -black bean burgers. I am not sure how many times I have made my black bean burgers since I came up with the recipe, but it's been several. As I have said before, if I make something repeatedly, you know it must be good. (I'm one of those people who doesn't like making the same recipes twice. Unless it's really good, of course) I did alter the recipe a little, but the end result was just as tasty as the original version. I thought I'd share the alternate version of my recipe with you, in case anyone else would like to spend the rest of their summer eating black bean burgers like me.

Black Bean Burgers II


1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Follow the same directions in the original recipe. (Note: Use 1 tablespoon olive oil in the burgers; Use the other tablespoon in the pan when cooking the burgers)

We served the burgers with corn on the cob and a big spinach salad with lots of veggies. Nico enjoyed dinner too. He loves when we have corn for dinner!

Nutty Oatmeal-Raisin Bars, Take II

Despite having a day off for Memorial Day, it has been a long week. On Tuesday we were in a minor car accident. Luckily, no one was hurt and the only damage was done to Andrew's bumper. Now there is the hassle of trying to fix the car though (and pay for it). Needless to say, that wasn't the most enjoyable part of the week.

I was also very troubled when I read about the Conklin Dairy Farms investigation on Vegan.com. The whole situation is sickening and appalling. I couldn't even get through 1 minute of the video because it was so horrific. My heart breaks for those poor animals and every other animal that is subjected to such cruelty. (If anyone wants to read more about the investigation or watch the video, here's the link) Even though I know that these things are happening in the meat/dairy industry all the time, it never ceases to shock me. I can't believe that there are such heartless people in the world. :(

So what's a girl to do when she's having a rough week? Bake something of course! Baking is something that always cheers me up. Remember the Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Bars I posted a few months ago? I made them again today and tweaked the recipe a little. I used roasted cashews and almonds in place of the sunflower seeds and walnuts. I don't think it matters which kind of nuts you use in the recipe because they always come out tasty! I took a better photo this time too. The old photo didn't do these babies justice!

Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Bars
(recipe can be found here)

There's a new chef in my kitchen

There have been lots of yummy meals coming out of my kitchen the past few weeks and this time I cannot take credit. Andrew has decided to learn how to cook! Until now Andrew has been my sous chef. He knows some of the basics and assists me when I make dinner, but he has never cooked any meals for us. He helps me prep veggies, stir things when I run out of hands, and knows the difference between boiling and simmering. On occasion he will bake us cookies. And I must admit, he has become a pro at using his mini deep fryer. Now he is learning how to make us dinner.


Over the last 2-3 weeks Andrew has made some great meals for us (with the assistance of my cookbooks). First was the Tomato-Florentine Soup from Vegan Italiano, then the Popeye Pasta from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, and the Beanball Subs from Veganomicon. We liked all 3 meals, but the beanball sub was by far the best. After eating one of those subs I couldn't believe I haven't tried the recipe yet. They're freakin awesome! They're basically a vegan version of an Italian meatball sub. They have "meat"balls made from beans and wheat gluten, marinara sauce, and cashew cream. Andrew made the beanballs and cashew cream and I assisted him by making the marinara. We've had the Veganomicon beanballs before, but the cashew cream was something new. The actual recipe calls for pine nut cream but Andrew decided to substitute the pine nuts with cashews (a good choice if you ask me). The cashew cream was delicious! It was a replacement for the cheese used in real meatball subs. I definitely prefer that stuff over real cheese any day. The meatballs were a little squishy, but still tasty nonetheless. I was really impressed with this recipe and the great job Andrew did. It's nice having someone else make me dinner for once!

He's so silly. I love him <3

The Biggest Loser: Bad for One's Health?

I am shifting the focus away from cooking today to talk about television. Not television in general, but The Biggest Loser specifically. The show has a lot of fans and I really can't understand why. (If any of my readers happen to be fans, perhaps you can enlighten me) I tried watching the show a few times and ended up very confused and disappointed. I can't understand why so many people would enjoy watching a show that promotes such unhealthy tactics, negative body images, and prejudice against overweight people.

For those who have never seen The Biggest Loser, the premise of the show is to take a group of obese individuals and help them lose weight. Every week people are voted off and the person left standing at the end is crowned "The Biggest Loser." It is not the concept of the show that I find harmful, but it is the methods used. From the very beginning contestants are pushed beyond their limit with countless hours of grueling physical activity. In the first episode of season 8, the contestants had to run a mile. One mile might not sound like much, especially for those who are runners, but for someone who is overweight and out-of-shape it's a major challenge (If I recall correctly, one of the contestants ended up being hospitalized during the race). I think any fitness expert would agree that this is dangerous. Asking anyone to go from little to no exercise to such levels of intense activity can be harmful to one's body. It amazes me that more contestants have not gone into cardiac arrest during the first few episodes. And aside from being dangerous, it is unrealistic to tell viewers that this is how to lose weight and get healthy.

Another fault that The Biggest Loser has is that it puts too much emphasis on exercise and not enough on healthy eating. There seems to be more focus on diets and "good" foods vs. "bad" foods. I can tell you firsthand that labeling foods "good" and "bad" is a horrible idea. Doing this does nothing but set people up to have incorrect perceptions of food. I believe there have also been challenges on The Biggest Loser where the contestants had to guess which food items had less calories, which is another bad thing to put emphasis on. Teaching people to focus on calories does not teach them about healthy eating. Healthy eating is more than counting calories and cutting "bad" foods out of your diet. It's about balance and moderation. It's about choosing foods that are good for your body and provide nourishment, but still allowing yourself to have the foods you enjoy. Obsessing over calories and depriving yourself of "bad" foods is not the way to get healthy. Trust me, I've been there. Supposedly, contestants are also encouraged to restrict their food and water intake prior to weigh-ins so that they get better results. Since when is it okay to promote starvation and dehydration as a healthy weight-loss method?

My biggest problem with the show is that it promotes negative body image and low self-esteem. I think the way the contestants are treated is terrible. Too often we see Jillian Michael's screaming at the contestants, telling them they're not doing "good enough" and dropping an occasional F-bomb. I don't know about you guys, but if I had someone screaming at me like that I wouldn't feel motivated, I would feel like shit. Is it really necessary to bully the contestants in order to encourage them? I am also appalled at the way weigh-ins are handled. Contestants are weighed on giant scales, the final number looming overhead for everyone else to see. Then the contestants are either glorified or berated depending on what they achieved that week. Losing 10+ lbs in a week (which is not healthy) is applauded, while losing only 3 lbs is a disappointment. And you don't even want to see what happens if someone gains weight. I recall one horrific episode in which a contestant gained 2 lbs. The trainers were outraged and everyone else shook their head in disappointment at the 2 lb gain. 2 lbs is not a big deal! A person's weight can fluctuate between 1-5 lbs every day due to how much they eat, water retention, etc. It is completely normal for a person's weight to fluctuate a little from day to day. Shouldn't the trainers know this? Shouldn't they know that 2 lbs doesn't mean anything? I felt bad for the contestant. It was as if everyone in the room forgot that they lost a huge amount of weight in the previous weeks. All their previous success didn't count simply because they gained 2 lbs. This kind of behavior is outrageous. Losing weight and adopting a new lifestyle can be very difficult for some people. Instead of criticizing contestants for gaining or not losing enough, they should be applauded for all the hard work they've done. The Biggest Loser does nothing but encourage contestants and viewers to obsess over their weight and develop an unhealthy relationship with the scale. Telling people that gaining one pound is likely to make people feel bad about themselves whenever their weight goes up. And why is it that contestants are only told how amazing they look once they start losing significant amounts of weight? What is wrong with telling people that they shouldn't hate their bodies, no matter what they look like? I think it would be a lot more encouraging if the contestants felt good about themselves throughout the entire process, not just at the end. The show is supposed to be about making people healthy, isn't it? Why then are they completely forgetting about the contestant's mental health?

It's possible that some of my observations may be incorrect. Maybe things are different for contestants when they are off-screen. But even if that is true, what good is it doing to only show the negative side? It is very disappointing because The Biggest Loser has potential to be a good show. There is nothing wrong with teaching people how to get in shape, eat better, and be healthy; but I feel that the show does not actually do any of these things. I could keep going on and on about other things I find wrong with The Biggest Loser, but this post is already getting pretty lengthy. I just hope that anyone who watches it can realize how unrealistic the show is and how bad it can be for one's physical and mental health.

Do any of you watch The Biggest Loser? What do you think of it?

Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach

The semester is officially over! I felt such a huge sense of relief when I finished my last exam yesterday. Now I have a short break until summer classes start. I'm taking one class over the summer so I can get it out of the way. It will only be for a month, so it's not a big deal. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan I will be graduating this time next year. Speaking of graduation...Andrew is graduating tomorrow! I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him. His family arrived today and will be staying for a few days, so it should be a nice weekend. Everyone will be coming over Sunday morning for vegan brunch. I'm pretty excited about it, because I haven't had the chance to cook for a large group of people in a while.

Have you guys heard about the SOS Kitchen Challenge yet? Ricki from Diet, Dessert, and Dogs is hosting the Sweet or Savory Kitchen Challenge. Every month a key ingredient is picked and participants have to create a sweet or savory dish using that ingredient. This month's feature ingredient is spinach. In honor of the challenge, last night I created Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach. It was very good, probably one of my better curry recipes. Obviously I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it either because Andrew was still talking about it today!

Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach

1 TBSP canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
10 fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1.5 TBSP green thai curry paste (use more if you want it really spicy)
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp agave nectar
salt, to taste

1. Heat oil in a large pan until hot. Add onion, carrots, and garlic to pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften (about 5 minutes).
2. Add chickpeas and spinach to pan. Cook until the spinach begins to wilt.
3. While the chickpeas and spinach cook mix the coconut milk, curry paste, corn starch, soy sauce, and agave together.
4. Add the coconut mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes (until the sauce thickens and everything is heated through).
5. Taste to adjust salt.

If you'd like more info about the SOS Kitchen Challenge, click here. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!