Fun With Carbs

If you’ll notice, my last five posts reference burgers in some form or another. I guess I’m a little meat-crazed lately?

In the midst of this beef bacchanal, I happened to visit Hartford County’s newest food truck, Gmonkey. Gmonkey is an exciting new concept – a fully vegan, eco-friendly mobile eatery run by the owner of a Middletown vegetarian restaurant and his wife, a holistic nutrionist. I’d written about the new business for A La Carte, and was eager to try the food for myself.

I’m about the furthest thing from a healthy vegetarian type, but Gmonkey’s “Farm 2 Street” veggie burger was out of this world – made with black beans and other grains, spiced with chipotle and topped with homemade pesto, vegan mayonnaise and vegan cheese. It was piled onto a fresh-baked roll with tomato and field greens. I wish I’d taken a picture of it, but I wasn’t about to delay any gratification. This burger was off the hook. (They also serve these ridiculous sweet potato fries with their own hickory ketchup.)

Since then, at home, I’ve been working on my own variation of a veggie burger. The recipe here is approximated, but the beauty of it is the possibility for customization, with different vegetables and spices. With a simple base of black beans, sweet potato and quinoa, you’re getting a hefty dose of fiber, protein, vitamins and amino acids.

• 1 can of black beans
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cooked and mashed sweet potato
• 1/2 cup chopped vegetables (your choice. I used some leftover bell peppers, onion, jalapeno and shallot.)
• 4 cloves of roasted garlic
• Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper or other spices to taste
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg

Blend all ingredients into a bowl and shape into patties. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until your preferred degree of doneness.

I ate mine on a toasted potato bun, topped with pesto and melted feta. I didn’t have any fresh tomato in the house, but I imagine that would have been delicious, along with some field greens.

It’s a nice change from beef when you’re looking for something hearty. And one batch of mixture makes about 12 medium-sized patties, good for a large crowd or easily frozen for later.

If “engagement chicken” motivates men to pop the question…

then I guess I’ll be married forever, after roasting a goddamn 11.5-pound turkey on a Tuesday night.

See this gorgeous roasted chicken? Would you believe it’s what prompted my husband to put a ring on it in May 2008?

No, you wouldn’t. Because it’s not true. And I really wish women’s magazines and other media would stop perpetuating the moronic notion of “engagement chicken.” It’s a stupid urban legend that does nothing but paint women as wedding-crazed harpies.

The idea behind “engagement chicken” is that your man will see you as ideal wife material once he sees you master this home-cooked recipe. Please. If you iron his shirts, bring him a beer and rub his feet, will that, too, send him running right to Jared or Tiffany?

I’ve got nothing against food as love. I even wrote a story about it last year. I just have issues with the fallacy that the “perfect recipe” will push a man to propose, particularly if he’s not ready or willing. (You know there have to be people out there that take this drivel seriously.)

Food is sexy. It’s loving and nurturing. It’s thrilling, and it’s collaborative, especially when each half of the couple brings talent to the table. I’m good at throwing random ingredients together and coming up with creative recipes, and I can bake a decent loaf of bread.

My husband is a grill master. He has great instincts with meats, and as a result, can produce a killer steak any day of the week. He’s also excellent with anything precise, whether it’s a recipe that calls for exact ingredients or something that requires patience, time or really good knife skills.

The point is, food isn’t something that will magically produce an overpriced piece of jewelry. But it’s something that can foster a wonderful connection, whether you’re newly dating or long-married. And when it’s a shared interest, it keeps things exciting.

And news flash: roast chicken is one of the easiest dishes ever. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with cut-up lemons, garlic and fresh herbs. Slather chicken liberally with olive oil or butter (I used an herb butter for the chicken pictured – softened butter whipped with shallots, garlic, parsley, dill and basil.) Roast it at 20 minutes per pound.

Slice. Eat. Make stock with the carcass if you have time. Oops, sorry. Carcasses aren’t romantic.

You all must think I’m on a pizza-only diet. As amazing as that sounds, it’s not true. I’m just having fun experimenting.

I joined some girlfriends for a homemade pizza and wine night Friday, during which we downed two tasty pies and four bottles of red (Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Chianti Classico and Cabernet, if you’re counting.)

The pictured pie was my favorite. It was a winning mixture of San Marzano tomato sauce, caramelized onion, crumbled ricotta salata, chicken-apple sausage and fresh mozzarella. The perfect blend of creamy, savory and sweet. Do try this at home.