Sloppy Seconds

I hope everybody has recovered from holiday gluttony at this point. I was so sick of the starchy leftovers that I made a trip to TJ's a few days ago to stock up on my superfood necessities: berries, yogurt, spinach, tofu, quinoa, black beans, almond milk, etc. I couldn't handle all the thanksgiving reruns anymore.

I really stretched the leftovers this year.

First there were turkey enchiladas with black olives.

Delicious, yes. And a nice ethnic departure from the pilgrim food. And a great excuse for a Corona Light.

Then there was baked eggs over leftover sourdough stuffing.

Kind of an easy combo, yes, but it reduced the amount of stuffing hoarding space in the fridge. It also made a great lunch with a big green salad.

Then there was an extremely clever use of leftover gravy, vegetables, dinner rolls, and green bean casserole in a thanksgiving-inspired shepherd-ish pie.

However I have little desire to blog any of those recipes. Nobody cares about thanksgiving or leftovers at this point anyway, right? The fridge should be purged of leftovers by now, or you may be growing science experiments.

How about some delightful hummus? I've never made my own hummus before, but it was so easy and so delicious, I can't wait to do it again. All you need is a food processor or an efficient blender. I like my hummus extra tahini-y, but you could modify this recipe to your taste. You could also toss in a bit of tabasco to make it spicy, a bit of basil to make it herby, or a few cherry tomatoes to give it festive color. The possibilities are endless. Hummus is great as dip, spread on to veggie sandwiches, or as sauce on flatbread pizzas.

Basic Hummus
makes 2 cups


Ingredients

• One clove garlic
• One can garbanzo beans, drained - reserve a few for fancy garnish
• 3 heaping tbsp tahini
• 1-2 tbsp good, fruity, quality EVOO
• juice of one large lemon and one large lime
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

• Process clove of garlic alone to mince it up so you don't get any unwelcome garlic chunks
• Add remaining ingredients
• Process until super smooth
• Garnish with a few whole beans and a drizzle of olive oil if you want to be fancypants, like me

It's hard to remember that just because the holidays are socially equated to loads and loads of tasty food, it doesn't give you a license to eat. It's important to treat your body well throughout the year and clue in to the "holy hell that's a lot of carbs" sirens that go off in your brain during the holiday season. I have to constantly remind myself that just because it's November/December, my metabolism has not changed. I know I will feel better about the holiday season if I do not indulge. On the flip side, I know that one or two indulgent meals won't derail me from my health and weight loss goals. Though the holidays are a challenging time for internalized fat kids like me, they really make me analyze my relationship with food.  (It's a pretty serious relationship. We're thinking July wedding.) 

David Sedaris, my favorite author of all time, summarizes the international fascination with food perfectly. In a story of international students trying to explain holiday traditions to members of other cultures, Sedaris writes,
"Faced with the challenge of explaining the cornerstone of Christianity, we did what any self-respecting group of people might do. We talked about food instead."
- Me Talk Pretty One day