Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 3 September 2015

M e m b e r Pe r s p e c t i v e by Christine Jelley Squeeze of lemon or lime juice Preparation The Magical Fruit A Greatest Hit From 1997 Returns them that would be fun? I called up to him in his room, “I'm going to make the black bean salad with the peppers”. “Good.” I turned to my trusty recipe box, a little bronze box that I had received as a gift at my bridal shower 28 years ago. It holds index cards and folded up recipes that I've collected over the years. At the time, I thought it was a terrible gift, why bother, cheap, I'd never use it. A thought from the same M y younger son moved back home and found “nothing to eat” in the house. He blasted off to Stop & Shop to remedy this oversight, returning with his girlfriend, a buddy and eight bags of self-described healthy food. Setting down the bags, he asked me if I was “in the mood” to unload and put the groceries away. I've never been in the mood to put groceries away. “Not today, Babe!” I said, with a wave. After they ﬁnished unpacking, nonperishables neatly covered the countertop and cans of Spaghetti O's topped the refrigerator, positioned like suspects in a lineup. A few boxes of the mandatory nostalgic cereals, French Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms pushed aside my humble oatmeal. A look into the refrigerator revealed an army of “sell by dates”: chicken, ﬁsh, more ﬁsh, more chicken, blueberries, raspberries, three kinds of milk. The timer in my head started spinning– many of these things would have to be eaten or frozen within days. And Sonny's often out, which leaves me with four avocados staring me down, ﬁsh with an attitude and a.lot.of.chicken. Aside: What did he cook that night: boxed macaroni and cheese. After I sorted out the ASAP groceries, I found a four-pack of mixed colorful peppers hiding in, of all places, the vegetable crisper. What could I do with 20 The recipe for “Black Bean Salad” is so good it “walks on water and can be trained to wash the car.” new bride who threw out all of the lids to her pots and pans sets because growing up, Mom always used dinner plates as lids. Anyhow, in the box, folded to ﬁt, was a page from a 1997 Fitness Incentive newsletter. Yes, the days before columns like “Member Perspective” existed. The recipe for “Black Bean Salad” was back by popular demand and is so good it “walks on water and can be trained to wash the car.” (Agreed). It's time that a new generation of Fitness Incentive Rangers experienced the miracle so here it is. Chop onions and bell peppers and set aside. Finely chop garlic, Jalapeño, and Cilantro. Set aside. (Try to set it in an area that won't look like favoritism to the onions and peppers). Rinse and drain black beans in a colander. Place the drained beans in a large serving bowl. Mix in all the chopped vegetables, garlic, and cumin seeds and toss thoroughly with the beans. Add salt, pepper and lime to taste and toss again. The recipe suggests adding the mixture to tacos, tortillas, using as a dip, serving on the side of grilled chicken. This recipe would have been a perfect inclusion in the Summer Edition of Fit To Print. But since it's fall, I suggest a few adaptations: use exclusively orange peppers, hollowing out a reasonablysized pumpkin, tossing it in there and serving with black bean tortilla chips. Me, I eat mine out of a small custard dish in front of Criminal Minds. Anything goes with this no-fat, high-ﬁber gamechanging recipe. I've made this recipe countless times since 1997, and it's always a hit. Although I dislike chopping, and there's a good amount of chopping in this recipe, I bring it to parties and barbecues because it doesn't get cooked so it can't burn. Plus, it's different from the usual spinach dip, and people are thrilled that it's healthy. Friends are often surprised that something I contributed is delicious. Does this bring me to any logical end? No. Should my son shop with a tight list? Yes. Will you become a hero if you make the Black Bean Salad? Probably. Do I appreciate the little bronze recipe box? Deﬁnitely. Black Bean Salad Ingredients 4 cans of Goya Black Beans 3 cloves garlic 4 tablespoons of fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons cumin seeds 2 of any of the following: Red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers 1 Jalapeño pepper (optional) One Vidalia, red, yellow, orange or green pepper or 1 bunch of scallions Pinch of sea salt Black pepper to taste Autumn 2015 FIT to Print Christine Jelley is a longtime FI member who also makes amazing tapioca pudding..

Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 3 September 2015 | Page 20