For the past few years, my husband and I have been going twice a year.  Once with the kids and in-laws, and once by ourselves.  Usually there’s some sort of overindulgence of food, but who can blame us when there’s so much to choose from? An embarrassment of riches, really. Here are some photos from my husband’s and my trip, from dusk to night.

Let’s start off with my husband who for 2 college summers worked on the Carnival Midway.  He’s got a bunch of stories that will make you laugh and cringe at the same time. His look says it all:   “Get me outta the Midway”.

Get me outta here

Look – Prince came back home to Minnesota for the Fair!

OMG it's Prince!

We made it through the Midway unscathed. First food:  Carmel apples in a dish, topped with peanuts.  It’s genius despite its simplicity. And we had a coupon for this from the Blue Ribbon Bargain Book.  If you go to a local fair, check ahead of time for discounts!

Carmel Apple

We didn’t partake in Sweet Martha’s Cookies on our 2nd Fair trip, but wow – they are gooood….

Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar at Dusk

Yes, they do have beans at the Minnesota State Fair and I found them and ate them! Falafel from Falafel King the 1st fair trip, and Chick Pea and Potato Roti from Harry Singh’s Carribean Restaurant on our 2nd trip.  This Roti was basically a chickpea wrap with a seasoning that gave it a little heat. Pretty decent and tasty. My darling husband focused on me instead of the wrap, so use your imagination!

Me and my chickpeas at the Fair

Then we went on the Giant Slide, heading down on burlap sacks (Whee!  Urp…)

Giant Slide

Off to see the crop art (art made with grains, seeds and beans)

Blue Ribbon Crop Art

Feeling peckish again, so we made a stop at the Deep Fried Pickles stand (I don’t like pickles, except when they’re deep fried.  I wonder why…)

Deep Fried Pickles

And to steal a line from The Daily Show:  “And now your moment of Zen…” A video from a quiet corner of the Fair, observing a ride I would never go on.

We had a great time and ate WAY too much. What’s your favorite fair  or festival food?

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Take a look-see.

Pretty on the outside.

German Striped Heirloom Tomato

Pretty on the inside:

The inside of a German Striped Heirloom Tomato

The farmer who sold it to me said “if you get a good one, it tastes like mangoes”.  That sold me since mangoes are my favorite fruit (Oh yes. See my recipe for Mango Blueberry Breakfast Muffins).

I brought the tomatoes home and sliced one up.  We shared it.  My daughter said matter-of-factly,
“it tastes like a tomato“.  Perhaps my build-up was a bit much?  But it’s a very special tomato: locally grown (so fresh) and an heirloom passed down from generation to generation. And it was only $1 for two hefty and uncommon tomatoes.

Have you ever tried an heirloom tomato?  Do you have any favorites?

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I’m happy to say the results of my first survey are in.  First of all, a big THANK YOU to those who responded to my question: “What do YOU want to see on Striving Bean?”.

Asking for favors in real life? I’m OK with that. But asking for favors online (like “Please take my survey”)? That doesn’t come naturally to me.  So imagine my excitement when 27 of you responded with your opinions.  27 responses is more than I expected! I really value your feedback and the time you took to help me make this a better blog.

So here are the some highlighted results of the 4 questions I asked (rounding up or down as appropriate):

Question 1

Currently StrivingBean.com focuses on bean recipes and how to incorporate beans into your child’s diet. I’m considering expanding the scope of this blog to include other information. What OTHER things would you like to see on StrivingBean.com?(check as many answers as you’d like)

The biggest responses

• Frugal Tips and Tricks – 67%
• Recipes for other healthy foods (besides beans) – 56%
• Green/Eco Product Information/Reviews (example: reusable bags) – 26%
• Keep it beans only – 26%

Question 2

What do you like best about StrivingBean.com?

Some highlights:

• The sassy hostess (me: — why thank you!–)
• The recipes and your sense of humor and your writing style. (me: — again, thank you! –)
• Witty, smart, informed. I especially like the videos. (me: — nice! My videos are on my Striving Bean YouTube channel –)

Question 3

Is there anything you would do to improve StrivingBean.com?

Some highlights:

• More frequent entries. (me: — Agreed –)
• More easy to make dishes? (me: — Good point — )
• Video tutorials  (me: — yes, that would be fun.  My beloved Flip video camera is ready to go — )

Question 4

How do you feel about the blog name “Striving Bean”

Biggest response:

• Keep it – I like the name “Striving Bean” – 58%
• And a comment: maybe expand on it. Striving Bean: Living Natural

You certainly have given me much to think about.  My next steps within the upcoming months?

• Rethink the content and theme of my blog. I love beans, so I’ll continue writing about this fantastic food from time to time. And since you the majority of you like the URL StrivingBean.com, I’m gonna keep it!
• I’ll continue to offer my family’s opinions on my home cooking successes and failures.  I’ll tell it like it is so you don’t waste your time cooking a clunker.
• Cook recipes (other than my own) so I can offer my opinions on recipes that caught my eye.  This is a time saver too since it takes time to think about and document (accurately!) my own recipes. Kudos to you “original recipe” cooks out there – my hat’s off to you!
• Offer frugal tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way.  We’ve been a 1 income family on and off throughout the years, so I’ve got some tips here and there.
• Share my green tendencies.
• Rearrange my site and maybe a little redesign.
• Include room for advertisements and sponsors.
• Write a policy centered around food and product reviews.  When I do a food or product review, I’ll always offer my and my family’s honest opinions, good or bad.

Oh yeah – I need to find the time to do all of this too! Thank you in advance for sticking with me. I’m excited to go on this new journey.

What do you think? Please leave a comment – it’s not too late to express your opinion.

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Thank you to Apokolokyntosis for the great photo.

Striving Bean Survey

Thanks for all of your great ideas! I closed the survey on Tuesday 08/31/2010 (8:45pm CST).  I’ll post the results soon.

Dear readers – I’ve whipped up a very short and easy survey and I’m hoping you’ll do me the honor of filling it out.  The questions are about what YOU want to see on Striving Bean in the future.  I value your feedback very much!

The survey has 4 questions. I timed my husband and he took it in 3 minutes (yeah!)

The concept:  I’m considering expanding the scope of my blog beyond bean recipes. Please take a quick peak at the survey and tell me what you think!

Dried Black-Eyed Peas (before cooking)

It’s not often that “Black-eyed peas” and “snack” go together, but they go together surprisingly well.

I made some popcorn for the kids the other night, and thought….hmm…how could I add beans to the mix?

Voilà:  Popcorn & Smoky Roasted Black-Eyed Peas. A quick and easy snack that the kids really liked.

Another great discovery this weekend?  My daughter loves smoked paprika.  There’s a difference between smoked paprika and regular paprika.   The smoked has a deeper and smokier flavor. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

So break out the movies, cozy up on the couch, and grab yourself a big bowl of Popcorn & Smoky Roasted Black-Eyed Peas!

Popcorn & Smoky Roasted Black-Eyed Peas

Recipe by Striving Bean

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cup (1.66 cup) cooked Black-Eyed Peas (or try 15 oz. can)
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 – 3 teaspoons smoked paprika (depending on your taste)
• several cups air-popped popcorn
• small amount melted butter & sea salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F
2. If using canned beans, rinse and drain.  Blot beans dry with clean towel.
3. Mix together beans, olive oil, sea salt, and smoked paprika.
4. Spread beans evenly onto a baking sheet.
5. Roast beans for 18 – 22 minutes. (depending on your oven)
6. Check every so often. Goal is to dry them (not burn them) so they’re crunchy.
7. Mix black-eyed peas with popcorn, small amount of melted butter, and additional sea salt (to taste)

Another option is to roast them at a lower heat (425° F) for longer.

Our family weighs in:

• We all liked them.  Daughter said the black-eyed peas reminded her of “black olives”.  They reminded me of soy nuts.

Store left-overs in the refrigerator.  The black-eyed peas also make a great salad topping.

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I have a bright idea to make bean bread.  The thoughts behind this?  Loaded with protein and fiber – good for the whole family.  And cheaper to make your own highly nutritious bread at home. Good for our budget.

The reality of my experiment? Turns out it wasn’t such a bright idea after all, but instead a *bit* of a failure. I know it can be done – I’ve seen bean bread recipes out there, just not for the bread machine.

My biggest mistake-  too many ingredients in my off-the-cuff-making-it-up-as-I-go-along recipe. The bread was mushy on the inside, crispy on the outside. And wouldn’t you know, the instruction manual is very specific about putting in no more than 4 & 2/3 cups ingredients. I’m not big on reading manuals, so lesson learned.

This much is true – I don’t discourage easily when it comes to experimental cooking.

My bread machine. Mocking me.

Anybody else a bread machine fan? What are your tips for bread machine success?

Medu Vada

Today I learned about an Indian donut called “Medu Vada”, made with lentils.

That’s right. A savory donut made with legumes.

These donuts are from Southern India and eaten for breakfast.  There’s a certain hand mixing technique used to aerate them in order to make them light and fluffy. And you need use your thumb to poke hole in the middle so the Medu Vada cook evenly from the middle to outside.  Real hands on cooking.

Here’s my research (Warning: may make you hungry):

Medu Vada: from VahRehVah.com

Chef Sanjay Thumma:

“I don’t know what is this obsession with people to have something they can hold in the hand with a hole in it. And a coffee in the other hand. It is the same across the whole world. Nope!  I’m not talking about donut! Not today at least. I’m referring to the Indian donut. Shaped like a donut, but spicy. The vada!…”

How to Make Medu Vada – South India Recipe: from ShowMeTheCurry.com

And a Facebook Fan told me that Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations had Medu Vada in his Kerala, India episode (anybody see that one?)

What do you think about lentil donuts?

Thank you to mswine on flickr for the beautiful Medu Vada photo.

Empty Fridge

These are nerve-wracking financial times.  A $700 billion proposed bail-out for Wall Street, 401ks and other personal investments in trouble, gas – expensive, groceries – expensive, continuing lay-offs, people losing their homes. When I think about it, it makes me want to bury my head in the sand.

What does our country’s financial mess have to do with fried green tomatoes?  On a personal level, it’s about conserving.  Conserving our money and using what we have.  Growing a garden and eating from it. Groceries cost more these days – the fridge grows emptier as we wait for the next payday, so it’s time to get creative.

Thus, fried green tomatoes are on the menu.  We have several tomatoes sitting on the vine for about 2 weeks, but not ripening.  Why, I don’t know (if you have any theories, I welcome them!).  But I got tired of seeing them becoming weather damaged as I waited for them to grow red.

I looked up a recipe at SimplyRecipes.com and we had fried green tomatoes for the first time ever.  They were excellent.  The kids didn’t eat them, but maybe they’ll grow to like them.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not starving, but I feel like I’m in “watching pennies” mode. These odd financial times are creating a synergism of being “green” and budget conscious in our household. Do you feel the same way?

Vegetarian Meatballs - Ready to Eat

I’ve been reading a books about frugality lately and enjoying them thoroughly.  I’ve got a lot of admiration for people who consistently live below their means and thrive.

My latest reads in progress:

• The New Frugality by Chris Farrell
  • I borrowed it from the library
• The Cheapskate Next Door by Jeff Yeager
  • I bought for $1.24 at Barnes and Noble.  Had an old gift card that I forgot about.

OK, before I give you a false impression of my commitment to frugality, I dropped some cash at the The Bead Monkey today.  My daughter and I have a new (non-frugal?) hobby in bloom.

Perhaps these vegetarian meatballs make up for being lured by the siren song of shiny colorful beads. Black beans are used to stretch one of my favorite soy-based faux-meats, Gimme Lean “Sausage”.  Fresh herbs were from my garden. The vegetarian meatballs turned out great.

I haven’t tried these ingredients, but here are my thoughts on variation. Try adding one or more:

• parmesan cheese
• red pepper flakes
• finely chopped mushrooms
• ground walnuts

Vegetarian goodness, frying in a pan

Vegetarian Meatballs

recipe by Striving Bean

Makes 36 meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 – 14oz. pack Gimme Lean “Sausage” (a vegetarian soy-based sausage substitute)
• 1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained [or  1 2/3 cup (1.66 cup) cooked black beans]
  • See my video on How to Cook Beans – Quick Soak
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 (1.5) Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2 (1.5) Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 1/2 (1.5) Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup (0.75 cup) olive oil

Directions:

1. Puree black beans
2. Combine pureed black beans and Gimme Lean Sausage in a bowl
3. Add garlic, egg, basil, oregano, and rosemary
4. Add salt and pepper
5. Combine again
6. Add bread crumbs.  As you are combining, add 1/4 cup water at a time.  You may not need the full 3/4 cup of water.
7. Once well combined, form into meatballs.
8. Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Be careful to not overheat olive oil or it will smoke (this is bad)
9. Fry and brown meatballs in olive oil about 15 – 17 minutes.  With tongs turn meatballs every 5 minutes or so.

Our family weighs in:

• Husband said they were good. On a scale of 1 – 10 for tasting like meat, they were a “5.5″.  Well, that’s not the point…
• Daughter said they were yummy but “a little dry”
• Son ate it, said they were yummy
• I liked it too – it’s a keeper

Mangia!

Mangia!

Do you have a favorite meat replacement?  They’re fun to play with.

This post submitted to Eat From Your Pantry – Make it Yourself Monday

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Ana from Spanglish Baby recently asked me to do a guest post for the Culture of Food category.  Of course I jumped at the chance to contribute!  If you’re not familiar with Spanglish Baby, it’s a fantastic site dedicated to helping parents who are raising their children to be  bilingual and bicultural.

My post is about beans and culture, Mexican markets, and growing up.  I hope you enjoy.  Let me know what you think!

Beans and Culture by Striving Bean

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