Where you at?

You know where I'm at...

Here's a song hot off DJ Kyanide's Best of '09 Mix Tape:

...I'm at the Taco Bell!

Glen "Taco" Bell Dead at 86

Eat more Taco Bell! 2010 has had its highs and lows already for TBell, with the Drive-Thru Diet, discovery of a classier Taco Bell image with all sorts of hip artwork in TBell dining rooms and, now, the death of its founder- the visionary- Glen Bell.

Apparently in the height of the drive thru era (1950s)Glen Bell needed a quicker alternative to stuffing torillas, toothpicking them together, and THEN deep frying the whole shebang, so he invented the hard taco shell! I wonder if he is the brains behind the sour cream gun, too...

In honor of Mr. Bell, I plan on treating myself soon...

Eat less Taco Bell

Shout Outs to India Pavilion in State College!! Best buffet EVR!!

Chana Masala, 25 minutes, 3 servings, $3/serving max

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of chickpeas
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Oil (Canola, Vegetable, Olive)
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp. Tumeric
• 1 Tbsp. GROUND cumin (aka cumin powder)
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. Garam Masala (go to your spice shoppe for these things!)
• 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp. of Chili Powder (I just made it with 1 Tbsp of "Hot" Chili powder from the Spice Corner and I think it's somewhere between medium and hot at an Indian restaurant.)
• 1 bunch of cilantro (If you're treating yourself)
• 1 Cup white rice (basmati if you've got guests)

Preparation:

1. Dice onion and mince garlic.
2. In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp. Oil and cook diced onion on HIGH for 3 minutes. Stir, flip, repeat.
3. Add Garlic and 75% of cumin seeds. Cook on High for 1 minute. Stirring, flipping and repeating.
4. Turn heat down to low.
5. Chop tomatoes, strain chickpeas and add both to the pan.
6. Add salt & pepper, tumeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and Chili powder. Stirrrrr.
7. Blast heat to HIGH for a minute and bring it back to Low. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and chili powder.
8.  Before serving to high net worth individuals, chop cilantro and sprinkle on top.
9. What about that other 25% of the 2 tsp. of cumin seeds??? Midway through cooking the 1 cup of rice, add the cumin seeds and some salt for a classy touch. 

(I make this a day in advance, for lunches. Since I buy only the cheapest chickpeas, this gives them time to soak up the spices)

2010 resolution: Eat more/less Taco Bell

This resolution can't be broken! It's a total win-win. Eat more Taco Bell? Don't mind if I do. Where else can you get 5 delicious vegetarian menu items for $3? Substitute beans in every taco, chalupa, gordita, or burrito and you will not regret it. I've been eating lots of bean volcano tacos and 89 cent bean burritos. Need more reasons? 

You can LOSE weight by eating Taco Bell and not even getting your lazy ass out of the car!!! The Drive Thru Diet only sounds counterintuitive. It works, really! Just hear Taco Bell out:

"DRIVE-THRU-DIET® IS NOT A WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM. FOR A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE, PAY ATTENTION TO TOTAL CALORIE AND FAT INTAKE AND REGULAR EXERCISE. TACO BELL'S FRESCO MENU CAN HELP WITH CALORIE REDUCTIONS OF 20 TO 100 PER ITEM COMPARED TO CORRESPONDING PRODUCTS ON OUR REGULAR MENU. NOT A LOW CALORIE FOOD. FOR COMPLETE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT TACOBELL.COM"

Or, um, at least it's better for you than the normal shit on the menu? Whatever, it's still cheap as hell especially if you use that coupon.

But, if you make the more "reasonable" resolution to eat less T-Bell like I half did, there are soooooooo many cheap AND healthy alternatives out there.

Pasta with Eggplant and Red Pepper "Bruschetta", 30 minutes, 4 servings, $1.50/serving

Ingredients:

• Pasta (I like normal spaghetti with this one, but makes no difference)
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 can of white beans (optional)
• Splash of red wine (not an option)
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ounces of cashews, crushed 

Preparation:

1. Fill a large pot 1/2 way with hot tap water. Bring to a boil, add 1 Tablespoon of salt and a few dashes of olive oil to the water (for flavor and non-stick purposes)
2. Dice onion and red pepper and sautee in a large saucepan with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add a couple dashes of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on Med-High heat.
3. Strain the can of white beans and add to saucepan.
4. In the meantime, don't forget about the pasta!  Depending on the type of pasta, it should take 8-12 minutes to cook through. Stir and Check! When it's done, strain and set aside.
5. Dice Eggplant (don't worry about the skins, they make it taste extra eggplanty and good) and MINCE the garlic--add to saucepan. Stir, flip and shake contents of the pan. Add other Tbsp of olive oil. Bump it up to High Heat and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add a few ozs of red wine and a couple dashes of Red Pepper Flakes. Stir, flip and shake. Lower to Medium-Low Heat, COVER and Cook for 15 more minutes.
7. Combine Pasta and "Bruschetta" in the saucepan and add Crushed Cashews. Leftovers are better than fresh outta the pan's. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight. 

A serving of  this vs. Volcano Taco? I struggle with half of my New Year's resolution every time I pass a TB.