Black Belt Living

Eat Less, Move More - Month 2

It's March 3rd, and I told you I would be back with an update on my "lose weight and get in shape or else program". Here's the update at the finish of two months/eight weeks.

If you read my update from February 3rd, I was pretty amazed at how much weight I had lost since my start date of January 3rd ~ 14.5 pounds (I think). Well starting on February 3rd, I went into a bit of a stall. My weight basically went up and down a pound or so for the next two and a half weeks. I did manage to earn my 15 pound charm on Valentine's Day. That was a nice treat. 

What did happen in those weeks where the scale didn't move? My jeans started falling off. Literally. I went down not one, but two sizes in jeans in basically a two week time frame. My whole body started changing dramatically. All of a sudden, all my clothes don't fit. This is what I didn't see the entire time that I was losing all that weight quickly in January. So while the scale didn't move, other things were sure changing. Do I wish I would have taken measurements at the beginning of this process?  Uh, that would be yeah! 

I had a pair of jeans in the back of my closet that I had bought probably two years ago that I didn't try on in the store (STUPID, I know!). When I got them home, they were so small that I couldn't ever get them up to my hips, never mind getting them buttoned and zipped. I should have taken them back ASAP, but for some reason I didn't. Around Valentine's Day I tried them on and not only did they fit, but they were a little big. Now I can hardly keep them on. They are literally the ONLY pair of jeans that I can wear right now and they aren't going to work for much longer. That's a good problem to have. 

That weight stall lasted until around the middle of last week, when I dropped three more pounds. Yesterday I was down another 2.8, so that puts me just two tenths of a pound short of that next charm for twenty pounds. The numbers don't quite look like they work out, because I went down then up a bit then down again. I thought about getting the new charm for today's photo, but that would be cheating, so I guess it'll have to wait until next month's update. 

I'm still working out a lot and I've actually ramped it up a bit. Remember that new class where all of the participants look like fitness models?  Well, I've kept that up every week. For two days aftewards, I hurt badly. The instructor finds new ways to punish us every week, so that your muscles never get used to it. Last week we had to run suicide drills. Ugh. Every week I have to psych myself up and try so hard not to blow it off. I keep hoping that it'll get a bit easier every week and that I will learn to like it more. It doesn't, and I don't. I literally hate every freaking minute of that class, but I'm always really proud of myself when I finish it. It's hard core and the other people in the class are uber-fit, so I'm happy to be there and make it through. I keep telling myself that I can do anything for an hour, right?  Yes I can.

I'm also still doing Zumba two or three times/week, walking/jogging a lot outside when the weather is nice, and hitting the gym for cardio and weights. I even tried an Aqua Zumba class last week, although I didn't think it was much of a challenge. I couldn't keep my heart rate up. 

One more thing ~ I found out early in Feb that my LDL (bad) cholesterol is way too high. So now I have to join the ranks of many of my family members in the high cholesterol department. My doc put me on medication, which I hate. Boo. I feel like I've failed myself by having to go on medication. I'm hoping that in time, and with the weight loss, exercise, and medication that I can get it lowered to the point where I won't have to take medication anymore. 

So my latest charm on my bracelet (which I got on Valentine's Day) is a heart charm, to represent taking care of my heart (lowering my cholesterol and improving my fitness level), losing another 5 pounds, and earning it on Valentine's Day. I thought that was appropriate. Hopefully I'll get that next one tomorrow. I haven't decided what I'm going to get yet. 

I want them all to be meaningful. 

I wonder where I'll be on April 3rd! 

28 Days

Well, it's been about 28 days since I updated, give or take a few. 

In those 28 days, I haven't done much of the following:

• take pictures
• digital scrapbooking
• internetting and Facebooking
• time wasting

So what does this mean? It means that I've not been sitting around, I've been moving.... and moving a lot. 

January did kick off "The Great Family Room Makeover of 2011" that seemed to be a natural progression from "The Great Kitchen Pick Me Up of November 2010", but that's a post for another day. 

Basically I decided somewhere towards the end of December that I was just freaking tired of being overweight and out of shape. I was pretty darned fit when I was doing my taekwondo training, but since being retired for a year and having to battle some nerve problems in my lower back, I felt like my body had transformed itself into very a large pile of Silly Putty. Really, the only difference between my body between my knees and my shoulders and Silly Putty is that my body doesn't bounce and you can't make a print of the Sunday comics if you press my flab into the newspaper. I've just had enough. I not diabetic, but it runs in the family and I do NOT want to go there. I'm sick of looking awful, feeling awful, and frankly, I'm completely sick and tired of ugly fat chick fashion.

So with motivation and a bit of inspiration from fellow scrapper and blogger, Cathy Zielske, I decided to just basically eat less and move more. I started back with Weight Watchers. That was four weeks ago today, January 3rd, 28 days ago. 

On January 3rd, I kicked off my move more efforts by trying to do a kickboxing video at home. I thought I would die within the first five minutes. I had to switch over to do something targeted more for the fat instead of the fit. That was a real kick in the shorts for me, Miss Badass Black Belt. I used to be pretty hard core, and now a hard core is just something that was once a pleasant memory and I feared that I was destined for the Richard Simmons set if I didn't change my ways. But I managed to move my body for an hour and work up a sweat. Progress, even with baby steps. The next day, I hopped on our elliptical machine and could barely make it 15 minutes on level one. The third day, I went to the gym to check it out, and went to a Zumba class later in the day and brought Shannon. I didn't die, and we both thought it was fun. I figure if the lady who looks 90 years old could get through it, then so could I. On day four, I joined the gym with my Christmas money and I was off to the races. That was a GREAT move. 

Since that first week, I have been working out consistently six out of seven days/week. I've been doing different things every day so I don't get bored, including snow shoveling. I've also gotten to like watching Dexter episodes while on the ARC trainer or elliptical machine at the gym. I won't let myself quit before the episode is over (about 55 minutes) and I only let myself watch it while working out. Thanks to the iPad, wi-fi, and Netflix streaming for letting me Dexter-out at the gym! 

If you want to know how much you can improve in a month, I'll tell you. Last Friday, I was on the elliptical at the gym for 90 minutes at a level 5 resistance and a 6 incline. That's coming a LONG WAY from where I was on week one. Today I took a new class. I had a clue at the difficulty when the people walking in to take the class all looked like Olympic athletes and fitness models.  Yikes. I'm not going to lie, that class is one of the hardest things I've ever done in 65 mintues. It kicked my ass. It was as hard as any taekwondo workout or P90X DVD that I had ever done and then some. But I kept telling myself that I can do ANYTHING for an hour. And I did do it. I finished it all and I didn't wimp out on anything. I was the only one at the end of the class who looked like they had just come out of the pool.  I'm quite proud of myself. 

As for my weight, I'm normally what I consider a slow loser, losing about a half to one pound/week. In 28 days, according to my scale this morning, I'm down 14.5 pounds. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have expected to be where I'm at in four weeks. If the improvement in my fitness level isn't motivating enough, the weight loss sure is!  

When I started in January, I took a bit of my Christmas money (in addition to joining the gym) and told myself that when I lost 10 pounds, I'd buy myself a Pandora bracelet and a starter charm, and then every five pounds that I lost after that I'd buy a new charm.  I'm almost ready for charm #2!  I like wearing it to remind myself of how well I'm doing and that I'm worth the investment. My first charm is a clock, because this road takes time. 

So that's the scoop. I"m excited to think about where I'll be in another 28 days. That's Monday, February 28th, and I promise that I'll post again with my status and hopefully more charms on my bracelet!

 

Recipe Tuesday - White Chocolate Mocha Trifle

Friends had us over for dinner several days ago and not wanting to arrive empty-handed, I decided to bring a dessert (obviously before Pie-fest week). My family requested my Mocha White Chocolate trifle. It's easy enough and ever so good. People think you fussed, when really you didn't. 

Mocha White Chocolate Trifle

• 1 Sara Lee family sized pound cake, thawed and cut into cubes
• 2 pkgs instant white chocolate pudding (small boxes)
• 3 C cold milk
• 1 C cold brewed
• 1/4 C instant coffee granules
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 C almonds, chopped or slivered
• 1 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 C kahlua liquor (or however much you want)

Put a metal or glass mixing bowl into your freezer, so it gets nice and cold. 

Combine milk, coffee, and coffee granules and let sit for five minutes or so until coffee granules dissolve. Stir well.  Add instant pudding and mix with a mixer or whisk for approximately a minute, until there are no more lumps. Chill for 30 minutes. 

Remove chilled bowl from freezer. Add whipping cream and whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Add a pinch of sugar if you'd like. 

Remove pudding from the fridge and fold the whipping cream into the pudding until combined well.

Put 1/2 of the pound cake cubes into the bottom of a trifle bowl. Drizzle with kahula. Put a layer of mousse over the pound cake. Add a layer of chocolate and almonds. Repeat with more layers of pound cake, kahula, mousse, almonds, and chocolate. Chill for at least an hour before serving. 

You could make it look even prettier by drizzling chocolate sauce/syrup down the sides of the bowl if you'd like.  Mmmm!  If you're tired of pie, try this or use your imagination and use different ingredients. I love fruity trifles in the summer. 

Recipe Tuesday - Hot Pepper Jelly

Yeah baby, it's hot and sweet.... just like me. Ha! One thing is for sure, it's hotter than I am! That's right, here is my Hot Pepper Jelly. 

I've been experimenting with a lot of canning this summer and decided to try something different and really adventurous this summer, pepper jelly. When my friend Greg heard that I was curious about doing this, he gave me a bunch of hotties from his garden and I couldn't wait to get started. 

A few words of caution....make sure you've got good ventilation. Make sure you use gloves when you handle both the peppers and the jam, and be sure to clean all surfaces that are exposed to the peppers well and throw your rags immediately in the washer when you're done. Do NOT get your face into the boiling pot of jam. I am serious here people, I can't imagine the pain of pepper steam going in your eyes. 

Now, with that being said, it's so worth it. This jam is sweet and packs a kick. I've eaten it on english muffins, spread on a bit of bacon, but I think it would be totally amazing on pork. In fact, I'm going to be testing that out for dinner tomorrow! Yum!

Hot Pepper Jelly

 Ingredients and supplies: 

Rubber Gloves

Food Processor

Water Bath Canner or a large stock pot

Pot for cooking

Ladle

Wooden Spoon

Small Saucepan

Canning Funnel

Jar lifter, tongs, or canning rack

6-10 Hot peppers (habanero, cayenne, scotch bonnet, Jalapeno, or Hungarian Wax)

4-6 Red Bell Peppers

6 cups of sugar

1 1/2 cups of white vinegar (5% acidity)

1/2 teaspoon butter (to keep the jam from foaming)

6 ounces of liquid pectin

Red food coloring (Optional)

8-9 half pint canning jars, rings and lids

 

Wash the canning jars, lids, and rings in hot soapy water or in your dishwasher.

Fill your hot water bath canner, or a large stock pot with water. I should be filled so that there is about an inch of water above the height of your jars. Place the canner or stock pot on your stove and turn heat to high.

Wash the red peppers and the hot peppers. Let them dry.

Cut the red peppers into chunks removing the stems and the seeds. Remove any light colored flesh from the inside of the peppers.

Using a food processor, chop the red peppers until they are in small pieces or pureed. Strain out any extra liquid from pureed peppers.

While wearing gloves, remove the stem end from the hot peppers. Place the hot peppers in a food processor. Do not remove the seeds, and process the hot peppers until they are in fine pieces. Pour the hot peppers into a separate bowl.

Combine 1 cup of the red pepper puree, 1/3 cup of the hot peppers, 6 cups of sugar, 1 1/3 cup of white vinegar, and butter in a large saucepan or pot. Add 2 drops of red food coloring.

Heat the hot pepper jelly mixture over medium high heat, stirring constantly.

While the hot pepper jelly heats, place the canning lids in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water just to a boil and remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave the lids in the hot water.

Stir the hot pepper jelly mixture frequently and bring it to a rolling boil. Allow the mixture to boil for six minutes, continuing to stir so that the jelly does not burn or stick to the sides. DO NOT STICK YOUR FACE INTO THE STEAM, or there will be a medical emergency and you will need to call 911. 

Add the 6 ounces of pectin to the hot pepper jelly and allow it to return to a boil. Boil for 3 more minutes, stirring as it boils.

Remove the hot pepper mixture from the heat and skim off any foam that may be on the surface with a spoon or a skimmer.

Using a canning funnel and a ladle, pour the hot pepper jelly into the jars leaving only a 1/4 inch of space at the top of each jar. Wipe off any jelly that spills on the very top of the jar, then put a lid on it and secure the ring.

When your jars are all filled and sealed, place the jars in the hot water bath. Make sure there is at least an inch of water over the top of all jars in the pot/canner and allow it to return to a boil. Leave the jars in the boiling water for 5 minutes.

Remove the jars from the water and place them on a kitchen towel to cool. As they cool you will hear popping sounds from the lids. Once they are cool, test the seal. The lids should not pop up if you press on the top of them. If any jars are not properly sealed, place them in your refrigerator and use them first.

 

Saturday Update

Wow, I swear, you blink and another week is gone. 

I feel like another seven days just flew by. And speaking of flu, that bug hit here too, which kept both Shannon and I down and out for a day or two. 

But here are some peeks at fun things that we managed to do:

St. Xavier High School / Good Counsel High School Football

My husband, his brother, and my father-in-law all went to St. Xavier High School here in Cincinnati. Last week, they played a football game against Good Counsel HS of Maryland, where my niece and nephew attend...lots of family connections in that game. My brother in law Chuck flew in for the weekend and we had a lot of fun at the game. Did you see us on ESPN?  

Here's a pic of Chuck and Andy. Chuck has his St. X shirt on with his Good Counsel hat. It's nice to go to a game and know that no matter what, your team won't lose!

After the flu bug left the building, I decided to try my hand at making and canning homemade salsa. I've made salsa a lot in the past, but never canned it. At the end of the day, it went well, but it was a TON of work. Unfortunately, when pulling the last jar out of the canner, it slipped out of my hand. A hot bomb of boiling salsa and glass hit the floor and exploded all over the place. Yuck. Lesson learned ~ get a jar lifter. I have one now and made spaghetti sauce yesterday. I should have purchased one of those gizmos long ago. This week I think I'm going to do a bunch more tomatoes and maybe some peach preserves. Yummy!  

Canning is fun and easy, don't be afraid to try it!

This weekend the pro beach volleyball players are in town for their annual tournament. It's fun watching the Olympic gold medalists and their top competitors do their best. I'm amazed at how high these people can jump in the deep sand. Wowza. Lots of eye candy too. 

Yesterday I was there for the day session and got to see a lot of great volleyball. I got to meet Kerry Walsh (that's her in the teal tank top above), one of the Olympians too. The volleyball players mingle with the crowd and are super nice. They may be world class athletes and famous, like Misty May Trainor (above) who not only won a gold medal, but danced a mean cha cha on Dancing With the Stars, but they are super friendly. We're going again today...a lot more pics coming this week! 

Happy Labor Day Weekend everybody. We're going to watch more volleyball today and are going to a barbecue tomorrow, so I need to get running. I've got food to make and pics to take!

 

 

Repeat Recipe Tuesday - Chicken Under a Brick

We lost another friend last week to cancer. Cancer is ridiculous. It's non-discriminatory. Anyhow, I could go on and on about cancer and my feelings about it, but that's for another day.

Anyhow, her funeral was yesterday and while it was indeed a sad day, there was an amazing revelation as well. I'll blog about that later in the week. But in the meantime, I'm kind of whooped and given that it's Recipe Tuesday, I thought I'd "punt" this week and given you a rerun.

So here you go. When was the last time you cooked with a rock from your garden? Well now you can. I present to you in Tuscan style, Chicken Under a Brick. It's SOOOO 2008....

Recipe Tuesday - Chicken Under A Brick

Okay, I try to do different things every week and I just realized that I did chicken last week...and the week before!  Oh well, last Tuesday seems like literally a lifetime ago. It really does.  I promise a chicken-free week next week.  How about some dessert for a nice change?

Several years ago I was very blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Italy. I was so inspired by everything Italian....from the fashion, to the architecture, from the beautiful scenery, to the food.  I remember eating "chicken under a brick" at this little hole-in-the-wall in Venice and it was just sublime.  I vowed to learn how to make it.

Really, basic Tuscan cooking is all about simplicity and good ingredients like good olive oil and fresh herbs.  Here is my Chicken Under a Brick.  I use my trusty cast iron skillet, a large landscape rock (that I set aside and cleaned well for cooking), and fresh rosemary (which I grow all year-round).

To be continued HERE....

Happy Tuesday everybody!

At Last....

At last, my love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

* * * * *

Etta James said it years ago, and I couldn't have said it better.  After nearly five months of grocery store exile, our bright shiny new Kroger reopened today, complete with marching bands, television cameras, and local celebrities. 

(Shannon with voice of the Cincinnati Reds, Marty Brennaman)

Ask my family and close friends, they know how much I have been counting down the months, then weeks, then days, and finally hours until today's store opening. I admit it, I've been spoiled by having a grocery store practically at the bottom of the hill for about 15 years now. When the store closed, I was forced to rethink the way I shop and even plan meals and cook. I had to plan more and I had to make sure I had a list in hand when I did venture out for a big grocery-load-up. And in those times where I was in the middle of making something and realized that I was out of something I needed immediately, I found myself either having to drive at least an eight mile round trip, or shopping at Walgreen's for something like butter or eggs.  

And frankly (yes, I'll whine just a little bit more here), I didn't like any of the alternative locations that I have been forced to frequent for many reasons, but I'll spare you those. Last week's hissy fit thrown by a deli clerk at one of my alternative stores was the last straw for me. Who knew that asking for the store's weekly brown sugar ham special would be such a BIG FAT HAIRY DEAL.  I"m sorry, but unless that chick cut her finger off in the meat slicer, she had no reason to be so sullen and rude. After getting home from there, I swore I was not going to step foot into another grocery store until the grand reopening of my Kroger today. I stuck to it too, with the exception of ducking into the Circle K earlier in the week for a fresh gallon of milk. 

The store opened at 7am this morning and I really did consider lining up to be the first in the store. As it turns out, sleep and a lazy cup of coffee won out. By the time I arrived, the party was in full swing. There were food samples everywhere, nobody needed breakfast nor lunch, that's for sure. I don't know how wild I am about sushi at 8:30am, but there are worse choices for breakfast, that's for sure! Television crews were there, Kroger executives were buzzing around in their well tailored suits, little kids were laughing at their baloons and cookies, but mainly it was jam-packed with happy shoppers and happy employers all being reunited after having to go elsewhere to shop and work for months. 

You probably think I'm crazy, and maybe I am, but at least I'm not alone. There were a LOT of happy shoppers and employees in that store this morning. Gleeful is the word that comes to mind. I'm sure the novelty will wear off after a few weeks, but in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy getting to know my new home base. It's been a long time coming!

There's a wine tasting tonight from 4-7pm. Care to join us? Thank you Kroger, for such a beautiful new store!

Recipe Tuesday - Andy's White Sangria

In case you haven't noticed - or if you're in the Southern hemisphere right now - it's hot out there. Big time hot. Fortunately, I'm married to a man who is not only a fine person, but a talented mixologist as well. That's always a good thing, especially when you're in the mood for some really tasty white Sangria.

Andy makes a killer white Sangria and he agreed to let me share his secret recipe with all of you today so that you can make it and have a smile on your face this evening. 

Andy's White Sangria

• 1 standard bottle of chardonnay (doesn't need to be expensive)
• 6 oz orange pineapple juice
• 6 oz lemonade
• 3 oz triple sec
• 3 oz lemoncello liquour 
• 1 oz rum
• 1 oz brandy (cheap brandy is great)
• fresh limes, lemons, and oranges

Mix everything together, then squeeze the juice from the fresh fruit. Give it all a stir. If you have enough patience to wait for a few hours or even overnight before serving, it's even better.  Serve over ice with fruit in your glass.  YUM!

Recipe Tuesday - Panko Crusted Pork Cutlets

A few weeks ago, a friend (one who is not only a generous host, but a fantastic cook!) had us over for dinner. He made a panko crusted pork tenderloin that was similar to what he has eaten several times while on his travels to Japan on business. The Japanese call it Tonkatsu.  I am telling you, these things were KILLER! I watched him make them and figured that I could easily come up with my own version.

My family has been wanting me to make them ever since, but there was only one thing holding me back. I've never deep fried anything in my life. That's right, no fried chicken, no homemade donuts, no french fries. I've sauteed many a meal, but to to heat more than 1/4 inch of grease...that's one thing I've never done in all my years of experimenting in the kitchen. 

Why? A few reasons.  One, it's messy... although one could say that frying up bacon on the stove is just as messy and that would be correct. And two... I never could figure out what to do with the leftover grease/oil after you were done frying. And given that nobody in my family (other than the skinny, bony old dog) is in need of any extra caloric intake, it just wasn't high on the priority list.  

But I did it, it was easy, and wowza were they good.  I put my own twist in the recipe, so it's just a bit different than my friend's recipe.

Panko Crusted Pork Cutlets

 

• 1 - 1.25 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut diagonally into slices
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp hot sauce (or tabasco sauce)
• about 2 C panko bread crumbs
• canola oil
• wax paper
• Tonkatsu Sauce (optional)

Take each slice of pork that's been cut on the diagonal and place it between two slices of wax paper (or parchment paper). Pound the pork uniformely until you have a cutlet approximately 1/4" thick (I used a rolling pin. see photo).

Put pork back into the fridge to chill before coating and frying, to make sure the cutlets are very cold. 

When ready to cook, heat about 2" of oil in a pan with a heavy bottom. While the oil is heating, mix the eggs and hot sauce and add some freshly ground black pepper. Put the panko crumbs in a separate bowl. Sprinkle each cutlet with salt and pepper Dunk each cutlet into the egg mixture, then into the crumbs, then back into the egg and once again into the crumbs.  Set aside. Coat all the pork with the breading. 

Your oil is hot enough when you toss a few bread crumbs into the oil and it bubbles and doesn't splatter. Add pork to the hot oil, cooking about two minutes on each side. Don't put more than about three cutlets in the oil at once, or the heat will drop and they'll turn out soggy and soak up too much oil. Also be careful that they don't get too brown too fast. If you think they're browning up too quickly, turn the heat down a bit. I pulled them out when they were golden brown on each side, like the photo above. When you remove them from the oil, set them on paper towels to soak up any of the excess oil. 

Serve cutlets with the Tonkatsu Sauce. I have trouble finding it in stores around here, so we skipped it. I did find a quick recipe for it online this morning, so you can make your own if you're really motivated: Tonkatsu Sauce. If you live in the Cincinnati area, I know that they have Tonkatsu Sauce at Jungle Jim's (just one more reason to trek up to Jungle Jim's!).

I hope you'll give these a try, they are really quite easy and SO good. Given that they're fried, I wouldn't eat them every day, but everything in moderation is fine, right?

Have a great day! Eat well!

Recipe Tuesday - Spicy Chinese Green Beans

A few years ago we discovered spicy Szechwan green beans at a local Chinese restaurant. Oh YUM!  We loved those beans so much that the actual meals ordered were a second thought. Sadly, that restaurant closed and our favorite beans went bye-bye. 

However, recently our friends had us over for a casual dinner and she served spicy Chinese style green beans. They were the closest thing that I'd had to the ones at "the Wok". She was gracious enough to share her recipe with me and I've made them twice now. The first time I was true to her recipe, and the second time I changed it up a bit because we like them with a bit more kick. The recipe below uses my modifications. 

Spicy Chinese Green Beans

   

• 1 lb. fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
• cooking spray or 1 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 tsp minced ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I use the reduced sodium version)
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes

Arrange beans in a veggie steamer. Cover and stem for 5 minutes. Drain and plunge beans into ice water. Let sit for a few minutes, then drain beans again. Coat a wok or large skillet with cooking spray or peanut oil and get the pan nice and hot. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add beans, saute for 5 more minutes. Combine last 7 ingredients well and add to beans. Cook 30 more seconds or until completely heated and the cornstarch makes the sauce look a bit transluscent and glossy. 

I would guess that if you want these even hotter, you could add a bit of chili oil to the sauce as a substitute for the sesame oil.  

Yummy!  These beans alone could be a meal for me. Delish and easy to do with all of the fresh produce that's in season right now. 

Oh, and for the record, I am loving my heavy stainless steel cookware. Big time. 

 
 

Have a super day. Cook something new today!