garbanzorizo....whaaat?

For nearly a year, I counted the calories I consumed. It was one of the most difficult tasks I have ever done. The counting of the calories wasn't the problem, it was having to restrain myself from overeating and finding foods that weren't saturated in butter or sauces or whatever high calorie options permeate American culture. What I did learn during this time, was that it is completely possible to feel satisfied and satiated with a 500 calorie meal.

One of the tricks was to also ease away from eating so much red meat. Don't get me wrong, I love the juiciness of a nice piece of carne asada topped with avocado and queso fresco and salsa on a corn tortilla. I also salivate at the thought of eating an In-n-Out burger animal style. But I have learned how to balance out my food consumption with the amount of running I do for the week. Balancing out my food and exercise actually gives me something to look forward to after a really long run.

10-mile run? I get to treat myself to a #2 animal style at In-n-Out.

13 miles? the Fiesta Martin Special at my favorite restaurant (steak and eggs, beans, potatoes-heaven).

26.2 miles? Anything I want (although I do get really full now, this isn't as exciting as it sounds).

Vegetables and legumes are some of the best food options to satiate a very large appetite-and are low in calories as well as "good for you". Doctoring them up makes life so much better.

I had an idea one day.

It was a day that I really needed to go to the market but I was also really hungry. In the cupboard, I had a can of garbanzo beans and a packet of chili seasoning. In the fridge, tortillas. What the heck? Turns out, they can all go together quite nicely. The seasoning coupled with the flavor and texture of mashed garbanzo beans makes me really feel like I'm eating chorizo. Put that in a tortilla? Garbanzorizo tacos.

Say what?

Yeah, 1/2 cup off garbanzo beans=120 calories. Two tortillas?=110 calories. Half an avocado? 114 calories. 1 oz. queso fresco for topping? 80 calories. Yup. You get the picture. A meal under 500 calories. Beware, the tacos are so good that you may want to eat more than two tacos...eat them slowly. Enjoy the flavors.

serves 2

Garbanzorizo tacos

Ingredients

4 tortillas

1 can-15 oz garbanzo beans

1 packet (1.25 oz) Hot chili seasoning (McCormicks is my favorite, but you can use any that you find in the spices and seasonings aisle.)

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

juice from 1/2 lime

1-3 tbsp canola oil

I like to make the entire can but I only use about half of it for this serving. I would store the remaining for another fabulous day.

First, you'll need to warm your hotplate or metal skillet to warm the tortillas, eventually.

If you are lucky enough to have an awesome sister that bought you a hand-held food "processor" the mashing up of the garbanzo beans gets really easy. Smash up the can of beans good enough so they have a really smooth consistency.

Once you've smashed up the garbanzo beans, add in the parmesan cheese, lime juice and the packet of chili seasonings. Mix well.

Use 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan, add in the garbanorizo and let it heat up.

There are a couple of ways to make the tacos: soft or hard shell. The hard shell tacos increase the calorie count (because of the fried tortillas) but also increases the yumminess.

For soft tacos, warm up the tortillas and add about a tablespoon of garbanzorizo into the tortilla. They are awesome.

For hard tacos, heat up two tablespoons of oil into a frying pan (I use an omlette pan because I don't like the tacos to be saturated in the oil. Just enough for the tortilla to get a little crunchy.

Fill the tacos with the garbanzorizo. I keep the two sides of the tortilla together with toothpicks on each side. Place the taco into the oil and let each side get crispy. Once the tortilla gets a bit golden, flip them to the other side.

Pull the tacos out, place them on a paper towel to cool off (and to absorb the excess oil). Pull out the toothpicks and get them ready to fill with extra flavors. Add in whatever toppings you'd like. I add in some shredded lettuce, queso fresco, and avocado.

I've been told that these tacos can trick a person into thinking they're eating a meat of some sort. The flavors of the garbanzo beans, lime, parmesan cheese and seasoning mix is a perfect kind of happiness on a plate with a great depth of flavors. Tell me what you think! :)