The first supper

My original plan to begin the vegetarian experiment tomorrow was thwarted by tonight's dinnertime arrival of my non-meat-eating boyfriend. There's no time like the present, right? And since I already had a fully stocked cupboard, and the universe saw fit to bless the D.C. metro area with a 75-degree evening, it seemed like the perfect night to test-run my recipe for spicy black bean burgers with sweet potato fries and avocado cream cheese dip.

Black bean burgers, sweet potato fries and creamy avocado dip.

I had trouble getting the dip to blend smoothly — partially due to the fact that there wasn't enough liquid and partially due to the fact that my brandnameless blender cost less than $25. Genius B came up with the idea to add some lemon juice, which mercifully gave the dip a zing that yinned the sweetness of the oven fries' yang.

The burgers were so easy to make — aside from mashing the beans, it was essentially identical to the process for making a beef burger (minus the E.coli contamination potential). And good gracious Lord were these cheap...probably around the fourth of the cost of making regular burgers. So far, so good.

We housed these beetches on my balcony, gazing out over the city with a few cold beers and talkin' 'bout deep life things like Family Guy. The end of the episode we watched clipped a Conway Twitty classic that strummed the chords in my heart for Texas, and reminded me of how homesick I truly am, and always will be, so long as I am away from the rolling plains, the hot days, the cool nights, the Shiner Bock and the big, bright stars. You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can never take Texas out of the girl...

black bean burgers

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

I added some Penzey's Arizona spices (big thanks to my homegirl for bringin' em back for me), some red bell pepper, and, of course, Sriracha...couldn't call myself a true Asian without adding at least a few good-sized dashes.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

Mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

Finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic, stir into mashed beans.

Whisk together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

Stir egg mixture into beans, mix in bread crumbs until the mixture holds together, divide into four patties.

Place patties on baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Sweet potato fries with avocado cream cheese dip (adapted from a Food Network recipe)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 4-inch long and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick fries

2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Coarse ground rock salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Avocado Dip, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly.

Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy. Serve with Avocado Dip.

Avocado Dip:

1 avocado

1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use olive oil reduced fat kind)

1/3 cup reduced fat chive & onion cream cheese

2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped

1 lime, juiced

1 lemon, juiced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice, season with salt and pepper.

SERVE WITH COLD BEERS.