It's black bean burger day!

This post was from last Thursday- just getting around to posting it now:

Thursday, December 11:

My first day of my gluten journey.

For lunch, I enjoyed my favorite gluten filled meal at school.

First, let me preface this with a brief discussion of the fact that I’m a teacher. My school lunch program is perhaps the best in the state. Our Chef, whom everyone calls Chef Paul, is a truly unique man. He has been serving healthy foods for years, long before Mrs. Obama instituted school lunch reforms. On any given day, lunch can range from quiche, to tofu stir fry, to black bean burgers. There is a soup served everyday, and we have sides offered like watermelon salad with feta cheese and spearmint. Obviously, you can tell that there is no such thing as mystery meat at my school! 

And, what makes Chef Paul even more amazing is that he buys local as much as he can. He goes to local farms and buys "bruised fruit" or smaller fruit and veggies that otherwise may not get sold in the farm stands. He saves money this way, and supports local agriculture. One student even made a mini-documentary about the school lunch program. If you have about 20 minutes- I highly recommend it. 

So, naturally, I tell Chef Paul about my possible celiac diagnosis. What I love about him is that he totally gets it. He's a foodie, he recognizes that I am a foodie, and he imagines what life might be like without it. He commiserated with me for a few minutes and even offered to let me know when he makes gluten free meals and to put one aside for me at lunchtime. He's truly one-of-a-kind. 

Lunch today happens to be my favorite- black bean burger. It is served on a wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and a chipotle mayonnaise. I never tried a black bean burger before working here- but, I am a true convert. I've recreated the recipe at home and it is a wonderful, meat-free, and healthy meal.

In my future, gluten-free life, I won't be able to eat Chef Paul's black bean burger because it has breadcrumbs in it. Now, I could definitely recreate it at home and find a substitution for the breadcrumbs, but it's still not the same.

When I taught 8th grade, I would start off the period before lunch with looking online to see what was on the menu for lunch. When it was black bean burger, I would shout out "It's black bean burger day!" and the kids would laugh at me and pretend to race me to the cafeteria at lunch time in order to make sure they weren't all gone. 

I potentially enjoyed my last burger today. I ate alone in my classroom, did a little work while eating, but I made sure to take time to savor and remember each bite. So, here's to you, black bean burger. If gluten free is in my future- well, I will miss you a lot.