Dining With Q
- Zee Zee Writer
- May 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 15
Dining with Q: Beans, Bread & the Carbs That Raised Us
Zee Zee wanted her carbs. Q answered with comfort.
There are days when a woman doesn’t want a smoothie. She doesn’t want protein powder. She doesn’t want to chew a handful of kale and pretend it tastes like freedom.
She wants beans. Bread. Potatoes, maybe. A bite that reminds her of a grandmother with strong forearms and a pressure cooker. Of Sunday meat, and Monday starch.
Zee Zee grew up on Depression-era wisdom and fat-washed flavor. Meat was for special occasions. Everything else came from the garden, the pantry, or a neighbor who owed your uncle a favor.
So when Q found her in the kitchen, poking at a pot of pinto beans with a ham hock and a look of soulful defiance, he didn’t intervene. He just reached for his apron.
“These were survival foods,” Zee said. “We didn’t eat for Instagram. We ate because it was Tuesday and Grandma had two onions and a dream.”
Q nodded. “Survival has flavor. Let’s cook smart, not ashamed.”
Dish: Soul Beans & Broken Bread (But Make It Balanced)
Zee Zee’s Original Version:
• Pinto or navy beans
• Ham hock or salt pork
• Onions, garlic, pepper
• Cornbread on the side
• Maybe rice. Or potatoes. Or both.
Q’s Version (Zee-approved):
• Smoked turkey leg (or 2 slices of good-quality bacon)
• Same beans (rinsed canned or soaked dry)
• Garlic, onion, bay leaf, thyme
• Half white rice, half cauliflower rice
• Toasted whole grain bread brushed with olive oil and garlic—sliced thick, because Q believes in giving carbs a little class.
• Optional: A handful of greens stirred into the beans late in the game. Not kale. Never kale.
Why It Works:
• Same comfort, less coma.
• Beans = fiber. Turkey = protein. Toast = joy.
• You honor where you came from without turning dinner into a nutritional crime scene.
“It still tastes like home. Just without the urge to nap for three hours and question your life insurance premium.”
WORD FROM ZEE ZEE: Welcome to Dining with Q — where carbs are allowed, but they come with manners.
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