black beans

The first time I heard of Paxia, I was getting off of I-4 and saw a guy dancing around with a sign saying it was the best Mexican restaurant in Orlando. The next time I heard of Paxia was less than a week later when I was researching the restaurants participating in Eat Local Week sponsored by Slow Food Orlando. Tonight we chose to dine there mainly because I couldn't remember any other restaurant on our list and it was close by--because it was getting late (like 5) and I was very hungry. Boy, was I glad it was the only one I could think of!

Let's start with our entrance into the restaurant. This is only the second restaurant I've ever seen that actually tries to sit people in the windows first so that the place looks full. Of course, by the time we left, the place was full so it didn't really matter! But, it's a wise marketing move. The greeter who seated us was the first person at any restaurant we've been to this week to completely explain the concept of Slow Food, and he did so in great accurate detail.

Cost Per Person $12.00

We dined at Infusion Tea tonight even though it wasn't as early as I had planned. Even at 5 and 6 o'clock, there was a nice stream of diners at the restaurant, which is always encouraging. Generally a full restaurant suggests a good restaurant.

I don't think I've ever been disappointed by Infusion Tea. Tonight was no different. They even offered a Prix Fixe menu in honor of Eat Local Week, hosted by SlowFood Orlando. Paul ordered the Prix Fixe option, which I passed on because we're pretty sure blue cheese isn't recommended on the diet of pregnant women. Although the restaurant is all vegetarian, there are some vegan options that are clearly marked on the menu. The clear details make ordering carefully much less stressful.

Cost Per Person $8.00

We went out to Qdoba last Tuesday night with Travis and Patty, friends that work with Paul, but Patty and I knew each other long before we were married. They loved it and said they would go back. The great thing was that Qdoba has "Taco Tuesday" where chicken and beef tacos (crunchy or soft) are just $1 each. Paul asked the servers, and they agreed to make the vegetarian ones $1, too. (Why not? After all, the veggie ones are cheaper to make than the meat ones.) Paul had salsa, beans, cheese and lettuce on his, but it looks like guac would have cost extra.

For that reason, I stick with the burrito. Since beans are a texture not too favored right now, I just had rice, cheese, guac, pico de gallo, and a green medium salsa. Qdoba is always yummy. (Although, it always seems to taste just a little better when we're eating it in an airport coming to or from Italy, but that's another story.)

My fairly limited research doesn't say how long this great $1 taco deal is good for, and I did see a tweet from twitter that suggests the deal may be on another day of the week in another city. So, give your local Qdoba a call.

Time is flying by, and I'm not totally sure I remember all the story to go with this yummy, thick, salad-dressing-of-sorts. Perhaps Lisa will edit it soon. If I remember correctly, a Yumm Sauce is more from an Indian background. Lisa says although Indian food is a favorite for them, most foods are not made gluten-free. So, Lisa found this recipe on line and it makes a perfect topping. I'm most impressed by the quality of ingredients, like garbanzo beans and almonds, which add good nutritional value to the sauce.

Notes from Lisa

This sauce is great with rice or pasta. It can also be used as a dressing for salads, a topping on soup & chili, a spread for sandwiches, a dipping sauce for veggies, a basting sauce for grilling, or a mayo alternative. It's really quite versatile! But best of all, it's egg free, dairy free, wheat free, gluten free, sugar free, cholesterol free and low in sodium. There are nuts in it, however, for anyone with allergies to nuts. My kids love it! I'm sure if you make it you'll find a ton of creative uses for such a flavorful, yummy sauce. Go for it!

Recipe for Original Yumm Sauce

Source: http://mpchickchat.blogspot.com/2005/11/recipe-rip-off-edited.html

• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup almonds
• ⅓ cup brewers yeast
• ⅓ cup garbanzo beans, (or more- 1/2 c.)
• ¼ cup soybeans, (or 1/2 c. silken tofu)
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Blend nuts, beans and oil in food processor. Then blend in yeast and liquids one at a time. Puree until smooth. Voila!

When Lisa and I first stepped into a kitchen together, I remember her saying something to the effect of being nervous meeting and cooking for someone who knew her way around the kitchen. But I wasn't worried and was happy to share her space with her. Lisa certainly can stand up for herself in a kitchen. She taught me so much--especially about gluten-free and vegan cooking. I am a better cook for spending time in her kitchen with her. I hope she realizes how valuable that weekend was for me. I hope you as readers learn to appreciate this fabulous time-saving technique for cooking a simple beans-and-rice meal that goes great under salad ingredients for a tortilla-less taco salad.

My source of these recipes was Lisa Hardinge, but her source was Constance Corbett. The sign of a successful idea is when it gets passed around. I thank them both.

Baked Brown Rice

• 2 cups brown rice (Basmati rice is the best)
• 5 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt

Place all ingredients in a glass baking dish, stir, and cover with foil or glass top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

This recipe works great on time bake. You can easily cut the recipe in half or double it depending on how many you are serving. Same baking time regardless.

Slow Cooker Beans

• 1 pound dried beans, (black or pinto)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon granulated onion
• 6 cups hot water
• 1 3- 6 in. strip kombu seaweed

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker, stir, and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. No pre-soaking needed!

I just got Gourmet Mag's June issue in the mail two evenings ago and have only been able to glance through it for about 10 minutes while also talking on the phone at the same time. (I know all about what happens when you multi-task. That is why I'm not promising I read everything properly.) This issue seems to have interesting information about tofu and a number of fabulous summer recipes that would appeal to meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I have attached links to topics that are available on Gourmet.com. Otherwise, I recommend making a trip to your local library and check it out--although you'll be surprised with all the vegetarian recipes considering the large slab of steak(?) on the front.

Homemade buns and condiments to go with vegetarian barbeque

Grilled Avocado, Fresh Corn, Romaine and Chipotle-Caesar Salad Dressing

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

This salsa went over so well at the group dinner, that I decided to take the same recipe and make it again in the form of enchiladas. Paul was confused because I used flour tortillas--which made it look more like burritos--instead of corn tortillas. However, it was quite the success because a few people came up specifically to shake my hands when it was done. As was common on those nights, there was a line for the food when I arrived, which gave me no time to take pictures. The above picture was a plate of leftovers we made for someone who was late. On the night of the enchiladas and Spanish rice, there wasn't a bite of anything left except the chips and salsa.

This post refers to the product in the very front of the photograph. The plate was a sampler platter at a buffet. I created the dishes. Hopefully, recipes for the other dishes will be available soon.

This post focuses on delicious, quick meals and the estimated prices for making them. My goal is to help families prepare healthy menus in spite of the depressed economy.

Nachos don't normally come under the heading of excellent food for the body. But maybe it's just the way they are put together. When done using fresh ingredients, there isn't too much you can say against them. That being said, if it were served with a salad or had a salad on top of it, it would look perfectly appetizing and healthy.

Don't get nervous, I use a soybean based vegetarian alternative to regular chicken. It comes in large rolls from health food stores and is very versatile. We find many uses from slicing like lunch meat to dicing for enchiladas to shredding for chicken salad.