Eat Like a Rabbit

After our post nearly three weeks ago about our amazing trip to Paxia, our friends and photographers, Jim and Garrett, went to Paxia the next day (Friday). They had the same server we did and had the same incredible experience.

However, we went back with Garrett on Sunday night and had a slightly different experience. It actually took about 30 minutes to get our chips and salsa. I learned that only one basket of chips is complimentary. Any more than that is )I believe) $4.99 a basket. That price is a bit steep in my book--even for the best chips and salsa in town.

Garrett ordered the black bean soup to be split between the three of us, and the waitress brought us three spoons. We decided it was a good idea to have two extra bowls, too. She had told Garrett the soup was good. It tasted like a black bean dip. Good, but not earth-shattering. The same lack of thought replayed when the family-style rice and beans were delivered without serving utensils. We either used chips or our silverware before we ate with it.

The guac and salsa were again top of the ladder. We would go there all the time if only those were good.

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.

Is your fridge nearly empty of all the goodies that you had around during the holidays? Are your plans to start the new year off afresh with new eating habits? What's your plan? Eat better? Eat healthier? Eat food that tastes better? Become a vegetarian? Become a vegan? Become a meat-eater? EatLikeaRabbit.net can help you with all of the above--except the meat-eater part. Unless what you read here doesn't sound appealing, I don't foresee helping you eat meat.

My husband and I are pretty picky. We only like to eat food that tastes good to us. We like lots of flavoring and seasoning (and up until last night had an herb garden in our back yard. Hopefully the frost didn't destroy everything.) But we also like to eat healthy foods. We love fresh fruits and vegetables and count ourselves lucky to live in Florida this time of year with great fresh citrus right down the road. Our goal is to Eat Well Vegetarian. We hope we can be a part of your routine for cooking and eating this year.

Obviously, the dirty dishes pictured aren't from this past week. We dirtied very few additional dishes in our effort to empty out the fridge, which was lovely for my aching feet and tough work schedule this week.

Finally, on Friday, I spent 5 hours in the kitchen cooking up some lovely goodies for the weekend. Photos and stories will be coming up in the next few days. That being said, I never made it to the grocery store last week and will be cooking from my increasingly (but intentionally) dwindling selections in the pantry and freezer. That being said, my Monday menu plan seems sparse, but as always, is subject to change if a) the temperature in Florida goes down enough for me to get away with making a soup or b) a surprise comes with a tempting idea at the grocery store. Luckily, these are items we haven't had in a while (even if they were originally on the menu).

Thanks to Leann Georgeson, our dear friend from Seattle, for this great recipe idea. She says it's a fine way to mix in lots of nutrients--even spinach--so her son, Jeremy, will eat it. I thought the recipe was smart for keeping burritos from being too boring, and it proves how easy it can be to make the filling go as far as it needs to for however many mouths you are feeding. When you run out of flour tortillas, you can just use the beans as a base for nachos.

Cost to Make Burrito Filling

• $0.79 Organic Fire-roasted Tomatoes (Publix, plus coupon)
• $1.19 Taco Bell Vegetarian Refried Beans(Publix)
• $0.86 Black Beans (Walmart)
• $0.86 Pinto Beans (Walmart)
• $0.25 Corn (Aldi)
• $0.50 Onion (Costco)
• $4.45 Total serves 6-8 persons depending on size of burrito

Recipe for Bean Burritos

• 1 diced onion, sauteed
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can sweet corn (or frozen bag of equal portion)
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can black beans

Cook onions in a skillet first. Open the cans and add the ingredients, stirring until mixed and warmed through. Place in serving bowl and on dinner table with warmed tortillas to make burritos. Toppings may include but are not limited to, salsa, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salad greens, and black olives.

Last week we were still recovering from our fabulous trip to Seattle, including Mort the Cat happily resting in the middle of the laundry pile. I put little thought into meals for the week and was also lacking energy to go grocery shopping. So, we pretty much ate what was in the cabinets and freezer as the fridge was empty. At least I've learned we won't starve!

This week will be very busy. Monday will be dinner with an old friend (whom I hope will also be available Tuesday night.) Wednesday through Saturday night, we will be staying at my parents' house with my grandmother while my folks are at my dad's high school class reunion in New Harmony, Indiana. I have a few items I'd love to cook remembering that the meals have to be soft for my grandmother to chew.

Although we didn't participate in what looks like a fun job of delivering pizzas in Paris, I am now in a position to need to start planning dinner menus again before we end up ordering out not because we don't have the food, but because I haven't been well organized. This week I only have ideas for meals, but don't have a set schedule on which days I plan on serving them. Perhaps this may be a bad idea, but I don't always know what my next week's schedule is going to look like.

This is a report on three trips to the newest Aldi in town. I have enjoyed shopping at Aldi and enjoy trying new items. I have spoken with some people who think that Aldi is a horrible idea. They don't want to bring their own bags and do not realize they are nice, thick, strong bags. I also hear complaints that the items are not brand-named. These are obviously people who have been fooled by marketing. Mind you, I don't complain about the concept of marketing. After all, that's how my husband makes a living. But I have found items such as Pine Sol, Colgate, Pringles, Anchor, and the same names I see on produce at Costco. I give these people the benefit of the doubt and call it an oversight.