Maitland Farmer's Market

Confession: Given the choice between a decision that's healthy or a decision that's cheap, I'd prefer to go for the decision that's cheap. And there are times when I make unhealthy choices because I want to splurge and am happy it's cheap, like when I got Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream for $0.90 a carton. This recipe came about because I was being cheap. And luckily it's healthier, too.

See, we don't eat a lot of fried foods. I ate enough french fries when I was a kid and okra isn't in season yet. So when I decided to make eggrolls or cabbage rolls, I felt it would be a very expensive undertaking to fry them in so much oil when I wouldn't reuse the oil. It would go to waste! I did some research on what temperature other people recommended baking eggrolls on, and I gave baking a shot. I was so happy with the results that I served them to my parents and grandmother the next night.

Recipe for Baked Eggrolls

• 6 Eggroll wrappers
• 2 cups very thinly cut cabbage
• 2 small carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pice Frichik, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon each, garlic and onion powder
• 3 Tablespoons or less olive oil, divided
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked

I've learned in my travels that different people may use different amounts of oil for the same tasks. At most, I would use 3 Tablespoons. Hopefully, we would all use less.

Put cabbage, carrots, garlic, and optional veggie meat in a bowl. Stir-fry onions in 1 Tablespoon or less olive oil. Add vegetables and seasoning. Stir fry the vegetables down.

Pull out eggroll wrappers and lay on plate at an angle. Dish large spoonful into wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you up. Wet remaining sides with dash of water. Fold corners on sides in and corner farthest from you toward you. Brush with remaining olive oil and lay seems down on jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Bake on 425' for 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Serve over rice.

My preferred sauce recipe is taken from Moosewood Restaurants Cooks at Home--lime, ketchup and soy sauce. Since I didn't have lime, I mixed 1/2 tablespoon tahini in 3 tablespoons soy sauce. It does have a strong flavor, but I think it works.

Now that I am working a couple days a week in our Orlando office, I consider the extra commute worthwhile considering I am nearer freshfields farm, Super Target, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and even a Publix when necessary. I am happy to report that I hope to take on the European concept of fresh food and be able to stop at the freshfields farm next to my office more than once a week to pick up the freshest and ripest produce. An even bigger incentive is that many times the prices are better than the Maitland Farmer's Market, the produce generally looks better, and the stand doesn't have flies everywhere distracting me.

A topic has come up on more than one occasion recently, and I think perhaps it warrants a blog post. These are simply my thoughts on the subject.

Firstly, I am a speedy shopper. I have my list and know at which grocery store I want to purchase which items. I have little time for true "shopping" and do most of my price comparing quickly in my head as I walk or before I even leave the house. For this reason, I have a hard time when Paul shops with me. I always find twice as many items in my grocery cart when he is tagging along. But, I have to smile because sometimes he must struggle with my frugality as a woman and as a cook. So, I allow him the release once in a while.

We had a fantastic and enjoyable Christmas Eve Dinner.

Fried okra is special. Many people don't know what to do with it. And most people have had such bad experiences with it, they are afraid to try it again. We purchased some fresh okra from the Maitland Farmer's Market and it stayed in the refrigerator until I I decided I couldn't run away from it any more. I was going to have to find a way to cook it. I did a bit of research and created my own recipe for fried okra. Paul said he had never had such minimal batter on his okra and that he liked it that way. I was proud because I actually thought the vegetable was edible. Fried foods can find their way into the heart so easily.

This was such a fun creation, with no basis of thought. I was just trying to use leftovers. I absolutely love the olive bread from our local Maitland Farmer's Market, but it is rather expensive at over $6 a loaf. I only get it on special occasions. The zucchini also came from an outdoor stall.

Chicken Noodle Soup has always been a favorite to me. My mom has had this recipe forever and when my grandmother had a day care center, she cooked it for the kids. And the moms could never understand why their kids refused to eat the soup they warmed from a jar. Those were good memories.

At work one day, I was mentioning to a fellow coworker who loves to cook that I had purchased a beautiful eggplant at the Maitland Farmer's Market the previous day and hadn't a clue what to do with it now that I had acquired it. A patient in my room overheard me and gave me a recipe that has been a success with my family and that has been passed around the office. I've already sent my thank-you letter, but again, I say THANK YOU!

The original recipe called for diced chicken. I have not tried adding soy-chicken to the dish. I'm quite happy as it is. This can be a nice supper all its own, but we have also served it as an appetizer with a light pasta dish for a fancier meal.

Recipe for Stuffing Eggplant

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut eggplant in half, and carve out insides of eggplant leaving shell in tact.
• Dice insides of eggplant and put into mixing bowl.
• Add a can (drained) of diced tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup diced onion, and olive oil to coat mixture.
• Mix thoroughly adding salt and pepper to taste.(Remember, you can always add more of this at the table.)
• Stuff mixture back into eggplant shells.
• Top with sliced Mozzarella or Jarlsberg Cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Place shells in center of jelly roll pan and place pan in oven.
• Cook until cheese is browned, about 30 minutes.
• Top with fresh chopped basil just before removing from oven.
• Serve with fresh French bread, olive oil, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

It was dark one evening and I was running around Costco in my scrubs. This doesn't make me special, but it does tell you I had a long day. I pulled 10 hours at work, dined with my folks and my grandmother for some special occasion, and had to do it all over again the next day.

I'm a good shopper. I go in with my list, focus on what I need to get, analyze prices, and get out quickly spending roughly what I had estimated food items for a week would cost. On this specific day; however, I was running a bit slow. I was still focused, but I had a few interruptions along the way.

I created this lasagna from "The Vegetarian 5-ingredient Gourmet". The problem was that I accidently picked up the cook-first kind of noodles at the store. I have decided this was a good thing because I didn't want to have to add water to my dish to help cook the noodles. Still, it may be worth it to save time with the no-cook noodles.