Saturday, October 01, 2011

Fresh Eats in South Miami

Inspired by my buddy and neighbor Mike La Monica's post last week on the South Miami Farmer's Market, I finally made a bee line to city hall parking lot, skipping Winn Dixie for a change. I can't believe I've been missing out on this for so long!

The market is small, but I left with a decent variety of veggies and fruit. I would have brought more, but since I'm cooking for one, I'd rather buy just enough at a time so food won't spoil.

South Miami Farmer's Market
A little feast for the single gal's kitchen: cilantro, guava, baby eggplants, mamey, tomato, cucumber, avocado and sugar-free jam.


South Miami Farmer's Market
Freakin' Flamingo posing with her goods.

The best part of my morning was bumping into my Twitter friend Renée Joslyn (@rjflamingo), a very funny gal with whom I've had the pleasure of clinking a glass or two. She is the entrepreneur behind Freakin' Flamingo, where she makes delicious micro-batch jams. She's also a South Miami neighbor. Talk about supporting local business!

I brought the last sugar-free jam today; they're popular and she runs out of those quickly. Sweetened with xylitol, the Starfruit Vanilla is absolutely delicious, especially if you are a fan of that fragrant orchid seed pod. I enjoyed some of the jam over Whole Foods unsweetened peanut butter and Ezequiel toast for breakfast.

Quinoa Salad with Cucumber, Onion, Tomato and Cilantro
Easy peasy quinoa salad. I haven't cooked any rice since I discovered this versatile, high-protein grain.

Lunch was just as good with the produce I had purchased earlier in the day, and the perfect, spontaneous meal for one. Chopped tomatoes, cucumber and cilantro, plus an onion I already had in the fridge, mixed with extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and salt -- all added to some cooked and cooled quinoa. So ridiculously easy and tasty! I made two servings, so it will be even better tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to sautéeing the baby eggplants in garlic and making milkshakes with the guava. I'll spoon the mamey pulp straight off the skin, sprinkling it with a little nutmeg.

I spent about $20 on the whole shopping spree. The jam was the most expensive item at $9, but well worth the price. The guava and avocado were grown locally. I'll definitely be going back to South Miami Farmer's Market.

Single ladies, don't tell me it's boring and pointless to cook for one! It's one of the best things you can do for yourself. Look at it this way -- at least you please yourself and don't have to worry about feeding other mouths!

Please stop over at Mike La Monica's blog to see a great video about the people and musicians at the market: Saturday in my little town.

2 comments:

RJ Flamingo said...

Thanks for the props, Maria! I just discovered another local source for carambola (a/k/a a neighbor's tree), so more jam is on the way. :-)

And I'm so glad you've finally discovered the South Miami Farmers Market. With praise like yours, more and more people are discovering its joys every week - and with more customers come more vendors. It can only get better and better!

Thanks again, sweetie! Now, when are we going to get together for drinkies at Fox's?

Maria de los Angeles said...

Mrs. Renee, not soon enough! We'll catch up soon. I'm very happy about your entrepreneurial adventure. Keep making the world a little sweeter.