One of our favorite vegetarian restaurants- GOOD AFFINITY

We have a few favorite restaurants that we frequent for "almuerzo", which means lunch in Spanish. Lunch in South America is primarily the largest meal of the day, with a light snack for dinner. Most restaurants have a set price for lunch and a set menu. Typically, lunch is anywhere between $1.50-$3.00. It usually consists of a bowl of soup, fresh squeezed fruit juice, the main plate and sometimes a dessert. One of our favorite places to go for almuerzo is called "Good Affinity" which is a vegetarian restaurant owned by Taiwanese expats. The food is so tasty and healthy and only costs $2.75 for 4 vegetarian sides on your plate, soup and juice or homemade soy milk for $2.75. They also offer noodle and rice dishes,veggie burgers, spring rolls and yogurt parfaits for $1.50-$3.25.

Good Affinity is located on Av. Ordonez and Av. Americas. They are open Mon-Sat 11:00a.m.-3:00p.m.

This noodle dish is loaded with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and carrots. The soup had pasta, cilantro, cabbage, potato,and carrots, along with a glass of homemade soy milk all this for $3.25.

Cheap food

Part of saving money when traveling is cooking alot of our meals at home. We do enjoy going out a couple times a week to experience authentic Ecuadorean food, but we also enjoy experimenting with Ecuadorean recipes as well. One of the best things about Ecuador is that it is home to many fruits and vegetables due to the ideal climate. We have been really taking advantage of easy access to locally grown organic fruits and vegetables. There are several "mercado's " in the area that are indoor and sometimes outdoor food markets. Each stall is owned and operated by a separate vendor selling fruits, vegetables, raw meat as well as dried goods like rice and quinoa.

These bags of tomatoes, avacados and onions, were $1.00 each. As you can see there are 10 onions in one bag, 10 tomatoes in the other and 5 medium sized avocados in the last bag. They were bagged, ready for purchase. What a steal!

I got ALL of these fruits and vegetables for $8.60! No joke!!!!!!!

Avacados,mangoes,papaya,plantains,bananas,tomatoes,carrots peas and green peppers oh my!

What's for dinner tonight?

Unfortunately, the picture does not do it justice. This was another great vegetarian meal we consumed for dinner. A homemade black bean burger with bits of cilantro and red onion melded into the pattie,slices of crisp green pepper, juicy tomato, creamy avocado, pepper jack cheese, tangy tomato and corn salsa all between a ciabatta bun,accompanied by sweet potato fries. Yum!

Black beans are a very inexpensive way to get your protein,fiber, folate, antioxidants, as well as B vitamins, iron, magnesium,copper and zinc.
Black beans have numerous health benefits and are low in calories.
I buy them dry, in a bag. Just soak them in a pan with water overnight and then boil till tender.

Cheap and healthy meal in 20 minute or less

Here's a cheap and healthy meal to throw together in less than 20 minutes for any day of the week.


RICE NOODLES WITH GREENS AND TOMATO SAUCE


INGREDIENTS:

1 package or box of rice noodles -$1.89-$3.99 for a package or box, use any kind you like. I used Rice Sticks which is like fettucini(you can buy them from any Asian grocery store or even the Asian section of any big box store will have them)

1 bunch of organic chard,chopped- $1.99 a bunch at Meijer in the organic section (you can use organic kale or organic spinach if you prefer)

1 package of organic mushrooms, sliced- on sale at Meijer for a $1.00 if you can catch it

1 onion sliced

4 cloves of garlic smashed

1 can of chick peas or if you prefer dried, soaked overnight, and then boiled till tender

1 can of organic tomato sauce or you can make your own if you prefer. For time restraints using canned or jarred is fine.

2 tablespoons organic coconut oil

1 tsp. oregano- add more to your liking

1 tsp. thyme- add more to your liking

salt and pepper to taste

Boil water for noodles and cook according to package instructions. Heat pan and add coconut oil. I use coconut oil as my cooking oil because it is 100% cholesterol free and one of the healthiest oils to use in your diet. It's used to treat many ailments naturally including altzheimer's. I suggest doing some research on the benefits of coconut oil so you can add it to your diet if you aren't already using it. Saute onions until tender and add garlic. Saute for a few minutes ,don't burn your garlic! Add mushrooms, chard and chick peas and saute with thyme and oregano. Add tomato sauce and water to loosen sauce or add more coconut oil. Saute all ingredients together and simmer with lid till chard is tender. Toss with noodles and add season with parmesan.