Peach Festival

Our home town before moving to Costa Rica was Lafayette. It’s about a 20 minutes drive East of Boulder. Every year they have two fun festivals; Oatmeal Festival in January and then Peach Festival in August. We were very excited to attend as we missed last year’s due to scoping out where we were going to move to in Costa Rica. This years was even bigger than two years ago. More art, food, games for kids, live music, and of course peaches!

It was a hot sunny afternoon so we drove with the windows down and listened to Jim’s new “Indie Mix.” (I love that he’s getting more into music I like. Hahaha.)

When we first started walking we were excited to see The Styria Bakery stand. Styria is the part of Austria where my sister-in-law and her husband got married just last month.

So many people! Our first stop was to get Jim some peach cobbler (which he shared a bite with me) and then walked around. We got there late in the day so many of the food vendors were running out of food so i missed out on falafel. Oh well.

They had rides for kids too, which they didn’t have a couple years ago. After walking up and down Public Road checking out all the options and comparing the prices of peaches I decided I needed some roasted corn. We got some and found a nice shady spot in the grass.

Jim put some spicy stuff on his.

I loaded up on pepper (or course) and a little salt.

Happy to have eaten such juicy sweet corn!

We went back to the peach vendor we liked and got a large sack of peaches (some of which we’ll eat right away) and others we’ll freeze before heading to my good friend Coleen’s wedding this week. The stand we chose was local and organic and also had the cutest shirts that said “Don’t squeeze the peaches.”

We then headed over to our friends Kate and Sita’s house. They bought a place in Lafayette just as we were moving back to CO. We now live in Kate’s old place in Boulder. I was SO excited to check out their garden. Kate built the beds!

They have all kinds of goodies growing including tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, beets, chard, and melon!

Kate and Jim used to work together at HP and are super fond of each other. Scratch that, we’re all fond of each other!

It was nice to relax, eat a little (I brought a veggie and bean quinoa pilaf), and chat with people. They have such nice friends and family.

While sitting there an old war plane flew overhead. I had such a fun time watching some boys at the party play together. Remember when it didn’t take much for us to be entertained, all we needed was to be outside? These boys reminded me of the simple joys of life and the never ending curiosity and wonder that’s inside us all.

Now, did you notice that I forgot to take photos of both the peach cobbler that Jim ate and the sack full of peaches we bought?! I know, it doesn’t seem like much of a Peach Festival without the photos, but trust me, peaches were the focal point.

Quinoa

I’m crazy for quinoa. It’s such a wonderful grain. I’ve been slowly introducing it to my family and friends who don’t know about it. Many people compare it to couscous, but it tastes better to me. Plus, it ’s full of protein and is a great source of fiber and iron. Quiona grows in Colorado, so it was easy to find in Boulder. I missed it so much when we moved to Costa Rica that I had a friend bring me a large bag of it.

Super easy to make, cook with 2 cups to every cup of uncooked quinoa. Bring to boil and then lower to simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until it starts to spiral out slightly. I can have a whole meal finished in 20 minutes!

Like most grains it takes on the flavor of whatever you put with it. I love adding raw and sauteed veggies, fresh herbs, and spices with it. I’ve ended up with many variations (Middle Eastern inspired ones with cumin, some with a more Latin American Flare, and I’ve even made it for breakfast, similar to oatmeal). I’ve been trying to get away from eating pasta as much as I do (as much as twice a week which isn’t good for my digestion, plus it’s like eating a bunch of white bread with sauce on it), but quinoa paired with sauteed veggies (like zucchini and eggplant) and my homemade tomato sauce is killer good.

Here are some other ways I’ve used Quinoa:

Wishing You Some Good Luck This New Year

Mississippi Caviar (Eating black eyed peas on New Years Day brings good luck!)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 Cups cooked Black Eyed Peas (about 1 pound uncooked)
• 2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
• 1/2 Cup Green Onions, sliced (white part and 3-4 inches green part)
• 1/3 C Olive Oil (or as you like it)
• 2 Jalapeno Peppers or 1 1/2 T Jalapeno Sauce (or as you like it)
• 2 1/2 Lemons or Limes, juiced
• 2 T Dijon Mustard
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 t Sea Salt
• 1 t dried Thyme
• 1 1/4 t Agave
• 1 1/4 t Tabasco
• Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions:

Drain Beans. Add all other ingredients and toss well. Let stand to develop flavors or chill if you like. Serve at room temp or chilled with Arabic bread/pita.

Notes:

This recipe is adapted from an old cookbook of my Mom’s but I can’t remember the name! I often add other veggies like Carrots or Cucumbers. This makes a lot, so spread the luck and share it with friends!

Thank Goodness For Visiting Friends and Great Food!

There are some staple grocery items that I could get in Colorado but for the life of me can’t find here (or it costs an arm and a leg). Thankfully we had some guest come visit and with only 24 hours notice, picked up everything we (read I) requested! Here’s the list:

• 2 Bottles Coppertone Sunscreen SPF 8 (Jim’s favorite sunscreen)
• Nutrogena Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF 45 (for my face)
• 1 Box of 40 Tampax Tampons (difficult to find and super expensive. maybe because it’s a Catholic country?)
• 1 Jug of Real Maple Syrup
• Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix (best pancake mix ever! uses almonds. gluten free but not vegan <sob>)
• Quinoa (excellent grain, tastier than couscous, and full of protein)
• Beau Monde Seasoning (great for tuna fish, though I hope to find some vegan use for it)
• Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper (also for tuna fish, but it’s just SO good)
• 2 Bags of Raw Almonds (great for snacking, homemade granola, and hopefully for almond milk)

I was so thrilled that I literally danced while making some delicious fresh Pineapple Pancakes with Cinnamon and Maple Syrup! Jim was amused by my exuberance and thoroughly enjoyed this yummy breakfast that tastes much like pineapple upside-down cake. Huge THANK YOU to Heidi for bring us goodies!

A couple days later I made this wonderful Quinoa Pilaf/Salad.

I cooked the Quinoa (which takes no time at all) and then squeezed the juice of one Lime over it and added a little olive oil, some Cumin, Salt, and a bunch of Fresh Ground Pepper. I then added fresh Spinach, Red Bell Pepper and steamed Baby Zucchini and Green Beans. It was comforting, delicious, and made great leftovers for 3 other meals! I did have Jim’s balsamic grilled chicken with it the first couple times, but that isn’t necessary as it’s great and filling on its own.

Added Plus: It’s vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar free, and Jim loves it!

Ceviche

Now if you’re not into eating Fish, stop reading and find another post. I am still eating fish and was recently introduced to a yummy dish called ceviche. You can order it from the fish market with just fish, sprimp, mixed, or full (which is the mix plus some octopus, and other ocean dwelling creatures). We’ve had the mixed ceviche. So it’s not just fish. If it were I probably wouldn’t be into it. What makes ceviche is the lime juice, cilantro, and onion they put on it. People get it to go here and eat it with a little chili sauce and saltine crackers. It has inspired me to make more lime inspired dishes. We’ll see what I come up with!

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