Normally, I am not one to talk about myself. Every so often though, I have something to write that is not related to food (if you’re uninterested, feel free to skip right to the recipe).
So, last weekend, I went to visit some family at the Poconos in PA. Turns out, most of my family are not mountain people. Which completely makes sense to why we would be in the mountains. Anyway, as a result, we spent a lot of time picking at food, watching the Olympics, and staring at one another (on the plus side, I had plenty of time to learn how to play Apples to Apples).
Now, I happened to fall into the minority of those who wanted to go hiking. We finally got our chance on the way home. First, we went to Boulder Field (pictures below!)- which is just what it sounds like. It was so huge! Of course we had to be careful not to slip into a crack and break our ankles, but it was so worth it. I actually got jealous of my dog who was able to drag me from boulder to boulder without so much as glancing at the ground. Everybody thought it was funny to see such a tiny dog on the rocks 🙂
Afterwards we wanted to check out a waterfall in the middle of the woods. Problem was, a huge storm was right behind us. Now, normal people would see the dark clouds and loud thunder and simply walk away. We, however, were adventurous (and stupid) enough to continue on down the trail. And sure enough, it poured. Hard. I felt like I was in a horror movie and half expected to return to our car and see our tires slashed. And, brilliant me, I forgot I had my camera in my pocket. My thoughts trekking in pouring rain for 25 minutes: Oh my God, I murdered my camera. My dad is going to murder me. In addition, we had our cell phones with us, which was also serving as our GPS. (Yup, we definitely are mountain people).
But, there must be a God out there because, luckily, my camera still works. Unfortunately, I spent 3 hours in a car soaked. My dog is still recovering as he has been sleeping for the last 24 hours!
Now, onto food. As the zucchini is still coming in strong, we have…
Zucchini and Pea Risotto
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/4 cup red wine
3 to 3 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a pot, heat oil and add in the onions and garlic clove. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add in rice and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add in all of wine and and enough chicken broth to cover all the rice. Bring to a simmer and cover your pot with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes, adding in more broth as rice absorbs it. Add in zucchini and cook until tender. Stir in peas and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and stir in basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Boulder Field
My little man! Definitely in need of some sunglasses 🙂
Health Without Sacrifice 