Day 18 - Foodies

Mondays r relax & catch up day (and of course eating)
We made breakfast this morning: cinnamon french toast w/raisin bread w/homemade caramel sauce and bananas on top.
After that we definitely needed to excercise so we went for a walk - which around here means hike. This time we explored the road we live on but going up the mountain, away from town. Beautiful-big surprise right. It follows the river so you get the sounds of rushing water, a million birds, butterflies, cows grazing and as you climb the views are great. It is extremely tranquil here.

Sancocho de pescado

Got back just in time for...more food. Another cooking lesson for Leah.  Today's recipe:

Sancocho de pescado con arroz
8 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1 red onion
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 TB achiote (here it is with oil)
2 TB finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 Yucca (cut into thirds about 2 inches long, then quartered-12 pieces)
3 green plantains (sliced at angle, 1/4 inch thick)
salt
3 whole tilapia (cleaned, cut in half)
more cilantro
lime wedges
white rice
1) Put garlic, tomato & onion in blender with 1.5 cups water, pulse several times until all is rough chopped
2) Add to big sauce pot, add peanut butter, achiote, parsley, cilantro, salt and bring to a boil, stirring so all mixes together and doesn't stick
3) When it comes to a boil, add approx 2 cups more water and bring to a boil again
4) When boiling, add yucca and plantains together, bring back to boil
5) Add approx 2 more cups water & adjust salt, keep adding water & stirring occasionally until the plantains change color and the yucca is soft.
6) When yucca is cooked, add more water (and salt) if necessary and bring back to a boil. Water level should be close to top of pot so when you add fish they r completely covered.
7) When water is boiling, add fish halves in even layer on top, trying not to overlap. Add another 1/4 cup cilantro. Cover. Turn flame down a little. DON'T STIR - it will break up the fish. When fish had changed color turn off flame.
8) Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over and steamed white rice.
If you try this - we r sure you will love it as much as us. It was delicious!

We were all stuffed, but that didn't stop Shawn and Erik from making more banana bread from the now very ripe bunch of bananas out front.

...And then banana ice cream with fresh papaya on top. I guess more like sorbet bc it didn't have any dairy in it, but it was creamy like ice cream.

Life may be a little rough here for someone who doesn't like bananas.

So we didn't really eat dinner (for obvious reasons) but Erik did make himself his new favorite evening snack: a tamale stuffed with chicken & peas, with a fried egg on top and aji (kinda like a local hot sauce)

Ryan & Veronica's study, America makes tamales every Sunday and then delivers 15 of them to us-it doesn't get better than that!

and look who learned how to play poker?  But don't worry they r playing with buttons, the same one we use on the homemade sequence board.

Back to preaching tomorrow.