Lunch at Adams Mountain Cafe

I'm lucky enough to have my mom visiting this weekend and we just returned from an exciting day of sightseeing and traveling about. One of our highlights of the day was a wonderful lunch in Manitou Springs at the Adams Mountain Cafe.  I had the Senegalese Vegetables atop udon noodles smothered in a flavorful peanut ginger sauce, sprinkled with currants, toasted almonds, and scallions. Mom went for the Peak Sandwich, an open face turkey sandwich on sunflower seed bread, topped with sherry creme sauce, spinach and tomato, and white cheddar cheese.  

The Senegalese veggies were perfect, the snow peas and celery still crisp.

A note on our table, we loved the message.

The towering sandwich.

Pasta Fresca Salad

My newest culinary creation has quickly become one of my favorites - I'm calling it Pasta Fresca Salad.  It's super easy to make whether you're preparing it for yourself or a whole group - and from start to finish it takes less than fifteen minutes!  I made mine with whole wheat pasta, slices of yellow bell peppers, Greek olives, baby greens, and slices of fig, all drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.  It has a great combination of flavors and packs a ton of antioxidants onto one plate.  It's also perfect for experimenting with seasonal fruits and veggies as they come into their prime and a good way to get some greens into your diet if you're not a fan of plain green salads.  It'd make a great side dish, but I've been devouring a whole plate for lunch and it's just right for getting me through four hours of class in the afternoon!