Beauty and inspiration often reveal themselves in the most unexpected places.

Today, my kitchen compost bucket was stunning, bursting with luscious colors, and it simply stopped me in my tracks. Its contents were from a special housewarming dinner at my month-long artist residency at Eldorado Springs Art Center. I cooked a super-yummy quinoa-kale mélange, prepared with gorgeous organic produce from the Alfalfa’s Market. (Seriously the best bulk section in all of Boulder, Colorado–loves it!)

Maybe I was influenced by the overriding artsy-vibe here, but when I glanced over at my kitchen compost bucket, I had no choice but to drop everything and commence with a full-on photoshoot.

Its contents?

•  Top of a red bell pepper, which I sautéed with 2 big cloves of garlic and  Alfalfa’s organic bulk olive oil.

•  Ends of a red kale bunch, which I gently tossed with a splash of tamari and sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

•  Teeny bit of red and black quinoa–er, I spilled some on the counter while mixing together together the red bell pepper, garlic, kale and quinoa.

•  Remains of a fuschia poeny that my friend Joy brought me as a welcoming gift. Although the petals had all fallen off, the color was still amazing!

YUM. That compost looks good enough to eat.

This month, I’ll be doing more than just cooking mouth-watering local produce here at The Eldorado Springs Art Center. Please stop by the center for one of these mind-opening events!

Eldorado Springs Art Center Upcoming Events

Thursday, June 2^nd, 8pm: “ACTIVATE” Performance Art Evening featuring Rachel Znerold and Lula Mae Day. Sliding Scale $11-111. Eldorado Springs Art Center.

Sat/Sun June 4^th & 5^th, 10am-4pm: “A Sense of Place: An Intuitive Painting Workshop” led by artist Rachel Znerold. $Pay-what-you-can! Not an Artist? I bet you ARE! Come join me!

Monday, June 6^th, 6pm: Monday Night Supperclub featuring the culinary arts of Eric Johnson, executive chef at Greenbriar Inn. Bring a bottle of wine to share! $50

Saturday, June 11^th, 6:30- 9:30 pm: ESAC 11^th Anniversary Art Exhibition, featuring art, fashion show, live music and dancing. $Free

This post originally appeared on Eating with Abs, the thought-provoking real food diary and recipe blog of the gorgeous and worldly Abigail Wick, who is prancing gracefully around Europe as we speak, turning people on to her food-love-magic and writing hot and sexy articles for Eco-Salon.

ABOUT: Eating with Abs is a positive, accessible resource for learning about how sexy it is to eat your kale and collard greens. With glamor and DIY-cool, this site encourages you to cultivate a healthy relationship with your body. Whether it be damn-good eats, vegan nutrition, or kick-ass culinary tips, Eating with Abs is about creating a lifestyle that’s healthy and edgy.

With cooking shows, regular contributing columnists, and passion for the local-foods revival, this site encourages simplicity, elegance on a budget, and awareness about the ecological-farming revolution. The slow-foods movement starts at your dinner table — with conversation, friends, and organic, biodynamic wine. You’re invited to join us. Cheers to gustatory pleasure and mindful living!