Gallo Pinto – Costa Rican rice and beans

I am currently in Costa Rica with my family and some great friends.  Not only do we have our family unit here, but we also have our “people” in the other family we are traveling with, as my 16 year old always says.  Each of us has a friend our similar age that we really gel with, who makes us feel good and who we have a lot in common with.  It’s the perfect friend group situation.

We chose Costa Rica because no one had been and we thought it would be a great adventure.  It certainly is turning out to be just that!  So far we have been to Tamarindo, Playa del Coco, a gorgeous estate up in the hills of Nosara and we had a six night stay down in Playa Guiones where there are no streetlight, paved roads or street signs. (What the heck?) Now we are in Playa Hermosa in a gorgeous home overlooking the bay. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist my view as I post!)

I thought it would be fun to write about some of my food adventures here, the different restaurants we have been to and the food eaten by the people who live on this peninsula.  The Nicoya Peninsula is one of the five Blue Zones in the world.  A Blue Zone is where the most centurions live (people living to be 100 years old +):Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; the Barbagia region of Sardinia, Italy and here in Nicoya, Costa Rica.

More information about the Blue Zones here, but in summary, the centurions in the Blue Zone of Costa Rica have been found to have 9 specific characteristics that lead to a long life.  One of the things they do is eat a healthy diet.  The Nicoyan elders eat a primarily plant based diet with little to no processed foods.  Their main meals consist of beans, peas, lentils, rice, corn, vegetables and antioxidant rich fruits.  Meat is eaten much less often than in North America.  They also eat very few foods with added sugars. Their main meal is eaten earlier in the day and their dinner is lighter and not eaten late.  The “ticos” or locals have been telling us that they have a dish called Gallo Pinto that they eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It consists of rice and beans with onions and red pepper.  It is quite delicious and since we have been eating it quite a bit, I thought I would include the recipe for it.  It is a great way to add fibre and hearty, filling foods to your diet! We have been eating in as a side dish, in corn tortillas, on salads and in crispy taco shells.  It is very versatile!

This recipe is a combination of a couple of website recipes and a local cookbook I found in our Nosara home. Our homemade lunches tended to consist of lots of veggies and dips and salads as well as beans and veggies in wraps.  Here is a bean, red pepper, cilantro, purple cabbage wrap with an avocado garlic sauce. We hit a couple of great restaurants in Tamarindo- one being the Green Papaya.  The atmosphere was great with the kids being able to eat sitting on swings!  They had great tacos and this is the Buddha Bowl with quinoa, kale, avocado, salsa, chick peas, roasted eggplant and purple cabbage…  yum!  All in a cashew garlic sauce with extra dips. 😉 This photo is from La Luna Restaurant in Nosara.  This was a delicious veggie plate with 8 sides.  This is the only restaurant in Nosara that has a view of the sunset.  Highly recommend it! We had a buffet lunch after yoga (which was AMAZING) at the Bodhi Tree.  The spread was very impressive and to my delight was 90% vegan! Except for the dessert… dang it. Burgers and Beers in Nosara was a hit with our families.  Their portobello mushroom burger with avocado and house salad was filling and delicious. Lots of delicious food on this trip.  Now I just need to remember that tortillas are not a food group. 😉  

Costa Rican Gallo Pinto

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Serves: 8

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked black beans (best if cooked from scratch, but you can use canned)2 cups cooked rice (long grain is best) White rice is traditionally used but I would choose brown1 tablespoon olive oil1 onion, chopped finely3 cloves garlic, minced1 red pepper, diceddash of salt and pepper6 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce1/4 cup cilantro (plus extra for garnishing)fresh tomato salsa for a topping  (optional but delish) (Just chop a little extra onion, cilantro and a couple tomatoes and squeeze in half a lime)

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat
2. Fry the onion until translucent, then add garlic and red pepper and cook until garlic is browned slightly.
3. Add beans (all liquid removed), salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add rice and chopped cilantro and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Serve with fresh tomato salsa if desired.

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