¡comida, comida, y más comida!

So the question eveyone has been asking is "but what are you eating?". The answer.... everything! Well, more or less haha. My host mom is an amazing cook, and works very hard to come up with new vegetarian dishes to surprise me. So what is Costa Rican food like? One dish typical to Costa Rica is gallo pinto, which translated literaly means spotted rooster (see picture and recipe below). It's usually eaten for breakfast with eggs, toast, and natilla (kind of like sour cream). Even McDonald's and Subway serve it here! I have yet to try gallo pinto from a fastfood place, but doubt it could be better than my host mother's recipe (which I still need to steal). Another popular item is sopa negra, black bean soup served with a hard boiled egg. Other great things I've eaten here include: platano maduro (ripe plantains cooked with a little butter and sometimes sugar), yuca (a root vegetable), cas (a type of fruit), guabana (another type of fruit), fresh coconut water, and of course the coffee. So no worries I am not starving! In fact I am getting spoiled rotten. Every morning I get a plate of fresh fruit as well as coffee, and usually either eggs, a breakfast sandwhich, or banana pancakes. Yes, life is good ;)

Here's a link to a blog about Costa Rican food if you're intersted in learning more!
recetasdecostarica.blogspot.com



Gallo Pinto
Makes 4 to 6 servings

•Oil 2-3 tablespoons
•Onion, finely chopped
•Bell pepper, finely chopped
•2-3 cloves minced garlic
•Cooked black beans, drained, liquid reserved -- 2 cups
•Salt and pepper to taste
•Hot cooked rice -- 2 cups

Method
1.Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high flame. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through.

2.Stir in the drained beans, some of their reserved liquid, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until heated through.

3.Add the rice and stir into the beans and heat through. Adjust seasoning and add a little more bean liquid if necessary. Serve hot.

Variations
•On the Caribbean coast coconut oil is commonly used instead of regular vegetable oil, and chili peppers are added
•Stir in some chopped cilantro.
•Add a few dashes of bottled pepper sauce or Worcerstershire sauce for added flavor.

(Stolen from http://www.whats4eats.com/grains/gallo-pinto-recipe)