A fresh fruit and vegetable focused dinner

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Hope you are enjoying a fun weekend with family and friends. Today I decided to chill out and relax by going to the beach. Of course, just because of that it looks like it will rain. We need the rain so I can’t really complain about it.

Tonight I plan to watch the fireworks in Wellington. It has been a busy few days, starting with Ladies night out on Thursday, then driving to Miami on Friday to help my aunt celebrate her 89^th birthday. I had my Independence Day BBQ yesterday at my mother’s house. I invited a date to join us so it was more than just family.

I decided to make a fruit and vegetable focused meal.  In that, I made a new salsa that I really liked for an appetizer. It was an Avocado Kiwi salsa served with Plantain chips from a recipe I found on Epicurious.com.

Kiwi is one of the super fruits. It seems like such a small unassuming fruit but in fact it has the highest density for any fruit of vitamin C and is higher in potassium than a banana or other citrus fruits. It is also rich in Vitamin A and E and the black seeds when crushed produce kiwi fruit oil which is rich in Alpha-linoleic acid, an Omega 3 essential fatty acid. They are also high in fiber.

I served the salsa with store bought plantain chips. I fudged some on this. Fresh plantain chips are the best, but due to time and my dislike of frying, I bought the healthiest store brand (which isn’t all that healthy!)

Dinner consisted of Shrimp, Pineapple and Vegetable Kabobs and a Brown rice and Wheat berry blend. I have mentioned both in previous blogs.

I wanted to do a red, white and blue dessert that was fruit based. In ice cream parfait glasses, I layered blueberries, low fat whipped cream (is that possible?) a little bit of shortcake (1 ½ shortcakes divided among 4 parfait glasses) raspberries layered with the other ingredients then topped with strawberries, a dollop of whipped cream and coconut on top. It was a nice, not too heavy ending to dinner.

After dinner my date and I went for a walk which ended up t be a 2 mile walk. Not planning to do that, I had sandals on. The soles of my feet now feel like someone took sandpaper to them! Still, it was a beautiful clear night and we enjoyed it.

Below is the salsa recipe. I have included the Fried Plantain recipe. In some areas it might be easier to find plantains fresh rather than the chips. You could use good old baked tortilla chips or less than healthy mixed veggie chips (yes, they have more fat than other chips!).

With all the fresh fruits available, I hope you will follow my lead and make a fruit and veggie focused meal this month.

Fried Plantain Chips
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
6 cups vegetable oil
4 very green plantains (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine zest, salt and cayenne. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and set near stovetop.
Heat oil in a 5-quart pot set over medium to medium-high heat until a thermometer reaches 375º. While oil is heating, cut ends off plantains and use a sharp knife to score each plantain lengthwise 5 times. Place into a bowl of hot water and soak for 5 minutes before peeling. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, slice the plantains into very thin (about 1/8-inch) strips. Fry strips 6 at a time, turning frequently, for 30 to 45 seconds or until golden. Remove using tongs or a spider and sprinkle immediately with salt mixture.
Plantain chips can be made several hours in advance. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve.
Adapted from Epicurious
Avocado Kiwi Salsa
Ingredients:
2 kiwis, peeled and roughly chopped
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Gently toss together all ingredients, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
Note: Since I was making this for a party, I tossed together everything except for the avocado and added it a few minutes before guests arrived.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Costa Rica and Beyond

I just returned from my week in Costa Rica, a day late.  My flight was canceled and I was diverted to Dallas overnight. I am happy it was Dallas rather than Houston but would have loved to stay longer and visit friends.

I did manage to have some time with Cory though. He happened to be returning from a Colorado trip so we spent some quality time together and he drove me to the airport. Seeing an old and comfortable friend was a nice way to end my vacation.

In any case, I had been interested to learn about the food in Costa Rica. I had visions of eating all kinds of Central American dishes with lots to report back. That isn’t exactly how things went.

I did have some wonderful fruit. I couldn’t get enough of the juicy, sweet pineapple. I think Costa Rican sugar pineapples are the best in the world (sometimes available at Costco). Although papaya isn’t my all time favorite, I really enjoyed it with some lime squeezed over it. I don’t think the mangoes were in season. They were small so we didn’t buy them.

Guanabana

I did try a Guanabana (Soursop) smoothie  

and enjoyed it. I find it hard to describe the flavor, maybe pineapple or unsweetened coconut. If you have the chance, it is worth trying a smoothie. I got my coconut fix the best way I knew how, coconut ice cream! It’s lucky I don’t have this at home or I would weigh 300 pounds.

Coffee…now that is top notch in Costa Rica and my teeth are ready for a bleaching after all the cups I consumed. It is very rich and strong. Loved it!

Pizza…ha..yes there was a lot of pizza in Costa Rica. French fries too. I had expected Rice and Beans and Plantains. It seemed whenever we asked where to find a good place to eat we were directed to a restaurant that had great pizza! French fries were a favorite side to many meals.

Gallo Pinto is considered the National Dish. I tried it a few times and for a vegetarian that is a good choice only if it isn’t made with meat.  There are versions of Gallo Pinto (http://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=282&Itemid=489) all over the Caribbean but with different names, beans and rice, pigeon peas and rice and even Hoppin’ John in the Southern US.  Gallo pinto is made by cooking black beans then frying them with rice, onion, red pepper, spices and cilantro. They are often served with eggs.

I did have eggs and they tasted somewhat different than my home bought Omega Eggs. Given the number of chickens in Costa Rica, I would expect they were free range and quite fresh!  The red peppers are also different, a bit softer and very sweet.

Speaking about birds, Gallo Pinto translates to Spotted Rooster in English. There are a lot of roosters milling around the country. Many which seem to enjoying sending out a Cock a Doodle Do at about 4:30 am when you have your windows open and had planned to sleep in. The hundreds of wild dogs, Howler Monkeys and other birds kick in not to be outdone! You know the “if a tree falls in the jungle” question? Well if it was a Costa Rican jungle, somebody would hear it, I guarantee. It would probably be followed by a monkey howl, a dog bark, some birds singing and possibly a cock a doodle do or two.

One of the foods I really enjoyed eating during my trip was whole fish grilled. My sister and I shared our lunches and this was a special treat. I must say however, the meal I liked the best during my visit was cooked by Shay’s friend Mike. He is on a special anti-inflammation diet and this meal was one of his specialties.

The meal consisted of Mahi-Mahi coated with a rub that was given to him by a friend from New Mexico. It was a  combination of ground dried peppers, spices and who knows what from their farm.  It was delicious on the fish.

Alongside the Mahi, he made a salad of avocado, tomato, cilantro and lime. I watched him make it and it looked like all he did was coarsely mash the avocado, add chopped tomato, chopped cilantro and a good squeeze of lime. He may have added salt and pepper but I don’t remember him using it.  The meal was muy delicioso (don’t be impressed, had I not had my sister with me as translator, I would still be lost somewhere in Central America!)!

My foodie experience in Costa Rica may not been the one I had fantasized it would be, still it was an experience as was my whole adventure. I had a great time but I am glad I am home eating my local favorites.  Still, I will dream about the Helado de Coco http://youtu.be/zxKDDP2c9ts . Now those are Spanish words I won’t easily forget!