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!

Popsicles: Not just for Kids!

Image by grebo guru via Flickr

It’s hot out there! This time of year I start craving cold things, ice cream, sorbet, popsicles, shakes and just plain cold water with lots of ice. A number of years ago, I came up with a more healthy solution to my desire for high fat ice cream when I needed to cool off.

I bought fresh juices and made them into my own homemade popsicles. I see a lot of recipes for popsicles using a sugar syrup, but I haven’t felt the need to use syrup when the Natural Juices are great. The syrup does make them less “icy” but if I don’t need to add sugar, I don’t.

You can find Popsicle molds sometimes at Target. More recently I found some at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Of course Amazon has them as well.I prefer the round ones, but if you like your popsicles rectangular, there are molds for that too.

My favorite juices are by R.W. Knudsen. You can find them at Whole Foods or many Supermarkets. Pineapple Coconut is my all time favorite, but Guava Strawberry and Simply Nutritious Morning Blend packed with Vitamins and Minerals are also great choices.

Of course, over time, I have started finding other uses for my Popsicles. Most recently I decided to try making my Mona Vie dose of the day into a Popsicle. In addition to the antioxidants in it, the Mona Vie Active has Glucosamine and it tastes a whole lot better than the other liquid forms I have tried . Frozen, it is a great grab and go pop and I find I am more consistent with the Mona Vie popsicle rather than the juice alone. (For a Mona Vie distributor, link to this site www.monavie.com and use this distributor number 579716. My sister is my distributor!!)

I also came up with another idea, using the Popsicle plan for my after workout recovery drink. Blend in advance, freeze and you have them as needed. My favorite is Whole Foods brand Chocolate Soy Protein Powder blended with non-fat milk, banana and strawberries or blueberries (or both). If I want it a little sweeter, I add a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey. Freeze these and you have your recovery drink ready to go in a nice little icy package.

A Mango Lassi recovery drink pop is good also, fresh mango, Vanilla Soy Protein Powder (yes, soy…the vegetarians favorite!), Low fat or Fat Free Milk, Soy Milk or Vanilla Yogurt and a dash each of Cardamom and Ginger. Add a little honey if you want. Throw in an after workout meditation and you will be ready for Nirvana (or at least more relaxed and recovered!).

Now all of my ideas aren’t healthy but often healthier than not. My “less healthy” treat, I came up with because I had bought a bottle of KeKe brand Key Lime Liqueur
and there are only so many times when I want to make Key Lime Martinis. I filled the mold ¾ of the way to the top with Pineapple Coconut Juice then finished it with the Key Lime Liqueur. The Liqueur settled at the bottom and was a pretty green contrast to the white juice. The Liqueur stays a little softer than the juice, but it tastes great and you have just enough of an alcohol hit to make this a real “adult” indulgence.

Finally, I made a strawberry sorbet pop based on a recipe I found in Sunset Magazine (April 2007). I made a simple syrup with ½ cup white sugar and ¾ cup of water. I heat the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool then add ¾ tablespoon of Orange Flower water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

I take a pint of fresh, sweet strawberries, stem removed and put them in a blender. Blend, adding syrup to taste. If you want an elegant sorbet you can run the berries through a fine strainer to remove the seeds before adding the syrup. I went for a more rustic dish by skipping that step. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

The Sunset Recipe used Rose Water in place of the Orange Flower water but I didn’t have it on hand. I am sure that would taste great too! You could probably add a little chopped basil for a more sophisticated flavor or use honey in place of the syrup. If you use the honey, I would leave out the orange flower water and use an orange extract otherwise the honey may overpower the delicate orange flower water.

I hope these ideas will motivate you to come up with and make your own popsicle combinations. You can layer different flavor and colors, make lime pops and serve with a tequila to dip in. The ideas and flavor combinations are endless.
Stay fit, stay cool, and don’t forget to exercise!