Gallo Pinto (Costa Rica)

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked long grain rice
1 cup of red or black small cooked beans
1/2 cup of finely diced white onions
3 teaspoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Lizano Sauce

Preparation:
Place vegetable oil on a frying pan and heat for approximately 1 minute. Saute onions until caramelized. Add entire pot of cooked beans and its gravy into the sautéed onions. Stir over low-medium heat for a minute. Combine cooked rice to sautéed bean mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add cilantro.
Cook on high heat and quick.
Serve immediately and add the Lizano Sauce as needed.

Hearts of Palm Salad (Costa Rica)

Ingredients:
2 16-ounce cans of hearts of palm
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
ground pepper to taste
very small amount of salt
lettuce leaves

Preparation:
Drain the hearts of palm, cut them into ½-inch pieces, and put them into a large bowl. Stir in the red pepper, yellow pepper, and chopped parsley.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, chicken broth, and olive oil. Drizzle the dressing over the hearts of palm mixture and toss gently. Season to taste with salt (optional) and pepper. Line a serving bowl with lettuce leaves, spoon the salad on top and serve

Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:
1 small can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of uncooked rice; 1/2 cup of water
2 sticks of cinnamon cracked
1 cup of evaporated milk
6 cup of milk; 1/2 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
First, in a large cooking pot, add the water, 4 cups of milk, uncooked rice, cinnamon, evaporated milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Once on the stove, bring the liquid to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes. Then, add the sweetened condensed milk. Add a little water to the milk can and empty its contents into the pot, by this time the liquid should be simmering, on low heat. The milk should just barely simmer, with bubbles breaking only the outside edge of the surface. As the liquid begins to reduce, add the remaining milk in small
increments as you continue to stir. As you add the milk stir the mixture so that it cooks evenly. Continue to stir intermittently, until the liquid has become a gooey paste. Then add raisins and cook for an additional 10 minutes on.

Picadillo de Platano Verde
Tangy Platano Sauté

Ingredients
2 green Platanos (Platains) diced into cubes
3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red bell pepper diced
5 medium sized mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 packet Sazon Goya
3 tablespoons Salsa Lizano
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Green platain: First ensure that the green platains have been refrigerated overnight. This will make them easier to peel. To peel them, score it along one side of it’s length. With the knife partially under the skin begin to loosen it. Using your hands (thumb works real
good) peel the skin off . Then dice them into cubes. Once cubed put them in water and
let soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a large sauté pan (medium heat), add the onions, garlic peppers and
cilantro. Sauté these for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, Sazon Goya, Salsa Lizano, platains
(drained) and salt/pepper. Stir this until the plantains are seasoned well. Add the
mushrooms and 1 cup of water. Cook covered over low medium heat for about 30
minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 4.