My daughter and her friend took a trip to Costa Rica and she was inspired to create a Costa Rica Dinner of Shrimp and Chicken with Mango Salsa and Beans when she came back. It was so good, I had to post it. Read about how Costa Rica is one of the world’s longevity hotspots here.
Costa Rica Cuisine
The food in Costa Rica is known for its simplicity, as well as it’s reliance on tropical fruits and legumes. It’s unpretentious, healthy and simple to prepare. Black beans are a staple. In the Costa Rican Dinner recipe below, can cook up your black beans from scratch or open up a can of organic beans instead like I did. I found a can that had a hint of serrano chili mixed in.
On their trip, my daughter and her friend Kelly drove all over the island in a car, staying in several hotels and even went white water rafting. I was a little worried about them driving all by themselves but they came back safe and had an amazing time.
Gallito Pinto – This is a great book of authentic Costa Rican recipes on Amazon.
Enjoy my daughter’s Costa Rica dinner recipe!
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- ½ cup purple onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp Cilantro fresh, chopped
- ½ mango peeled and chopped
- ½ tsp serrano pepper chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 juice of lime
- 1 - 1½ lbs chicken tenders skinned, with no bones
- 2-4 shrimps per person - cleaned and shelled with tails on (or get a package of frozen shrimp and thaw)
- vinegar of choice, to taste
- 1 cup Quinoa (instead of typical rice)
- 1 can black beans (see recipe above)
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- mixed salad greens
- ½ avocado sliced
- Mix the tomato, purple onion, garlic, cilantro, mango, serrano pepper, lime juice, salt, and pepper and set aside.
- Heat the butter in a skillet on the stove. Saute the chicken for a couple minutes until it is slightly browned. Turn over and saute until cooked through. (about 5-8 minutes total depending on the thickness of the chicken) Season with salt and pepper.
- When the chicken is almost done, add the shrimps to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until it is cooked through and slightly browned.
- Add the sliced bananas to the skillet and saute on each side until slightly browned. (keep warm)
- Cook the beans (see recipe above or just use canned black beans with seasonings)
- Boil the quinoa with 2 cups of water for 15 minutes (or follow package directions)
- Serve the meal with salad greens (with oil and vinegar), sliced avocado, chicken and shrimp, mango salsa, quinoa, beans, banana, lime slices.
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