Okay, I'm not actually from Nicaragua, but it's like my second home. I know what you're thinking: "Nicaragua? Wtf?". I've been there twice on mission with my church, and both have been incredibly life-changing, each for different reasons. Besides that, the food there is not to be reckoned with. Yes, the eat a lot of pollo, but there is a world of Nicaraguan food that is so flavorful and satisfying, sans the meat. On both of my trips, there were three staples that we had at every meal without fail:
1. Rice and beans. No, not what you're thinking; it's all brown rice, the good stuff. And black beans. Every meal. Sound boring? It's not. It can be spiced up with, well, spices, and used as a base for something with a flavorful liquid or sauce, like vegetables. It's also pretty kick-ass by itself - I like my rice naked, thanks.
2. Plantains. Actually, these should be number one, since they are the greatest vegetable/fruit/thing in a peel you will ever eat. They look like giant green/brown bananas (depends on ripeness) and they are so versatile, we have them differently at every meal of the day. Breakfast: ripened, sweet plantains cut lengthwise about half an inch thick and caramelized. Deliciously sweet and perfect with some fresh papaya. Lunch: sliced lengthwise very thinly and fried crispy, like a chip - the healthy kind. Dinner: this is when we get the tostones. The only one I know the actual Spanish name for, and the only one I have successfully made in the States (lezzbeserious, you gotta be a pro to master the art of plantain-making). Tostones are sliced about three-quarters of an inch thick hamburger-style (pardon my omni-vocab) and fried, removed and pressed into 1/4-inch-thick discs, and fried again for about 30 seconds. The sweet ones are my favorite, but tostones have a soft spot in my heart; they are fantastic with some organic, agave-sweetened ketchup and devoured irrationally fast.
3. Fruit. You can't get enough fruit in Nicaragua. You want some freshly picked papaya for breakfast? Here you go! How about some mango? It's ALWAYS ripe. Always. It's magically ripe and perfect and probably organic. At breakfast there is always an array of freshly cut fruit to choose from, and at every meal some delicious freshly-made fruit juice. One night, we had a purple juice that was made from a flower. It was different, but I sure as hell had more than one glass!
So, after being away from my beautiful home-away-from-home for more than five months, I was getting an itch to make some Nicaraguan food; I bought as many plantains as my little hands could grab and spent a good hour over the stove, making sure my first attempt at tostones would be perfect. The rice and beans were simple, but chopping up tons of vegetables and plantains to all be ready at the same time made me wish I were a vegan octopus. The plantains turned out perfectly, and I made some vegetables that seem to be a bit more "tropical" than cauliflower, collards, or what have you. Just before eating, I squeezed half a lime over the vegetables for a more Latin kick. And let me tell you, it was all beyond amazing. It was like having a taste of my Latin-American home :) So, here's the goods!
The Spread:
The tostones. Ugh, I could just die.
Rice and beans! Holllla
The picture of my veggieveggies isn't cooperating, but just imagine some cooked green vegetables. Everything was scrumptious, and we ended our meal with some raw brownies and a scoop of chocolate-peanut-butter nice cream. We ate most of the pan (I had three brownies..couldn't help myself) but you can just imagine some fudgy, chocolatey, nutritious raw brownies sprinkled with vegan chocolate chips. Too good to be true.
With the food on top of everything, today was a fantastic day. I woke up before the rest of the house (ahhh, my favorite time) and made French toast with cinnamon-raisin Ezekiel bread. It was truly divine. Recipe? Here you go!
French Toast
Ingredients:
4 slices of cinnamon-raisin Ezekiel bread (defrosted)
2/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
2 T. whole-wheat flour
1 t. vanilla
1 T. pure (grade A) maple syrup
1/2 t. cinnamon
Spray bottle of canola oil
Directions:
- Whisk together the milk, flour, vanilla, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- Prepare a large non-stick skillet by spraying a thin layer of canola oil. Heat it up over medium-high heat.
- When pan and oil are hot, dip toast slices in bowl, making sure both sides are completely soaked. Try to fit as many as you can in the pan, making them in batches if necessary.
- Watch and listen carefully, being sure to flip every minute or so, spraying the pan in-between flips.
- Cook to desired crispness and serve warm.
I had mine with lots of fresh berries and other fruit. The french toast was flavorful enough on its own, I didn't even need maple syrup :)
After our lovely Sunday brunch, I headed off to yoga class with my sister. It was the perfect way to start my day. I love yoga in the morning, it guarantees that the rest of the day will be good and happy (but then again, have you ever met an unhappy vegan?).
It was a perfect day. Now, off to bed, lovlies! Hopefully reading some Eat, Pray, Love while I'm snuggled up in bed. Goodnight! :) xoxox
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