Gallo Pinto is a whole grain and legume mixture. Gallo Pinto has its roots in Costa Rica where it is a white rice and black bean mixture with a spicy sauce called Salsa Lizano. Our recipe makes it with brown rice and other grains.
The recipe is below. You can buy the sauce in the United States or you can make a similar sauce from the recipe provided below.
Ingredients: Gallo Pinto
¾ cup brown rice cooked with 2-1/2 cups water. You can add arame or kombu seaweed optionally for more vitamins and minerals. Best if rice is made a day in advance but fine if just made.
2/3 cup quinoa mixed with 1/3 cup amaranth, cooked with 2 cups of water
2 ½ cups cooked black beans (or one 29 oz. or two 14-1/2 oz. cans of black beans). Do not drain.
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic (optional)
2 carrots diced small
1 onion chopped fine
¼ kilo green beans cut into 1-2 cm. long pieces (or 1 bunch kale, torn by hand into small pieces with large stems removed)
Salza Lizano (available on Amazon.com, ticoshopping.com and other websites, imported from Costa Rica) or a similar sauce you can make easily. See directions below.
Directions: Gallo Pinto
-Sauté carrots, green beans (if using) and onions in water, adding a little at a time, in a large iron skillet or other large frying pan.
-When begin to soften, add garlic, cilantro and kale (if using) and cook until wilted but do not overcook.
-Add rice, quinoa and amaranth and mix together with sautéed vegetables until warm.
-Add beans and juice from cooking/can(s) and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir to keep from sticking or burning on the bottom.
-Serve with bottled Lizano sauce or the Costa Rican sauce from the recipe below.
Notes: This is a healthy version of the Costa Rican dish which is used as a breakfast food and also for other meals. You can play with the vegetables to add things you like. Just keep the beans and rice visually dominant.
Ingredients: Costa Rican Sauce
1 chipotle pepper from can and a little of the adobo sauce in which it is sold
¾ cup vegetable broth (or water with one vegetable bouillon cube)
¼ small onion, chopped
1 large, thick carrot, chopped
2 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
½ tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon molasses
Directions: Costa Rican Sauce
Place all ingredients in a powerful blender or food processor. If using a bouillon cube, heat the water to close to boiling so that the cube will dissolve. Adjust the amount of chipotle pepper and its adobo sauce depending on the desired spiciness. Blend until smooth. The sauce should keep in the refrigerator for one or two weeks.
Kathryn Hayward, M.D. was a primary care internal medicine specialist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School for 20 years. She now lives in Mallorca, Spain, where she practices Integrative Health in the United States and elsewhere through Odyssey Journey: A Collaborative Approach to Wellness, and is co-founder of International Integrators, a community devoted to the global promotion of Integrative Health.
David L. Thomas, Jr. co-founded and developed International Integrators in concert with his passionate desire to initiate change in the way that we care for ourselves and each other, and the way we interact with and affect our natural environment. He brings his background as an attorney and businessman, and his expertise in nutrition and plant-based cooking and eating, to the collaborative effort to identify, mentor and support leaders in Integrative Health. David holds a BA in Spanish Literature from Haverford College, a JD degree from Georgetown University and a certificate in plant-based nutrition from the T.Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies and Cornell University.
Image source: Yummly.com
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