Gallo Pinto – Costa Rican – Blue Zone Recipe

The Costa Rican Blue Zone is located in the Nicoya Peninsula. My takeaway from this region is that it has more to do with overall lifestyle than just diet. While their diet includes whole foods, such as rice and beans, the key factors are daily movement, a love for life, and a focus on whole foods. When searching for recipes, I reached out to a friend from Costa Rica, specifically 30 minutes away from the blue zone territory. She mentioned that there’s nothing particularly special about their diet, but she shared a recipe commonly eaten all over Costa Rica, with a unique twist in the Nicoya region. If following a video is easier for you I have one ready on my instagram.

About the Nicoya Peninsula.

The life expectancy is one of the highest in the world. In Nicoya life expectancy is 83 years. In the United States its 76. That’s staggering. Nicoyan’s eat produce that they harvest themselves. They have meaningful social connections and they have movement built into their everyday. They also subscribe to pura vida lifestyle. Their pura vida approach to life is to slowing down, eliminating stress, and taking time to connect with friends, nature, and family.

About Gallo Pinto.

Gallo Pinto is actually the national dish of Costa Rica. They claim they are the first to make this dish but Nicaragua also claims to have founded it first. There’s no real winner on this. Gallo Pinto is traditionally a breakfast dish but can be eaten throughout the day or as a side dish. There is no one recipe for Gallo Pinto all families and regions have their own version. The basics of the dish are white rice, black beans, peppers, onion and spices, cilantro. I hope this inspires you to try this dish!

The Recipe.

First things first you always prep your veggies by washing and chop them.
In a small pan add olive oil over medium heat. Then add your onions and cook them until they are soft.
Now add your minced garlic and cook till it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in beans and water. Bring that to a full simmer. Time to stir in your rice, salt and pepper. Make sure you combine everything well until it is all hot. Now remove from heat and add jalapeno, bell pepper and plenty of cilantro.
If you enjoyed this you will also enjoy this Greek Blue Zone recipe.