Olla de Carne - Costa Rican Beef Soup

This is an absolutely delicious Costa Rican staple that used to be served at every evening meal. Now it is served anytime. You will find it on the menu at many "sodas" (small diners) and "restaurantes". It is a stew-like soup with large chunks of beef and vegetables. The broth isn't as thick as the broth found in a typical American stew.

Ingredients:

½ pound of yucca

½ pound sweet potatoes (camote)

½ pound of tiquisque* (optional)

½ pound carrots (zanahoria)

½ pound of potatoes (pappas)

½ pound of calabaza squash (ayote)

1 chayote

1 green plantain (platano verde)

2 ears of tender corn sliced in 1½” rings (elote)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro (culantro)

1 cup diced celery (apio)

1 cup coarsely chopped onion (cebolla)

3 cloves minced garlic (ajo)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

2 cups of chicken or beef stock (or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water)

1 teaspoon of achiote paste (annatto)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds bone-in beef, cubed beef or rib pieces cut into about 2 inch pieces

Directions:

Place the meat in a large pot with the onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, celery and salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover everything and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer until the meat is almost tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Cut all of the vegetables into large chunks, about 1” to 1½” thick. Put the vegetables and chicken or beef stock in another large stock pot in the order they take to cook. Reserve the potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash until later because they need less cooking time. Bring the vegetable to a boil over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Then add the remaining vegetables and lower the heat to a simmer, transfer the meat to the vegetable pot and continue to simmer until everything is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Olla de carne is usually served "family style" with a bowl of plain broth (or caldo) for everyone. The cooked meat and vegetables are placed on a large platter in the center of the table with a large bowl of white rice. Everyone adds a little rice to their broth and then tops it with some meat and their favorite vegetables.

* Tiquisque is commonly called Taro, Cocoyam or Ñampi. I'm not fond of this root vegetable, so I usually don't add it.

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Latin Fusion Pasta with Grilled Chicken

We went to dinner at our favorite upscale Latino restaurant, the Red Onion, and discovered something new on the menu. While we didn't try it then, it sounded so good, I had to come home and try to invent it using ingredients that fit with our healthy weight management plan. The recipe sounds complicated, but much of can be prepared ahead of time. It's pretty awesome, even if I do say so myself. You be the judge, try it, and be sure to leave a comment...

Ingredients:
1 cup cilantro lime pesto sauce (click here for my pesto recipe)
4 skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon spicy seasoning salt (click here for my seasoning salt recipe)
1 16-oz package of whole wheat bow tie pesto
1 cup frozen white corn
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh pico de gallo (click here for my pico de gallo recipe)

Directions:

• Make the pico de gallo and chill until ready to serve.
• Make the lime pesto sauce, cover and leave it at room temperature.
• Season the chicken with a spicy seasoning salt, cover and store it in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
• Using medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and then saute the corn until lightly toasted. Add the black beans to the skillet, cover and turn off the heat.
• Bring salted water to cook the pasta to a boil in a large pot and heat the grill to cook the chicken to medium-high (I use a panini grill)
• Cook the whole wheat bow tie pasta "al dente". While the pasta is cooking, grill the chicken.
• Drain the pasta, return it to the pot and gently toss the pasta with the pesto sauce.
• When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, slice each breast on an angle. You should get about 8 slices per breast.

To Serve:
Layer a plate with a serving of pasta, 3 tablespoons of the sauteed corn & black beans, 4 slices of chicken and top it with the chilled pico de gallo.

Yield: 8 servings

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Chipotle Ranch Salad Dressing or Dip *WP*

I was looking for a great low calorie, low fat, Ranch Dressing I could make without using the typical Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix as the base. I needed something I could make from scratch, using basic ingredients readily found in Costa Rica. I finally gave up my search and concocted this recipe. I first served it to my official taster, John, and he loved it. Next, I served it to 3 of the grandkids, ages 6 through 11, and they thought it was the best too. It has just enough heat to spark the appetite.

Ingredients:
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, or 3/4 cup nonfat Greek style yogurt
2/3 cup lowfat milk
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon or Deli mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons of granulated Splenda (or 1 Splenda packet)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1 dried chipotle pepper

Directions:
If using plain yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with a paper towel and place the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for about 20 minutes.

Re-hydrate the chipotle pepper in warm water for 10 minutes. Remove the seeds and stem. Mince the pepper very fine.

In a medium bowl, combine the strained or Greek-style yogurt and all the rest of the ingredients. Chill for about an hour before serving. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Serving suggestions:
This is great on a grilled chicken salad, tossed salad, or as a vegetable dip.

If you want just a basic ranch salad dressing, leave out the chipotle pepper.

Yield: 2.5 Cups / 18 Servings

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving: 36 Calories; 2g Fat (55.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 160mg Sodium.

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Bekah's Zucchini Bread

Our granddaughter Rebekah, raised her own money to go to summer camp this year by selling baked goods. Here is her delicious recipe for Zucchini bread

Ingredients:
2 cups Zucchini, peeled and grated
3 eggs beaten until foamy
2 cups sugar (or 1 cup Splenda & 1 cup sugar)
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
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3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Direction:
Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl, then add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Pour into 2 greased and floured bread pans. Bake for 1 hour at 325°.

Snacks

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Pan de Yuca (Yucca Bread)

This recipe is was given to me by my friend Maritza in Costa Rica. It is a wonderful bread to serve with coffee.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of shredded yucca
1 pound of shredded semi-soft white cheese (queso fresco, Monterrey jack, or provolone works well)
4 large eggs
1.5 cups of sugar (I substitute Splenda sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 stick softened butter or margarine (4 ounces)
1 cup chopped raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven the 350°. Grease a 9"x12" cake pan and dust it with flour. Peel and shred the yucca into a large bowl. Blend the yucca with the butter, Splenda and eggs. Add the baking powder, salt, vanilla and raisins and mix well. Bake 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Costa Rica

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Whole Wheat Oat Pumpkin Muffins *WP*

Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 cup Splenda Granular or equivalent sweetener of your choice
1 can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup nonfat milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12-serving muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper baking cups and spray insides with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, splenda, vanilla, milk and stir well. Sift in flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Fill prepared muffin cups equally, sprinkle tops with extra cinnamon. Bake 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Added note: if you can't find oat flour then try putting quick cook oats (not instant) in your blender and pulverizing, shaking, pulverizing, shaking the container until it all grinds down to a flour. Should work just fine! Also...be sure to spray your muffin pan or cups with nonstick spray or yes, they will stick.

Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info

• Fat: 0.9g
• Carbohydrates: 13.6g
• Calories: 70.4
• Protein: 3.1g

WP

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Pasta with Turkey & Artichokes in Marinara Sauce *WP*

Ingredients:
Turkey, Ground turkey, 93% lean, 16 oz
Spaghetti Sauce, Classico Tomato & Basil, 26 oz jar
Peppers, sweet, red, raw, sliced, 1 cup
Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Fresh chopped Basil, 2 tbsp
Mushrooms, canned, .5 cup
Artichoke Hearts, 12 oz jar, drained
Italian Herb Seasoning mix, 1 tsp
Red or White Wine, 4 fl oz
Whole Wheat Penne, Bowtie or Spirals (dry), 16 oz

Directions:
Saute onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add ground turkey and cook thoroughly. Split the artichoke hearts in half. Add jar of marinara sauce to the turkey, fold in mushrooms, artichoke hearts, fresh basil and Italian herbs. Add salt & pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Cook pasta until "al dente" and drain. Add sauce to the pasta and serve.

Makes 10 - 1 cup servings

Nutritional Info

• Fat: 6.1g
• Carbohydrates: 45.6g
• Calories: 290.1
• Protein: 16.3g

WP

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Turnips *WP*

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes peeled
1 large turnip peeled
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup 1% milk
2 tbsp fat free sour cream
4 tbsp Bummel & Brown Spread
1/2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper


Directions:
Cut potatoes and turnips into equal sized cubes and place them into a large pot. Cover them with water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat until tender. Drain the water and mash the potatoes & turnips together. Add in all the remaining ingredients and mash until well blended.

Makes about 6 1-cup servings

Nutritional Info:

• Fat: 3.9g
• Carbohydrates: 37.7g
• Calories: 202.8
• Protein: 5.2g

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