Recipe | Costa Rican Rice

 Back last summer I was lucky enough to take a trip to Costa Rica and it quickly became one of my favourite places in the whole world.


Not only is it beautiful but it has a strong focus on renewable energy and protecting the local environment which is a bit of a passion of mine, so naturally I fell utterly in love!

Being a vegan and not speaking the language created a slight barrier when it came to eating, which was a shame as Costa Rica has some glorious offerings!
I ended up eating the very traditional dish of rice and beans every day... and no that is not an exaggeration. When staying in a lodge on an island I ended up having it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days as there were no other options to choose!
And although the rice was always flavoursome and filling I'm sure you can imagine why I didn't feel the need to eat it again once back in the UK.

However 8 months later I began to crave it and so tried my hand at re-creating what I'd eaten on my trip, in my own kitchen. It ended up going fairly well considering I threw random food together hoping to get a similar flavour. I wanted to share in case anyone else has experienced this joy and wants to relive it or if you just want to give it a go!

I recommend using leftover rice or microwave pouches to make it a super quick recipe! You could even play around with your own ideas, maybe add some extra veg like peppers or peas!

Ingredients:

2 tsps garlic
3/4 cup of onion chopped
1 tin black beans
1 veggie stock cube
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (can get vegan options from thevegankind.com)
1.5-2 cups rice (pre-cooked or microwave)
0.5 cups boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Fry garlic and onions with a small amount of oil in a saucepan
2. Pour in black beans including water from the can, simmer for 5 mins
3. Break up and sprinkle stock cube into mixture and Worcestershire sauce then stir until the cube is dissolved
4. Add rice to the pan with extra water and simmer for 10 mins or until most of the water has evaporated/been absorbed.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Yes, it's that simple - easy and delicious!

x

Vegan Eats | Bath.

If you go travelling, eating as a vegan can occasionally make life a little awkward, but once you know where to go it doesn't have to be a struggle. I want to start a sort of series on the blog where I will post about places I eat whenever I travel elsewhere.... Let me know what you think and if it would be interesting to share!

I recently spent a weekend in Bath and sampled A LOT of the vegan options there, I'm going to share them so if you ever find yourself in the beautiful city you'll have some suggestions!

The Cosy Club:

I've experienced Cosy Club many times and it has been wonderful every visit, in fact we ate twice there over the two days we stayed!
There are a few options to try on the vegan menu, I opted  for the risotto as this is rarely a dish that can be catered for vegans what with all the cream that's normally used....

This was full of veg and flavour - more tomato based than you might expect from a traditional risotto but it's delicious none the less. Pair it with the scrumptious cocktails they have to offer and your evening is sorted!

On the last morning we returned for brunch, because long weekend breaks are made for brunching. I was very tempted by the avocado toast ... yes I am the basic vegan that loves avo, however this is a common option in many restaurants so instead I tried the vegan breakfast. A full English made vegan, how could I say no?
Instead of sausages or bacon they substitute falafel, I was unsure how this would work in a breakfast as I would normally have falafel for a main meal - they worked so well! The middle eastern flavours were intense but not over powering, they were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
The one thing I would change is that the toast didn't come with any butter or other topping so was a tad dry.

Franco Manca:

Next we move to the most important of the food groups. Pizza.
Most pizza places cater well for vegans now and are happy to make them without cheese, if you want rustic, back to basic, wholesome pizzas then Franco Manca is the place for you!
The vegan option is a tomato, herb and garlic pizza, you just add any of the extra toppings you want - I had mushrooms, brocolli and roast potato... and in case you were wondering, yes potato is PHENOMENAL on pizza.

Thaikhun:

The last restaurant we visited served Thai food which is one of my favourites! The restaurant itself is fantastic with incredible, cluttered decor that's super colourful and unique, we couldn't help but go in! Nearly all their vegetarian dishes are also vegan so once again there was plenty to choose from!
The dumplings were potentially my favourite dish as they were soft, filling and packed with yummy! The main I had was tofu and cashews with rice, for such a simple plate the amount of different tastes was incredible. It was pretty spicy so watch out if you're not great with heat!

Chapel Arts Cafe:

No food list is complete without somewhere to get tea and cake! Chapel Arts Cafe is a completely vegan cafe with loads of cake options and they also do lunch.
The atmosphere is super chilled and a little eccentric, the perfect place to wind down after a long day walking around the sites of the city. They stay open late and often have live music as well!
This is such a unique establishment that is
tucked out of the way - without knowing it's there you might miss it but I can't stress enough how important it is that you give this place a try!