There’s something people don’t tell you about Costa Rica: time slows (almost) all the way dooowwwnn. It’s magic. Like time gets stripped away leaving luxuriously long mornings followed by, luxuriously lazy afternoons, followed by impeccable… truly impeccable sunsets.
It’s like island life. But not an island. It’s beach life. The sun stays high and the air is just mellow. Completely mellow.
I visited Costa Rica last year and still wonder about the paradise-heavy time warp. Why does that happen in Costa Rica and not on any given Wednesday in my New Orleans life?
Here’s hoping the Costa Rican time warp can be a state of mind no matter what my longitude and latitude.
I suppose it starts with breakfast. Shall we?
Ps. When I returned from Costa Rica last year I made this Banana y Leche con Cafe and I don’t regret it one bit.
This breakfast is best after an early rise, a few hours on the beach spent trying desperately to both surf poorly and not drown, and some quality time in the morning sun.
This breakfast is also quite delicious if enjoyed after sleeping in, barely shuffling out of bed.
It’s all about assembly. Fluffy white rice on a plate. Leftover rice microwaved to warm is perfectly acceptable. Don’t stress it.
Black beans on top of the rice.
I like to season the rice and beans with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Both rice and beans can be, what I refer to as a… taste suck. Their flavors are so base that they need a good dose of salt, pepper and other flare to bring them forth.
Hot Smoked Paprika is a secret weapon in the kitchen. I should write a whole blog post about it.
Scrambled eggs, fresh tomato salsa, and sliced avocado.
This breakfast isn’t specific to Costa Rica. It’s also not rocket science. What it is, is…. supremely delicious and what I enjoyed most late mornings in Costa Rica.
Should we talk about frying plantains? You could. You can. You should. You’re full of great ideas so YES!
Plantains are like bananas. They’re larger, a bit more dense, sweet, with a savory quality. They’re peeled, sliced and pan fried in a bit of olive oil. A sweet and welcome addition to the savory flavors of the breakfast. Also… you’ll want them all the time, so prepare yourself.
PrintCosta Rican Breakfast
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
What You’ll Need
- 3 cups warm white rice
- 1 cup black beans, drained and heated through
- 4 large eggs, scrambled
- 1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 fresh tomato salsa
- 1 plantain, peeled, sliced, and fried in a bit of olive oil
- sliced pickled jalapeños
- salt, pepper, and hot smoked paprika to taste
Instructions
- This breakfast is more about assembly than anything. Gather together your ingredients: fluff the rice, warm the black beans, season and scramble the eggs, slice the avocado, potion out salsa, and fry the plantains.
- Divide the rice between two shallow bowls or plates. Top each portion of rice with black beans. Season with salt, pepper, and smoky paprika. It’s all about building layers of flavor. Top the beans salsa followed by scrambled eggs. Top with avocado slices, pickled jalapeños, and fried plantains. Again season with salt, pepper, and hot smoked paprika. Enjoy immediately!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
Pri
We usually mix the beans and rice together and season them with sautéed diced red pepper, onions and cilantro and we call it Gallo Pinto. Although I love the thought of the smoked paprika on it, I will definitely be trying that variation in my breakfast over the weekend :)
Dee @ The Kitchen Snob
This looks like a great breakfast combo. Will be trying this one soon!
Lane | Modern Granola
This looks so happy and festive! I’ll have to try this sometime!
Happy Summer!
xx Lane
Kate Jonuska (@kjonuska)
I loved Costa Rican breakfasts! I remember this amazing green sauce with some of them, though. I don’t suppose you know what that is/was?
summer
lizano salsa…. you can find it on amazon or in world markets, made in costa rica.
Kristina
Sigh! I lived in Montezuma for 9 months and miss it every day- you are totally right about the time warp. 9 months went by in a blink! I should make this breakfast with my not-nearly-as-good-as-the-real-thing gallo pinto this weekend. Thanks for the reminder!!
Sydney | Modern Granola
This is perfect! I love fried plantains, and smoked paprika, so this shall be made and enjoyed epically. Great recipe! I can’t wait to get my tastebuds on it!
xx Sydney
Barbara
How do you make hot smoked paprika?
joythebaker
You can purchase it.
kmcgrath21
Looks delicious! And you are right about time slowing down. One of my favorite memories is from when I was 21 years old, on a beach in Tamarindo. We’d gotten up early to surf and were walking back to meet our friends, unsure of how long we’d been out in the water. I stopped an old man walking down the deserted beach and asked him “que hora es?” His response: a slow smile, and then loudly with his arms outstretched “donnnnn worry!”
Lindsey
I clearly have to go to Costa Rica now. That breakfast looks phenomenal! I think I’ll be recreating that on a nice, slow morning this weekend. Thanks for the great idea!
Lindsey | Finding Balance in Life
Grace
This looks SO good. I love adding an avocado to my breakfast. Gotta try this entire combination!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Fried plantains are EVERYTHING, love it!
Girl Named Allyn
Hot smoked paprika has become one of my desert island spices. Put it on all the things. I fully support a whole post on it.
I just cooked plantains for the first time last week and thought “why haven’t I been cooking these all along?!” This will be making a breakfast appearance ASAP.
honeyfitz
Are there some jalapeños being all sneaky sneaky on there too? X
Lauren
I went to Costa Rica this past winter and also loved how simple and delicious this breakfast was! The fried plantains were my favorite!
Cara's Healthy Cravings
When my sister returned from a Costa Rican adventure, all she wanted to eat was this kind of meal, I can see why! Now I just need to get my butt down to Costa Rica and eat the real thing, this will definitely suffice for now :)