I am bringing back an old favorite today. This dish is probably one of my favorite recipes and I love this picture that was taken for my book as well. Yes, this is a dish right out of my book, It's Just Personal. I came up with this recipe after visiiting Costa Rica while attending a friends wedding a couple years back.

Rice and beans is typically served for breakfast there. Trust me, after eating this you are not hungry for hours. The egg on top pulls it all together for such a satifying meal. I enhanced what I experienced there nutrionally by using brown rice instead of white and substituting oilive oil for shortening. 

There is a sauce they use in Costa Rica as a condiment on the rice and beans. Actually I think it is as typical as the way we use ketchup in the United States. It is called Lizano Salsa Sauce. It is a little spicier than ketchup and if you cannot find it, I've added a substitue to use that you can make yourself.

Now here is a funny story about the Lizano sauce and my friend Chris. Since we attended a friends wedding in Costa Rica, many of my close friends also made the trip. Chris was so hooked on this sauce that he paid 3x what it was worth for a hotel employee to pick him up a couple of bottles to take home. We all enjoyed busting his chops on that one. Especially when we all got to the airport and found that you could actually buy it in the Duty-Free shops. The best part of the story though was while we were all going through the check points at the airport, Chris did not think to pack his bottles in his luggage but had them in his backpack. The look on his face as security took his bottles of Lizano salsa away made me want to cry for him. We all tried our best not to laugh too much because it was as if someone took away his most prized posession. And that would his wife Lorin. xo Lorin & Chris!

Even better tip: You can buy the sauce online ;)http://www.lizanosite.com/ Who knew?

The following recipe is straight from my book, It's Just Personal. This and more yummy and healthy recipes can be found in the book (can't give them all away).

This week only, or until my next blog post, if you buy one book from my website, another one is yours free! Act now! This offer is for a limited time only.

Costa Rican Rice and Beans

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 C white onions, chopped

1/2 C green or red peppers, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed thoroughly

1 C cooked brown rice

1/4¼ C cilantro or parsley, chopped (you could use both if you like, it will only enhance the flavor)

1 C chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp Lizano salsa (found in specialty stores) or substitute 1 Tbsp Worchester sauce and 1 Tbsp red picante sauce mixed together

4 eggs, poached, pan-fried, or hard-boiled; one per serving. The preparation of the egg is up to you. The egg is mixed in at the end and pulls the whole dish together.

Additional toppers (recommended):  diced avocados, diced tomatoes

Sauté the garlic, onions, and peppers in olive oil for three to four minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the black beans, rice, and parsley and mix thoroughly. Add the chicken stock, turn the heat to low, and cook for another minute. 

For each person, put an appropriate serving size on the plate and add an egg and additional toppings (if desired).  Mix together carefully and serve warm. Add the salsa or sauce substitute and mix again. In my experience with this sauce, some prefer more than others.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving:

Calories  439, Fat 13g (saturated 3g, polyunsaturated 1.4g, monounsaturated 8.6g), Carbohydrates 59g, Fiber 9.75g, Protein 19.4g

So, this past Sunday I decided to commit to once a week on the blog. Now here it is only 4 days later and I am at it once again. I hope this is a good sign of becoming a habit for me. It is hard to find the time to actually sit down and write but I am going to try my best.

Now, since my last post, when I spoke of using a "good" olive oil for dipping, a couple of friends asked me to explain the differences with which olive oils to use, whether virgin, extra virgin etc..

I thought this to be a very good question because first of all, I should have specified extra virgin olive oil when it came to dipping. Generally, extra virgin olive oil is as an accent to dishes. Whether that be added to a soup or stew upon serving at the table, to a dessing or vinigarette or just a big old bowl to dip your warm crusty bread right out of the oven. Ah, heaven!!

Olive oil is made from green olives only.

Good extra virgin olive oil is unrefined, looks a little cloudy and may contain a natural residue on the bottom of the bottle. This natural residue contains polyphenols, a strong natural antixidant. Exceptional extra virgin olive oil, my friends is when your brother-in-law Joe hooks you up with a great bottle of it as a Christmas present. I knew it to be special because Joe is as into the good stuff as I am. I hoarded that bottle home and have enjoyed it immensely in the last couple of months. Produced and imported from Italy. What a great gift! By the way Joe, if you are reading this, I am down to 1/4 of the bottle left (see picture above). I am starting to get scared. 33.8 oz almost gone in less than 3 months! I know! Like I said, its heaven in a bottle.

Ok, back to the facts. Extra virgin olive oil is unrefined and unfiltered. That means there were no chemicals added to alter or mask the strong flavor. Extra virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only and contains no more than 0.8% acidity. It is of superior taste which is why it is recommended as an accent oil. Cold pressing and first pressed?? These are interchangable terms that manufacturers use to affirm that extra virgin olive oil is an unrefined, natural product that has undergone very little processing.

Virgin olive oil is from the virgin oil production only as well and has an acidity level of less than 2%. It is of good taste. The only difference between the extra virgin and virgin is that the taste of the extra virgin is slightly superior with less acid. It is essentially a lower grade extra virgin olive oil.

Pure olive oil/olive oil is ususally a blend of refined and virgin olive production. The result is basically a commercial grade oil. It is lighter in color and much more bland. It is a general purpose olive oli. Pure simply means that no non-olive oils are mixed in.

Light & extra light olive oils are a mixture of refined olive oils that are derived from the lowest quality available. They contain the same amount of fat and calories as other olive oils.

When sauteeing or frying use a blend like a pure olive oil. For deep frying, use the grade marked "olive oil" because it has a higher smoke point (401)F  than virgin or extra virgin oils. You do not want to heat the oil any higher than that becasue it will start to smoke and burn and after the smoke point has been reached the chemical composition is then altered, reversing the benefits from good to bad.

So, next time you are staring at the 100+ brands of olive oil before you, choose wisely. Prices vary greatly sometimes because some are imported, some state they are imported but are manufactured in a different area. Some use olives from one country, manuacture in another and state that olive oil is Italian.

My advice is to find a good oil that suites your needs and indulge in a superior bottle once in a while to really "taste" how wonderful it is suppose to be.  ;)

It's Sunday afternoon and I have a raging sweet tooth today. I made some banana muffins this morning for my neice Kayla and my nephew Luke but that's not going to cut it for me. I am not the muffin/cake kind of person. I want something crunchy and sweet. I get up and down and look into the refrigerator several times before I decide to make the clusters. They are a combination of dried fruit and coconut mixed together with pure maple syrup. It is a yummy and satisfyiing treat. Do not get carried away picking and tasting or you will end up feeling like I do at the moment. Thank goodness I went for a run this morning. That fact at least has contained some of that guilt...until dinner time.

Dinner is what I am truly looking forward to tonight. My friend Bonnie gave me whole wheat pita bread from a local Indian place near her home. My advice on pita bread is to get some good bread. It makes such a difference. First I take the pita bread and warm it up for a couple of minutes in the oven (350 degrees). When it is nice and soft, I remove it from the oven add 2 slices of cheddar japapeno cheese (I use a rice based cheese, its gluten free for anyone who cares and pretty good at that - its also on sale this week at the A&P), next I add a couple of chopped jalapeno peppers cause I love them so much and 2 slices of avocado. The fold the bread in half like a sandwich and place it back in the oven for an additional five minutes to melt the cheese. I serve this with some good olive oil and a dab of hummus. Trust me, you will be hooked. Absolutely delicious and simple.

So, there you have it. Two recipes, a blog entry under my belt and its only 2:30pm. That wasn't so bad. Come back soon for more entries. I have committed to once a week and aspire to do better.

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon and check back soon. ellen

 One ounce of pure maple syrup contains 22% of the daily value of manganese. This trace mineral is an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses. The zinc supplied in maple syrup is a heart healthy sweetener and also beneficial to your immune system. Moderation is the key. These date clusters are simply a heart healthy snack and should be treated as such.

DATE AND FRUIT & GRANOLA CLUSTERS

1 C granola (low fat, unsweetened)

1 C dried dates

1/2 C dried fruit of your choice (cranberries, cherries, blueberries)

1/2 C flaked coconut

1/4 C walnuts or almonds

Pure maple syrup (2-3 Tablespoons)

In a food processor, add all the above ingredients except the maple syrup and 1/4 C flaked coconut and process till mixture clumps. Transfer to bowl and add maple syrup one tablespoon at a time to combine ingredients. Mixture will become sticky. You want to be able to form 1” balls. Roll balls in reserved coconut flakes and serve.

Refrigerate clusters or freeze for a delicious treat right out of the freezer.

Serving size: 2 clusters

Calories 106, Fat 2.4g (saturated 1.5g, polyunsaturated <1g, monounsaturated <1g) Carbohydrates 21g, Fiber 2.3g, Protein 1.5g

Okay, so I have a quick, easy and delicious summer/fall salad to share. It can be prepared in about 20 mintues and it's yummy, full of fiber, protein and low in overall calories.

Black Bean Corn Salad/Salsa

1. 2 can of black beans (well rinsed)
2. 1/4 C red onion chopped
3. 1 large zuchinni chopped
4. 2 C cooked and cooled corn
5. 1 can chopped green chilis (Mexican food aisle)
6. 1 avocado (pit removed) and diced
7. 1 package Good Seasons Italian sald dressing mix
8. 1/4 C red wine vinegar
9. 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
10. 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
11. 1 TBLS lemon juice and 1 TBLS lime juice
12. 1 C prepared salsa
13. a handful of fresh cilantro chopped

In a large bowl, add all your ingredients and stir gently but mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes and stir again. Serve as a side salad, add cooked pasta for an innovative pasta salad or use as a salsa dip with some nice baked tortilla chips. This ones a keeper!

So, I took a trip to the Jersey shore about a week ago and went to visit a friend who had rented a beautiful house. My short trip turned into a longer one and proved me to be the guest that wouldn't leave. That being said, I tried to pull my weight by cooking for the guys. I took my traditional chicken enchilada recipe (featured on the website) and decided to substitute crab meat for the chicken. Needless to say, the replacement was amazing!!!

Being creative and stepping outside the box takes courage. What was the worst thing that could have happened? They could have all hated it and we would have ordered a pizza. I am pleased to say that did not happen.

Another obstacle I encountered being away from home and out of my normal surroundings (my stocked kitchen) was a lack of ingredients. While making the enchiladas, I would have normally purchased a couple cans of enchilada sauce from the Mexican isle of my supermarket. This was not the case when I went shopping, so my quick fix was to make my own sauce. I did this, simply by blending a large can of tomato sauce with some mildly spicy salsa and green chilies. It was perfect!

Check out the recipe on the site! Thank you again Howard, Patrick, Lenny and Jim for a great (almost) week in Avalon, NJ. The crab meat enchilada is here to stay with rave reviews!!  

Hi Everyone.  I wanted to Thank you all for the enormous support and comments on the release my book "It's Just Personal".   Please feel free to share your opinions and stories. 

 Live, Laugh, Love and Eat !

Chef Ellen