Coconuts, Coconuts, everywhere.....

coconuts

You can't help but notice all of the coconut trees here in Pearl Lagoon and the surrounding area. Almost every yard seems to have at least 1 tree and they are abundant all over the landscape. It makes you wonder what can you do with all their produce?

One of the biggest uses for coconuts, here on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, is in the cuisine. You will find coconut oil, meat or milk in many dishes - from their famous coconut bread to their equally famous rondon. Not only humans but animals feed on coconuts. We have been surprised to see a number of dogs chowing down on a coconut!

Dog eating coconut meat

Most households have either a large grater-board to breakup the pieces of coconut meat or they have a rotary grater like the one in the picture below. The advantage of the rotary grater is that your fingers don't get chewed up like they do with the grater-board - it saves on bandages! You can buy one of these rotary graters in Bluefields for about 300 cordobas.

Coconut Rotary Grater

Getting the coconut meat out of the shell

One coconut will yield approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups of ground coconut meat - ready to use in your favorite recipe.

Ground coconut

Here is a recipe for No Bake Coconut Oatmeal Cookies:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tsp vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups coconut

Combine milk, butter, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla, oatmeal, and coconut. Let cool and then form into small balls. Slightly flatten and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

no bake coconut oatmeal cookies

What do they do with all those coconut shells? Well, we've seen them used to make pathways - a great idea since it keeps your feet out of the mud.

Yum - Avocado Season

I don't know about you, but I love avocados! I loved them even when we lived in Canada and they had to be transported long distances and they arrived as hard as rocks. I would love to make fresh guacamole when they ripened. Now that we live in Nicaragua I love avocados even more. They are coming back into season and are slowly becoming more and more available. The prices are still on the high side, but they will come down. The large avocado pictured below cost 30 cordobas - which is pretty high. However, it was absolutely delicious to eat.  We bought it from a street vendor and she had two sizes - the large ones pictured below and some slightly smaller for only 15 cords.

Fresh avocado - Leon, Nicaragua

We have discovered that avocados are for much more than guacamole. For instance, they make an attractive and tasty decoration to a meal. Also, as pictured below you can easily add avocado slices into your wrap. We bought some fresh tortillas from our "tortilla lady" on the corner, added some refried beans, fresh cheese (a local cheese called cuajada is delicious) and a couple slices of avocado and we had a quick and delicious lunch.

Tortilla with refried beans, cheese and avocado

Check out Avocado Central  for more avocado recipe ideas.

We're not quite farmers but getting close!

Papaya - Leon, Nicaragua

Last April we got the great idea that maybe we could grow some of our own fruits and vegetables. With that thought in mind we bought a cheap shovel and started to breakup a small area of ground in our front yard. The dirt didn't seem to be very "rich" looking - all dry and dusty - so we started to throw in vegetable peelings etc. to "compost" and enrich the soil.

After a short period of time we realized that there were some seedlings growing and decided to baby them along to see what was sprouting. Lo and behold we found out that there were some tomatoes, peppers, cilantro,  papayas and limes growing. The tomatoes and peppers really didn't amount to much so we ended up digging the plants in and concentrating on the other seedlings.

After consulting with some friends we realized that there were far too many papayas and limes for the space they were growing in so we chose the strongest looking plants and kept one of each, gave some away and pulled the rest. We relocated the lime tree to the center of the garden where it is continuing to grow. We don't expect it to produce for a long time.

more blossoms at the top of the tree

The Papaya tree grows rapidly and produces within months. So, here we are in February and we have already reaped some fruit from the tree and there is a lot more fruit that will be ready in the next little while. I must admit that I was disappointed that we were growing a Papaya tree because it really isn't my favorite fruit. However, the one we just ate was quite sweet and we hope all the rest will be too.

 At the base of the tree the cilantro (a broad leaf Nicaraguan variety) is multiplying like crazy. It is a nice addition to some fresh salsa or in a marinade. It's also delicious in Gallo Pinto a favorite Nicaraguan dish.

Papayas that will ripen in the weeks to come

Our first papaya from our tree

Fruit Salsa - A refreshing change from the original.

Fresh fruit and vegetables in Nicaragua

Salsa made with fresh veggies is like no salsa I ever ate in Canada. With all the fresh fruit and vegetables here in Nicaragua it was only a matter of time before we started experimenting with various combinations.

Our personal favorite is a combination of pineapple, mango, tomato, garlic and onions. Add a splash of lime and some fresh cilantro and the flavor combination is beyond enjoyable. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to add a little heat be sure to include a jalapeno pepper or two.

Serve the salsa with nacho chips and wait for all the praise from your friends. If you have some left over you can use it to accompany grilled chicken.

Fruit Salsa - Nicaragua

Tostones con Queso - An easy Nicaraguan appetizer or light snack

A very simple and easy to prepare snack in Nicaragua is Tostones con Queso. Many times you will find this delicious treat under appetizers when you head to your favorite restaurant. For a variety, some restaurants serve Tostones con Carne - which basically is the same as the cheese variety but they substitute a small (cocktail size) meatball for the cheese.

Personally, I don't like such big hunks of cheese as some restaurants prepare them. The last time we made them we added a slice of tomato beneath the thin slice of cheese - truly delicious.

Tostones con Queso - Barca de Oro, Las Penitas, Nicaragua

Tostones con Queso with a slice of tomato

How to make these at home:

Choose green plantain. Peel your plantain and slice into sections about 3/4" to 1" . Put into hot oil. After about 2 minutes turn the cooking plantains over. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes and remove from oil. Squash each of the cooked plantains and put them back into the oil to cook until they are a nice golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Salt lightly. To serve - place a slice of cheese on top of each Tostone. You can add a slice of tomato or avocado if desired.

Making Munchies for a Horde!

Recently we had a fiesta and decided to make our own plantain chips - so easy and economical! A small bag of plantain chips will cost you 26.95 cordobas for a 155g bag. You can make your own for way less. We bought 10 green plantains at 3.5 cordobas each and it produced a large bowl full - enough for the whole crowd.

All you have to do is heat some oil in a pot. Skin the plantain. Slice the plantain very thin. Cook the plantain slices in the hot oil until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and a little Chili pepper. These are a real crowd pleaser!

As an alternative you can peel and thinly slice yucca - also very economical and tasty!

use green plantain

peel and slice thin

cook in oil until brown

drain on paper towel - lightly salt

you can use Yucca too - peel and slice thin

Buñuelos - A Nicaraguan Treat

Buñuelos - León, Nicaragua

Our neighbours continue to introduce us to some of their delicious food. When we saw these little goodies for sale we couldn't wait to try them. They looked like little Timbits (a treat we could buy in Canada from Tim Hortons)! Mistakenly, we thought that they were made with corn - but no, apparently they are made with yuca!

We got them in a little baggie with a sweet syrup spooned on top.When I first took a bite of one of them it reminded me of the honey cruellers that we would get at Tim Hortons - a little crunchy on the outside but with a very soft, moist inside.  

A bag of 12 only cost 10 cordobas!

I found a video that shows how easy they are to make. Los Buñuelos de Yuca The video is in Spanish but I think it is easy to follow along.  The recipe is:

To make the syrup you will need:

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

some cinnamon sticks

juice of 1 lime

To make the dough you will need:

2 cups Yuca peeled and grated

1 cup cheese - dry and grated (white cheese)

1 egg

Oil sufficient to fry

Sometimes ripe banana is added to the dough instead of the cheese.

I personally am looking forward to making these for our next party. Let me know if you make them and how they turn out!

Chicken with Salsa Jalapeña

Recently, we enjoyed a delicious meal from our "Sunday Lunch Ladies" - Chicken with Salsa Jalapeña. It was so delicious that I had to find a recipe that I could make at home. I was able to find a recipe at Latin and Caribbean Cuisine @ suite101 and after a few modifications here it is:

1 cup of crema (substitute heavy cream)
1/2 cup milk (you may not need the full amount)
2 medium onions, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 jalapeños, sliced length-wise (remove seeds for a milder sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
3 chicken breasts sliced into strips

Preparation:
1. In a sauce pan saute the onions, jalapeños and garlic for about 5 minutes over a medium heat until they soften.
2. Add the crema and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
3. Add half of the milk to loosen the sauce. Allow to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, add more milk. Be careful not to cook over too high a heat otherwise the milk could either boil over or scald. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. As you are preparing the sauce, place the chicken in a fry pan (add a small amount of oil if necessary) and cook until the juices run clear. When chicken is cooked add the sauce to the pan and coat the chicken.
Serve and enjoy.

The original article suggested that you could add either monterey jack, cheddar, or quesio to the sauce and use it over a grilled hamburger with sliced tomato and avocado. You could also serve the sauce over grilled vegetables like squash rounds, broccoli or every cauliflower - yum!

Jamaica a popular local drink

We have been experimenting with some of the tasty drinks and refrescos that are available in Nicaragua.  One of our favorites is - Jamaica.  That's where you take this:

and it turns into this:

Ok - the picture doesn't do it justice - but, trust me - this is an easy to make, deliciously refreshing drink.  Here is how I make it...

Put 8 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar into a pan.  Bring it to a boil. When it has come to a boil, take the water off the heat and add 1 cup of Jamaica flowers.  Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove the Jamaica flowers from the water.  Add another 4 cups of water along with the juice of two limes. Let cool. When it has cooled strain the drink into a container that can go into the fridge and chill thoroughly.  Serve with plenty of ice.

Purchase the Jamaica flowers in the local grocery store in convenient packages or buy loose dried flowers at the market.