Casiamento from Nicaragua

Stop #3 on the South of the Border Virtual Tour

Welcome to Nicaragua

We landed in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua that has a population 1,146,000 ; pretty impressive since the entire population of Nicaragua is only 5,891,199 (based on 2009 statistics). We're just waiting for our fearless leader and tour guide - Joan of Foodalogue .The land area of the country is 46,430 sq mi and if you've followed the tour thus far and compare it to San Salvador, Nicaragua has a much larger land surface. It is, in fact, the largest of the central American countries and the most sparsely populated. Nicaragua borders Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. It is slightly larger than New York State. Nicaragua is mountainous in the west, with fertile valleys. Two big lakes, Nicaragua and Managua, are connected by the Tipitapa River.

The Pacific coast is volcanic and very fertile. The swampy Caribbean coast is aptly called the “Mosquito Coast.” (Something tells me nobody has been to Winnipeg for a while. The mosquitoes air lift your dogs off the front lawn)



"La comida Nica," as Nicaraguans call their cuisine, is a Latin creole mix of indigenous and Spanish dishes and ingredients. Corn, beans, plantains, yucca and pork are popular ingredients. Seafood is common along the Caribbean coast. Nicaraguans make extensive use of a wide variety of tropical fruits. Typical dishes include nacatamales, vigorón, indio viejo and gallo pinto. We've arrived in time for breakfast and I'm so hungry. What does one eat for breakfast in Nicaragua? Well, Casamiento of course!!!




This hearty, healthy and filling dish is your basic rice and beans. The beans in this case are black (you can easily use red pinto beans), and the colour of the beans on the rice gives casamiento its name. Especially popular is serving the casiamento with scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Casamiento

4 to 6 servings

• Oil -- 2-3 tablespoons
• Onion, finely chopped -- 1
• Bell pepper, finely chopped -- 1
• Garlic, minced -- 2-3 cloves
• Cooked black beans, drained, liquid reserved -- 2 cups
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Hot cooked rice -- 2 cups

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high flame. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through.
2. Stir in the drained beans, some of their reserved liquid, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until heated through.
3. Add the rice and stir into the beans and heat through. Adjust seasoning and add a little more bean liquid if necessary. Serve hot.

With happy bellies, we went out to the streets to one of the many artisan street vendors and picked up some lovely handmade vases;

and a great piece of art;

Art is culture and culture is art

Join us - next stop - ARGENTINA

BzzAgent Giz on DanActive

Have you heard or are familiar with the term "probiotics". When I ask people what they think probiotics are the usual answer is "I'm not entirely sure but I know it's good for you". Ok, so at least part of the message gets through.

Research shows that we need to have “friendly” bacteria in our bodies to remain healthy. One such type of beneficial bacteria is probiotic bacteria. Probiotic bacteria inhibits the growth of disease-causing bacteria, particularly those responsible for gastrointestinal infections and bowel disease. These live bacteria also help in strengthening the immune system. Nearly 70% of your natural defnses are located in your intestines

Although not an end all and be all we're all well advised to at least research the benefits of probiotics and if they will work for us. That's why, when contacted by BzzAgent to do a report on Danone DanActive Drink, it fed right into my interest in learning more about probiotics and how they work with a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. I did receive a coupon to try the product with several more to give away for others to try.



According to the literature from Danone, DanActive contains 10 billion L. case/Defensis friendly bacteria in each bottle, a culture created and used exclusively by Danone which helps maintain your natural defenses. I'm not entirely sure what that means and/or how to measure that in terms of effectiveness.

Danone Group is an international company and you'll see their products on your grocery store shelves in most countries using the same name. The product comes in 4, 8 and 12 pack 99 ml containers.

I did two things - firstly I drank one bottle straight up. It reminded me of liquid yogurt with a bit of a tang to the taste. What I liked about the bottle is that it's small enough to fit into my purse and if I'm out having an active day it's an easy tag along. Then I decided to use it with my morning smoothie. My fruit combination was banana, strawberry, blueberry (same flavour as the DanActive drink) and papaya.

Then blend it with the immersion blender

and voila - a delightful breakfast smoothie

The 4 pack sells in the stores in a range from $2.88 - $3.99 and comes in a variety of flavours. Have you tried it?

Spicy Italian Sausage Quiche

I don't consider myself to be a lucky person. I mean, specifically, as it relates to winning money, having my name drawn for a prize, etc. Admittedly, I'm not much of a gambler, which cuts down winning opportunities.

Research suggests that the belief that you are lucky actually has an impact on more objective measures of luck (e.g., how often you actually win things). Here - watch this video for an elaboration on the idea (it's lengthy, but interesting).



Maybe my luck is turning around... A couple of weeks ago, I won free movie tickets from Girl About O-Town. A couple of weeks ago, she posted a contest to win free passes to see Creation, a movie about Darwin and the process he went through when writing The Origin of Species.

R and I went. Now - I have to tell you that during about 85% of movies, R will (at some point) lean over to tell me that the movie is crap. I suppose it's a step above his reactions to tv shows I watch -- where he will break into fake dramatic tears. Thankfully, he held back and only told me the movie sucked once.

I suspect the book would have been better than the movie (haven't read it though). There was some interesting imagery and the performances were good. But, I felt that the plot dragged. I also couldn't help but be distracted by the parallels between this movie and previous movies that Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelley had been in. The basic plot -- brilliant scientist with poor social skills slowly degenerates while experiencing hallucinations. Kind of like A Beautiful Mind. Then you have the other plot about the scientist theorizing and conveying messages that would oppose the Catholic church. In this movie, the opposing theory is evolution, in The Da Vinci Code, it's revealing the truth about stories in the bible.

But, I'm happy to have had the opportunity to go see the movie! Definitely check out Girl About O-Town. She's a fellow Ottawa blogger who is starting an exciting time in her life.

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Let me also introduce you to Words and Weigh. Although new to the blogging world, "Happy Losin' It" is hitting the ground running while sharing recipes and successes in healthy eating. I was inspired by her recent crustless quiche post and made my own:

Spicy Italian Sausage Quiche

I know I should enjoy a vegetarian quiche, but there's something about spicy sausage that takes quiche from a lunch dish to full meal.



6 egg whites (left over from this recipe)
2 large eggs
spinach (defrosted, chopped, water drained)
2 spicy Italian sausages
1/2 cup creme (left over from the crème brûlée)
1/2 cup emmental cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste


Cook in oven (around 350 -- I turned mine up to 375 because my oven is slow) until it becomes golden and is cooked through (about 45 minutes).