I just got back from a ridiculously fun trip to Costa Rica. And it was fun for many reasons. For one, Anthony, my partner and I have been wanting to go on holiday there for a long time and two, I’ve been wanting to check it out to run a retreat there. It’s been on the radar for a few reasons, not least for its reputation for having pristine nature, eco travel and great beaches. One of the things we really loved about this little beach town we found at the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica was the food. Literally every restaurant we ate at had the very best most delicious food. It was clean and nutritious with plenty of options for our healthy plant based lifestyle. I figured that before I forget what was in this burrito that we found at a little restaurant called Earth Cafe in Santa Teresa, I’d better make it. I also promised all of you in an instagram post, plus the boyfriend was pushing for it. He went out and got us some vegetable un-wraps (instead of tortilla) and some fresh avocado. For the rest, these are easy ingredients to be found in your normal day to day life. Nothing more fun than making breakfast burritos on a Sunday morning with your beloved after a beautiful and successful trip. 

Costa Rican Breakfast Burrito Recipe

I used short grain brown rice because it has a high nutritional value and has a beautiful nutty taste.. A typical breakfast in Costa Rica will consist of eggs and gallo pinto which is a rice and bean dish. See Jamie Oliver’s version. The vegetable wrap that my Anthony bought at the local supermarket (Spar) was so perfect because it was light and didn’t contain any nasties. But you can decide, a tortilla or a coconut wrap would work too.

4 x Vegetable un-wraps (or tortillas)

1/2 Cup short grain brown rice

4 x Tbs basil pesto

12 x Cherry tomatoes - pan roasted

1/2 Punnet portobello mushrooms chopped

1 x Red pepper - oven roasted and sliced

1 x Medium avocado - smashed

3 x Large eggs (scrambled smoked tofu with a little turmeric if you are vegan)

4 x leaves of lettuce

Splash of plant based milk

Tamari - to taste

Blob of butter (coconut oil for vegans)

(makes 4 burritos)

Method

While Anthony went out to get the wraps, I put the rice on the stove to cook and made fresh basil. The basil in the garden had gone to seed while we were away so I decided to use it all up. It’s an easy recipe, fresh basil, a little garlic, sunflower seeds, pecorino cheese, olive oil and salt in a food processor (for vegans you could use nutritional yeast instead of cheese). I also decided to quickly make a fresh batch of almond butter since I was turning the oven on to roast the red pepper anyway. I am good like this, I try to maximise my time in the kitchen so that I have time to make everything from scratch. The almond milk was made yesterday.

Roast the red pepper in the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes on 180. Chop the mushrooms and fry in some of the butter. When the mushrooms are brown, add a splash of tamari, cook for about five minutes and set aside. (This is my secret for great mushrooms every time). Then, pan roast the tomatoes for about five minutes also and set aside. Scramble the eggs with a little plant milk and a bit of salt in the remaining butter. If you are vegan, you can scramble tofu in coconut oil.

Next, heat your tortilla or veggie un-wrap for ten seconds in a hot pan and place the rice, mushrooms, roast cherry tomatoes, roast red pepper, avocado, scrambled egg and lettuce leaf in your wrap. Wrap it up and devour.

It’s really as simple as that.

We tucked in right away and were very happy with the taste which was exactly the same taste we had in Costa Rica. The ingredients can also be prepared ahead of time and given to kids for dinner.

Bon Apetit!