Costa Rican Gallo Pinto with Fried Eggs

Gallo pinto — literally "spotted rooster," for the speckled look the rice gets from the beans — is what breakfast means in most Costa Rican households, and it's built for using up yesterday's rice and beans rather than starting from scratch. A splash of the bean cooking liquid is the real secret here; it's what gives the finished dish its color and lets the tangy Lizano sauce (or Worcestershire, in a pinch) coat every grain.

Topped with a fried egg, this becomes a genuinely balanced vegetarian breakfast with fiber from the beans and protein from the egg working together. Using a gluten-free Worcestershire or Lizano-style sauce keeps the whole dish free of gluten as written, and it comes together fast enough for a weekday morning as long as you've got leftover rice and beans on hand.