South America Archives - A Vegan Obsession

Pan Comido (A Piece Of Cake) - A Friendly Little Vegetarian in Mexico City

April 1, 2013 by India Leigh

It was a bit of a windy night when a friend and I rocked up to this place in The Colonia Roma district of town. It was also dark, as we’d got lost in a maze of streets around the beautiful Parque de Mexico. The pictures are not great. But the food was.
The waiter, who looked more European than Mexican, was as nice as pie. I’d seen him earlier in the day when we’d happened across this place on the way to one of my favoured cafes. The place was quieter when we returned, the three chefs had now dwindled to one. It was a quirky place. Flowers on tables (that got blown over in a strong gust of wind!) and candles in jars. The tables were old doors screwed onto tressel legs, and a worn, top-end of a child’s cot. It gave the place an air of a shabby chic bistro.
Pan Comido (translated ‘a piece of cake’) is totally vegetarian, with a few vegan options and one or two that were also gluten free. I was looking forward to some tasty bites, so the waiter and I plunged headlong into some serious translations and confabs with the chef , and aided by a helpful, friendly American girl with a perfect grasp of the language, we concluded the ‘Vishnu’ curry and the falafels would be full of flavour and filling for a hungry girl! It sounds like a lot (I had a side order of sweet potato chips and fries with it too…which my friend helped me devour) but the portions are not overly large. The grainy, night time photo’s do not do the meal justice. The falafels were small and delicate with the perfect ratio of herbs and cumin, and the curry had lots of perfectly diced vegetables, a gentle heat but a good Indian flavour. Other dishes on offer were salads, hamburgers and ‘bowls’ (veggies, quinoa, greens etc).

It was very reasonably priced, especially as their menu is mostly organic and locally sourced. They also pour generous glasses of ‘water of the day’ which is house made and steeped with super foods and elixirs.
It is located in a great part of town, and after you’ve finished you can pop into the cafe two doors up and grab one of the raw snacks that they sell if Pan Comido doesn’t have any gluten free and vegan desserts when you visit (which it didn’t when I was there).

Recommended!

Tonala 91, Colonia Roma Norte (/between Alvaro Obregon and Chihuahua)

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Vegan in Tepoztlan, Mexico

March 31, 2013 by India Leigh

Beautiful Mexican woman holding a basket of VEGAN breads and pastries.

I took a little road trip. Just one hour south of Mexico City to a small

village. I was yearning for a little adventure, just to keep myself adventuring. After much deliberation I picked Tepoztlan. It is well known for its New Age vibe. People say the energy there is healing and many hike up the mountain to reach the pyramid, perched on top. According to myth, Tepoztlan is the birthplace over 1200 years ago of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god widely-worshipped in ancient Mexico.

I was a bit nervous of bus connections but catching it was a simple affair. I checked Google for public transport to the village and took the metro to the south bus station and caught a bus to Tepoztlan. In all the public transport I have experienced in Mexico, it was comfortable and stress-free. The bus was showing a video about colourful insects and their habits. Between that and the passing villages, meadows and woodlands. I was well entertained. The bus drops passengers a (very pleasant) ten minute walk from the town centre. But a free service is available and a small white mini bus will drop you in if you wish.

I followed my nose around the cobbled streets. Mostly seeking shade! I walked into a few cafes in search of tea but the stench of moth balls (or something!) made lingering almost impossible. I decided they just weren’t right and walked on. Within minutes I’d happened across an organic store and entered up the stone steps. Whilst enquiring (in poor, but steadily improving, Spanish) about the menu written on their blackboard, a customer, an effervescent Latvian girl, took me into her care and told me all about the vegan/vegetarian restaurants and shops in the village. She then walked me down to La Tienda De La Grailsa to show me around, and then on to El Milenio, where I ate lunch. She even handed me a map! And then went on her way. I watched her calling and waving to people. She hugged nearly all the various store owners along the way.

The owner in El Milenio was sitting with needles and blue wool, knitting as I entered. Her smile was very welcoming. I decided it was a good place to eat.

The store/cantina only had a few small wooden tables. It was clean and bright.

The menu was vegan in the most part. I was torn with the decision of what to order so the cook brought me little sample cups of the soups to try. I opted for the ‘sopa de haba’ A bean soup with torn kale. And to accompany it, a banana leaf-wrapped tamale.

Whilst I waited, I poked around the shelves in the store. It was well stocked with Asian ingredients, amaranth, gluten free pastas, flours and dried goods. It would be easy for me to live here, I thought! I was so charmed by the place too, as whenever a customer came in through the door they would greet me with a friendly smile and a ‘buenos tardes’.

Tamale de frigol chino con chayote y salsa de pipian. Translated to adzuki bean and chayote (a type of Mexican squash) in a pumpkin seed sauce. I watched the cook steam the tamale in a large pan. The scent of masa flour, carried on clouds of steam drives me wild. Now that I’ve actually tasted it in Mexico, memories of places I’ve visited flood my senses as I inhale!

The soup was so tasty, plenty of beans, cooked to perfection and still with a little bite. The broth was thick and made from a whole host of pureed vegetables. I ate the soup first, scraping the bowl loudly with my spoon as it diminished, and then gently peeled open the banana leaf from the tamale. Puffs of steam rose and my mouth was salivating. For me, the perfect tamal has a balance of savoury and sweetness. Savoury from the filing, and sweet from the steamed masa. The light and airy masa was thin and delicate. The filling was full of flavour and the texture of the beans added an extra dimension. I was so grateful for to the Latvian girl for guiding me here.

The sun was strong and my strength still not up to par (following a bout of Monteczuma’s revenge), so I only walked a small way up the cobbled steps, through the huge trunk of a tree that was split at its centre and past all the blue tarpaulin covered food and souvenir stalls. I consoled myself at not reaching the pyramid with the promise to return. Instead, I entertained myself, walking up and down the streets, people watching and enjoying the covered market in el Centro. It was wonderfully cool in the shade. I practised my Spanish, asking the stall holders to tell me what things were as I pointed to strange fruits and vegetables and commented on the heat.

I even came across a bug with spectacular markings to rival any of the insects I’d seen on the video shown on the bus! I think Tepoztlan is a place of many treasures of which I only tasted and witnessed a few. I’d like to think I’ll will return one day.

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A Vegan Cooking Class in Oaxaca, Mexico. The famous MOLE sauce recipe is now in my grasp!

March 20, 2013 by India Leigh

Oaxaca, Oaxaca. Home to the famous 7 moles. A rich sauce, famed to be thick with chocolate but this is not always, if ever, the case. Some say there are more than 7. Some say it’s a myth. I found negro, roja, alhemendra, verde, coloradito at my most favourite covered market in town - 20 de Noviembre. According to Rick Bayless, the ingredients of mole can be grouped into five distinct classes: chiles, sour (tomatillos), sweet (dried fruits and sugar), spices, and thickeners (nuts and tortillas). We made ours without sugar, sweetened only by raisins and plantains. Seriously, it needs nothing else. Especially the flavours need to veer from rumination by chemically, over sweet refined sugar. The best moles I tasted where all without sugar.
My love affair with mole has been sporadic, revisited periodically on my travels, but it’s history is long. I think my first taste was at Gracias Madre in San Francisco four years ago. Their vegan mole was poured generously over the corn tortillas I’d seen made by hand in their kitchens. The mole was fiery, and complex. I was due to dash back down the Coast Road to Los Angeles that day. I had greedily ordered three dishes. I wanted to try so many things! I’d taken a ‘to go’ box on my long drive back down Big Sur. The new flavours were rich and memorable. I vowed to learn how to make it one day. Research informed me it’s place of conception was Mexico. I was patient, and waited until the time came to visit. Booking a cooking course was number one on my agenda as I travelled to the home (or disputed between Oaxaca and Puebla) of the legendary mole.

My consistent need to fish out the most authentic experience doesn’t
always turn up trumps. But sometimes what it lacks in judgement makes up for in a story. A few emails went back and forth between 4 or 5 of the most well known classes in Oaxaca. Agustin seemed the most ‘real’ and I was promised an all vegan menu. Which he certainly delivered.

The class was to take place in his home. It was a VERY rustic, three room apartment located above his restaurant. Reached via an iron spiral staircase. Two rather well fed and jolly Americans had signed up for the course also. I witnessed at first hand the Mexican’s endearing quality for honesty. Agustin actually mused out loud as to whether they’d make it up the spiral staircase. He used his arms to measure the width of the steel stairs and said ‘you’ll make it up but not sure about the down’! I became typically English at this point and politely pretended I hadn’t heard.

The menu for the day was BLACK MOLE, RED MOLE, ALMOND MOLE, AZTEC SOUP, CHILI RELLANOS & ENCHILADAS. Agustin had a black-board with the ingredients listed, however we were not given any recipe sheets to take home. So some frantic note taking ensued. It was all a bit confusing as he rushed through the many stages of the preparation. And there were many stages. This course is jammed full of recipes. If you are strapped for time or are avoiding fried foods you may want to try the quick RAW recipe for mole I devised back in 2012. Click here

During the day we discovered the difference between the Black Mole and Red Mole. The black traditionally uses roasted chilies. When making the red - Red Mole - you boil the chilies until soft. I think the dry heat of the black mole is what gives it the depth and warming heat. The Negro is the one I’m going to share with you now.

Oaxaca Mole Negro.

Ingredients List
1/2 onion sliced
2 T garlic cloves
8 almonds
10 peanuts
10 pecans
2 T canela (cinnamon)
1 t cloves
1/4 cup raisins
1 T pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 T seasame seeds
2 T ginger (dried)
1 t saffron (v.cheap in Mexico)
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
1 t anis seed
1 t cumin powder
4 avocado leaves (*substitute..see below)
black pepper
1/2 large plantain
bread (sub to be gluten free and use a corn tortilla)
oil
salt

Gently roast (don’t burn) on the stove, all but the plantain and tortilla - Now, depending on your level of zeal, you can either grind in a blender or have a workout and use a pestle and mortar.

For the 2nd part of the recipe….

Fry 1 ripe plantain and put in blender with roasted mix and 2 cups water. Now for the fun (if not a little dangerous part) TOTALLY burn the tortilla to a crisp on the stove. PLEASE use all fire precautions. Don’t have a window or door open because the flaming tortilla could fly in the breeze! Add to the blender

Part 3… - Roast the chilies .Take a mix of the amount shown left. Oaxaca produces chilies you can’t get anywhere else so use the following half guajillos and half a mixture of other chiles, such as pasilla and mulatos. Open the chilies and pour the seeds into a bowl. Roast these separately as they will burn easily. Roast the chilies until slightly charred. For this open the windows or your eyes may water in protest at the hot fumes! Add to the blender.

Part 4..the sauce to go with the mole (also can be used alone as an enchilada sauce, or as a base for soups).

tomatillas 1/2 cup tomatoes 1 cup - blend
1/2 onion 6 cloves garlic salt. Blend & boil. Add this to the mole mix for a final blending. Now the sauce can be used to pour over enchiladas, as a sauce for chile rellano, in a soup, over tempeh or tofu….the list goes on. Be enterprising with it. If you reduce it down to a paste it can be kept in the fridge for months, or frozen it will last indefinitely.

The cooking class with Agustin may not be for the more refined among you. You may find the cussing, inked (rather un-originally by many) on the walls, a bit offensive. The lack of decent toilet facilities, and the lack lustre kitchen hygiene a little to much to bear. If however you like to have an afternoon of unstructured, light-hearted cooking instruction, and copious amounts of free alcohol then it may just be your bag. Agustin is a nice guy and eager to please. In hindsight though, I wished I’d booked with one of the more ‘serious’ cooking schools. We are talking about food here, right?! Not to be down graded. BUT my vegan heart was well catered for and I learnt much. So, if I can take these receipes, perfect them and make them my own, then I’m more than happy. All of the dishes were overwhelmingly delicious, even with the mole being tainted with a slightly charred flavour as my cooking companion got a little over zealous with the preliminary roasting.

The dishes are not a five minute fling. They take time. But I love tinkering in the kitchen and building up flavours slowly. It usually means they unfold slowly too. Capturing your tastebuds.

I’ll post the Aztec Soup & Soy enchiladas another day. For now, go try the Mole. I guarantee you will be using it in everything. I’ve made sweet mole and amaranth porridge for breakfast. And used it in countless soups, and my latest is smearing the thick, dark paste over brown rice tortillas. Folding the tortilla in half and half again before greedily tearing at it with my teeth. It transports me to food Utopia every single time.

If you choose to go and purchase some pre-made mole then make sure it doesn’t contain animal products. Some add animal stock. Beware.

Post me your mole recipes/stories. As you see, I’m mole mad and I’m keen to learn more!

*there is no real substitute for the slight liquorice flavour of the Mexican avocado leaf. Some say try fennel fronds, others say a mix of basil and anise. Those of you in Mexico and some parts of the US are lucky and will find availability of the leaves. You may be able to find online. If you cannot source the leaves then I’d say try a tbs of basil leaves or 1 tbs of fresh fennel fronds. Or just omit altogether.

For Agustin Canseco’s Classes in Oaxaca (ranked high on TripAdvisor!)
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#144-A Esq. Priv. de Almendros Col. Reforma, Oaxaca, Mexico

Ranked #34 of 87 attractions in Oaxaca

Yug Vegetariano. Mexico DF. My first taste of Squash Flower Soup

March 12, 2013 by India Leigh

Thankfully, as opposed to Oaxaca, when a restaurant is listed as vegetarian in Mexcio DF. It (as I’ve discovered so far) means it really is. The other day and friend and I decided to check out YUG Vegetariano. It set up in the city in 1963. Got to love those hippies!
The service was great and the waiter was so utterly patient with all my questions (perfectly translated by said friend). I won’t show you his dishes as he went heavy on the queso (cheese) but here are mine.
As you can see below, I ploughed through the sopa de flor de calabaza (squash flower soup) and only remembered to take a picture half way down the bowl (After a day of wandering around Chapultepec Park, I was famished!) The squash flowers and tortillas strips gave the soup a wonderful texture. It felt very healthy.

Next enchiladas. Now I look at the plate above, it looks rather a large portion. I feel a bit embarrassed to say I scoffed the lot. But scoff I did. They filled the enchiladas with stir fried vegetables and poured over a man size portion of mole, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Filling (to burst point), satisfying and flavoursome.
They change the menu daily. When I went they had no vegan gluten free postres (desserts). Probably just as well!

sorry the photo is not so pretty!

Yug Vegetariano

Address: Varsovia, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Federal District, Mexico

Phone:+52 55 5525 5330

Transit: Sevilla

Vegan Taco in Mexico Ciudad

March 9, 2013 by India Leigh

I admit to a little pre-occupation with mole. With it’s seemingly endless list of ingredients and a myriad of flavours. It has me hooked.

No one actually knows the origins of this dark and delicious paste, but two ideas are offered. The first, curteousy of Mexonline, says that 16^th Century nuns from the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla de los Angeles, upon learning that the Archbishop was coming for a visit, went into a panic because they had nothing to serve him. The nuns started praying desperately and an angel came to inspire them. They began chopping and grinding and roasting, mixing different types of chiles together with spices, day-old bread, nuts, a little chocolate and approximately 20 other ingredients.. The other legend states that mole came from pre-hispanic times and that Aztec king, Moctezuma, thinking the conquistadors were gods, served mole to Cortez at a banquet to receive them. This story probably gained credibility because the word mole comes from the Nahuatl word “milli” which means sauce or “concoction”. Another connection could be that chocolate was widely used in pre-columbian mexico, so people jumped to that conclusion.

I was excited to ride el Metro to visit this little vegetarian restaurant. Gold Taco It also has a well stocked vegetarian (well stocked by current Mexico standards) health food store attached.

A guy was strumming Mexican tunes on his guitar when I arrived and the place was packed. I could hardly contain my excitement. This was to be my first taste of Mole actually in MEXICO!! Though the waitress didn’t speak English I managed to let her know I was sin (without) gluten AND Vegana. I ran through the list of ingredients a vegan doesn’t eat just incase. I elected for the enchiladas with mole sauce. Stuffed with a soy ‘chorizo’. A salad (it had sprouted alfa alfa!) and a taco. The oh-so-thick, subtly spicy, smouldering mole sauce was lovely. Not overly sweet and the combination with the vegan chorizo and the sweet maize tortillas would have surely made BOTH the Pueblan Nun and Moctezuma proud!

I was smiling and waving like a fool to the staff when I left.

By the way, mole can be made gluten free, without the stale bread (I was assured Gold Taco’s was)…..I’ll write you about my MOLE cooking experience in another post and let you have the recipe. Stay tuned! x

Address: Av. Eugenia 1562, 03020 Distrito Federal, Federal District, Mexico

Phone:+52 55 4632 8174

Transit: Eugenia

Raw Food en Mexico Ciudad

March 9, 2013 by India Leigh

Every Thursday in Mexico City a burgeoning revolution in food is happening. Si, a restaurant in Condesa where streets Mazatlan and Veracruz cross, hosts a RAW FOOD evening. Claudio Hall is the Chef. Trained at the Living Light Institute and having lived a number of years in New York, he returned back to his roots and to spread the word about raw food.

I went along to sample the Thai evening. Four courses are served and a glass of wine offered (I don’t drink). Coconut soup. Spring Rolls (rice paper not raw). Pad Thai, with sprouts for ‘noodle’s (I personally prefer kelp noodles but I doubt they are available in Mexico yet) and soaked crushed cashews. For dessert a mango infused chia seed ‘tapioca de chia’.

The coconut soup was absolutely delicious. Peppered with tiny diced bell peppers. All dishes were beautifully presented. I hope I get chance to go back again and see what else he conjures up. His passion is evident. Check him out if you are in D.F.

A Vegan In Oaxaca

March 1, 2013 by India Leigh

Itanoni

February is turing into March and Oaxaca is hot. Hot and polluted. The cars are old, hanging onto life, and their fumes are invasive and persistent. It’s noisy too. The 500 year old Santa Domingo Church is across the street from my (hot) studio. The church seems keen to get everyone ‘up and at ’em’ at 6:45am, when the bells begin their seemingly random peel. Over the weekend the post-dawn bell jams were joined by random and unnerving fireworks, released into the street.

Upon arrival, I quickly decided to avoid the crowded Zocalo. Swams of people, buying gawdy balloons, souvenirs and eating al fresco among the craziness. Funny, for a girl in search of peace and reflection I’m doing a great job of honing in on the busiest places on Earth! But I have this sense of time, rushing, sprinting by. I want to see it all. Do it all. Taste it all.

My reasons for visiting Oaxaca where numerous. But primary No.1? The food. Oaxaquenian food. Oaxaca is said to be the land of the most diverse range of chilies in the world, the land of world renowned gastronomy and MOLE. A sauce made in all manner of ways but beginning with basic components; chocolate, herbs, spices, garlic, chile and azucar (sugar) and/or banana or plantain. My taste buds and romantic heart have long hungered for Mexican cooking and pre-hispanic culture. I’m feeding on both.

If you come, you of course would have already consulted www.happycow.com but I’m here to tell you my version of events. Save you time and energy. If you’ve no plans to come, well no matter, read on anyway.

Despite hating Oaxaca upon arrival it has grown in my favour as I’ve uncovered a little of what the small colonial city has to offer. You can read more about my adventures at www.indialeigh.wordpress.com. Here….it’s all about the food.

Calle 20 de Noviembre is a street known to tourists as chocolate (cho ko la tey) row. Three major players draw in punters..nose first. Cacao beans are ground on site to produce a paste of the famous Oaxacan chocolate. Used by Oaxaquenans for mole and hot drinks, enjoyed at the beginning and end of days. I worked my way around each store. Tasting the minuscule samples of the pastes from plastic spoons. The flavours were quite different. I have to say one mole I tried in Le Soledad, tasted like piss. An odd flavour to be sure. Only Mayordomo made me stop. They offer decadent drinking chocolate. Me want. My request for ‘sin azucar (no sugar) and sin leche (no milk) raised a few eyebrows, but the chocolateria snapped a generous amount of squares from a bar of (almagro…100% cacao) kept under the counter, and poured steaming water into a green clay jug. She then proceeded to use a wooden whisk to emulsify the ingredients produce a bubbly froth . It was bitter, rich and utterly delicious. I swivelled side to side on my bar stool cupping my drink as I watched the chocolate grinders create huge trays of thick, dark paste. The tienda (shop) was a sensory heaven. The inhalation of chocolate fumes a welcome respite from the dusty streets. The chocolate is sold all over town. It is usually VERY sweet. More sugar than chocolate (me no gusta!) Unless, like me you seek its purest form.

RESTAURANTS

The Oaxacans I have met have a strange understanding of ‘vegetarian’, let alone try and get them to contemplate a vegan. The ‘vegetarian’ restaurants listed in Happy Cow, are not. Don’t be fooled by the listing of chicken and ham etc. These are NOT fake meats. They are real animal. A true vegetarian restaurant currently doesn’t exist in Oaxaca. My advice? Write a list of the ‘sin’ (without) ingredients you don’t want to find in your meal. Show it to them. Get them to read it more than once. In several of the places I have gone, they’ve said ‘yes, yes’ it is vegetarian, or si, si it is ‘sin azucar’ (without sugar) and when I’ve pressed them just to be sure, I’ve found out it isn’t. A cooking class I attended had the chef tell me the other participants were vegan (in fact they loved their meat) and that he was vegan also (so NOT vegan). I think they just want to please, and some think vegan means ‘organically grown’. The concept of gluten free is little known too, though some shops exist that will supply pasta, and products with amaranth (versatile little, protein packed, grain-like seed). So, be EXTRA vigilant. Don’t be down hearted though, there are options.

Itanoni is a restaurant dedicated to masa..of the non-GMO kind. Cooked traditionally atop a comal (terracotta oven) with lots of filling options. Take a Spanish dictionary, when I visited no one spoke any English. I tried three types. One folded triangle (tetelas), filled with hongos (mushrooms). A ‘de ese’ rolled and stuffed with frijoles (beans), flor de calabaza (squash flower) and hierba santa (a local herb..with very subtle minty flavour) and a yellow corn taco stuffed with heavenly, butter-like avocado. Washed down with a refreshing lemonade made with hierba santa, lemons and mineral water. Cost..just over £3..total!

ORGANIC MARKETS AND HEALTH FOOD STORES

At Rayon Rayon #411 and Xicoténcatl there is an Organico Mercado, there is a daily (closed Sunday) organic mercado. The produce is scarce but there are two open air restaurants and two organic coffee baristas.

Friday and Saturday a small but beautifully formed organic market is held the grounds of a church in Xochimilco district The sellers have tortillas, beautiful fruits and vegetables (Kale, I found kale!), nopal, freshly picked herbs, artisan sauces and a few handicrafts. You’ll find lots of ex-pats and travellers here shopping and eating under the shade of a tree. I found a Korean woman selling a small selection of vegan cooked take away food, pastries, Spanish tortillas etc.

My scouting has found a couple of great little stores that have some vegan products and a good supply of organic vegetables and fruits. Xiguela (great organic vegetables and products, some Asian products too) and Bambu (Margarita who owns this place is so nice) #414 Col. Centro. They have gluten free, soy free and vegan hamburgers made with seeds and veggies that are delicious. Lots (by Oaxaca standards) of health foods.

GENERAL COVERED MARKETS

Calle de 20 Noviembre has the Buenito Juarez mercado. There is where you buy the best MOLE paste in Oaxaca (in my opinion). Hunt out (and you will need to its a bloody assault for the senses in there..you could get lost for days!) Almita, at Local 180 (tel: 51 669 12) Her mother makes amazing mole negro and it is totally vegan (some moles contain caldo de carne) It is rich, multi-layered, with a gentle heat and I was told, sugar free. Sweetened by caramelised plantains and raisins. It keeps for ages in the fridge and forever in the freezer. I don’t think I’ll get it through UK customs, so I went on a cooking class to learn how to make it. I’ll write of my adventures in Oaxacan cooking in the next post.

PRODUCTS

A few products I’ve been devouring with little restraint are a local Oaxacan drink- Tejate -, sold in big vats by street seller but full of sugar, and god knows what else. Not wanting to do without an experience of a new flavour, I tracked down in a powder and sugar free. It is made of maize, toasted cacao, mammy (a local fruit) seeds and flowers. It’s flavour is sweet and distinct. I have been adding it to my green breakfast smoothies in place of protein powder (I’ve not been successful in sourcing any in Mexico)

Also, an Oaxacan cooperative sell Amaranth products (food of the Gods, enjoyed since pre-hispanic times…a complete protein and actually a seed not a grain but it is used as such) , all gluten free and mostly vegan; flour, sweet popped-seed bars and these amazing, slightly hot, citrusy, crunchy (probably fried but not greasy) sticks. I LOVE them. Way TOO much.

I’m taking the 6 hour bus back to Mexico City in a day or so. I’ve much more to post for D.F.

Come back for more Mexico City eats and my experience in the real home kitchen of a mescal drinking cooking teacher in Oaxaca!

Besos,

India xx

Muy Rico! A Vegan Taste of Mexico and 5 Minute - 5 Ingredient Recipe.

February 18, 2013 by India Leigh

I’ve been in Mexico City for nearly 14 days. My determination to source VEGAN friendly products is being RICHLY rewarded. I am FEASTING out here!
HAPPY COW is of course a HUGE source of knowledge. Not just in Mexico City but the world. They list stores and vegan friendly restaurants. In the next few posts I’m going to share with you what I’ve found. I want to help you hit the ground running. I’ll let you know about cool cafes too.

When I was in Buenos Aires, Dieteticas were bounteous. It is not the case in Mexico City. But I’ve visited a few places listed on HappyCow and I’ve found some products in ‘everyday’ supermercados. Of course. A lot of Mexican food is VEGAN. Nature provides an abundance of vegan FAST food. Give me an avocado and some salt and I’m happy!

Here are some products you can find at SUPERAMA in the Condesa area (Walmart Mexico…they have some produce/products from the USA ..you can get AMY’s here..but alas they either contain cheese or gluten. They have a small gluten free and natural section and organic products too). They have a rack of numerous dehydrated (not raw) fruits and veggies, the tomatoes are like thin chips!
You will also find The Green Corner…kind of an upscale Whole Foods. They are 100% Mexican company selling organic food. They have 2 stores in Mexico City - Polanaco and Condesa. They are a fair trade organisation, giving most of their revenue to the providers. They try and make their stores as green as possible. One uses electricity from solar panels. They also have an organic farm/ranch that produces organic fruits and vegetables and their brand La Cocina Verde. An amazing range of sauces and marmalades/jams. I am so hooked on the mermelade tejocote with stevia that I’m eating it out of the jar with a spoon. Tejocote is a native Mexican variety of hawthorn. It has lots of nutritional properties and is thick, subtly sweet and divine.

FAST FOOD - done healthy. Momentos to make. I was keen to try a Mexican delicacy called huitlacoche or cuitlacoche . Basically corn fungus. Yeah, doesn’t exactly make you salivate but I was curious to this new and unchartered flavour.
I’m being a whimp and my overwhelm with all the choice at the food stalls/trucks/cantinas and restaurants, together with my lazy ass to brush up the smattering of Spanish I collected in Argentina is making me swerve around huddles of standing diners and take it at my pace right now.
Anyway, I spotted a can of the stuff in Superama and threw it into my basket. Along with a packet of Mexican made Bacon Bits (vegan and with soya…I do try and steer clear of heavily processed foods but a little is ok), a carton of tomato/passata flavoured with cebolla (onion) and garlic. Oh, and garbanzos. Me and garbanzos are never far from each other. I returned to my studio and assembled a meal.

My recipe for Speedy Huitlache tortillas and Sopa de Garbanzos.

I put a half can of garbanzos, 1/2 carton of passata, garlic clove, salt, and a little water into the blender and whizzed for 30 seconds. Leaving some texture. Poured the mix into a pan and warmed through. I shook on some chill spice, a spoon of ‘bacon’ bits and fresh black pepper. Verdict? Delicious. Comforting. With it I had a stack of corn tortillas containing natural prebitoics and nopal (Mexican cactus), with sliced, buttery avocado. With the excitement of a food explorer, I cracked open the can of ‘corn smut’ (huitlacoche). I ate a little from the spoon first, afraid it might have tasted malo (bad). I found it earthy, mildly sweet and a little bitter. The texture was like cooked greens. It got my vote. I’m keen to try it fresh, home cooked, see how it compares. So, rolled up within a maize tortilla and married with soft and buttery avocado…well, I’m beaming with food love!

My mind is firing with recipe ideas! The simple afternoon feast took all of 5 minutes to prepare and the flavours were intense and wonderfully satisfying. Sitting in a cafe writing this I see the photo is a sad reflection of what it actually tasted like. You’re going to just have to trust me on this one.

I’m scouting out raw foods too. I found these by a company called VerDeSer in a little cafe in Condesa.

The tube is filled with herbed, dehydrated sprouted legumes and nuez (nuts). Crunchy. Salty. The foiled packet had spirulina and ciltrano flavoured raw crackers and were some of the best I’ve ever tasted. They were not cheap, especially by Mexican standards. $58 pesos or £3. The beautifully flecked pink and sandy coloured discs were an indulgent bag of delightfully crispy fried taro chips. So good! I ate the whole bag whilst walking through Parque de Mexico, enjoying a spot of people and doggy watching!

More coming soon…!

Be well

India xxx

Organic in Buenos Aires - Interview Series - Pablo Moscato ‘the green map’.

January 30, 2013 by India Leigh

Are you going to Buenos Aires? Trust me, you need this.

Only the best map of the city. It has a comprehensive list everything healthy and vegetarian/vegan. I wish I’d found it before the final week of my stay. But then again I’d have been stripped from my task of scouting out the vegan eateries for myself.

I was handed the map in a vegan restaurant in Palermo Hollywood. Upon opening my excitement equalled a child at Christmas! It became a holy precious thing to me! Actually, I thought it such a brilliant and useful guide that I decided to investigate its origins.
I made enquiries that successfully led me to Pablo Moscato. Founder of Guía Natural Urbana&Orgánica. The MAP and a magazine portal for ‘green’ issues in Argentina. He kindly agreed to feed my curiosity and spend some time answering a string of questions. This is what I discovered.

He and Gabriel had had long careers in corporate consultancy, but they were becoming really disillusioned with work that meant little to them. Did little to help. They felt growing unease in their jobs and were slowly becoming to realise their values were upside down. Their interest was turning more and more to a sustainable way of life. When Pablo’s first daughter was born he knew he had to start respecting life more. He asked himself ‘how do we help people?

The answers followed. Pablo and Alexis wanted to find a way to express the sustainable way of life that they were discovering and moving more towards it. What they were doing was becoming so intrinsic to their lifestyle they wanted to take it further. So they came up with the idea to create ORGANICOOPERS (www.organicoopers.net). Their company offeres project management consulting, content, communication and commercial developments to ethical businesses. They seek to help to generate the awakening of consciousness in every individual who wants to work for a more sustainable way of living and creating business. The company also help sustanible producers get to the market, emphasising purchasing and community. The more they got an idea of the organic market within Argentina the more they saw glaring changes needed to be made. Pablo said’

‘But then we discovered that the market needed genuine information to make correct purchasing decisions that will affect positively the planet and all living beings. At this point came to our mind (or I should say, to our heart) the idea of a unique source of genuine information, with all organic and sustainable way of life proposals stores. And this is how the “Guía Natural Urbana&Orgánica” was born as a green map, becoming very quickly a reference for this community and is frequently consulted by the main media of our country’.

And so they put their heads together and they conjured up the idea of a green map - access it online here Pablo and his partner wanted to hand the world of organics to consumers to make it more accessible and eventually, commonplace. Connections began to grow and portenos (locals) found shopping for organic and healthy food increasingly easy. Since the green map was made available there has been a 200% increase in organic produce sold. But the movement still has a long way to go. Jumbo, a large supermarket (a cross between Whole Foods and Walmart) is currently the only supermercado in Buenos Aires that offers an organics section and it is small. There are several small independent stores who supply a range of organic produce . What is so surprising is that Argentina is 3rd organic producer in the world yet only 5-10% is currently bought by Argentinians. The money hungry Government guarantee to exports, the big buyers and not it’s citizens. Many producers may adopt organic farming procedures but do not have the seal. As in the UK and the US and I suspect, the majority of countries with organic agriculture, the cost of certification is prohibitive, therefore small producers just cannot afford the seal. This situation needs to change.

Meantime, Dr Gabrielle Cousens, bastion and advocate of the raw food community in the USA, got wind of Pablo and Alexis’s work with their magazine Urbano y Organico, and decided to hire ORGANICOOPERS to spread the live food message through the launching of his first book in spanish : “There is a cure for diabetes“. Dr Cousens hired Pablo’s wife, Lucia, a raw foodist, as an assistant. Following the success of the tour Lucia became one of the main advocates and educators of the life food culture in Argentina. The health movement was gaining attention and helping to educate.

Today ORGANICOOPERS keeps working with its publications and services and Lucia continues with her life food workshops.

But Pablo is not stopping there…his quest continues…

‘but our hearts lead our decisions in life….”Nothing is sustainable if our brothers are suffering…” (specially children)’.

ORGANICOOPERS launched “Exploradores Solidarios” feeding young children on the streets of Buenos Aires. Following this Pablo and Lucia saw a need in the small town where they live in Cordoba (San Esteban) so they began their own programme of assistance for local children in need.

My chat with Pablo was fascinating, and I kept him talking for quite some time. I wanted to know how his life had changed since he dropped from the corporate world and took the leap to follow his heart. It manifests itself in all areas of his life. Now they live among fragrant fruit orchards and have found a calmer way of life.

Pablo told me,

‘Deepening into this way of life we found that we were reconnecting to our spirituality and there we understood our need to be connected to nature…to God. And this reconnection with God is what gave sense to the changes in my life and the work in ORGANICOOPERS. Last year we decided to move to Cordoba to be not only in connection with nature, but to support the spiritual task of a Monastery at the planetary center of Erks, very important for this period of planetary transition. The tools: service and prayer’.

His story is ongoing, his desire to help make positive changes in his country strengthen with each project he undertakes. This is evidence of what people can do when they listen to what their heart is telling them. But not just listen…but then act. Right now I feel happier knowing people like Pablo are taking positive action.

If you are travelling or indeed, living in Buenos Aires and want to find the healthy places to shop in a sea of tiendas, then do yourself a favour and grab a copy of Pablo and Alexis magazine - And grab a copy of Urbano Y Organico and MAPO For health and good food made accessible! You’ll find it in most health stores and cafes… this one for sure. It even highlights the city’s bike paths under the Mejor en bici scheme.

Eating Vegan in Buenos Aires - Interview Series - BA Verde Comida Crudito (RAW FOOD)

January 11, 2013 by India Leigh

Continuing my journey, eating vegan in Buenos Aires, I come to what was one of my favourite meals. Even after being back in England for over a month, time has not dulled the memory of a Palermo Hollywood restaurants famous Raw Cannelloni…Oh my…so good I ate it twice (on different days!)…I recall with fondness every texture, every layer of flavour, every brightening herb, and every delightful crunch and chaw.

All vegan, nothing cooked. The cannelloni is made from dehydrated vegetables and filled with a béchamel sauce and colourful shredded veggies, red sauce is drizzled over the top with minced onions and fresh herbs. Nutty sprouted quinoa and activated almonds (soaked and then dehydrated to give them a supreme crunchiness) scattered across the dish. The guac was chunky and the dark, flavoursome olives gave a 3rd, 4th, 5th dimension to the whole ensemble. Oh how my heart beats a little faster at the memory!

The menu is printed in English too. The waitresses have a canny knack of spotting a language-shy English speaker at twenty paces. The food at BA Verde is not totally raw, nor is it totally vegan. 90% of their desserts have honey as a sweetener, or sugar. It is 100% vegetarian. Their salads with raw crackers and cheeses are scrumptious. They have soups, ‘one-pots’ and smoothies too.

With delicious food, lovingly prepared such as this, it is no wonder I was intrigued by Mauro, the artisan chef behind Buenos Aires Verde Organico Vegetariano.

He seemed a quiet figure. The three times I visited he was deeply embroiled in planning or meetings. I see a man, keen to carry forth a movement that seems, surprisingly, so well established in Buenos Aires. I still cannot put my finger on the reason I was drawn to trek thousands of miles to Buenos Aires and see for myself. I guess, nowadays, travel is so easy, the internet carries information in a heart beat and this made it appear so accessible. One can’t help but accept that we are all influencing each other and the ‘butterfly’ effect is not just a hypothetical. If you took mainstream travel journals at face value, you may be led to assume vegetarians do not exist in this South American country. I found out for myself that they do…in droves.

So, I wanted to dig deeper. I sent ….. a few…(ok a lot of) questions to Mauro. He kindly found the time to oblige. I’ve left the translations as is. (So cute).

[ ] are my interpretations

What led Mauro to open a vegetarian restaurant?

Changing my lifestyle to a vegetarian diet made me have a different connection with food, and that’s what I wanted to convey to people

Are you a vegetarian or a high raw diet?

Vegetarian, cheese consumption three times per semana [week]. Tengo [i have] stages where consume more raw foods and smoothies all

What or who influenced cooking? Who or what influenced you to one side of the typical diet heavy meat and adopt cleaner Argentina vegan / vegetarian lifestyle (if any)?

All my life I devoted to cooking, the greatest influence was my madre.En never really had a preference for meat, easy dejarlo [take it or leave it] .En Argentina was not easy in the environment of family gatherings or friends do not eat meat because it is usually the main course, people gather to eat barbecue, I adapt eating fresh salads

How long have you been a vegan / vegetarian chef?

For 5 years, previously to traditional

What changes have you experienced as a result of adopting a plant-based diet high?

Really sick less, lose weight, I feel more energy, need less sleep

What was the initial reaction to its opening and now is your typical restaurant? gender / class / nationality

The food is tasty, the public was very popular and they are not all natural food vegetarianos.El concept if you have a stronger weight in Buenos Aires, and a vegetarian diet of little more being installed in public. [people are seeing a vegetarian diet can lead to weight loss]

What is the% of organic matter produced by the use in their dishes and is easy to produce the source?

It is not always easy, few organic producers and export their production. No most all are in Buenos Aires and depend heavily on how the weather affects their cosechas.En the restaurant everything is organic.

Is there a vegan / vegetarian society in Argentina, other than the uva.org.ar? I have not found any products with accreditation (I’ve only found a vegan / raw food product on a diet). I have emailed directly ova.org.ar also to answer this question.

There is only government agencies NGOs vegan vegetarian but not yet.

Is there a vegan or raw foodist politicians or influential people in media?

Many actors and celebrities are vegetarians, none recognized political.

What is your most requested dish?

The dough rolls stuffed dehydrated vegetables and cashew cheese, raw ice cream and risottos.

What is your favorite dish (if you have one …. or at least one current)?

The quinoa wok

Favorite ingredient?

Quinoa

Have you ever appeared in elgourmet or the like, or a lifestyle magazine?

In several articles in newspapers and journals in utilisima in air channels, and realize a series of shorts for a cable show cooking.

In preparing your food at home and creating our recipe, do you have a favorite piece of music do you listen, or environment you want to create?

As this depends on the time.

What is your current favorite restaurant (if you ever have any free time!) In Buenos Aires or Argentina as a whole?

Osaka could be [http://www.osaka.com.pe]

What is your vision for your restaurant and the scene of vegetarians/vegans in Argentina?

Growing, with increasing acceptance

Do you have plans for a cookbook? My Spanish is improving but not enough to discover if there is a vegetarian or vegan cookbooks on the market for Argentine chefs?

Not really, most are translations of books outside.

What do you want to answer questions that I may have omitted to ask?

It could perhaps be about organic growth, which to me is very importante. No one could speak of intelligent power outside organicos. The concept that it is time for people to invest more into your diet and less on drugs, and for that food must be important. Not just avoiding meat and meat special, if not also choose seasonal flavors, enjoy them, and work with the middle ambiente. Dejar [stop] of eating fruits, vegetables and cereals treated with fertilizers among other things . Return to origins, to nature, to enjoy cooking and eating.

I hope Mauro accomplishes all he sets out to improve, and continues to gather a hungry and conscious crowd. Oh and the restaurant holds classes too, to help people master his techniques.

Want to know more about vegan food in Buenos Aires? (click here for gluten free vegan products and links to my reviews)

Be well

India xx