Time to go home!!!!

Our trip was super awesome, but all good things have to end. On our last day we had time for one more stop on our way to the airport.
We started driving towards the airport with the intent of stopping at Puerto Morelos for a quick look around and a bite to eat. We did such a good job of getting things together that we were able to dart into Aventuras Akumal run down to the beach real quickly and look around.
We had never been to Aventuras Akumal and it was pretty but a bit crowded for our tastes.
We loaded back up and hauled arse for Puerto Morelos, it was so nice having the rental car. So much more freedom to wander and see things off the beaten path. Puerto Morelos looked like a nice place, a bit crowded, but a nice place for a day trip.
We found a place to park and walked down by the board walk and found a cafe to have a little snack before going to the airport.
We got some things to share, rice and plantains, chips and salsa, and guacamole. The kids ordered their last orange sodas. We had plenty of time to sit and enjoy the calm bay and talk about how much fun we had on our trip.
After our lunch snack, we headed to drop the rental car off at easy way. We were running a few minutes early which was a good thing because we had a hard time finding the rental place.
We finally made to the airport and after a bunch delays we made it home six hours later than scheduled.
Tired, tan, ten pounds heavier, and a great time had by all!!!! Thank you Nikki!!!!

Vegan Torpedoes!!!

Found some photos from this summer that I did not post. I miss eating at Subway every once and a while, but I cannot justify $5 for a shredded lettuce, crappy tomatoes, olive and slimy green pepper sandwich.
We make our own with Ciabattia bread and all of the fixins. With Phaloney and/or Tofurkey!!
Oh and a random cat picture!!!

Now We Eat!!!! - Tacos- Gorditas - Yucca -

Here are some of the meals we ate while staying at Casa Del Corazon.
As I had mentioned before the fruit and vegetable stand had really good stuff, and I really tried to keep things simple, always easier said than done!!!

The first picture is of tacos with BBQ potatoes, avocados and salsa. Kind of boring except the avocados defy description, firm and very flavorful. The salsa is made from grilled poblano chilis, tomatoes, cilantro and onions.

The next plate was inspired by chalupas that we ordered at a restaurant. I bought Masa Harina and made corn flour dough, which I fried in coconut oil, which took them to a whole different level of goodness/badness. I have always considered these to be gorditas not chalupas, but who's to say!
I make gorditas at home on occasion, the dough, Maseca Flour - water and salt is easy to make, then you form patties about a 1/4 inch thick, and about as round as an English Muffin. You then fry them until golden brown. You can top them with any vegan topping you like, Tofutti sour cream, faux cheese, veggies, veggie crumbles, roasted veggies, or whatever you have in your pantry.
I topped these gorditas with refried black beans, grilled onion and pablanos, and salsa fresca (tomato, cilantro, lime juice and serrano chile) I grilled the new potatoes almost every night we were at the villa because Addison really liked them and the were fairly easy.

I found nice looking yucca while I was at the veggie stand, so I got some. I have cooked yucca/cassava before but was not really sure of the exact times, and procedures, so I went on facebook with my iphone and contacted a friend in New Mexico, she gave me some hints on prep, and cooking method. I loved having internet access, I was able to post food pictures as soon as I took them!! I was also able to request cooking instructions online several times. The plate below is the yucca, which I ended up boiling for about an hour before it was tender. I took half of the yucca and served it with mole(not the animal - say MO-lay) which I made from a Chilimole that was vegan and had remarkable flavor. I served it with white rice, avocado and tortillas. Yucca is similar to potatoes, but it has more of a "tooth: to it and it more of an earthy flavor, which was nicely complemented by the slightly sweet and robust flavor of the mole. I had hoped that I would be able to buy the Chilimole cubes online when I returned, but I have been unable to find it;( I guess I will to go back and get some.

The final plate is a picture of yucca fries. I had coconut oil left from making the gorditas so at the suggestion of my friend Mariela in Santa Fe, I made yucca fries. I took the boiled yucca and fried until golden, and served with ketchup, THEY WERE FREAKIN AWESOME... I generally do not fry things, not good for you, messy and it stinks up the house. I did fry bananas one night, I used to fry bananas all the time when I was the chef at Cafe Brazil in Denver, but they are hard to do without a large commercial fryer. They tasted good, but looked awful.
The villa did not have windows, it had screens and shutters, so while I was cooking I had everything open, it was like cooking outside.
The last picture is from the front patio of the Casa Del Corazon, this basically the same as the view from the kitchen sink. I wish this was my everyday view!!!

Breakfast... Something vegan for everyone

When my grandparents retired in the 1970's they decided to move to southern Mexico, because they loved the culture, the scenery, and the food. In this country we are rediscovering the concept of the farmers market. In many countries that is the only kind of market!!!! Many of my fondest childhood memories were visiting them in the summertime and being immersed in another culture with a different language. It was scary yet very exciting at the same time. I learned so much watching my grandmother move through the never ending vegetable market that had so much variety that I could barely comprehend it!
I am so happy that we have been able to take our kids out of the country!!! The resorts are not the best place to be immersed in a culture, but they do offer some similar experiences, culture shock experiences that stick with you. We rented a car on this trip and were able to get off the beaten path and see the how people really live here. Poverty is something that Americans do not see very often. I will tell more of the stories of shopping in a later post.
Carter's favorite food in Mexico is Zucaritas, Frosted Flakes, or as Carter called them when he was little "Tiger Flakes". I think that Zucaritas translates to little sugars, which is pretty accurate!!! The exciting discovery this year was that the resort had Leche de Soya ---- Yeah!!! Soy Milk!!! This was very exciting because it made cereal an option for the kids, and it made the coffee much more enjoyable. Finding soy milk has always been a bit of a challenge so the last few trips we have brought it in our luggage along side our snorkeling gear.
Addison prefers the Coco Krispies!!!
Generally the morning routine is for me to get up fairly early with the kids and take them to breakfast while Nikki prepped the beach bag and equipment needed for the day. The breakfast reminds me so much of spending time with my grandparents. They would get up early and have coffee, rolls and fresh fruits every morning. I would get up with them and enjoy fresh tortillas and avocados, or rolls and hot chocolate. I also remember eating fruit the was sweeter than candy but so refreshing.
Addison ate quite a bit of fresh fruit while we were there, they had wonderful melons, mangos, bananas, and the pineapple was outstanding.
There were always hash browns, fresh tortillas, salsas, a wide variety of nuts and dried fruits. They also had fresh orange juice, grapefruit, pineapple, tomato, and a made to order juice bar.
We found plenty of options that were vegan and tasty, this only represents a small portion of the offerings, and the non vegan stuff did not bother me as much as it has in the past. In the past I have found being around buffet environments has really stressed me out because I used to "miss" some of the things being offered. As I have shifted into being a vegan, I have found that I miss those things less and less. I now revel in all of the things that I can have and relish the opportunity to eat without the guilt that I used to feel. Becoming vegan has been a process that has taken considerably longer than I realized. I feel like in some ways this trip represented the final shift for me, I am comfortable with my choices, and I am proud to be part of a family that shares in this common held set of beliefs. I used to think that I was making sacrifices, but now I feel that I make deliberate choices that reflect an important set of beliefs.
The picture below was taken with my phone so it is not super clear, but this is pretty typical of my morning breakfast. Fresh tortillas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, fruit, and nuts. I also had coffee, and orange juice. I promise that I did not have the hash browns every morning!!!

Tomato Soup and Sandwich

There are many times when I take pictures of very boring meals and I think that there is no way that I can publish these pictures. The food either looks bad, or is not the most exciting thing from a culinary standpoint. This is a perfect example... Grilled Follow Your Heart Cheddar Sandwich with.... DRUMROLL PLEASE.... Campbell's tomato soup.
Yes this was basic.... but it was easy - fast - and cheap.
The important things in life do not always have to complicated!!!!!

Broccoli and It's all Good!!!

It's All Good is a new type vegetable based Chick'n that comes from Canada. It is similar to Morningstar Farms Chic'n strips. They are both made from Gardien, which is a patented vegetable protein product. The chic'c was pretty good, but was a bit on the squeaky side. This was pretty basic stir fry and the "it's all good" stood up to the heat well.
I have heard that there "beef" style is better than "chic'n", so we will try that soon.
It's All Good is pretty expensive, so I do not see us using it often. I have to be honest that I do not like the name, it's all silly!!!
The stir fry had broccoli, a frozen organic stir fry mix(not the best), carrot and It's All Good.
We tried the No Beef skewers the other night and they were so good that I was not able to get a picture for this post. I cooked the No Beef skewers on the grill and really handled the heat well and were very well seasoned. I highly recommend It's All Good, it's worth the price!!!!