Join me for a weekend of food in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, MX.

San Cristobal Saturday Organic Market

Welcome to my first post on this new adventure with Amy. For those who have followed our lives over the past few years, you know that we have been living in Mexico for most of the last 5 years. Usually we are in San Miguel de Allende, but this season brings us for the third time to one of our favorite places – San Cristobal de las Casas which is located in Chiapas, one of the most southern states in Mexico – land of the Mayas.

This is a haven for those of us who follow a plant based diet. Come along with me on a typical weekend. 

Saturday starts with the organic farmers market and a visit with our friends Erin and Philip.

Flowers at the market

The market is loaded with fruits and vegetables and often new ones for me. In addition there are breads, sweets, jams and hot spices along with various prepared foods – many are vegan as well as gluten free. Here maiz (corn) is one of the stables of life and this works well for my stomach. I bought my usual kale, lettuce, radishes, sprouts and found the last two artichokes (alcachofas). To this bounty I added moringa (leaves and flower buds) and purslane (verdolaga in Spanish). Both can be eaten cooked or raw, in foods or salads. Doing an internet search when I got home I found that Moringa is very nutritious. The leaves are rich in protein and vitamin A,B and C, along with several minerals. In the photo you will also see a jar of hot sauce and a garlic seeded bread for Ricardo. 

Moringa leaves and flowers

My weekly purchase

As is our weekly tradition, we then all go out for brunch. We have had this routine since we arrived and as we are all travelers of the world, we enjoy our time together trying different things and talking of travels past and future. Our favorite spot of the week is “La Frontera” a specialty coffee and tea shop with friendly owners and a great menu. In the same courtyard is a flower shop, local brewery and a pastry shop.

Chai tea with leche de soya and fuit with granola

 

After bring our veggies home to wash we headed out for another treat – to a new chai spot that had these delicious sweet treats.

Can you believe...vegan brownie made of avocado, banana and amaranth

Another treat - date, cashew, coconut and cardamom

The Saturday market is not our only option. We live a few blocks from the very large market where most of the vendors are indigenous people bringing their fruits, vegetables, flowers and items from the villages surrounding San Cris. Each sells different items – piles of avocados, mangos, arugula, tomatoes, papayas, etc. Hardly a day goes by without a mango or avocado. In fact, my favorite salad recipe of the day is below.

Thanks for traveling with us. I am excited to take photos of the amazing options and it makes me even more grateful for this life that we are living in our retirement. This post is about markets and soon to come – some of our favorite local spots to eat when we don't cook at home.

Ensalada San Cris

Ingredients

  Arugula
  Lettuce
  Tomato
  Radish
  Mango
  Avocado
  Celery

Dressing

  Mixture of Dijon mustard with balsamic vinegar (no oil – keeps the fat content lower and the taste strong). Hint: keep the old mustard jar to mix dressing. I usually do not measure – just a heaping teaspoon of mustard with some amount of vinegar.

  Chop all the above and add any additional items of your choice – moringa leaves, cilantro, basil, sprouts, etc)