Andalusia, Spain on plants

First paella in Sevilla

Another adventure for us in Spain - by now we have been in Andalusia - the area of the south of Spain for over 2 weeks and have settled into the live of nomads - moving from one province to another.

We have already been in several of the big cities - Seville and Granada with side trips from them to a few very small villages - Aracena and Lanjaron. This is not a country that is dedicated to plant based eaters BUT we have found in almost every place an option or two for us to choose from. Most excitedly is when I find vegetarian paella on the menu. 

Paella with tofu in Aracena - a very small
town north west of Sevilla. What a surprise
to find tofu in this little village.

This is a traditional Spanish dish with saffron and rice and always some vegetables but usually with different meats and shrimp, etc. Of course, tapas (small dishes) are the custom in all small restaurants and bars and we have discovered a few favorites there as well. One is Salmorejo (a chilled tomato soup ) and another is Pisto -  a ratatouille-like vegetable stew. I am going to mention specific restaurants that we enjoyed during this trip, especially ones who are dedicated to those of us who enjoy the plant based lifestyle. Seville is a big city with lots to offer.

Large market in Triana, Seville

Surprise - sweet potatoes on the street as a snack

many "meat substitute" products in
Seville grocery store

A vegetarian restaurant in Sevilla - Gaia
this was a tofu cutlet with salad

Richard's stew at Gaia

The side trips took us to Aracena for 2 nights with 2 walks to small villages - each with a local eatery and options for us. We have also cooked in our apartments when possible, enjoying the local vegetables and beans. Here all little stores have jars of beans and lentils already prepared and very inexpensive. I like trying them all. Our daytime snacks include fruit and local nuts. Figs both fresh and dried are very common here as well.

Salmorejo in Aracena - cold tomato soup

Pisto with patatas and gazpacho

Olive trees - everywhere in Andalusia

Vegan cheesecake with cherries and
chocolate cake - yummmm

After our time in Seville we went to Granada. You can imagine my amazement when discovering that our apartment was above a yoga studio and just one block from an amazing VEGAN restaurant called Hicuri. We managed to eat there 3 times during our 6 day visit. 

Pisto with vegan sausages

Now we are at the southeast point of Spain at Parque Natural de Cabo de Gatas. We are here for one week again in an apartment in a small village called Pozo de los Frailes. The coastline is dotted with tiny villages and we have a car to travel daily from one beach to the other for nice walks. There are no tourist crowds now (as there are during the summer) and so the little village we are in has NO stores! The closest is San Jose where we can buy the usual beans and veggies so I have concocted some good meals here as well.Since we have had Pisto at so many different restaurants, I looked on line for a recipe to include for you (and for me). 

Pisto Andaluz 
(http://www.rondatoday.com/pisto-andaluz-traditional-vegetarian-stew/)
2 onions
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
4 ripe tomatoes
2 zucchini
2-3 cloves garlic
olive oil
dash of salt (and sugar, optional)

We start by preparing our vegetables prior to putting them all in a large flat skillet. Blanch the tomatoes then remove the skin and cut into cubes. Peel and dice the onions and the zucchini, and slice the peppers.

Place a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in the pan and fry the garlic and onion over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the peppers and cook together for another 5 minutes making sure to stir so none of it burns in the bottom of the pan.

Now add the zucchini for 2-3 minutes, and finally add the tomato, letting the mixture simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Add the sugar and salt, and quickly bring to the boil then remove from the heat. If your pan has too much tomato juice, let it boil away whilst stirring to avoid burning. Fresh basil or oregano are often added to give the pisto a pleasant herby taste.

Serve hot in small terracotta tapas dishes for that authentic feel, or place on the side of a plate with some fish or even a fresh salad. This pisto andaluz goes down very well with a glass of La Rioja red wine, or if you can get it, one of many excellent Ronda red wines.

By the way....Ronda is next on our list to visit next week. Stay tuned for more from southern Spain.

Random travel tidbits

We have been in Mexico over the last few months and always find new and different plant based food items that I want to share with you.

Cherimoya fruit

Inside a cherimoya

Join me as I write about these unique plant based food tidbits. First let me share this new fruit which I tried once in Ecuador several years ago and still remember its delicious taste - sort of like a creamy custard. I bought one in San Miguel de Allende and tried it again with the same enthusiasm. The season for them is short and I saw them only this one day so will have to be on the look out for them in the future. It is the "cherimoya" which some say is a cross between a pineapple and banana. The creamy texture of the flesh gives the fruit its secondary name, custard apple. Mark Twain called the cherimoya "the most delicious fruit none to man". I hope you get a chance to try it.
I ate one just scooping out the flesh with a spoon. I also used a second one replacing an avocado in the recipe for chocolate mousse below. It tasted good though was a little less creamy than the avocado. Try them both if you find a cherimoya.

Garbanzo beans (close up)

Garbanzo (chickpeas)

Another subject....I just celebrated another birthday and we went to Guanajuato for an overnight trip - a beautiful colonial city about 1 1/2 hour away from San Miguel de Allende. We wandered the streets, stayed in a lovely apartment up a narrow alleyway and enjoyed a few delicious plant based meals. While walking we passed several vendors of steamed garbanzo beans in their shells. They were offered plain, with lime or with salt and spices. We chose the lime and they were delicious. It reminded me of travels in New York City in the winter with chestnuts roasting. We have seen these before but not tried them and will surely try them again.

falafel platter at Habibi Restaurant

We ate at a delicious falafel restaurant (not a common food here in Mexico!) called Habibi and had a cappucino with soy milk at another favorite - Santo Cafe which sits over a bridge with a view of all the comings and goings on the street below.

Soy cappucino

A few days later we celebrated Thanksgiving - not a typical holiday here in Mexico. Many of the gringos have their own celebrations at home or in restaurants. It is a favorite holiday of ours as both Richard and I have such fond memories of family gatherings during childhood and adulthood and this year we both missed our families very much. The turkey part of the holiday is not part of our celebration and I am always happy to be eating the delicious side dishes that make the meal special. This year we celebrated with just the two of us at home for dinner but spent the morning in a rural community with an organization called "Libros for Learning" giving out books to set up a library in a very small one room schoolhouse about 20 minutes outside of town. This organization is indirectly connected to our organization called Libros para Todos. Giving of ourselves on a holiday of Thanksgiving felt good as we have SO VERY MUCH to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving at the Neulist's

My thanksgiving meal consisted of roasted vegetables, gingered sweet potatoes and cauliflower/quinoa with tomato mushroom gravy.

Chocolate mousse 

Now to my special dessert - which I usually make with avocado but you can see from my note above - it can be made with cherimoya or even a banana. I got the recipe from my friend Marcia and when I make it I think of her - especially her idea of having just one or two spoonfuls/day which makes it last almost a week. (that is if I don't share it with anyone else!!)

Vegan Chocolate Mousse       

1 ripe avocado, mashed
1/4 cup chocolate cocoa powder (dark, no dairy)
1/4 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 packets stevia

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Keep in refrigerator.

Thanks for traveling with us and stay tuned.....the next post from me will be from Spain.