A month of eating in Portugal

Hot chocolate and Matcha tea with
vegan treats - Sintra

Having now spent nearly one month in Portugal I will say for sure that Portugal is a very vegetarian and in most places, vegan friendly country. Oh yes, they do have their specialties which are mostly animal based but many have converted them to veggie and if not traditional recipes - have many veggie options. We encountered several exclusively vegetarian and even a few vegan restaurants. Not only that - but many stores selling plant based products. Our adventure in each new city is to track down these places. Of course, we also like to eat in from time to time which makes it difficult in the places that have such great options for restaurants. One favorite was a vegan crepe with veggies (gluten free) at Princesa do Castelo in Lisbon. My friend Marcia told me to ask the owners for recipes when I liked the food so I did and added it below.

Evora Salad bar

I took loads of pictures in various restaurants and will list them by name when possible. My research to find them is usually Happy Cow website and often the tourist offices have information. There is a chain store in both Lisbon and Porto - Celerio which has a restaurant as well.

Raw "cheesecake" at Princesa do Costelo

In Sintra, again our Airbnb was next to a yoga studio with a little coffee shop with vegan hot chocolate and snacks - how does this happen to us in so many places. I feel like I am a magnet to these little special spots and am always grateful to find them.

In Lisbon we went twice more to our favorite vegan restaurant - Princesa do Castelo where we had a MOST delicious dessert - berry cheesecake. 

In Evora we found a great health food stores and Salsa Verde - with a buffet and salad bar - another favorite spot.

Fig, strawberry, nut and greens

Stuffed mushrooms in Coimbra

Eva singing Fado

Then we were off to Coimbra, a university town, again with many options for us. We enjoyed Maria's Portugese Tapas Restaurant, just up the street with Eva who not only cooked and served us but sang Fado during one of our meals. She aimed to please and made me special food to meet all my dietary likes. We had our all time favorite padron peppers (memories of the Camino de Santiago) at the little bar/restaurant Arcada which was right across the street from our apartment. (See recipe below.)

DaTerra buffet, Porto

DaTerra buffet, Porto

From Coimbra we headed to our last city for this trip - Porto, or Oporto. Here again are many options but we have already discovered a favorite - DaTerra which has an awesome buffet every day at lunch or dinner - we are usually going at 2:00 for a main meal.

Here you go with two recipes from this trip - Enjoy! 

The first one is from Princesa do Costelo in Lisbon.



Vegan Pancake - Okonomiyaki (gluten free)

1/2 cup Chickpea flour

Princesa do Castelo - vegan in
Lisbon - Pancake on the left

1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp black salt
a pinch of paprika or black pepper
water to make a smooth but not too runny batter
chopped cabbage
spinach
dill leaves
Note: you can add whatever veggies you wish.


Instructions

• In a pan well greased with oil use the batter to make a thick crepe and when cooking add chopped cabbage, spinach & dill leaves.
• cook well and using the spatula flip and cook for 1-2 minute till well cooked.
• Serve hot with a sauce of choice such as hot n sweet sauce

Fried Padron Peppers (typical tapas in Spain and Portugal)   

½ pound fresh Padron peppers

Virgin olive oil for frying

Coarse salt to taste
Instructions

• Wash the peppers thoroughly and pat dry.
• Pour a little oil in a pan and put it on medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, grab a handful of peppers and throw them into the oil. Use a lid as the oil will splash quite a lot. They should brown on both sides, but should not get too dark. Turn them over if necessary.



Padron peppers and salted mushrooms
at Arcada Restaurant

• When done, take them out with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with the salt. Serve immediately while piping hot.

Continuing in Andalusia

New Years Paella with a view

Rice cake sandwich with avocado,
 and tomato

Here we are in a new year. We celebrated the new year by going to the eastern point of southern Spain - Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata where we rented a home for a week and mostly ate in as this was a very small village in the winter which was not their high season. Every day we walked on the many walks along the beach and coastline packing a snack.

Las Negras beach - Tea and Tapas
our 25th anniversary. I have learned
to like olives on this trip.

Next we were on to Ronda which was great for food options. This time we stayed in a small hotel so had no facilities for cooking. We were next a wonderful little cafe for breakfast with gluten free bread and amazingly delicious tomato salsa - just tomatoes pureed in a blender. Seems to be one of the favorite breakfast items in many spots - healthy and delicious. Some serve it with olive oil and some not. Ronda had many options for us.

Bar Bodega San Francisco, Ronda
Tapas of mushrooms in
garlic (Richard's favorite)
and cold spiced cauliflower

Curry and Grill, Ronda

Then to Cadiz which was on the western side of Andalusia on the Atlantic ocean, an area known for seafood but we found it easy for our palates. We combined our time between eating in and out. There was a great market and we cooked a delicious meal with mushrooms from the market.

Our last stop of one month in Andalusia was Cordoba - a place we could certainly return to. Here we ate out most days - finding it confusing again with the time. Most restaurants were closed between 4-8 so we ate early and had a snack back in our hostal (Bed and Be) at night. There were many options in this beautiful and historic city. Please visit my travel blog for many more details about this trip. (mexicotravel-susan-ricardo.blogspot.com)

Mushrooms for breakfast
after early morning visit to  Mezquita

Mushrooms were spectacular in Cordoba with garlic and oil - we even had them for breakfast after the visit to the Mezquita early in the morning.

Grilled veggies at Rincon Andaluz, Cordoba

Memories from the Camino...
pimiento padron (which we ate several times in Santiago
de Compostella), habitas (like lima beans) and salmorejo

Olives in the market

Dietary information
in many restaurants

We were in olive country and ate them as a tapas in most restaurants. Before this trip I did not like them but the Spanish olives were delish.  I learned to like olives in Andalusia!!! We visited the town of Baena where much olive oil is produced. We were told that 60% of the olive oil of the world is produced in Spain.

Salmorejo is so famous in Andalusia,
especially Cordoba that it is mentioned
on the tile wall. (I have copied it here)

Interesting to note is that Spain, like many other places in the world, is mentioning dietary needs on menus and signs in restaurants. Here is an example....no need to worry in this part of the world - we can all eat easily and happily


Salmorejo

1 KG tomato
200 gr bread
100 gr extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
10 gr salt

Blend together. (It is often served with chopped eggs and ham but happily served without)


Since we had vegan paella in so many different places, I decided to look for a recipe to share with you for paella. I found one from Gwyneth Paltrow's book called Notes from My Kitchen Table. I have adjusted the measurements when possible using conversion tables. You can also feel free to add other vegetables to this recipe as you wish.

Vegetable Paella

1 L (4.25 cups) vegetable stock
Dried shiitake or porcini mushroom10 cloves garlic, 4 crushed and 6 finely choppedLarge pinch saffron
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large aubergine (eggplant) cut into 8mm thick slices, ends discarded
125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 large tomato
2 red peppers, seeds and stem removed, cut into 2.5 cm pieces
400g (about 2 cups) Bomba (or Arborio) rice
8 small artichokes, trimmed and steamed for 20 minutes, cut in half and chokes discarded
150g (1 cup) frozen peas
3 lemons, 2 cut into wedges

½ teaspoon sweet pimenton (paprika)

Combine the stock with the mushrooms and the 4 cloves of crushed garlic in a large saucepan and boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Lower the heat, add the saffron and pimenton and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to thoroughly combine the flavours. Keep warm over a low heat.

Meanwhile, prepare the aubergine by sprinkling both sides of the slices with a bit of salt and laying them between sheets of kitchen towel for at least 15 minutes (Note: this will draw out the moisture and the bitterness from the aubergine). Cut the slices into 2.5 cm pieces. Heat half the olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium heat and cook 2 cloves of the chopped garlic until fragrant, about a minute. Add the pieces of aubergine to the pan and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned and softened. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a 40-45 cm paella pan over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion and the 4 remaining cloves of chopped garlic, and cook, stirring, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Coarsely grate in the tomato, discarding the skin. Stir together and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the peppers and continue to cook the vegetables together until softened, another 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked aubergine.

When you’re ready to roll, place the paella pan with the vegetables over high heat and pour the rice into the pan. Add the broth and stir to combine everything. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Arrange the artichokes and peas on top and simmer until the rice is cooked through, about 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat source, cover with a large piece of foil and let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. Squeeze the juice of the lemon paella. Serve with lemon wedges. Buen provecho!

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.

Amy's thoughts on Thanksgiving and the Joy of Sharing Food

Blue, the resident Turkey

Whether you are making and offering or accepting and receiving an ingredient, dish, treat, or meal, one of life’s great pleasures is sharing food with people dear to you.

As a nutrition professor, I regularly have the opportunity to think about and discuss with others all of the ways the procuring, preparing, offering, and receiving of food is intertwined with human interaction. Just think about it for a moment. From the moment we are born we need food. In those early years we are not yet capable of procuring our own food so we rely on others, often our parents or other family members for gifts of nourishment. For many, even after we no longer need to be given food to survive, we find comfort, joy, and peace from receiving food.

The sharing of food takes all different forms. In some traditions everyone eats from one pot. In others, no utensils are used and food is picked up with small pieces of flatbread. Perhaps take a moment to think about the sharing of food. How might you use your creative spirit to further enjoy the sharing of food? How does the place you are eating, the dishes and utensils used, whom you eating with, and the food itself influence the sharing of that food? For example, eating upright at a table using the proper fork is formal, while consensually putting a piece of food into another person’s mouth is a rather intimate act.

Food and love

When I bring this topic up in the classroom, the conversation invariably starts with someone talking about his or her grandmother and the fabulous feasts she prepares for the entire family. My Nana and Pap were farmers. Nana made most everything from scratch using the main ingredients from food she and Pap grew. Noodles, mashed potatoes, pickled eggs, biscuits, sweet pickles, icebox cookies, grape and other fruit pies, and corn—glorious Pennsylvania summer corn. In the summer we’d have corn at nearly every supper and Nana would steam up 3 to 4 ears per person at the table. When a bunch of family was in, that resulted in a literal mountain of cobs on a platter. Of course, she and some others only ate one ear each so that left an inordinate number of ears to be eaten by the corn enthusiasts in order to avoid disappointing the chef. Also, each of us grandkids had our favorite sweet treat—Nana would make them all. I would always have a tin of date nut icebox cookies to take home with me when I left.

Yummy kale salad

The ritual of the family meal—however it manifests—is an important one. Gathering together to share food and stories from one’s lives has been shown even by researchers to result in physical, emotional, and behavioral health benefits. But for anyone who partakes in that ritual, its importance need not be documented. Many of my favorite conversations in my life have taken place over food carefully prepared by or for me. A meal eaten sitting down intentionally with others provides an opportunity to slow down, look each other in the eye, and commune while nourishing ourselves.

Celebrations and other gatherings

I love thanksgiving. It’s a holiday that is truly about expressing joy over the bounty of the earth, giving thanks for the earth’s gifts and one’s good fortune and, of course, central to the holiday is the sharing of a magnificent meal. Indeed, most life transitions are marked with the sharing of celebratory or ritual food—births, birthdays, coming of age gatherings, graduations, retirements, even deaths. We often use these occasions to reconnect with our families and celebrate each others lives. Most of these occasions have specific food traditions (at least within families) associated with them.

Gathering around food is used to make friends and to help build community. My friend Joe is a master at hosting events designed to get people with common interests together. He organizes dinners out, monthly potlucks, and family gatherings for vegetarians where he lives and has done a remarkable job of building community among like-minded individuals in his area. Similarly, church or fellowship meet and greet events, such as the “Eat, drink, and be merry” dish-to-pass suppers at a local church are a great way for newcomers and longtime community members to get to know one another.

Dips and pita

Preparing Spanakopita

This day of giving thanks I am at my brother and sister-in-law’s home in NC. Lori, Sophie and I spent yesterday prepping and today the first (brunch meal) is on the table and deliciously nourishing the guests. (see dips and pita chips image)The main feature of this meal is a delicious mushroom and spinach spanakopita dish. (see before and after photos) I think I have had 3 portions.

Spanakopita

We’ll be gearing up in a couple of hours for the main evening meal for about 30 people. It is an amazing spread with every manner of vegetable included! I had a bit of time this morning to play with some leftover ingredients. And I came up with the sweet and sour carrot recipe included below.

The offering of a healthy delicious meal is a gift of magnificent proportions. In part because the energy and intention the maker puts into the food is eaten. A meal lovingly prepared, nourishes the person consuming it well beyond its nutritional value. Today I am grateful for the gifts my brother and Lori are offering to all of us.

In the spirit of thanksgiving, Amy

Sweet and Sour Carrots

Sweet and Sour Carrots

6 cups sliced carrots

3 cups of pineapple juice

½ jalapeno, seeded and minced

¾ cups fresh cranberries, minced

1 slice of candied ginger or 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Wash clean and slice carrots into coins. Boil until soft. Put pineapple juice into a sauce pan and simmer until reduced to ½ the original volume.  Stir cornstarch into a teaspoon or two of water. Add to pineapple juice and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens. Mix together minced jalapeno, minced ginger and minced cranberries.

Happy in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Yes...these are tortillas with beet juice
artwork. Tortillas are a mainstay of
all of us here in Mexico

Living in Mexico has become the "norm" or "home" for Richard and I over the last 5+ years so I thought I would take this blog post to talk about some of the plant based events and favorite places that I have in San Miguel de Allende, this "disney-like" town. I say this because it is so beautiful and almost perfect with its weather, old colonial buildings, kind and gentle Mexican people and there is truly something here for everyone. It is one of the reasons it has been given the title of #1 City in the world in 2013 by Conde Nast Traveler. This is not the only award. To some of us locals, we understand these ratings but do not necessarily feel good about what it means for tourism and overwhelming the infrastructure. Anyway, because of this - we have food to please all palates and plants abound in all ways. The Mexicans do have a way of mixing their beautiful delicious fresh produce with loads of cheese or animal ingredients but it is still possible to avoid it with conscious effort.

Free workshop - vegan milks and cheese

Ready for our "students" at TOSMA,
San Miguel de Allende, MX

I have a new friend, Dulce (means sweet in English) who I joined for a special vegan class to make plant based milks at our weekly Saturday Farmer's market.

It was fun sharing this knowledge with others and for me, some of the recipes were new too. Dulce has a little tea shop in SMA with many plant based items for food and body care as well.

The workshop in SMA

Preparing an Indian meal in Mexico!

Another very special event was the serendipitous meeting with Gaia and Jen (my yoga instructor). Gaia was visiting from India and learning about Mexican cooking so I was able to connect her with one of our favorite chefs, Javier at Don Lupe Grill for a shopping and cooking class. That night Richard and I were invited to Jen's for a special and very delicious Indian meal made by Gaia. I sure hope to connect with her again sometime in this world.

Spinach-mushroom quesadillas without
cheese at favorite Don Lupe Grill

And now to some of my very favorite meals and the restaurants that I frequent the most. I like to support restaurants who have plant based items on their menus.....not the ones who will make something special when requested, but the ones who treat us as important enough to put it right out there on the menu. I do my best to educate restaurant owners when it is possible that we just want to be like anyone else - read a menu and make our choices, not be treated differently.

Falafel salad at Media Naranja

"Cookie" and fruit at Oso Azul

My favorite salad for sure is Media Naranja on the corner of Hidalgo and Calz de la Luz - falafel salad.
My favorite breakfast place is Oso Azul - with my new favorite addiction - vegan, sugar free, gluten free cookie - a whole meal in itself.

Richard's favorite spinach soup at Oso Azul