SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO: WALKING TOURS AND ARRACHERA TACOS

HEALTHY ACTIVITY IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE: SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOURS 

     Wandering the narrow cobblestone streets in the town of San Miguel de Allende, and admiring the cathedrals, colonial buildings, parks and plazas were our favorite activities. We carried the Garmin GPS with the Mexico software everywhere to find our way. We programmed each point of interest into the GPS and let it direct our path. 

     The most famous sight, La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel, in the center of town was our first stop. This beautiful church, with its French Gothic architecture and green, pink, and off-white stonework towers over the town. We returned to La Parroquia often, mesmerized by its amazing color and detail.

    Late afternoon on our first walking tour, we stopped for a Margarita and pizza on the upper terrace of the restaurant, Mama Mia and got a nice photo of the elegant cupola of the Templo de la Inmaculada Concepcion (Immaculate Conception Church). This was a beautiful place to watch the sunset on an April evening.
   A great walk was from the Jardin Principal  (Main Plaza and garden) across from La Parroquia to the Parque Benito Juarez (Benito Juarez Park). As we admired the beautiful colonial homes and hotels, the many churches, the gardens

and the park, we wondered why it had taken us over 20 years of traveling in Mexico to finally discover San Miguel de Allende!

HEALTHY EATING IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE: ARRACHERA TACOS

    We discovered Gombos restaurant on one of our walking tours and thought it looked so cute inside that we had to give it a try. We decided on the Arrachera, the special of the day and were so glad that we did. It was the best Arrachera we had tasted in Mexico. The restaurant's sign outside said it specialized in Pizza and Crepes, but we'll have to go back next time to sample those! I'm trying to recreate Gombos Arrachera --any ideas are appreciated.                                                                          
                   ARRACHERA TACOS (Marinated Grilled Flank Steak)

Prep Time: 20 minutes Marinating Time: 6 hours Cooking Time: 30 minutes Yields 4 servings

        
     Marinade Ingredients:

1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped

8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced

4 Jalapeño peppers, finely chopped

1/2 tablespoon salt

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 2 medium limes

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoon chile powder

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon pepper

10 ounces Mexican beer (2 ounces from a 12 ounce bottle left over--oh well, just have to sip it while mixing the marinade!)

     Taco Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound beef flank steak

1 cup Guacamole

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup salsa

2 limes, sliced into wedges

12 warm corn tortillas

    

     Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add all marinade ingredients. Mix well. Taste for salt and add more as needed, up to 1 tablespoon total.

2. Place the steak in a large plastic ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the beef, seal bag and marinate for at least 6 hours.

3. Remove the steak from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Drain off all the marinade and transfer steak to a plate.

4. Preheat grill on high heat while the steak comes to room temperature. Cook the steak on the medium-high heat (MOM on Weber Grill) for 8 to 10 minutes per side. Remove beef to servingplatter and let it stand for 10 minutes. Slice diagonally across the grain into thin slices. To test for steak doneness with a meat thermometer: rare 130 to 135 degrees F., medium rare 140 degrees, medium 155 degrees, well done 165 degrees.

5. Serve with tortillas, Guacamole, Cilantro, Salsa, and lime wedges

6. Enjoy! I wonder if these tacos taste better while sitting in beautiful San Miguel de Allende...

Terry L Turrell, Author

More About San Miguel de Allende in My Book in December 2014

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Terry L Turrell

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this publication May be Reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or Transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, scanning, photocopying, recording, or Otherwise, without prior written permission .

CATEMACO, VERACRUZ, MX: MONKEYS, MALECÓN, AND MANGO SMOOTHIES

CATEMACO'S MONKEYS, THE MALECON, AND MANGOS

HEALTHY ACTIVITY IN CATEMACO: WALKING THE MALECON AND A BOAT RIDE TO SEE THE MONOS (MONKEYS)  
     The Malecón (boardwalk) along Lake Catemaco was the center of activity. We walked it for miles each day, to walk to dinner at one of the many restaurants overlooking the lake, to watch birds and people, to go to Zumba class, to watch the traditional dancing at the El Brujo Fesival, and just for the exercise of walking. The Malecón was well lit and nicely paved, so we walked it most evenings to go to dinner, and then home again after dark. There were joggers passing us, families strolling, and sweethearts enjoying the benches near the lake. 

     The Malecón is where we purchased our Launcha ticket to ride the boat that tours Lake Catemaco. We rode out to the Mono (Monkey) Islands to see the two types of monkeys that live in these preserves. The monkeys are a protected species after years of being hunted for their meat. They put on a show for us, as monkeys will do, and we really enjoyed them. 

    While on the boat tour, we saw many types of birds, water lilies, and tropical vegetation. We also passed by two jungle ecological reserves, "La Jungla" and "Nanciyaga", which can be toured for an additional fee. There are also cabins and campsites for overnight stays, though they were too small for our 32 foot motorhome.

      HEALTHY EATING IN CATEMACO: FRESH MANGOES 

     We returned to Catemaco in late March, traveling the coastal highway from Isla Aguada. In one area along Hwy 180, south of Catemaco, there were numerous stands selling boxes of fresh mangoes. We were able to park the motorhome near the last stand, so we got out thinking we could purchase a few ripe mangoes. We found out we had to buy a whole crate of 24 medium sized mangoes, but it was only 85 pesos (about $6.50 U.S.). How could we pass this up! Since all of the mangoes in our box were ripe, I had to freeze most of them. I peeled them, cut the fruit from the pit, and bagged them for the freezer with 2 mangoes per bag. These have been great to have, ready to go for Mango Smoothies in the morning. I have tried many variations, but this is my favorite recipe, using the runny yoghurt available in Mexican stores.

        MANGO BANANA SMOOTHIES FOR TWO

INGREDIENTS

     Two Fresh Bananas, peeled

     2 Medium Frozen Mangoes, peeled, pit removed, sliced

     12 Small Frozen Cubes of Jugo de Mango (Mango Juice)

     1 Cup of Yoghurt Natural (plain yogurt without sugar)

     Mango Juice, as needed

DIRECTIONS:

     Put bananas and frozen mangoes, cubes of frozen mango juice and yoghurt in blender. Run blender on high for 3 minutes to liquefy and to whip air into it. If consistency is too

thick, add sufficient mango juice to thin to desired consistency and blend again. Enjoy!
VARIATIONS:
     Fresh pineapple, cut into cubes or two oranges, seeds removed, can be substituted for the mango. Pineapple skin carries a lot of bacteria which I find is deposited on the fruit when slicing away the skin. To prevent upset stomach, I peel the pineapple, and then soak it in a Microdyn solution (a disinfectant for food that can be purchased in Mexican grocery stores) of 8 drops per quart for 10 minutes before cutting into cubes to use in Smoothies or freezing.

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Terry L Turrell

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this publication May be Reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or Transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, scanning, photocopying, recording, or Otherwise, without prior written permission .

ISLA AGUADA, MEXICO: Exploring Lighthouses and Jicama Salad

HEALTHY ACTIVITY: EXPLORING THE LIGHTHOUSES

     We climbed to the top of the 100 year old restored lighthouse at the Lighthouse Museum and Park in Isla Aguada. It is still an operational lighthouse, though the newer, taller lighthouse next to it was the one that was in use while we were there. The old lighthouse is nearly 100 feet tall and from the top there's a 360 degree view of Isla Aguada. My legs felt the climb the next day!

HEALTHY EATING: JICAMA SALAD
   When I searched the produce stands in the island village of Isla Aguada, I realized that I was going to have to be creative to make a vegetable salad for our lunch. I did manage to find Jicama (pronounced HICK-ah-mah) at one

stand, though it appeared more dried out than I find in most areas of Mexico. I knew that with a good marinade, even this old wrinkled vegetable would come alive.

                        JICAMA SALAD

Prep Time: 20 to 30 minutes Chill Time: 1 to 4 Servings: 6 (Stores well for 24 hours)

·                                              SALAD INGREDIENTS:

2 cups peeled Jicama, cut into thin matchstick strips

1 cup red and/or yellow sweet bell pepper, cut into thin matchstick strips

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced and halved
Jalapeño Dressing               

JALAPEÑO DRESSING

 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Purified Water

1/4 cup Rice Vinegar (or Red Wine Vinegar or Fresh Lime Juice)

1/3 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro

1 Small Jalapeño Pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/8 teaspoon of Salt

1 dash of Cayenne Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

     In a large salad bowl, combine salad ingredients. Prepare Jalapeño Dressing in a small sealed container and shake well. Cover and chill for 1 to 4 hours, stirring to mix half-way through marinating time. Season with additional salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper if needed. Jicama Salad is best after 4 hours of marinating and keeps well for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Terry L Turrell

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this publication May be Reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or Transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, scanning, photocopying, recording, or Otherwise, without prior written permission .