Mexico

Vegan tacos in Mexico City

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If you have been toying with the idea of visiting Mexico City but need an extra slice of motivation, check out this Instagram post from my feed this week.

Por Siempre Vegan Taquería is the best place to eat vegan food in the city and this seitan trompo is drawing huge crowds.

Tacos al pastor is like a national pastime here in Mexico, so this vegan version is proving to be extremely popular.

The seitan is cooked much like kebab or shawarma before being thinly sliced, fried on a grill, and served with fresh pineapple in tacos.

The menu at Por Siempre is nothing short of stunning and give you a true taste of Mexican street food without the animals getting hurt!

You can follow Por Siempre on Facebook.

Mexico has a vegan restaurant chain

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Mexico has certainly been stepping up when it comes to vegan cuisine.

Most major towns and cites have at least one or two vegan eateries, mainstream supermarkets are bursting with plant-based alternatives, and there is even a monthly vegan food fair in Mexico City.

But in even bigger news, Mexico now as a vegan restaurant chain called VEGAN INC.

VEGAN INC was founded a few years ago by Chef Andres in the northern city of Monterey, the capital of Nuevo León. Branching out from there, he soon opened a second location in the upmarket Mexico City neighbourhood of Polcano.

Andres crafted a sophisticated menu that combines traditional Mexican flavours, international cuisine, and the latest vegan food advances.

I was recently invited to a sneak preview of the menu at the third VEGAN INC location on Avenida Revolución in San Angel, positioned in the south of Mexico City.

The food was sensational.

Before you scroll down to enjoy the view, I’m thrilled to also tell you that VEGAN INC have TWO MORE restaurants opening over the next few months.

Locations four and five will be in the cities of Puebla and Guadalajara.

That’s correct, friends. Mexico has a vegan restaurant chain that is soon to boast five locations spread around the country. Now that’s some impressive progress.

Follow VEGAN INC on Instagram.

Preview menu
Strawberry and agave syrup limeade
Ginger and agave syrup limeade
Fondue selection of croutons, grapes, and broccoli
Mushrooms marinated in lime juice and chile served with chipotle and avocado mayos
Dry noodles served with almond ricotta, avocado, and dehydrated cracker
Avocado, beetroot, hummus, and radish stack
Mushroom taco served with mole
BBQ Burgers
Chocolate cake (with carrot cake in the background)

Money raised for Isla Urbana

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With Vegan Beer Fest UK events a distant memory for 2018, it is time to count the money we raised for Mexico City water charity Isla Urbana.

At each vegan beer event, we host a karaoke space where we encourage people to have fun AND donate spare coins to our cause.

And what is our cause?

We donate all money raised from these charioke (get it?) sessions to Isla Urbana, a charity working hard to bring water security to households, schools, and businesses in Mexico City and other locations around the country.

Mexico faces a water crisis. In large parts of the country, including the Valley of Mexico, the situation is critical. The World Bank and CONAGUA, project important water shortages by 2030, seriously affecting access for millions of people. Even today, there are more than 250 thousand people in Mexico City without a connection to the mains network.

Ironically, while the city suffers from increasing scarcity, every year thousands of millions of litres of rainwater are washed down the drain or allowed to cause serious flood. This water should be used!

Isla Urbana are tackling this problem head on by installing rainwater harvesting systems, bringing usable water to people in need.

Our collection drive at the recent Vegan Beer Fest UK events raised the following amounts:

  • London £180
  • Coventry £145
  • Glasgow £130
  • Sheffield £115

We threw in a few extra pound to take the final amount donated to £600.

It is a real thrill for me that our vegan events in the UK can do a little bit of good for Mexico.

If you would like to donate to the wonderful charity that is Isla Urbana, you can do so online right now.

Vegans raising funds for Mexico

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One of the most important parts of being a vegan activist is understanding that we shouldn’t limit our acts of compassion to simply caring for non-human animals.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that all we need to do in order to be fabulous is to stop eating animals, raise money for animals, and encourage other people to stop eating animals.

In reality, there is so much more we should be doing to challenge oppression.

If we want to fight oppression, we should also look to redress disadvantage amongst humans.

Yes. We should eat, drink and live like we give a shit. (shameless book plus)

In line with this way of thinking, we use our fabulous karaoke sessions at Vegan Beer Fest UK events to raise money for a charity in Mexico City called Isla Urbana. This charity builds sustainable water catchment systems for households, schools, communities, and businesses in Mexico.

Many, many people live without access to safe water but of course we all understand that clean water is a basic human right, so I feel it is crucial we support the work of Isla Urbana.

We asked the audience and performers at our charioke (charity + karaoke) session to donate whatever coins they had towards our Isla Urbana drive and I’m thrilled to say we raised £180 for the charity.

We will also be collecting at Vegan Beer Fest UK 2018  events in Coventry, Sheffield, and Glasgow. You can book tickets for those events online here.

If you are not able to get along to our events but would like to support the work of Isla Urbana, donate online here and follow the charity on Instagram.

 

Atole de cajeta

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Ingredients:

  • 1 litre of plant-based milk
  • 1 cup of vegan cajeta*
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 tablespoons of corn flour (corn starch)
  • 1⁄2 cup of water

*Buy vegan cajeta/caramel if you can find it or otherwise, use ​this recipe​ to make it

Instructions:

  • Empty the plant milk into a large saucepan
  • Add the entire cinnamon stick
  • Warm over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until it begins to simmer but do not boil – Remove the cinnamon stick and remove the saucepan from the heat
  • Add the cajeta and stir thoroughly
  • Add the water to the corn flour and stir vigorously until no lumps remain
  • Add the corn flour mixture to the saucepan and return to a low heat
  • Stir well and continue stirring until the mixture thickens – about 5-10 minutes
  • Pour into cups and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving

Atole is a popular and versatile drink in Mexico. Vanilla, chocolate and fruit-infused flavours are popular so experiment with different combinations. Serve with warm tamales for an extra-hearty treat on a cold night!

Recipe and photo remain property of Sean O’Callaghan and Julio Alcantara and may not be reproduced without permission. © fatgayvegan.com

Make agua de Jamaica

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You can support the making of these videos and get early access and downloadable PDF copies of the recipes by becoming an FGV patron – click here.

Here’s the recipe!

Makes approximately two litres

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried Hibiscus/Jamaica flowers
2 cups of water
1 Cinnamon stick
1⁄2 a cone of Piloncillo (or approximately 1⁄2 cup of other sweetener)

Method:

● Wash the Jamaica flowers well
● Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan
● Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes ● Strain and allow the liquid to cool for a few minutes
● Pour into a large jug and dilute approximately 1 part syrup to 10 cups of water
● Serve over ice
● ¡Salud!

You can try many variations of this water. Fruit is often used instead of the Jamaica flowers and you could experiment with different spice combinations such as ginger and star anise.

Recipe and photo remain property of Sean O’Callaghan and Julio Alcantara and may not be reproduced without permission. © fatgayvegan.com

jamaica-pic-1

Vegan and gluten free beer

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I’m hoping this beer gets some decent distribution and starts moving around the planet.

Vida Latina is a brand new Mexican beer made from agave that is both gluten-free and vegan. I picked up a few bottles in my local supermarket in Mexico City today for less than £2 per bottle.

Brand new beer made from agave by @vidalatinamx that is both #vegan and gluten free.

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

I get asked about gluten-free vegan beer all the time, so it is great to see a new brand on the market.

If you know of any vegan and gluten-free beer brands, please list them below so we can all get a taste. And let your local beer retailer know about Vida Latina and let’s see if we can get this Mexican vegan beer in your region/country.

You can follow Vida Latina on Twitter.

Extra note: This photo originally appeared on my Instagram feed.

VBF-TWCover

Vegan food in Mexico knows no limits

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Are you getting tired of me raving about vegan food in Mexico City?

Apologies, but I can’t stop when I keep discovering more and more exquisite plant-based delicacies around every corner.

A few days ago, Josh and I headed to a gorgeous bistro called Coco y Chia and it has been a long while since a vegan eatery has impressed me to this level.

Firstly, the restaurant is gorgeous. Set opposite one of the prettiest public parks in the city, Coco y Chia is sweetly decorated with a shaded courtyard.

Then there is the food. Food on another level.

See the photos below showing a bowl of tortilla soup, tofu scramble with refried beans, sweet potato enchiladas with squash flowers and finally a raw cheesecake topped with luscious lychees.

First time visiting @cocoychia #vegan restaurant in Mexico City. Beautiful courtyard! #cdmx

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

One of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Tortilla soup at Coco y Chia #vegan bistro in Mexico City. #cdmx

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Pretty special, right?

You can follow Coco y Chia on Instagram and Facebook. The food photos are exceptional.

Extra note: these photos originally appeared on my FGV Instagram account.

south of france cruise

Amazing resource for vegan Latin America

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If you are planning a trip anywhere within Latin America, the Todo Vegano website is going to be your best friend.

This interactive directory is the only online resource you will need when travelling in the region. It is packed full of suggestions on where to eat, where to shop, how to find cosmetics and much more.

You can move around the map to zoom in on regions and cities you are interested in or use the drop down menus to search for what you are after. There is even a search category for vegan tamales!

todo vegano map

As you can see from the screen grab above, I used the map to discover a vegan taco eatery within walking distance of my apartment here in Mexico City. I honestly didn’t know this taco stand existed until I started searching Todo Vegano, so there are truly unique and valuable listings on this site.

You can use Todo Vegano to search for vegan  food and services in Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and many, many more Latin American countries.

This online resource is going help you plan an unforgettable vegan vacation in the region.

Click here to explore the English version of Todo Vegano. Be warned. You might spend hours and hours marvelling at the HUGE range of vegan businesses scattered around Latin America.

Follow Todo Vegano on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

south of france cruise

So many vegan groceries

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Have you ever seen anything like it?

Last week I went on another ridiculous shopping expedition to the Vegan Ville grocery store here in Mexico City and I came out one very happy FGV indeed.

Scroll down to see the huge bounty in photo form.

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