This past month Nick and I have been in Mexico in a little penthouse apartment on a small bay just outside of Tulum.

What I learned on this stay regarding food;

• I was surprised that a lot of the flavors were a quite smoky and earthy (pic 2, sikilpak is a perfect example, it is a pumpkin seed puree). Balanced with the zesty lime and popular pickled red onion you can see how fun and complex the dishes can be. I discovered I do not like mezcal for the same reason I do not like scotch, those smokey flavors just ain’t my thing.
• Things that are prevalent and great: The coffee. Cactus (nopal) crackers, juices, tacos – cactus everything is fantastic. Delicious, fresh juices for affordable prices are abound in Tulum. The hot sauces were on point. The take out was surprisingly good, we ended up going to this Italian spot called Canova three times! It had the best eggplant parm.
• I never get tired of tacos,..how could you? The variations are endless, and if you have the benefit of finding fresh tortillas you’re set (we once got a whole wad of hot, fresh, delicious corn tacos from a little tortilleria for 7 pesos (30 cents))!

I feel it’s an appropriate time to share our black bean soup and Nick’s rice recipe as we made them three times on our trip. They are fantastic dishes that will sustain you. Have the soup with a nice chunk of bread with guac on it, throw the rice on your tacos, whatever you want – they are both so delicious that even if you make either in bulk for the week you will tear though quickly.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 lime
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups of stock (‘no chicken’ stock is best)
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (Texas Pete or habanero)
• 4 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Sauté onion, garlic, celery, carrot, cumin and chili powder.  Add black beans, stock,  and hot sauce. Simmer for 20 min. Blend 3 cups of soup and then add it back to the pot. Finish with cilantro, lime juice and serve with a sprig of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.   

Nick's Red Rice

• 1 cup of long grain white rice
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tomato puree (or salsa, or a half a tin of cherry tomatoes, see which one is your fave 🙂 )
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 cup oil
• 2 cups stock (no-chicken stock is the best)

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the rice, cumin, and chili powder and cook until clear. Then, add stock and tomato puree, cover and simmer until the liquid is gone on low heat (about 20min).