This is another beach road jungle surprise that will have you going back for more and more during your Tulum vacation. Think Mole sauce, organic, vegan choices, Fresh fish and more. Mix in some cool cocktails, mexican wines and tequila, and live music and you have Puro Corazon. This is eclectic cool at its best and the reviews of Puro Corazon prove its unique style and taste.

Local produce meets some pretty cool Mexican recipes

Vegan eaters can not normally have a lot of mexican style recipes. The salsas and base flavors have pork or chicken in each recipe making it really hard for a vegan or even vegetarian to try some authentic mexican dishes. Puro Corazon has taken care of some of that, making sure that vegans, vegetarians and carnivores all have choices on their Mexican inspired menu. Funny thing is, a french couple owns the joint, but their Mexican kitchen staff have embrace their vision making this a flavor and kitchen match made in heaven.

If you are not concerned about your food intake, you will have lots of options. This is not an exclusive vegan restaurant, but they do look for as much organic as possible. Flavors are full bodies, Mexico is well represented in the menu and most have the meal of their life in this jungle side heart decorated restaurant. The hear theme moves from the name to the decor to the passion for food. The menu is one big heart of flavor and the taste…well you can decide! The chairs are even read and there is lots of chocolate to be found!

Live music after 9 m for the dancing crowd

It has been called Afro beat music, or Mexican beat music, whatever you chose to call it, there is dancing, fun and a great vibe going on at Puro Corazon. Check it out just north of Zamas, for something new and different.

Now here is a wonderful recommendation for anyone coming to Tulum for their vacation. El Tabeno, which we have reviewed before deserves yet another mention as their beliefs about organic, sustainability and local match ours. The original post shows photos but this Tulum restaurant review shows video including the extensive menu that El Tabeno has developed.

Sustainable beliefs held by Casa de las Olas and El Taberno

If you are not up to snuff on our Keep it Real campaign here at Casa de las Olas, let us fill you in. We believe in sustainability which then has us supporting locally, buying locally, sourcing locally and doing everything we can to choice other businesses that have similar beliefs. Our upcoming OH! Food Workshop is just one way that we spread the news about the benefits of and core understanding of sustainability. El Tabeno is one of those super great places that uses organic and local ingredients, hires locally and is a local watchdog for sustainable practices. We love them for this, then we love, love them for their food and fun!

El Tabeno video menu - watch before you go to this Tulum restaurant

Thanks to John and Armando, they recently went to EL Tabeno and shot two brief but great videos! The first video is the menu, all four boards of it, with the wine list included. You  know where the heart is! Good wine makes good food that much better....oops we are talking about breakfast right, sorry great juice makes breakfast even better (wink, wink) .

The second video just shows the fun and ecclectic nature of this restaurant. Fun is part of a food experience, and fun they have and want you to join in!

Have you been to El Tabeno? Let us know what your favorite dish was. and note that the prices are in pesos in this video. At the time of writing the exchange rate was 12.5mx : 1usd

For the past year, Casa de las Olas has been composting the vegetable and fruits leftovers from Hartwood Restaurant in Tulum in a joint effort to continue their ideas and beliefs in sustainability. I think culinary compost is a new word, made up by us but if you have ever eaten at Hartwood, shared in meal crafted by Eric Werner the chef and creator of his unique slow smoked farm to table concept, me thinks that our compost pile may become a local attraction in Tulum!

Shared beliefs and philosophies about our planet

Casa de las Olas is a Tulum beach villa that was built using sustainable development principles. The owners feel a deep responsibility to preserve, protect and contribute to the delicate eco-system that exists on the property and the surrounds the area. Additionally there is a very strong committment to the local economy in Tulum, local residents and artists including fisherman and farmers. Buy local, is not a new concept, and in recent years the buy local philosophy has grown into a movement throughout the planet. Casa de las Olas supports and fulfills the buy local concept and furthers their committment to include the support for local tours, local guides and highlighting the gifts in the Tulum area.The result is  a new way of cooking in Tulum with a great following of his farm to chef’s table slow roasted menu!

Hartwood Restaurant shares in this way of life and continues to support local farmers, ranchers, residents and businesses. All produce is sourced locally, Eric hand picks his seasonal fruits and vegetables, the menu changes to reflect the best choices of the day. Originally from New York, Eric has joined a new community in Tulum and supports the area that he now calls home.

Over a beer on the beach, Eric and James have shared their similar beliefs and joined forces to ensure that both properties and businesses maximize what they can offer. The composting idea was a no brainer. Eric had compostable items, James needed to fuel his compost for the continued planting of his indigenous plants, James had staff who could manage the compost and the extra land to keep it from interfering from anyone’s vacation.

Sustainable development and sustainable practices on the beach in Tulum, Mexico

Both Casa de las Olas and Hartwood are 100% solar. Dinner left overs are composted at Olas for the continued planting of indigenous plants. Information is shared so that local ranches, local artisans, carpenters and fisherman contribute to the ongoing success of these buy local, share locally, sustainable businesses. Every effort is made to partner resources and information so it stays in the Tulum family so we like to say. This is really a match made in sustainable heaven and the results have been….a culinary compost fit for a king, just like the meals at Hartwood.

Stay tuned for more amazing sustainable plans developed by the Tulum team of Casa de las Olas and Hartwood where nothing is overlooked and everything is possible. Their most recent endeavor was the Oh! BBQ held at Casa de las Olas and food prepared by Hartwood. Local residents, partners and players were all there to join in on this spontaneous treat. And if there were leftovers, which if we remember correctly there were few, all was added to the culinary compost!

Tulum is being kept as an untouched beach front vacation destination thanks for the many that think of the area, the ecosystem, local residents and local businesses first when designing your dream vacation in the Mayan Riviera. It is sustainability with a surprise once you witness the quality and committment Tulum businesses and accommodations have made to its dreamy and unforgettable location.

Okay many of you may already know the benefits of cacao, the bean that produces chocolate and is grown throughout South America. I did not know the benefits or taste of the raw cacao bean and a serendipidous moment in Tulum on the Tulum beach road has changed all of that. The taste was incredible, the ease of eating it, better than any nut that I generally eat. After some research, this is a powerful food that is jammed packed with vitamins and minerals. Are you ready?

The health benefits and nutritional value of Cacao

In its raw form, Chocolate is called cacao. It is a nut, that growns in a husk or shell and the nutritional value of this food will knock your socks off. To top it off, it tastes like chocolate, and in fact not being a chocolate person, really I don’t like chocolate, this blew me away. I have to thank the two hitch hikers on the Tulum beach road that we picked up a few weeks ago on route to the SAturday Organic Market in Tulum at Frida’s who very casually offered some cacao nuts as a thank you for the ride. (they too were going to the organic market) Reluctantly I tasted one, to my delight, I now can not get enough.

Cacao nutritional qualities:

• higher vitamin C content than any other food in the world
• can be used as an actual mineral supplement with the highest natural source of magnesium, chromium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese, all of which are the most deficient minerals in the world.
• contains the alkaloid theobromine, which dilates the body’s capillaries which allows other foods that are eaten with cacao to be absorbed deeper into your system

• most complex food in the world. With more than 1,200 constituents, it contains a far greater amount of antioxidants than all of the world’s leading antioxidant-rich foods

• contains 15 times more antioxidants than blueberries, 20 times more than green tea and 30 times more than red wine.

The trick to eating Chocolate – eat it raw!

So this is the deal, Eat your cacao raw! Dont roast it, eat it in its raw form and check that the cacao you are eating is in its raw form. As soon as you heat it, you lose the antioxidant properties. You can turn it into nibs, which is chopped raw cacao, or you can turn it into powder so cacao can be added to smoothies, baked goods or sauces (think mole). If you stick to these rules you can have a chocolate smoothy in the morning, or put cacao powder on your yogurt, or take a bag of cacao in your bag and have a treat in the middle of the day.

I am now a chocolate lover, a raw chocoholic and proud of it! Thank you to the couple who introduced me to raw cacao, you can have a ride to the organic market inTtulum any day!

Cochinita pibili is a popular recipe within the Mayan culture and becoming more popular internationally. IF you live north of the border, Cochinta Pibil is called Pulled Pork, a popular dish that chefs are adapting and using in their dinner menus. What many diners don’t know is that pulled pork is from the Mayan culture!

Impress your guests with the traditional Mayan recipe that is easy to make!

The cool thing about Mayan cooking is that it is easy. Most Mayan families cook over a wood fire and do not have our groovy kitchen appliances. There is little clean up, most of the cooking is slow cooking (in the North American sense) and it is this slow cooking process that makes the meals so delicious. If you are looking for a cook now recipe this is not it. But if you want to put some ingredients together, and then forget about the cooking process for a whole bunch of hours, this is the recipe for you.

Cochinita Pibil the Mayan Way!

Ingredients

Pork loin

Achiote paste (found in the international section of your grocery store or an international market)

Orange juice

Lemon juice

Onions

Tomatoes

Banana Leaves (or parchment paper or aluminum foil)

In a bowl mix the achiote paste, lemon juice, orange juice, sliced onion (strips not diced) and tomatoes (cut into quarters). Stir with your hands so that the achiote paste is completely combined with the ingredients. Place the whole pork loin in the bowl and cover the pork with the mixture. In a baking dish, line the bottom and sides of the dish with either the banana leaves, parchment paper or aluminum foil making sure you have access to cover the top of your pork and sauce. Put the pork and all of the sauce into the baking dish and cover tighly so that air or steam can not escape. It is the steam that cooks the meat so seal it well. Place it in the oven at 275 F  for 5 to 8 hours. The longer you slow cook it the better the flavor! If you want to use your BBQ put the heat on low, place the dish in the BBQ and close the lid.

Onion salsa

2 red onions

3/4 cup orange juice

2 tbsp white vinegar

This is the best compliment to your pulled pork. Dice the onions (make sure they are red onions), put them in a bowl, add the vinegar to the onions, combine and then add the orange juice and mix. Cover the bowl and let the onions sit over night to marinate. If you like spicey add some jalapeno or serrano chiles. The marinating process is important so make this in advance.

Serving your Cochinita Pibil

Once your cochinta pibil is done, carefully open the paper or banana leaves and take the pork out, putting it on a plate. Let it rest for 15 minutes and then start pulling. The pork will melt in your hands, so the pulling process is easy. To serve you can either put the pork in a bowl and let people serve the pork onto tortillas, or you can create your tacos on the plate, garnishing the pork with your onions. How you serve is up to you. The best way to serve cochinita pibil is as a taco. Use whole wheat or corn tortillas. If you are serving up a lunch, the Cochinta Pibil can be put into a bun with the onion salsa as an additional part of the sandwich.

Now that was easy! and when you taste it delicious. This is a great recipe for an outdoor summer party, a dinner with friends once you return from your vacation or a dinner you cook on the weekend that can be served during the week!

The taste will bring you back to Tulum, the beaches of Tulum and the small taco places that I am sure you tried while you were on your Tulum vacation.

Shrimp tacos, fish tacos, seafood tacos, you name it they have it and conveniently located on the highway when you enter Tulum from the north. It would be safe to say, it is the first taco place you hit when you are driving from the airport, Cancun or Playa del Carmen to Tulum. If you ask you taxi driver nicely, and offer him a 12 peso taco or two, bet he will stop for you and wait for some seafood tacos!

Seafood tacos are a Mexican specialty

Urge Tacos does it right and they are cooking up some pretty amazing seafood tacos that is loved by both  locals and visitors. It is casual, open air, no walls but seating, a roof and plastic chairs and tables. They open in the afternoon to the early evening (so no breakfast shrimp tacos) and it is generally busy! Sit and eat your authentic Mexican tacos there, or take them to go and eat them on the balcony or the beach at Casa de las Olas.

Seafood tacos at their best with a salsa bar

Seafood tacos are battered shrimp or battered fish or a combination. Guacamole is fresh, the ceviche to die for and the salsa bar one of the best we have seen. Take your pick of  their homemade salsas that range from coconut to mango, the marinated red onions, habanero to pico de gallo. Have not met a disappointed customer/diner yet. Fresh? Did you ask about Freshness? Fresh as can be and would not doubt if the local fisherman are supplying the fish daily as they return from their fishing expeditions in the mornings before Taco Urge is open.

This is Authentic Mexican food

If you want authentic and are craving Mexican food, this is a great place to start! Service is fast, food is fresh, staff are super bien! and you will have a delightful experience. Que rico los tacos de Urge Tacos! If you don’t feel like tacos there is whole fish, seafood cocktails, shrimp cocktails, and more seafood based dishes!

Have you been to Urge Tacos in Tulum? Show them some love on Tripadvisor and post a review. While you are at it read the Casa de las Olas reviews on Tripadvisor and see if this is the place you want to hang out in while in Tulum on vacation.