I just returned from an enchanting place called Rancho La Puerta on the Baja peninsula of Mexico, near the town of Tecate. Although it was a quick two-day business trip, I had time to stroll the spa's 3,000- acre, beautifully-kept grounds, luxuriate in a couple of massages, and attend a cooking class offered by delightful celebrity author, Marie Simmons (you'll see her name on Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, plus a wide variety of others).
Let me tell you, it was fabulous! The food is delicious lacto-ovo vegetarian AND I had many gluten-free choices at each meal so I never felt deprived. In fact, I met several other gluten-free attendees and we all marveled at the fresh taste and beauty of the food.
The Ranch has its own 3.5 acre organic vegetable garden which supplies much of the fruit and vegetables used in the cooking school, La Cucina que Canta (The Kitchen That Sings). Fish comes from a fish market in Ensenada, Mexico.
Breakfast was healthy grains such as hot quinoa cereal, cold cereal, eggs, rice toast (Kinnikinnick brand), lots of fresh fruit including the wonderful Mexican papaya. There was also flax meal and chia seeds for sprinkling on cereal or salads. Lunch was usually salads, with loads of heavenly fresh vegetables and tasty soups. One day they served whole-wheat quesadillas for lunch, but I was able to get a corn tortilla version.
Dinner on the last night was a total delight. The menu included a starter of vegetable soup; the salad was greens topped with cucumber, strawberries, and tossed with an agave-mustard vinaigrette. The main dish was Roasted Wild Salmon on a Vegetable Relish, topped with crisply-fried shoestring potatoes (no gluten worries with the potatoes, either) and a dill-yogurt sauce. For the vegans in the group, there was a Spice Rice Pasta, Sauteed Asian Greens, Edamame Beans, and Peanut Sauce.
Dessert was a show-stopper: It was individual tarts; a ricotta-based cream filling in a nut-based cookie shell topped with chopped fresh fruit and an avocado cream garnish (see the photo below). In fact, I asked for two servings of the dessert!!! Although the menu is structured to be moderate in calories, you can eat as much as you want.
Another wonderful happening: my visit coincided with the Ranch's “Day-of-the-Dead” celebration so the Dining Hall was festively decorated to show us how Mexico celebrates this hallowed date.
In case you're wondering, the Ranch is totally safe, you don't need to exchange U.S. Dollars for Mexican pesos, and the water is perfectly safe, too. The staff is incredible, too.
My experience show that the world is increasingly responding to our gluten-free lifestyle with choices that are healthy, nutritious, and rewarding. So, don't let your gluten-free lifestyle prevent you from luxuriating in a spa experience. The web site is www.rancholapuerta.com.
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