There's a restaurant here in town that makes these for about a week per year, and the chef always makes a few vegetarian ones. Yum! Are walnuts more plentiful in the center of the country? Here in Mazatlán we have lots of pecans but the only place we see walnuts are in Mega on the gringo shelves! @Nancy...I am shocked to hear about the lack of walnuts in Mazatlán! Walnuts are grown extensively in Mexico, primarily in the central highlands. The crops are harvested starting in late July or early August, and the fame of the nogada (walnut sauce) for these chiles is based on the use of freshly harvested (NOT dried!) walnuts. The ones you see packaged in your Mega are dried and can be used for nogada, although they aren't really suitable. And oh my, neither are pecans! The other crop that is harvested at this time of year is pomegranates, the traditional garnish for chiles en nogada. Once you know these harvest times, you can see why the dish was created to celebrate Mexico's independence.

My husband and I retired to Mexico four years ago, and love that even a "nothing" day is spent in a glorious place with fantastic friends. We both have ended up working part time, which fits perfectly in our new tropical life. We know that an optimistic attitude is so important. If anyone is interested in what life is like in Mazatlan, Mexico, I have been blogging about our life there at www.countdowntomexico.com.

Oh, I am so mad that I didn't buy that cookbook when I was at Amate Books in Oaxaca. I thought about it, but my luggage was too full already. This recipe sounds excellent, and I love using ingredients like amaranth and chia. So good for you, too! By the way, I loved the rebozo video you posted on Twitter! Saludos!