Plant Powered Mexican: Fast, Fresh Recipes from a Mexican-American Kitchen

by Kate Ramos

Overview

In Plant Powered Mexican, Kate Ramos (Hola Jalepeno) takes you on a tour of her delicious, vegetable-driven kitchen with 70+ recipes celebrating the flavors of Mexico.

Mexican recipes have long been known for their fresh, vibrant ingredients and delicious flavor combinations. However, it's only recently that chefs and eaters alike have discovered something wonderful: many Mexican recipes taste just as good (or better!) when vegetables are the star. This collection of meat-free Mexican recipes includes favorites passed down from family as well as many of Kate's own creations.

Chapters and recipes include:
 

• Low Cook: Spicy Mexican Gazpacho with Chopped Cucumber Salad; Cauliflower, Pepita, and Rice Salad Lettuce Wraps; Chilled Avocado Soup with Farmer's Market Fairy Dust; Tomatillo Poke Bowl with Avocado and Pink Grapefruit; Marinated Vegetable Torta with Serrano-Lemon Aioli
• From the Stove: Spinach and Caramelized Onion Sopes, Winter Vegetable Enmoladas with Queso Fresco, Jackfruit Tinga Grain Bowls, Squash Blossom Quesadillas with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa, Poached Eggs Divorciados
• From the Oven: Roasted Carrot Barbacoa Tostadas, Sweet Pea and Potato Empanadas, One Pan Chile Rellenos, Sheet Pan Chilaquiles Rojos with Cilantro-Lime Crema
• From the Grill: Sangria Marinated Veggie Skewers, Chipotle-spiced Cauliflower Tacos, Grilled Stuffed Peppers with Mint, Queso Asado and Calabacitas
• Electric Pressure Cooker: Almond Mole, Poblano Pepper-Potato Soup with Toasted Pepitas, Vegan Red Pozole with Mushrooms, Black Bean and Swiss Chard Enchilada Casserole

While some recipes are easier than others, they were all developed with the family table in mind. This means most are weeknight meals meant to fit into a busy family's life.

In addition to the centerpiece mains, you'll find salads, soups, bowls, and plenty of classics to return to week after week as well—think time-tested salsa recipes, a foolproof version of Mexican rice, and a hands-off pot of flavorful beans that can be served up four different ways.

Many of the recipes in the book are vegan and others can be made vegan by omitting or substituting cheese or milk.

Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or simply a vegetable-loving cook, these are the Mexican recipes you've been waiting for!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760371145
Publisher:	Harvard Common Press, The
Publication date:	11/23/2021
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	1,103,752
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Kate Ramos is the writer and creator of the Mexican-inspired food blog ¡Hola! Jalapeño. Ramos spent the first ten years of her career in restaurant kitchens cooking under chefs Cindy Pawlcyn and Anne Rosenzweig, at restaurants in Napa Valley, San Francisco, and New York. After leaving the restaurant world, Ramos moved into food writing and editing at CHOW, where she helped manage the look and feel of the publication’s food content. During the span of her editorial career, she has written, tested, and edited thousands of recipes. Kate’s work has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Shape, Parade, Buzzfeed, My Domaine, and Domino. Find her online at holajalapeno.com.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: MY PANTRY
CHAPTER 2: LOW COOK
Mexican Gazpacho with Chopped Cucumber Salad
Cauliflower, Pepita, and Rice Salad Lettuce Wraps
Persimmon Pomegranate Crunch Salad with Jalapeño Vinaigrette
Chilled Avocado Soup with Farmers’ Market Fairy Dust
Red Leaf Rainbow Salad with Crispy Tortilla Strips and Mango Dressing
Winter-in-Baja Detox Bowl
Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Kabocha Squash and Croutons
Watermelon Aguachile with Papaya
Watermelon Radish and Heart of Palm Ceviche Avocado Toast
Marinated Vegetable Torta with Serrano-Lime Aioli
Chickpea, Roasted Beet, and Escarole Salad with Smoky Goat Cheese Dressing
The Best Ever Mexican Tomato Sandwich
CHAPTER 3: FROM THE STOVE
Creamy Mexican Street Corn Linguine with Durito Crumble
Spinach, Jamaica, and Caramelized Onion Sopes with Avocado Crema
Bean and Rajas Volteadas with Chipotle-Piloncillo Salsa
Winter Vegetable Enmoladas with Queso Fresco
Squash Blossom Quesadillas with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa
Potato and Collard Green Crispy Tacos with Ancho Chile Crema
Vegan Picadillo Tostadas with Rice and Peas
Poached Eggs Divorciados
Chileatole with Masa Dumplings and Lime Crema
Jackfruit Tinga Grain Bowl
Cheese Chicharrón Tacos with Charred Scallions and Spicy Guacamole
Fideo Seco with Tomato Salsa, Mexican Crema, Roasted Kale, and Queso Fresco
CHAPTER 4: INSTANT POT
Sofrito Black Beans: Three Ways
Instant Pot Mole Amarillo
Dried Fava Bean Soup with Mint and Guajillo Chile–Garlic Oil
Potato Soup with Melty Cheese and Toasted Pepitas
Smoky Tomato Tortilla Soup
Vegan Red Pozole with Mushrooms
Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
Mexican Rice Bowls with Boiled Eggs and Avocado Pico de Gallo
Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lime Crema, Sofrito Beans, Roasted Kale, and Chives
CHAPTER 5: FROM THE GRILL
Al Pastor Winter Squash with Charred Poblano Cashew Cream
Sangria-Marinated Veggie Skewers
Chipotle-Spiced Grilled Cauliflower Tacos with Pickled Red Onions
Mezcal-Marinated Mushroom and Eggplant Fajitas
Grilled Vegetable Salad with Herbed Requesón and Citrus Vinaigrette
Stuffed Poblanos with Cinnamon-Scented Sticky Rice, Goat Cheese, and Mint
Grilled Avocados and Cheesy Green Chile Grits with Pico de Gallo
Queso Asado with Grilled Calabacitas and Salsa Verde
Grilled Asparagus and Broccolini with Pepita Pesto and Runny Eggs
CHAPTER 6: OUT OF THE OVEN
Roasted Carrot Barbacoa Tostadas with Charred Jalapeño Yogurt Sauce
Sweet Pea and Potato Empanadas with Tamarind-Chipotle Dipping Sauce
Classic Bean and Cheese Molletes with Pico de Gallo
Weeknight Cheesy Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
One-Pan Cheesy Rice Chile Relleno Casserole
Baked Sweet Potato Flautas with Vegan Queso
Veggies Baked in Creamy Roasted Poblano Sauce
Sheet-Pan Chilaquiles with Lime Crema
CHAPTER 7: EXTRAS
Homemade Tortilla Chips with Flavored Salts
Sunday Salsita
Roasted Kabocha Squash
Chiles and Scallions Toreados
Oven-Baked Garlic-Cilantro Rice
Chipotle-Garlic Roasted Kale
Stewed Green Beans with Tomatoes and Mexican Oregano
Cilantro-Lime Slaw
Agua de Jamaica
How to Doctor a Can of Beans
INSPIRATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX
 

Editorial Reviews

Kate Ramos’s love of Mexican cuisine shines through on every page of this gorgeous, colorful book. If anyone is going to convince me to fill up my plate with more vegetables, it’s her. Not only has she mastered many Mexican staples, she clearly understands Mexican ingredients and how to deliciously incorporate them into everyday meals.”——Pati Jinich, chef, cookbook author, host of PBS Pati’s Mexican Table

“You need this book! Plant Powered Mexican is full of lush, beautiful food and genius ways to make plant-forward eating both accessible and drool-worthy. Kate’s recipes and photography are simply stunning! We’ll be cooking this book from start to finish.”
 ——Sonja and Alex Overhiser, creators of A Couple Cooks and authors of Pretty Simple Cooking

“Plant Powered Mexican fills an important need for plant-based home cooks around the country. Each recipe is carefully crafted with a focus on traditional and diverse Mexican ingredients and preparations, with a slight SoCal twist . . . we promise you won’t miss the meat! I can guarantee you don’t have anything like this on your cookbook shelf.”
 ——Lexi Harrison, co-founder of Crowded Kitchen

From the Publisher

10/01/2021

In this debut cookbook, Ramos (of the blog ¡Hola! Jalapeño) shares easy-toassemble recipes, many of them originating from her Oaxacan family. She notes that her family isn’t solely vegetarian, but vegetables are the star ingredients in many of these recipes (part of an effort to minimize meat consumption). Ramos’s recipes pull from an extensive pantry, including herbs from her local Mexican market (Mexican oregano; epazote), and she provides guidance for sourcing ingredients online. This book helpfully includes recipes that don’t require a lot of advance prep, like a marinated-vegetable torta with serranolime aioli that relies on cumin and lime juice for added flavor. General tips are scattered throughout the book (e.g., “how to doctor a can of beans”). Delectable color photographs demonstrate step-bystep instructions for the more technical recipes (like squash blossom quesadillas with tomato-avocado salsa). VERDICT Ramos’s cookbook looks at Oaxacan and southern Mexican cuisine through a fresh, plant-focused lens. Home cooks seeking inspiration will benefit from her easygoing recipes for a family or a crowd.—Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO

Library Journal