Plant Powered Mexican

Fast, Fresh Recipes from a Mexican-American Kitchen

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Pub Date Nov 23 2021 | Archive Date Dec 09 2021

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Description

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!
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...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780760371145
PRICE $30.00 (USD)
PAGES 192

Average rating from 43 members


Featured Reviews

This is an absolutely splendid cookbook. It’s packed from start to finish with a wonderfully mixed array of recipes that look like they should satisfy any home cook (not just vegetarians) seeking to satiate their craving without having to get meat involved in any way. I haven’t had the opportunity to try any yet, but my meal itinerary for the coming weeks at least has a few new faces there that I’m very much looking forward to.

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This is a lovely cookbook with inspiring looking pictures of the recipes. I really enjoyed the authentic recipes, but at the same time it bothers me that I will have a hard time finding several of the ingredients. I am keen on trying Mexican gazpacho with chopped cucumber salad, sofrito black beans, and baked sweet potato flautas with vegan queso, not to forget the magic spice mix! I am sure I will enjoy these fantastic looking Mexican recipes!

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I loved this cookbook! As a vegan I’m always looking for new cookbooks that veganize my favorite meals, and Mexican food has always been a favorite cuisine for me. While not everything in this cookbook is vegan, it is vegetarian and everything can easily be made vegan! The recipes are very easy to follow and I would say beginner friendly.

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This cookbook didn't skimp on the illistrations and thank god because with recipes such as these they definetly need to be show cased. As I flipped thru to my utter surprise and delight was a section for THE INSTANT POT! WAHOOO!!! JACKPOT. I love that Ms. Ramos has thought to include this section in her book!! Smart! Im.excited to try the green chile cheese grits and the veggies baked in poblano sauce. Looks so tasty! And since food city has the hibiscus flowers I'll be heading there to make the agua fresca as soon as I can!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

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I enjoyed this Plant Powered Mexican cookbook! I am always looking for new receipts that are easy to follow with easy to find ingredients! If you are looking for a healthier alternative to traditional Mexican recipes this is it!

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Mexican food has been my favorite since I was a toddler - no exaggeration! And while heavier, meat-based dishes have always been my go-to comfort foods, as I've grown older, my dietary needs have changed, However, my love for Mexican food has not. Plant Powered Mexican shows me how to create satisfying, hearty meals that fit perfectly with my current needs.

There's plenty of variety in the multitude of recipes, and the photography is beautiful enough to compel you to try them. Incidentally, if you're like me and cilantro tastes like soap (we have a quirk in our olfactory-receptor genes), just substitute fresh parsley or basil. You're welcome.

I appreciate Kate Ramos fresh approach to Mexican food, and am sure when I get my hardback copy, it will soon be splattered and stained with use. That's a badge of honor only the useful cookbooks achieve!

My thanks to author Kate Ramos, Harvard Common Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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I have been looking for a cookbook such as this one for a long time, and I was so excited so dive in and try these recipes! I love the layout of the book and all the high quality color photos of the food. The recipes are very easy to follow. The Instant Pot Mole Amarillo is a family favorite. I will be purchasing this when it’s published for both my classroom and myself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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This recipe book has plenty of plant based recipes, with colorful, yummy-looking illustrations that will make your mouth water. The introduction lets you know where to source your ingredients and how best to prepare them.
There are recipes that are no or low cook, baked, grilled, Insta pot, and regular.
My favorite recipes are:
Cauliflower Pepitas and rice salad wraps
Kale Caesar salad with roasted kabocha squash and croutons
Marinated vegetable torta with Serrano lime aioli
The best ever Mexican tomato sandwich
Creamy Mexican street corn linguine with durito crumble
Potato and collard green crispy tacos with ancho Chile crema
Loaded sweet potatoes with lime crema sofrito beans roasted kale and cloves
Grilled avocados and cheesy green Chile grits with pico de gallo
Sweet pea and potato empanadas with tamarind chipotle dipping sauce
One pan cheesy rice Chile relleno casserole
The author mentions some of her favorite cook books and Mexican food bloggers.
This five star recipe book is healthy and full of complex flavors that blend well. My thanks to Harvard Common Press via Netgalley.

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Mexican food is my jam, so I was intrigued by the idea of a more veggie-forward, meatless Mexican cookbook. This didn't disappoint! Lots of riffs on old favorites, reimagined meatless. I bookmarked several to try, including cheesy rice Chile relleno casserole (YES PLEASE!), grits with pico and grilled avocado, and some great ideas for veggie flautas and empanadas. The food photography is well done and the recipes appear to be clearly written and laid out (although I personally have not road tested a recipe yet!). The only knock against this for me is that the font used for headers/sub-headers seems a little hard to read, so I thought it was an odd choice although it may just be the way it is rendering in the eARC version on my computer. Might look just fine in print!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this cookbook, in exchange for my honest review.

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An absolutely stunning plant based cookbook! The pictures are beautiful. Recipes are written in both an approachable and masterful way. As someone e who enjoys eating a more plant based lifestyle, this will be a shelf addition to my cookbooks.

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I am very used to Mexican style dishes in Europe and this made a welcome change with its range and variety of meals - so much more than just fajitas, mole and empanadas! The start with introduction to the salts, spices and powders was useful as was the section on the types of chilli - much luck I'll have finding some of those though. The recipes are presented in groups - low cook, stove, Instant Pot (slow cooker), grill/BBQ, oven - so there is something for everyone. The recipes are well illustrated. and ingredients are in metric units as well as cups. Many of the recipes have a lot of ingredients but, equally, a lot of these are garnish, herbs and/or store cupboard basics (lemon juice, garlic, salt, black pepper type things) so are not as alarming as perhaps they appear at first sight. I did think what? when I saw "fairy dust" but it's just sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, popped amaranth (yep, much luck needed for those too), cumin seed and edible flowers used as a decoration. Phew. There are plenty of recipes I look forward to trying - oven-baked garlic-cilantro rice, stuffed Poblano chillies with cinnamon flavoured sticky rice, goats cheese and mint, and pea and potato empanadas to name but three. If you're in Europe, well SW Scotland, there are quite a few ingredients that will not be available in the local shops and you'll need to think laterally for alternatives - tomatillos (under-ripe tomatoes - easy enough to find in the "ripe and ready to eat" section of most supermarkets!), jack fruit (?squash, starchy potato, meat), cremini mushrooms (button or chestnut mushrooms). The various chillies will be available on-line I'm sure but I shall be growing a greater variety myself next year. The cheeses have obvious alternatives, thanks to the introductory sections, as do the varieties of potato. Get past the Spanish names and life seems simpler. and the recipes easier. Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Love this cookbook! Mexican food is so delicious and flavorful and I love all of these veggie options. There's even an instant pot section! A must buy if you're looking for some new recipes that are modern and fresh with the inspo of Mexican flavours.

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Wow, what a book! This cookbook is PACKED with recipes that are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters - I know it's geared toward being "plant powered", but my meat-eating boyfriend loved everything we tried! I love the diversity of Mexican cuisine & Kate Ramos takes advantage of that wide breadth of flavors to come up with some really tasty things here! Definitely going to need a physical copy of this one.

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What a gorgeous book ! I just loved the pictures and the layout.

Do you like Mexican Food ? Are you already or interested in introducing vegetarian meals into your house? If yes, then this is a great addition to your cookbook collection! The Plant Powered Mexican
provides more than 40 different vegetarian dishes that are Mexican themed. Kate Ramos takes the time to explain each of the spices and provides substitutions if you can't pick up the perfect pepper.!
The chapters are divided by cooking method! Instant Pot, Grilling, Baking, Stovetop and Low Cook. This was ideal for me as I love an instant pot recipe. I particularly enjoyed making the "Black Bean Enchilada Casserole" and "Mexican Rice Bowls with Boiled Eggs and Avocado Pico de Gallo;.

Recipes are clear and easy to follow. You really can't go wrong! and finished produce is your best reward! #NetGalley

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Before reading this book I was convinced that when I say "why yes, of course, I love Mexican food!" I know what I am talking about. But seeing all the various types of spices, chiles, techniques and even words I'd never heard of in my life, I'm not sure I've ever truly experienced Mexican food.

Kate Ramos takes a mind-blowing variety of ingredients and prepares them many different ways, including raw for those of us who are lazy but have a spoiled palate. Every recipe is accompanied by concise instructions and images of the mouth-watering meals, and there are many tips throughout the book on how to make the most use out of specific ingredients or how to master a certain technique.

On top of that, all of the ingredients and recipes are vegetarian and some are vegan which makes me love it even more and want to buy this book as a present for some of my vegetarian foodie friends! Now, I'd love to sit here and type more words of praise for this amazing cookbook but I'm afraid I have to go find the nearest Mexican shop so that I can stuff my face with bean and rajas volteadas with chipotle-piloncillo salsa.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kate Ramos and Harvard Common Press for the advanced reader copy.

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“Plant Powered” does not mean plant based, so don’t be fooled. There are lots of recipes with dairy. Aside from that, the recipes are fun and easy to follow. The book has numerous tips and info about various foods from Mexico. A great resource if you are interested in learning more about the foods of Mexico and how to incorporate them into your cooking.

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Plant Powered Mexican: Fast, Fresh Recipes from a Mexican-American Kitchen by Kate Ramos is a great cookbook. The pictures are amazing. The layout is pleasing to the eye and easy to read. There is a mixture of vegan and vegetarian recipes to please all types palates. While not the most Mexican recipe in the book, ‘The Best Ever Tomato Sandwich’, is amazing! The tajin makes it tangy and delicious.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

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This is a book I just keep going back to, it is just lovely! Im not sure if it is the authors passion for the cuisine that comes through in waves, or the beautifully presented images, but it is a truly joyous read!

With some simpler dishes it caters to the mid-week slump as well as more elaborate and intricate dishes that will be sure to impress.

Im truly delighted that this book combines 2 of my great loves - plant based cooking with the authentic tastes of Mexico! A must have for discerning coffee tables!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Sub-titled Fast, Fresh Recipes from a Mexican-American Kitchen, Plant Powered Mexican by Kate Ramos is a most useful addition to the kitchen recipe library. Kate celebrates Mexican cuisine with over seventy plant-based recipes. She categorises the recipes according to different cooking methods and hence, the various chapters on low cook, stove, instant pot, grill oven and extras. It includes useful explanations of various herbs and spices, how to doctor a can of beans and simple enough recipes for the most basic cooks. A refreshing and most useful accompaniment for people wanting to eat healthy or indulge their tastebuds for Mexican food. With bright colourful pictures and a handy index, this is a must have five-star rated book. With thanks to Harvard Common Press and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and are made without fear or favour.

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This book has a lot of information about where to get supplies for the recipes. Many of them are things I had never even heard of! The recipes in this book are colorful and full of spice. And while I appreciate that they are plant based, many of them do not appeal to a more picky eater like me. I mean I love Mexican food, do not get me wrong. And these recipes will definitely appeal to those more food courageous than me. That's not to say the recipes are not accessible, they totally are!

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I was skeptical at first because, come on - Mexican food without meat? BUT - I was surprised and really interested in these recipes and they are all so vibrant in color! I'll definitely be testing out quite a bit of these!

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Loved it have tried some of the recipes had to add less spice but oh yummy.
Can't wait to buy this book and cook more from it

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Plant Powered Mexican by Kate Ramos
Fast, Fresh Recipes from a Mexican-American Kitchen

Living overseas and missing Mexican food, I have learned to make facsimiles of some of my favorites so was hoping that this book might have some ideas for m to incorporate into my repertoire. Sadly, that did not happen. There were a few ideas I might try in the future, but most seemed more fusion than authentic and though tasty, bright and filled with variety…they were not recipes I wanted to make immediately. I would have liked to see nutritional information and some variations on what might be used if you could not find the specific ingredients in the recipes.

That said, this is a beautiful book filled with recipes that are bright, flavorful, different, and intriguing. Every recipe has photographs that are well staged and colorfully presented. If I lived in a place with a Latin market nearby and the ingredients required were not prohibitively expensive, I might try making one or two of the recipes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Group – Harvard Common Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

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I don't often buy cookery books, fewer than one per year, but this really caught my eye and not just because of the bright cover. The combination of living in a meat-free household and a love for Mexican food we all share is what sold it to me.

The book is colourful throughout, with detailed, close-up photographs of meals and ingredients that are nothing short of stunning, as well as decorative page edgings. Certainly a feast of a book.

The author is a Mexican-American and opens with where to buy the ingredients to make these authentic Mexican recipes. I never knew there are four types of hot chili powder! There aren't any Latin markets where I live in the Midlands, UK but the exotic fruity herbs are easy to buy online.

The recipes cover everything from spice mixes, salsas and salads, to the famous enchilada, tacos, torta and quesadillas, with tips on how to best cut citrus fruit and fry mushrooms. Before I even finished reading the book I had to stop to try out this version of a tomato sandwich - and it is the best I've ever had.

There are nutritional information boxes, descriptions of equipment and their usage, and how to adapt foods and recipes for vegans and when using convenient tinned ingredients. Recipes are easy to follow with the use of layman's terms and clear pictures. At the end of the book are further reading books and websites. This is a brilliant book for meat-free Mexican cuisine and I am busy working my way through it. Fast, fresh and very modern. Highly recommended.

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I wanted to climb inside this cookbook. I don’t follow a plant based diet but I do try and incorporate a few meatless meals. Plus my kids have some vegetarian friends so I like to have a few recipes besides spaghetti to make. This book has some of the healthiest, gorgeous looking recipes I’ve ever seen. Some ingredients won’t be easy to get but the author lets you know if there is a substitution.

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Plant Powered Mexican is a vibrant, healthy vegetarian and vegan cookbook that has a variety of recipes and ideas for the more adventurous chef. Some of the recipes are straightforward and useful for novices, whereas some have a long list of ingredients that I may struggle to source. Suggestions of alternatives are provided and I believe every recipe is open to interpretation.
The photographs of the dishes are absolutely stunning and went a long way to encourage me to attempt some of the recipes.

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Good cookbook if you are looking for vegetarian Mexican recipes. I like the setup but some things the recipes call for I can't get in grocery stores near me. I do live in a small town though.

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