Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking

“Mexican cooking is rooted in plants,” asserts Alexa Fueled Naturally blogger Soto in her welcoming debut. She starts by covering the basics, with instructions on how to cure a molcajete (mortar and pestle) and an olla de barro (clay pot) and essential recipes for flour and corn tortillas, lime mayonnaise, and several variations of Mexican rice. Throughout, she cleverly adapts animal-based meals for a vegan diet: mashed chickpeas are used in place of tuna for the “tuna” quesadillas, shrimp is replaced with hearts of palm for the ceviche, and oyster mushrooms mimic the texture of pork for the chicharron tacos in salsa verde. Chocoflan, churros, pineapple-hibiscus agua fresca, cucumber margaritas, and other desserts and drinks perfectly round out the meals. Family anecdotes (“My Grandma Esther’s barbacoa was something we eagerly awaited every Nochebuena,” Soto says of the barbacoa tacos) and fascinating historical context (she points out that the origins of guacamole can be traced to the Aztecs during the 1500s) complement the recipes. The result is a heartfelt guide for vegans and those wishing to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. Agent: Stacey Glick, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)