#137: Mastering Vegan Mexican Food with Dora Ramirez
Recreate beloved Mexican dishes with a compassionate, plant-based twist, without sacrificing flavor, family connection, or culture. From pozole and tamales, tortillas and even enchiladas, today we dive into something close to our hearts, and stomachs, to see how authentic Mexican food is one of the most delicious and adaptable cuisines to make plant-based
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Today we bring you Dora Ramirez, the chef, recipe developer, and photographer at Dora’s Table, and author of the mouth-watering new cookbook Comida Casera. Born and raised in Mexico and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, she adopted a vegan diet to take control of her health, and quickly became passionate about teaching others how to enjoy Mexican food with a plant-based twist.
In this episode, Dora shares her powerful story of transformation, from eating at a steakhouse every day to going fully plant-based. It wasn’t a seamless transition. Dora opens up about her early missteps and the valuable lessons she learned along the way. Those early failures taught her a lot, and ultimately led to a life that feels more aligned, joyful, and fulfilling.
She shares how a diet change was actually a career change for her as a professional chef, but how that one shift opened the door to honoring her culture in a whole new way. Dora opens up about the challenges of staying connected to her Mexican heritage while leaving out animal products, and how she found creative ways to keep traditions alive. From recreating her abuela’s beloved pozole recipe (twice!) to navigating tough conversations with family members who didn’t understand her choices, Dora’s journey is full of heart and resilience.
She also shares super practical tips, like what to look for when ordering Mexican food at a restaurant, pantry staples she always has on hand, and her favorite ways to introduce kids to spice without overwhelming them. We get into the joys of making your own salsa, exploring new spices, and how she found a way to give up her passion for dairy without losing the rich, creamy flavors she loved.
One of the most beautiful parts of this conversation is how Dora talks about her expedition to learn from indigenous cooks in Mexico, and how she makes it a goal to honor and uplift the people who taught her. We also chat about how she helps young people make plant-based eating feel doable and culturally relevant, especially during holidays and family gatherings when food carries so much meaning.
She also reveals the one dish that was her biggest challenge to veganize, and how she finally cracked it.
You’re going to leave this episode feeling inspired, grounded, and ready to get into the kitchen with curiosity and heart to continue your own family and cultural traditions and also to seek out new traditions and cuisines to try!
EPISODE SHOW NOTES
- How Dora went from eating at a steakhouse everyday to cutting meat completely
- Dora’s failures at starting plant-based, and what she learned from her mistakes
- How a diet change was truly a career change for Dora, but made her life infinitely better
- How Dora kept the cultural traditions alive even when veganizing Mexican food
- How Dora learned to make her grandmother’s pozole recipe, not once but twice
- The pushback Dora has received from her own family & culture and what she’s learned from it
- How kindness online can make a world of a difference
- Tips for ordering Mexican food at restaurants and what to look out for
- The foundational foods that Dora builds her Mexican meals around
- How to introduce children to spicy foods
- Pantry staples to keep on hand and where to source authentic flavors
- Interesting spices and how to integrate them
- How to make salsa easily at home, and the key to making it super flavorful
- Dora’s goal to travel Mexico and learn indigenous traditional techniques and how she honors those she learned from
- The dish that was Dora’s biggest challenge to make plant-based and her solution
- How Dora transitioned from a cheese expert to making her own cheese substitute
- How Dora supports young people in making plant-based eating accessible and approachable for their families
- How Dora navigates family gatherings & holidays where traditional food is central
- Dora’s current favorite recipeÂ
MORE FROM DORA
- DorasTable.com - Find Dora's new cookbook and more!
- Dora on Instagram & TikTok
RESOURCES
Comida Casera: More than 100 Mexican home cooking recipes that honor traditional flavors and techniques, but rely on the immense world of plants to do so.
Step into a world where every dish tells a story, where the aroma of roasting chiles and the warmth of freshly made tortillas bring back memories of family meals and cherished traditions. All through a plant-based lens.
THANK YOUÂ TO OUR SPONSORS!
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LET'S BE FRIENDS!
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