Provecho: 100 Vegan Mexican Recipes to Celebrate Culture and Community [A Cookbook]

by Edgar Castrejon

The definitive plant-based Mexican cookbook for a new generation, featuring 100 recipes transforming traditional dishes into vegan celebrations of family and home
 
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE Boston Globe and Glamour • “The stories will feed your soul and the recipes will channel your love for Mexican food in a wholesome plant-based way.”—Nisha Vora, creator of Rainbow Plant Life and author of The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook
 
Edgar Castrejón went vegan as a college student when he realized that following a plant-based diet made him feel better, but he worried he would no longer fit in back at the table with his family. As a proud first-generation Mexican American growing up in Oakland, Edgar had spent countless hours with his mom, aunts, and grandmother in the kitchen, where family recipes were passed down through “las manos mágicas.” So Edgar began creating healthier, meatless variations on the dishes he grew up cooking and eating.

Provecho features one hundred of Edgar’s ingenious vegan recipes that honor the traditional, often meat-heavy classics of Mexican and Latin American culture while cooking with compassion. Many take thirty minutes or less, rely on readily accessible ingredients, and feature Salvadoran and Colombian influences. And they’re all organized by how meals are approached in Edgar’s
 
• La Mesa Llena (“The Full Table”): Mushroom Sancocho; No-Bake Enchiladas Verde with Jackfruit; Lentil-Cauliflower Empanadas
• La Mesita (“The Small Table”): Sweet Potato and Kale Tacos; Quesadillas de Brócoli y Tofu; Vegan Queso Fundido
• La Mañana Después de la Cruda (“The Morning After”): Burritos de Desayuno; “Huevos” Rancheros; Papas con Chorizo Vegano
• Antojitos (“Little Cravings”): Vegan Chipotle Crema; Mi Tia Evelia’s Ceviche de Coliflor; Ensalada de Nopales
• Bebidas (“Drinks”): Oat Milk Horchata; Jugo de Espinaca y Piña; Margarita Fuerte
• Postrecitos (“Little Desserts”): Almond Milk Rice Pudding with Cashew Cream; Gelatina de Mango Coco; Apple Empanadas

With Provecho, Edgar invites you to discover a whole new way to enjoy the flavors he has loved his entire life—and still wakes up craving every day.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Vegan, Vegetarian, Food and Drink

250 pages, Hardcover

Published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very rarely do I want to make almost every single recipe in a cookbook but this one was incredibly photographed and genuinely fun to read. I’ve been looking to slowly cut meat out of my diet and when I saw this at the library I jumped for joy.

Each recipe is thoughtful and approachable. Most of the ingredients you can find at your local grocery store, which is often an issue for many when cooking vegan or plant-based in general. My biggest gripe with cookbooks is when it’s all text and no photos. I’d say about 95% of the recipes have a photo next to them which really helps me when I start cooking- I like to know what the end goal is!

Highly recommended even if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover filled with beautiful pictures of delicious food first pulled me to check out this new cookbook, and when I realized it was a vegan cookbook as well, it was even better! Packed with recipes that I can't wait to try, this is not only a celebration of vegan food but also of the Mexican culture and community. Every single recipe had a tantalizing photo included, which I loved. I found so many recipes I can't wait to try, including burritos de desayuno that features a tasty chickpea scramble, jackfruit tinga tostadas, papas locas, and even a vegan chipotle crema. And then there's dessert, like almond milk rice pudding with cashew cream and Mexican hot chocolate. I can't wait to dig in!

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover filled with beautiful pictures of delicious food first pulled me to check out this new cookbook, and when I realized it was a vegan cookbook as well, it was even better!

Packed with recipes that I can't wait to try, this is not only a celebration of vegan food but also of the Mexican culture and community. Every single recipe had a tantalizing photo included, which I loved. I found so many recipes I can't wait to try, including burritos de desayuno that features a tasty chickpea scramble, jackfruit tinga tostadas, papas locas, and even a vegan chipotle crema. And then there's dessert, like almond milk rice pudding with cashew cream and Mexican hot chocolate. I can't wait to dig in!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Ashley Chew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily my favorite cookbook of the year. Perhaps ever! These recipes look amazing! I literally want to cook everything, EVERYTHING!! Seriously everything in this book looks delicious. And I love that the recipes are so accessible. I haven’t come across any ingredients that would be difficult to find. This is definitely going to be a cookbook I cook from multiple times a week!!!!

[Daisy Lenelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these reimagined recipes! My grandmother makes a lot of these classic recipes. What I love about this cookbook is taking new approaches for my growing family.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to eat this food so much but it’s a lot of work! 😭😅😭

But seriously, the vegan recipes do look legit. I would like to incorporate them into our life but there are a lot of ingredients here I don’t maintain. And I still don’t have a decent blender, which, as the Dread Pirate Roberts said, does put a damper on our relationship.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes look scrumptious but only one appealed enough to me to make it. If you are vegan, you’ll probably love this book.

[erl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every single recipe I tried was outstanding. I only gave it 4 stars because several recipes call for a king’s ransom in exotic mushrooms, which are as hard to find as they are expensive. But his vegan crema recipe alone is worth the price of the book.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes are easy to follow and come out like the Mexican food that I grew up on. All the recipes make more than 4 servings, usually between 6-10, meaning I can actually cook enough for my family by following the regular recipe. Hands down the best vegan refried beans recipe around! And if that’s not enough, there’s 2 pozole recipes, sopa de fiedo, rice pudding, and horchata, plus so many other recipes.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to try the Pipian, Guisado de Garbanzos, and the Mushroom Menudo recipes.

[Aasinathena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful vegan book is phenomenal ! I love almost all the recipes. Would be a great addition to my library.

[Lencho Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cauliflower ceviche, lentil soup and tofu broccoli quesadillas are my favorites so far. Some ingredients are hard to find but you can find vegetarian alternatives.

[DC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly exceptional photography in this book (like, even the frijoles look gorgeous, which seems like it would be difficult). I loved seeing the hands in the shots, which added a personal touch and made things feel approachable and real. The concept of taking a cuisine not known for plant forward options into vegan territory in a respectful way works for me (disclaimer, this isn't an own voices review). The recipes mostly seem good as well, though I have to be honest and say I'm prolly gone use some canned tomato sauce instead of blanching and then ice bathing whole tomatoes to take the skins off.
Also, seems like it's tough to be vegan if there's a tree nut allergy in one's household.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes are intriguing (especially as we are trying to eat low cholesterol, low salt, and dairy-free right now due to various dietary needs), but I would have liked it more if the author had gone ahead and shared his preferred brands of vegan dairy products. All the ones we've tried have tasted like gym socks at best, and I see no point in attempting any of his recipes with a gross "cheese" product that will ruin it. He says he found some good ones, but doesn't share brands, so that helps not at all.

[Librarian Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que rico!!! I'm not vegan, but I am dairy-free and this cookbook is as beautiful as it is delicious! The aesthetics are amazing! You just want to get lost in the pictures...which isn't always a good sign. The point of a cookbook is to cook, but this beauty has brains, too! I've tried several recipes so far and they all have so much sabor! Everything is delicious and pretty straightforward. So much variety in vibrancy of flavors of Latin America. One of my favorite cookbooks of 2022!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I noticed at random that my library had the ebook version of this available, so picked it up. Really delightful stories, and interesting recipes. Notably some special ingredients (lots of different varieties of chilies) that might be challenging to find depending on location, but fairly available in my area.

[Dmytro Safonov · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book but nothing really extraordinary or exciting

I will try maybe a recipe or two out of this book, so I can’t complain but the majority of the recipes are a bit what I call ordinary common sense ones.

[KathleenB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doable ingredients and recipes but still interesting

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous.

[Giovanny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has wonderful stories and the recipes are so good, I’ve only made like 4 recipes but everyone I’ve made was so delicious and easy to make.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authentic Mexican recipes with a vegan twist! I look forward to trying many of them!

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh yes! Finally a cookbook with foods that look great and, while some of them seem a little time consuming, generally not too outrageously difficult. Very excited to start cooking some of these.

[Lirix DL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliciosas y sencillas recetas veganas con todo el sabor mexicano.

[Dray · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book. Takes authentic Mexican recipes and gives them new life as vegan meals. A lot to like and many many delicious recipes. Provecho!

[ELIA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lifesaver for any vegan Hispanic, who misses a good home-cooked meal from their grandma .

[Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made a few recipes at this point I think they’re a solid vegetarian recipe base for further modification. Very glad this book was written

[Lisa Ellsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the flavors of Mexican cuisine. Looking forward to trying so many of these plant-based recipes with classic Mexican flavors.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mexican food, but I'm not a big carnivore. While I'm not fully vegan, this is a great place to start. Some easy meals, all delicious, and nothing too hard to do even if you substitute non-vegan ingredients.

[Ditte · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I want to make all of the recipes!
The pictures are beautiful.
The recipes seem easy and most of them relatively quick to make.
Since in live i DK it's not the easiest for me to find all of the ingredients - here I'd love for the author(s) to have given some easy substitutes.
I can't wait to get my own copy and make the recipes from this book.

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is tied for my second favorite cookbook ever. My family really likes the recipes I've made so far. We are not vegan.