What kind of cookbook is Meat Free Mexican?

Thomasina Miers has been an advocate for Mexican food for years. Ever since she visited the country after school and discovered it’s incredible bounty of fruits, vegetables and flavours. Some of her previous cookbooks were already Mexican – but she has now published a vegetarian cookbook: Meat Free Mexican.

And this cookbook is such a winner! It’s so fun and vibrant… the author’s love for this cuisine sparkles on every page. The recipes are equally warm and refreshing – and bursting with colour and flavour. What really appeals to me is that all the classics are there – nachos, empanadas, enchiladas and churros – but with an excellent and maybe more authentic twist. And there’s also plenty of more original Mexican dishes to discover: but still all very doable and accessible.

Do I need to buy lots of exotic ingredients?

The first thing I did before purchasing this cookbook, was checking the ingredient lists. Because I’m not the type of cook who gets excited when I have to order many ingredients online. I will go to some local specialty shops, but most of the ingredients must be locally available – or easily swapped.

Middle-Eastern ingredients are widely available now, thanks to Ottolenghi. And my small university town is home to lots of students from Asia – so we have that cuisine available too. But authentic Mexican ingredients are a different story. And that is what is so great about Meat Free Mexican: apart from all the different kind of peppers – most ingredients I could easily find in the supermarket.

The second thing I did was glance through the cooking methods. Could I also make these dishes when I would nót make my own tortillas on a weeknight? The answer is: yes! And as for those different kinds of peppers, I admit I cheated a bit by using mostly chipotle. Because that’s what I could find. But I love this cookbook so much (and also spicy food in general), that I’m thinking about ordering some of the other peppers online.

The build-up of Meat Free Mexican

The cookbook is divided into ten chapters that cover every part of the day and type of meal: from breakfast and brunch, to snacks and sides and to drinks and dinner. There’s a chapter on taco’s and one on bowl food. There’s a lovely chapter on raw and cured dishes, and one on family style food. The cookbooks also has sections devoted to desserts, excellent cocktails and all things salsa’s, chilli oils and mayos. So you get a great variety in recipes for any occasion.

What I cooked so far

Quick-roast cauliflower taco – with pickled onions

A lovely and simple weeknight winner. In this recipe I cheated a bit. I used a combination of chipotle, harissa and sumac, as an alternative to the spicy sour anchiote paste that I couldn’t find. Still a great meal with the warm and spicy vegetables, combined with the pickled onions – in lime, which I loved! – and the fresh crema.

Wild garlic gorditas – with asparagus and ricotta

I must admit: I had never heard of gorditas before, but they looked so appealing in the cookbook! These gorditas are served with grilled asparagus and herby ricotta. The dough for the gorditas was easy to make and you can just fry them in a pan like little pancakes. They turned out so vibrantly green! I made them with spinach and garlic and served them with a great spicy chipotle salsa. A real treat.

Caribbean pineapple ceviche

This ceviche is a delicious fruity and spicy salad. We had paired fennel with oranges before in a salad (as they do in Sicily), but never fennel with pineapple! The spicy dressing with lots of lime and the pickled chipotle onions brought everything together. The cucumber and radishes add a crispy note. We ate it as a side to the gorditas from the same cookbook. Delicious and beautiful!

Chile non carne

The first no-meat chile I ever made! It’s also the first time I put chocolate in the sauce – which I’ve seen in Mexican recipes and always wanted to try. We used sweet potato and celeriac, which you roast in the oven. You make the sauce in a saucepan with lots of garlic, spices, tomatoes and beans and it’s very flavourful. You can make it as spicy as you want. Again: delicious.

Classic guacamole

This recipe turned out – probably through my own fault – too salty. It was my first time making guacamole in a pestle and mortar and I probably made an error in the amounts. I could however taste that it would have been great otherwise. So I will try again. But if you make this: pay attention and start with less salt.

Spicy ancho mushroom bake

Of course I’m gonna try every pasta dish from every cookbook…😊 It’s getting boring, but again, this was a meal we enjoyed very much. The combination of mushrooms, onions, chillies, garlic, sundried tomato and brown sugar makes a very satisfying, scrumptious sauce. And thén you get to top it with two kinds of cheese? Takes a while, but it’s worth the effort!

Frozen mango margarita

And of course we had to try one of the frozen margaritas from the cook.😊 We lóóóve a good margarita in this household and the mango version with a sugar-chilli-salt rim was great. A good option if you like your cocktails sweet.

Special mention: empanadas & aubergine taco’s

One of my best friends – who has studied in Mexico herself – also bought this cookbook and she made me the empanadas and the aubergine taco’s, combined with the delicious pea guacamole. I didn’t take pictures and also didn’t cook it myself 😊 but this was a meal we devoured and utterly enjoyed! The empanadas with their pea, mint, spring onion, potato, feta and lime filling are truly the best.

Who can come to dinner?

I would say: who doesn’t love Mexican food? There is something festive about it. You feel like dancing and sipping margaritas or a nice cold Mexican beer. This cookbook has just made that experience a bit more healthy – without taking away any of the indulgence! So put on some Mexican music, get your friends over and start cooking!

Other sources of information

• Thomasia publishes recipes in the Guardian, which are free when you register.
• Her website has a selection of recipes by season.
• Thomasina Miers on Instagram.