Discover some of our favorite plant-based comfort food recipes featuring a bit of spice. These vegan Mexican recipes are perfect for warming you up as the cold weather sets in.

1. Quinoa Taco “Meat”

This baked spiced quinoa makes the perfect filling for tacos – kind of like a plant-based substitute for that crumbly taco meat you might have grown up with. The quinoa is seasoned with a combo of your favorite store-bought salsa, tangy nutritional yeast, cumin, chili, and garlic, for a mix that works just as well in tacos as as a burrito bowl topping.

2. Veggie Salsa Casserole

Rojo’s organic salsa is at the base of this veggie salsa casserole – choose the traditional version for a milder casserole, or opt for chipotle or hatch chile for a bit of heat. The salsa is combined with shredded frozen potatoes, zucchini, and onion and topped with Panko crumbs and cheese (sub Daiya’s plant-based Cutting Board Collection Style Shreds in Cheddar for the cheddar cheese to make the original recipe plant-based).

3. Black Bean Stew with Amaranth

This stew is one of our favorite vegan Mexican recipes. It’s doubly rich in protein with both black beans and amaranth, a seed cultivated by the Aztecs that boasts nearly 4 grams of protein per 100-gram serving. Tomato, garlic, yellow beet, peppers, onion, and Mexican spices join the party, and a dash of smoky hot sauce, cilantro, and avocado make the perfect garnishes.

4. Mexican Stuffed Tomatoes

These simple stuffed tomatoes are made with a mix of Rojo’s salsa, onion, zucchini, and rice, and feel free to add equal parts of organic black beans and organic corn to the mix as well. Top with Daiya’s plant-based Cutting Board Collection style shreds in Pepperjack before baking to make them ooey-gooey and super moreish.

5. Vegan Nachos

These vegan nachos are topped with a meat substitute made with a spiced combo of whole ingredients like walnuts, mushrooms, and black beans. The nacho cheese sauce is actually a savory pumpkin cashew cream. Topped with kale, radishes, avocado, onion, and cilantro, these nachos are super fresh and delicious – perfect as a shared hors d’oeuvre for a cocktail party or a festive, family-style dinner with friends.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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Chef Ivy Stark does not run your average Mexican restaurant. At Dos Caminos in New York City, she has constantly and consistently been trying to add a new spin to the Mexican food we all know and love, from innovating Mexican classics to bringing vegetarian Mexican food to the forefront of her menu.

When New York’s Mexican food was still mass-produced Tex-Mex, Chef Stark started offering hand-made tortillas made by New York resident Mexican cooks at Dos Caminos. And she has always relied heavily on authentic ingredients in whatever ways she can, of course with a nod to New York produce. “Our eggs, pork, produce are all locally sourced as well as organic when possible,” she says. “Even our espresso is locally farmed in Mexico.”

But this fall has a few new developments in store for Chef Stark and her restaurants. First comes a brand new flagship restaurant in Times Square, the fifth in the city. And along with the new space comes a new focus on healthy Mexican food.

“The restaurant will have a completely new look and feel including the design, refreshed menus, crafted cocktails, and a real move towards more local and organic ingredients,” says James Gersten, President and CEO of BR Guest Hospitality.

Chef Stark has always seen the importance of offering a variety of dishes at her restaurants. While Dos Caminos has always had a handful of vegetarian options, about six months ago Chef Stark decided to add more meatless options, both for Meatless Monday and for vegetarian and flexitarian diners. “It’s a lot of fun to work with vegetables as the center of a plate,” she says.

With this nod to meatless dishes also comes a new venture towards cleaner eating. “It’s not that hard,” Chef Stark explains. “Authentic Mexican food is by nature gluten-free and vegetable based.”

In celebration of this new venture, Chef Stark was willing to share one of her recipes, Naked Tacos, with our readers.

“We are now doing a Naked version of our tacos, meaning we have removed the tortilla and replaced it with grains, greens and beans,” she explains. “It’s a super lean and healthy meal focused on nutrient dense ingredients and packed with great Mexican flavors.”

At the new flagship location,  Chef Stark offers five versions of these tacos with five different proteins: chile-dusted chicken with salsa macha, cilantro-marinated skirt steak with cilantro chimichurri, grilled anchiote marinated mahi-mahi with chipotle aioli, grilled shrimp with herb chimichurri, or this veggie version with butternut squash, poblano peppers and beans that Chef Stark has shared with us.

Ingredients
1 cup Ayacote bean salad (below)

2 cups cooked black beans
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup grilled corn kernels
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon ancho powder
1 tablespooon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

½ cup Lemon herb red quinoa (below)
4 cups red quinoa
4 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup very finely diced asparagus
1 tablespoon toasted ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups pine nuts, lightly toasted
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil
½ cup chopped fresh thyme

4 ounces roasted calabacita mix (below)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium butternut squash, par roasted and diced
2 poblano chile peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup cooked pinto beans
1 teaspoon valentina
salt to taste

¼ diced avocado
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 cup baby arugula
4 each orange segments
½ oz julienned watermelon radish
½ oz julienned jicama
1 tbsp red wine vinaigrette

Directions

Prepare the bean salad. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, and set aside until ready to assemble the bowls.

Prepare the calabacitas mix. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring until translucent. Add squah and poblano pepper, and saute until just tender but still slightly crisp. Stir in corn, pinto beans and valentina sauce and heat through. Season with salt to taste.

Prepare the quinoa. Place quinoa in a large strainer. Rinse under cold running water until water is clear. Transfer quinoa to large saucepan; add 4 1/2 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer quinoa to large bowl, add asparagus and let sit covered for 5 minutes; fluff with fork. Stir in cumin, oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Place bean salad on the upper right hand corner of the bowl with the red quinoa next to it on the upper left hand corner of the bowl.

Mix the diced avocado with the pomegranate seeds and place on the lower right hand corner of the bowl.

Toss the arugula, orange segments, watermelon radish, jicama and red wine vin together and place on the lower left hand corner of the bowl.

Finish the bowl with the calabacitas mix. Serve.

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All images care of Ivy Stark and Dos Caminos

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This spicy stew recipe is packed with protein from black beans and amaranth grain.

Red peppers, beets and cilantro add color and flavor.  This special grain (technically a seed) was famously cultivated by the Aztecs and the nutritional benefits of amaranth are outstanding. Similar to quinoa, these tiny beads of protein fluff up when simmered in water in with a short cooking time. Amaranth is gluten-free and can have up to 8 grams of protein per serving.

Like quinoa, amaranth can be bitter if not rinsed properly so make sure to soak the amaranth grain in a bowl of water for a minute before cooking. When cooked the consistency can be more gelatinous than quinoa and takes some getting used to. To get all the nutritional benefits without sacrificing flavor, throw some amaranth into a spicy black bean stew. Don’t forget to pre-soak the black beans overnight!

Amaranth is available in most health food stores and or online, but quinoa makes a suitable substitute for this recipe.

Mexican Black Bean Stew Recipe with Amaranth Grain

Serves 8 

Ingredients 

4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups dried black beans (soak overnight in 4 cups of water)
2 large tomatoes
1 cup amaranth
1/2 + 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow beet, peeled and chopped (red is fine in a pinch)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 dried ancho chili (or New Mexican red chili)
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 shishito peppers or 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoon smoky hot sauce (like Buffalo or Tabasco)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, thinly sliced

Directions 

First, soak the black beans overnight in a large pot covered by 2 inches of water. Rinse the beans a few times in cold water just before use and place the pot with the beans, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups of fresh water on the stove. Cover, cook over high heat until the water boils, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, then drain beans and set aside.

Roughly chop the tomatoes on a dinner plate and slide all of the pieces, juices and seeds into a bowl. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, smash the mixture until you have only small 1-inch pieces floating in tomato juice.

Rinse the amaranth in a small bowl under cold water. Add 1 cup amaranth to 3 cups water in a saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed. Set aside.

In a large pot with a lid or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, chopped beets, shishito and red peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 5 minutes then add the cumin and crumble the chili into the pot, discarding the stem. Add the tomatoes and juice to the pot and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the black beans and vegetable broth to the pot and bring the stew to a boil. Then add the amaranth, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Add the hot sauce just before serving and place a few slices of avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro in each bowl.

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Photos by Ally-Jane 

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Fall is in the air and my cooking thoughts always turn to simmered meats and vegetables, with lots of warm, spicy layers of flavor. It’s also the time of year to carve our pumpkins in preparation for the ghouls and goblins. Don’t waste your pumpkin seeds! Dry them in the sun and then use them for this authentic Mexican green molé sauce. Of course you can buy them, too.

Toasting the ingredients in a dry skillet is essential for coaxing out the complex flavors of the vegetables, spices and seeds. If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can use any sturdy, good quality skillet that isn’t non-stick. This sauce is vegetarian and as such, makes a versatile sauce for simmering anything from tofu to winter squash, poultry, pork or seafood. Or even for making tamales.

Pumpkin Seed Molé Sauce

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 whole, dried red chile such as New Mexican or Ancho
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 Roma tomatoes
2 -3/4 inch thick slices of white onion
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 green onions cut into thirds
2 Serrano chiles
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 small handful cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Cut the dried chile open lengthwise and remove the seeds. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Toast the chile on both sides until fragrant but not smoking. Remove to a small bowl. When the water boils, pour it over the chile and let the chile sit for 10 to 15 minutes. You will need about 1 cup of this water later.

Meanwhile, in the same hot skillet, toast the cumin seeds for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan often until the seeds are brown and fragrant but not smoking. Transfer them to a small bowl and let cool.

Put the pumpkin seeds in the same hot, dry skillet and toast the pumpkin seeds until brown and fragrant, shaking the pan often, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a small bowl to cool.

In the same hot, dry skillet, place the tomatoes, garlic cloves, green onions and Serrano chiles. Toast the items together, turning often with tongs, until brown and soft. Take them out as they are done. The green onions will take the least time, the garlic and tomatoes the most.

Grind the cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle or in an electric spice grinder. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, peel it. Remove the seeds and stems from the Serrano chiles and discard. If you want the sauce really hot, leave some or all of the seeds.

Place the red chile (reserving the soaking water), ground cumin, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, green and white onions, garlic, Serrano chiles, oregano, cilantro, and about 1 cup of chile soaking water into a blender. (If the dish you are making is not vegetarian, you may choose to use chicken broth). Blend until smooth, adding more water or broth if necessary. Add salt a little at a time, tasting to adjust. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors. The sauce is ready to use.

Use local, organic ingredients whenever possible and natural, humanely raised meats.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Image: D3 San Francisco

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