Exploring Mexican Cuisine with Alexa Soto

We had the pleasure of talking with Alexa Soto about her work, food, Mexican cuisine, and Hispanic Heritage Month. We hope you enjoy this interview and her Vegan Calabacitas con Crema recipe.

As an expert in Mexican cuisine with a plant-based twist, how have you found food to be an important part of your culture and how you share your culture with others?

The way I approach my passion for cooking is by going back to the indigenous roots of Mexican cooking, which is rooted in plants. Mexican cuisine at its core is abundant in nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. I really enjoy highlighting ingredients that come from the earth through traditional dishes that celebrate my culture that is rich in joy, celebration, and pride.

When did you start cooking and developing your own recipes? How do you educate people about making beautiful Mexican dishes using plant-based ingredients? Are people ever surprised to learn your recipes are plant-based?

When I first explored a plant-based diet nearly ten years ago, I was 20 years old and living with my Mexican grandmother and my parents. It was a strange feeling, because while I felt pulled to learn to cook in a new way that led with plants and honored my morals, I also longed to hold onto my Mexican heritage through food. With many phone calls to family members, asking for recipes, traveling to different parts of Mexico, and becoming familiar with seasonal produce at my local farmers market, I found lots of inspiration. I have so much pure joy sharing my passion for food in a way that feels most authentic to me, and that’s highlighting plants and my culture at the same time! I really try to create food that either feels familiar to people or just brings overall excitement, with new innovative takes on classic Mexican recipes, so my community stays interested and excited to get in the kitchen. 

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