'The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook' Now Available for Pre-Order By Chef and Author Adán Medrano

The unique History/Cookbook is set for release August 21, 2925

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, May 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Texas Tech University Press announced the upcoming release of The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook by acclaimed chef and author Adán Medrano. Set to publish on August 21, 2025, the cookbook is now available for pre-order.

This groundbreaking cookbook offers over 90 kitchen-tested recipes that reconnect home cooks with the ancient, plant-based culinary traditions of Indigenous Mexican American families in Texas and northeastern Mexico. Drawing on the deep cultural knowledge of communities such as the Coahuiltecan, Comecrudo, and Karankawa peoples, The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook is both a culinary resource and a cultural revival.
"Over 90 delicious recipes demonstrate that food is all about stories, history, and heritage," says Medrano. "In each dish, there is an opportunity to reclaim our identity and celebrate our ancestors."

The cookbook introduces vibrant dishes such as:
Roasted nopalitos in chile guajillo;
Mesquite agua fresca; and
Serrano chile spinach enchiladas.

With over 90 nutrient-rich, low-fat, and low-calorie recipes, the cookbook speaks to both health and heritage. By focusing on whole, plant-based ingredients like squash, cactus, mesquite, sunflower, and pecans, the book provides tools for combating the modern health crises of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease—conditions that disproportionately affect Mexican American communities.

Medrano, a descendant of the Coahuiltecan people, brings decades of culinary research and storytelling to each page. Drawing from archaeological records dating back over 15,000 years, he maps out the Indigenous roots of Texas Mexican cuisine and shows how these time-honored foodways were altered by colonization and systemic disenfranchisement. Now, in a time of increasing awareness around food justice and sustainability, Medrano invites readers to learn more about, and strengthen, the traditional Indigenous Texas Mexican home cooking known as comida casera.

Each recipe is accompanied by a rich headnote that shares its origin, cultural significance, and role in community life. The book also educates readers about iconic ingredients and their agricultural history, from pre-Columbian staples like acorns and black walnuts to post-Conquest additions such as rice and watermelon.

Easy-to-follow instructions and accessible ingredients make this volume ideal for home cooks of all skill levels. Whether you are new to plant-based cooking or a seasoned kitchen pro, The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook offers inspiring, flavorful ways to reconnect with land, family, and tradition.

This book is the first in the new book series by Texas Tech University Press, "Indigenous Foodways of Texas and Northern Mexico."

Pre-order Now: The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook is available through major book retailers and directly from Texas Tech University Press.
Release Date: August 21, 2025

Publisher: Texas Tech University Press

ISBN: 978-1-68283-273-8
For media inquiries, review copies, or to schedule an interview with Adán Medrano, please contact:

John Brock

Email: john.brock@ttu.edu

Phone: (806) 834-5609

About the Author:
 Adán Medrano is a chef, food writer, and filmmaker whose work focuses on the culinary traditions of Texas Mexican American communities and the indigenous foods of the Americas. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Medrano is the author of two previous books and producer of the award-winning documentary Truly Texas Mexican.

About the Publisher:
 Texas Tech University Press (TTU Press), since 1971, publishes rigorously peer-reviewed works that compel scholarly exchange and also entertain and enlighten. This year TTU Press launched a new book series, "Indigenous Foodways of Texas and Northern Mexico," that reflects the region's rich cultural and historical legacy.

Adan Medrano
JM Communications
adan@jmcommunications.com
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