Ep. 318: Dora Ramirez - Cooking Authentic Mexican Food Without the Meat or Dairy
PLANTSTRONG Podcast
Rip Esselstyn
4.8 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 11 September 2025
⏱️ 76 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens when you grow up in a Mexican steakhouse, but later discover the healing power of plants?
For Dora Ramírez, the journey from sizzling meats to vibrant, plant-based cuisine was nothing short of transformative. Raised in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, Dora feared giving up animal products would mean giving up her culture. Instead, she found that beans, grains, veggies, and spices didn’t just replace her favorite dishes—they enhanced them.
Now, as the author of Comida Casera, Dora is sharing her fresh, plant-strong take on everything from tamales and mole to street food and comforting family classics. Her story is a celebration of food, culture, and the powerful connection between tradition and wellness.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Dora transformed her steakhouse upbringing into a plant-based journey
- The inspiration behind her cookbook, Comida Casera
- Why dishes like tamales and mole carry deep cultural meaning
- Practical tips for making authentic Mexican food at home—100% plant-strong
- How food can honor heritage, heal the body, and bring people together
Whether you’re new to plant-based eating or just looking to spice up your kitchen with authentic Mexican flavors, Dora’s story proves you don’t have to sacrifice tradition to cook with plants.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Ray Besselston, and you're listening to the Plant Strong podcast. |
| 0:05.1 | From a family steakhouse to a plant powerhouse. |
| 0:10.3 | Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to Dora Ramirez, a chef who's blending her deep Mexican tradition with a bold Plan Strong twist. We'll have her delicious journey right after |
| 0:23.7 | these words from Plan Strong. |
| 0:27.2 | Hey, Plant Strong friends, if you live near a Whole Food Market store, now is a fantastic time |
| 0:34.3 | to stock up on our ready to eat chilies and stews and our four delicious milks made |
| 0:40.5 | from whole plants. All are on sale nationwide through September 16th. So stop in and stock up |
| 0:49.5 | today. If you've been feeling burned out, stuck, or just ready for a fresh start, you're not alone. |
| 0:58.2 | This November, I want to invite you to join us for six restorative days in Black Mountain, North Carolina, |
| 1:06.4 | surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, nourished by whole plant-based meals, |
| 1:11.8 | and supported by a community that truly gets it. |
| 1:16.7 | At the Plant Strong Retreat, we'll move our bodies, calm our minds, and rediscover what it |
| 1:23.8 | means to feel alive and aligned with expert speakers, deep conversations, and time to |
| 1:32.1 | breathe, this is your chance to come home to yourself. And if you're a physician, physician, |
| 1:37.8 | physician assistant, nurse or nurse practitioner, you'll earn continuing education credit |
| 1:43.1 | as part of the registration fee. |
| 1:45.8 | Space is limited, and this experience fills up fast. |
| 1:49.4 | Visit liveplansstrong.com to join us. |
| 1:52.4 | I hope to see you on the mountain. |
| 1:56.8 | Dora Ramirez grew up loving the bold, beautiful flavors of Mexican cooking. But when she decided |
| 2:04.4 | to give up animal products for her health, she worried that those flavors would be gone forever. |
| 2:10.9 | But instead of losing her food heritage, she discovered something incredible. Planned strong |
... |
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