The spices are merely a vessel for culture, community, storytelling, and politics. The recipes were so fresh, simple, and seasonal. That's not the version of South Asian food that most people know.
These tiny packages pack a nutritional punch-so much so that the advisory committee for the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommended upping the daily serving size of legumes and promoting them as a protein source over meat and seafood. Navy beans, for example, are especially fiber-dense, and lentils are protein powerhouses.
I was raised in my grandparents' pastry shop in Spain, among sacks of flour and the hum of mixers. It was there that I was trained to trust in the power of gluten. Elastic and reliable wheat flour was the foundation of nearly everything they created. It was the basis of our family's livelihood and how we cared for our community.
Finely ground coffee can add depth and a subtle roasted bitterness that enhances caramelization. Freshly ground beans taste best in this situation since they have all of their aroma and flavor still intact. Once you expose those grounds to air or once all the good stuff is extracted during brewing, those spent grounds are a lot duller and lack the same depth.
Soaked and blended, cashews become a stand-in for heavy cream, keeping stuffed shells, soups, pasta sauces, and desserts luxuriously dairy-free. Toasted and roughly chopped, they add crunch to salads, curries, stir-fries, and more. There are so many reasons to love cooking with these seeds-that's right, "cashew nut" is technically a misnomer, since they grow outside the fruit rather than inside a hard shell like true nuts.
While it's long been recognized as a vital nutrient, many people are working even harder lately to get more protein into their diets. Protein gives us energy, helps produce new cells and keep them healthy, aids in transporting oxygen throughout our bodies, and assists in creating antibodies that fight illness. It's no wonder we're often looking into ingredients that pack a protein punch.
Jasmine rice gets toasted until fragrant and lightly golden, then it's cooked with coconut milk to yield a supremely nutty base for the salad. Fluffy toasted rice meets crunchy slaw and seared tofu in my gingery, toasted rice salad. When you toast grains of rice until fragrant and golden, it takes on this nutty flavor that adds complexity to whatever you're making.
Sweet potatoes are the roots of their vine-like plant, and they're members of the morning glory family. Yams are root vegetables from another plant family and grow differently, with tougher skin. Sweet potatoes are indeed sweeter, which is why you can also use them in desserts like sweet potato pie. Yams are starchier in flavor and work well as a side with other vegetables.
Quinoa is a filling, nutty-tasting food that pairs well with a variety of ingredients. From breakfast bowls of quinoa topped with yogurt and fruit to savory meals made with chicken and roasted veggies, this powerhouse seed is ready for culinary embellishments. But there's no need to just prepare quinoa with water, instead, make things creamier by simmering the small superfood seeds in a can of coconut milk instead.
Essentially milk that has been reduced to eliminate most of its water content, evaporated milk is a thick, creamy, slightly sweet dairy alternative that has a 2-year long shelf life. But its uses go far beyond replacing a glass of milk. The ingredient is your secret weapon to richer, fluffier pancakes. Due to its lower moisture content, evaporated milk will create an especially thick pancake batter that helps trap air bubbles, resulting in a lighter, fluffier, and taller pancake.
Great job choosing to eat healthier in 2026! To help you get started, shop our top picks of essentials that make healthy eating easy and fun. Here's to your healthiest year yet! Escali Primo Digital Scale A kitchen scale can really help you eat healthier. This Escali digital scale is great for weighing ingredients, portioning meals, or even measuring coffee beans.
There's a lot to be said for enjoying desserts for what they are: a sweet treat that can fit into a balanced diet. However, if you're in a position where you want to make every meal count in terms of nutrition, you don't have to miss out - with a can of chickpeas, your tray of brownies can be packed full of protein. Before you start to protest, rest assured that you won't be able to taste the chickpeas once they're mixed with the chocolate.
Dates grow on date palm trees in tropical regions, and while they can be eaten fresh, you're much more likely to find them dried. There are many different varieties of dates, with Medjool and Deglet Noor being the types you likely know from your grocery store. Dates are soft and chewy with a flavor profile like caramel and brown sugar; they're often compared to candy, which may explain why their nutritious qualities are overlooked.
Something as classic as banana bread is often overlooked as a simple bake, but you shouldn't underestimate how some key tips can help you bake banana bread that's perfectly moist, not overwhelmingly sweet, and tender to the bite - ultimately, a classic recipe that stands out from the rest. As a professional baker, to make the best banana bread, I like to get specific with my ingredients.
All out of whole milk, or looking for a non-dairy substitute for allergies or diet preferences? Milk is an important ingredient in baked recipes: it softens the baked good, provides moisture, and helps with browning. It's also integral in many types of savory recipes as well.
Now, peanuts and almonds don't taste exactly alike, but if you are trying to mimic the same roasty decadence and want something that could work with a graham cracker or chocolate crust, you're in luck. Simply use an equal ratio of almond butter in your favorite peanut butter pie recipe. Stir it into the filling mix with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until the almond butter is well-distributed. From there, you can add it to your pre-baked pie crust, chill, and serve.
We first have to answer the question: What actually causes cookies to go stale? Well, it's due to a chemical process called starch retrogradation; once baked goods leave the heat of the oven, the starch molecules recrystallize - a process that's expedited by exposure to air. The most logical solution, of course, is not to leave your cookies sitting out on a plate. But to preserve their texture even more, you may want to reach for that roll of paper towels.