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.
Those boxes of store-bought Jell-O-style powders typically use gelatin to achieve the familiar springy, jiggly texture. As it turns out, however, agar agar works just as well and is derived instead from algae. It is a flavorless, odorless, and translucent gelling agent that can be slipped into any recipe, though the preparation and storage requirements are not exactly the same as those of gelatin.
We are not moving away from making plant-based meat. This is a strategic expansion of our portfolio into additional protein categories. We start at the farm with clean and simple, non-GMO ingredients like yellow peas, red lentils and faba beans. We love clean protein and fiber.
For someone aiming to end the global livestock industry, Bruce Friedrich begins his new book called Meat in disarming fashion: I'm not here to tell anyone what to eat. You won't find vegetarian or vegan recipes in this book, and you won't find a single sentence attempting to convince you to eat differently. This book isn't about policing your plate.
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.
Over the years, I've become a huge fan of tofu. Here's a way to prepare it that I can't get enough of: crispy tofu! It's easy to make and comes out perfectly seasoned, with extra crunchy edges and a tender interior. I love that there's no need to press the tofu in this recipe, making it quick and easy for weeknight dinners! It's actually pretty amazing that it can go from a bland blog to meaty, savory cubes in just 20 minutes.
I'm thrilled I did, and my learning curve was vertical in this page-turning work that "offers a hopeful and rigorously researched exploration of how science, policy, and industry can work together to satisfy the world's soaring demand for meat, while building a healthier and more sustainable world." There is nothing "radical" about what likely will become a classic, one that is already endorsed by experts in global hunger, global health, climate change, and food security.
Sometimes all you need is to curl up on the couch with a big bowl of pasta, wearing an old sweatshirt that can handle a little tomato-sauce splatter. After all, it's comfort food with a heavy emphasis on the comfort - all carbs and sauce and warm, full feelings. But what if you could get that same satisfaction with the added benefit of a little protein boost with just one easy swap? All you have to do is reach for a box of edamame pasta.
Need an easy lunch or dinner idea? Try brown lentils! Alex and I love eating lentils for lunches or dinners, since they're full of plant-based protein and keep us full for hours afterwards. This brown lentils recipe results in perfectly seasoned, tender lentils. You can eat them as-is, or add them as a component to tacos, salads, and more. They're a simple protein that makes an easy vegan recipe or healthy dinner!
Tempeh is a gift to all home cooks from Indonesia. Made from fermented compressed soy beans, it's an intelligent ingredient equivalent to meat in terms of protein, subtle and nutty in flavour and chewy in texture. Happily, it is also now widely available in most large UK supermarkets. Here, the tempeh is cooked in a typical Indonesian way that is, fried until crisp, then coated in a sticky, spicy sweet soy sauce and liberally sprinkled with salted peanuts.
Yogurt bowls are great-both the sweet and savory kinds-but there are so many more recipes with yogurt to know and love. This versatile dairy staple can bulk up a breakfast smoothie, anchor a marinade for lamb and other meats, form the base of classic dips like tzatziki, and transform ice pops into high-protein, healthy desserts-adding tang, tenderness, and creaminess along the way. From weeknight dinners to no-bake sweets, yogurt does more heavy lifting in the kitchen than almost any other dairy product.
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.
If you've ever visited Hungary or sampled some of the several Hungarian dishes you need to try at least once, it's likely you know about goulash - the European country's beloved national dish. While the meaty-stew goodness that is goulash (gulyás) has been a staple since the 18th century, it is possible to transform the hearty dish into a satisfying and delicious plant-based meal by swapping the beef for filling vegetables like turnips, carrots, and potatoes, protein-rich legumes, or even soy meat substitutes like tempeh.
If there's one thing I know as a Registered Dietitian, it's that most people probably don't get enough vegetables. No matter how many bags of spinach or heads of broccoli you buy, they'll often die a slow death in the back of your fridge. Even I get into a pattern of avoiding vegetables in favor of richer, carb-y dishes to fuel me through the winter.
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.
A true one-pot meal, this Indian-spiced rice is made with store-bought spicy simmer sauce, paired with tofu and cauliflower. It's hearty, filling and you can load it up with a range of herbs or crunchy nuts as toppings. We are staying in a little loft in San Francisco right now, trying to find our next place to live. The kitchen is tiny: two electric burners, a microwave, roughly 2 feet of counter space.
Food trends are changing and evolving constantly, with yesterday's textures, flavors, and ingredients moving aside or inspiring the ones we expect to see in 2026. We expect the upcoming year to be influenced by health trends, as well as politics, and the need for comfort in our food offerings. People's ever-expanding palates and health needs are also colliding with their budgets, but that doesn't mean they plan to sacrifice their food experiences.
Why to Make This Quinoa Chili This quinoa chili is seriously good, full of savory flavors that wrap you like a cozy sweater. It's modeled after that quinoa chili from our lunch date, this time using our favorite fire roasted tomatoes. It's simple and flavorful, with tons of savory veggies and of course, quinoa! Quinoa acts as the texture of where meat would be in this vegan chili, and brings in loads of plant based protein.
