Sunday, March 1, 2026

Recipe: Cuban-Style Black Beans

Cuban-Style Black Beans
Food & Wine Magazine, Sep 2025, p. 48
5 stars

Tasty!!! Best black beans we've made and will probably make from now on.

Ingredients: black beans, white onion, green bell pepper, tomato paste, bay leaves, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, dry white wine, ground cumin, dried oregano, Kosher salt, black pepper, water

Tips/Notes:
  • Used 2 cans of black beans beans instead of dry
  • Did not add 5 cups of water -- instead, use liquid in cans of beans and don't add more than 1/4 c of water
  • Used 1 white onion instead of 2
  • Used 1 large green bell pepper instead of 2
  • Used 1 bay leaf instead of 4
  • Used 3 garlic cloves instead of 4
  • Used 1 tsp of Kosher salt altogether (don't add the salt at the end in step 4 (the 2 tsp) -- it had plenty of salt!)
  • Added red pepper for heat

Recipe: Crispy Tofu Tacos


NYTimes
5 stars

This definitely beats the Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles recipe we tried a few weeks ago. So delicious -- and it's the red tomato paste at the end that takes this to the next level. I actually prefer this to regular taco meat!

Ingredients: firm tofu, tomato paste, soy sauce, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, olive oil, black pepper; avocados, mayo, lime zest and juice, tortillas, onion, radishes, cilantro

Tips/Notes
  • After adding the tomato paste, it says to continue baking 10 to 15 minutes; it needs an additional 5-10 minutes on top of that
  • Used crunchy taco shells
  • Didn't make the avocado cream
  • Used white onion instead of red onion
  • Added lettuce and tomatoes