Recipe: Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2026, p. 66
4.8 stars

We modified this recipe to make it VEGETARIAN -- it was delicious. My only complaint is I felt like there were too many onions like French onion soup. The tofu was a great substitution; make sure to sautee it in advance. Avocado and queso fresco are a must.

Ingredients: chicken stock, rotisserie chicken, white onions, cilantro, can of crushed tomatoes, chipotle in adobo, garlic, bay leaves, cumin seeds, olive oil, kosher salt; avocados, lime wedges, pickled onions, queso fresco, tortilla chips

Tips/Notes:

• Used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock
• Sauteed 2 blocks of tofu and used instead of the rotisserie chicken
• Added cilantro as a garnish
• Added sliced radishes as a garnish
• Did not add pickled onions

Recipe: Creamy Tomato Pasta

Creamy Tomato Pasta

Food & Wine Magazine, Aug 2025, p. 87

4.8 stars

This was delicious -- almost restaurant worthy! Great flavor; burrata is a must for the creaminess.

Ingredients: spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, shallot, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, red pepper, kosher salt, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, burrata cheese, fresh oregano

Tips/Notes:

• Used gluten-free pasta
• Served with plant-based sausage
• Didn't garnish with fresh oregano

Recipe: Gigante Beans with Sausage

Gigante Beans with Sausage

Food & Wine Magazine, Sep 2025, p. 105

4.9 stars

I was SHOCKED how good this soup tasted and how well it turned out. Such a surprise from reading the recipe and seeing how "watery" this was as we didn't necessarily expect it to be like a soup. It was delicious! We made this plant-based using the modifications below. The Parmesan rind is key for adding the umami flavor.

Ingredients: gigante benas or large lima beans, soppressata log, crushed tomatoes, dry white wine, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese rind, Parmesan cheese, garlic, dried Italian seasoning, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper, Kosher salt, parsley, toasted bread for serving

Tips/Notes:

• Do not add any water
• Used 2 cans of cannellini beans -- next time, use 4 cans
• Used plant-based sausage instead of the soppressata log
• Used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
• Added cooked quinoa to our bowls 
• Had red wine in the fridge so used it instead of white wine

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

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