#sesame-seeds

#sesame-seeds

Using canned chickpeas as a meat substitute in a Buffalo chicken-inspired recipe is one of the best uses for canned chickpeas, and the swap couldn't be easier.

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.

One isn't necessarily more nutritious than the other. They're just different foods. Peanut butter comes from a legume and almond butter comes from a tree nut, but nutritionally they're fairly similar. Both provide mostly healthy fats along with a little protein and fiber.

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!

These Middle Eastern chickpea balls are so meaty and satisfying, I feel like I could eat them every day! One of my favorite ideas for how to eat them is this falafel salad. Make a batch of my baked falafel, then layer them with crunchy veggies and top with a creamy, zingy tahini dressing. You can also use purchased frozen falafel, or even repurpose takeout leftovers! This one is a massive hit with my family.

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.

Although it's always been a staple around the world, tinned fish has really been having a moment in the spotlight for the past couple of years in the U.S. Home-grown brands like Fish Wife are all over social media and have colorful, enticing packaging that's so much more exciting than basic round, silver tins. And many European brands are all the rage, too.

This delicious, dairy-free alternative to classic tomato soup delivers the same comfort as the original, thanks to a surprising store-bought ingredient: hummus. This dairy-free tomato soup delivers the same comfort and creaminess as the classic thanks to a surprising store-bought ingredient. Everything happens in one pot here. The canned tomatoes are simmered with aromatics and spices for a flavorful base, and at the end, a heaping cup of hummus is added to the mix, thickening the soup to a beautiful, velvety consistency.

Barley, the grain that is featured in this dish, is one of our most nutritious grains; it contributes protein, thiamine and niacin. Barley also is a rich source of dietary fiber. For a vegan rendition, use vegan yogurt and maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing and use olive oil instead of butter when sauteing the mushrooms. The dish is a main course salad and should be served at room temperature.

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.

Keep this red gomashio on your kitchen counter and sprinkle it with abandon on eggs, rice, potatoes, soups, and noodles. Made with toasted sesame seeds, crushed cardamom, chile powder and dried onion it's a fast way to season all your favorite staples. Gomashio is a simple Japanese seasoning made from toasted sesame seeds and salt. It adds crunch, nuttiness, and added nutrients from the sesame seeds.

This unassuming marine macroalgae (to give it its proper name) is packed full of vital minerals and nutrients, and can make for an unglamorous, yet functional addition to your diet. Seaweed is exactly as the name suggests - an edible marine algae that grows along coastlines and on rocks under the water. It comes in thousands of varieties, but the ones we eat most commonly fall into three groups: brown (like kelp and wakame), red (nori, dulse), and green (sea lettuce).

Dynamic duo beans and greens come together again in this pantry-friendly soup. Toasted garlic, tomato paste, and smoked paprika boost store-bought vegetable stock (use a base like Better Than Bouillon for superior potency) into a rich broth. Chickpeas and Swiss chard hang on to their texture in the brew, but use whichever white beans and hearty greens speak to you.

A sandwich might sound like a "boring" meal, but these vegetarian sandwiches are anything but uninspired! I've spent years testing different combinations of veggie sandwich fillings in my kitchen, and over the years I've collected my favorite ideas for making meatless lunches and dinners. These vegetarian sandwiches have become my go-to's for quick weeknight dinners and healthy lunches that actually make me look forward to the meal.

But now that pizza crusts contain cauliflower, and kale has snuck its way into just about every smoothie, it's time we talked about what a cruciferous vegetable actually is. Is it the flavor, high fiber content, or texture that drops some of our favorite veggies into that category? Surprisingly enough, it actually has to do with the way the plant is formed.

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.