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The Washington Post •

Pork Tacos With Pineapple Salsa

By Joe YonanTacos al pastor are a specialty in Mexico City, but in this adaptation for the home cook, the spit-roasted pork is transformed into spicy thin cutlets, and the traditional garnishes of onion, cilantro, pineapple and lime pivot to a quick salsa.From Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan.Nutritional FactsCaloriesFatSaturated FatCarbohydratesSodiumCholesterolProteinFiberSugarThis analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dieti...
The Washington Post •

Miso Pork on a Sweet Potato

By Joe YonanThis loaded sweet potato was inspired by the Japanese combination of miso and pork, with broccolini and scallions added as satisfyingly crisp and crunchy toppers. For a kick of bitterness that nicely offsets the earthy miso, use broccoli rabe instead.From former Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan.Nutritional FactsCaloriesFatSaturated FatCarbohydratesSodiumCholesterolProteinFiberSugarThis analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitu...
The Washington Post •

Curried Shrimp on a Sweet Potato

By Joe YonanThis potato topper was inspired by Polynesian and Southeast Asian combinations of shrimp and mashed sweet potatoes. A good-quality Indian curry powder may be substituted for the Thai curry paste.From Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan.Nutritional FactsCaloriesFatSaturated FatCarbohydratesSodiumCholesterolProteinFiberThis analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

This potato topper w...
The Washington Post •

Pecan Snowballs

By Joe YonanThese easy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies attain vegan status with the use of margarine that contains no dairy products or trans fats. For a non-vegan version, salted butter may be substituted.From Hareg Messert of Chez Hareg bakery in Washington.Nutritional FactsCaloriesFatSaturated FatCarbohydratesSodiumProteinFiberThis analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.From Hareg Messert of...
The Washington Post •

Column | 6 things I’ve learned in 25 years of food journalism

It will be another pivot in a career full of them. I have worked here longer than at any other place, but even after I found my passion in food journalism, my writing shifted focus a few times, right along with my life. In 2008, Judith Jones inspired me to start writing a column about embracing the liberating joys of cooking for one. A few years later, I started moving away from eating meat, I spent a year on my sister’s homestead helping her and my brother-in-law grow food, wrote about my own u...
The Washington Post •

Corn Gazpacho

Raw summer corn stars in this refreshing cold soup, along with yellow cherry tomatoes and bell pepper, plus a spark of heat from jalapeño. Serve as a first course on its own, or as a light lunch or dinner along with bread.

Storage: For the best flavor, serve right away or within 24 hours. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.

From Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan, inspired by a recipe by Nava Atlas in “Vegan Soups and Stews For All Seasons” (Amberwood Press, 2024).

From Food and Dining edit...
The Washington Post •

Column | Chipotle’s spicy tofu sofritas let me down, so I made my own

My most recent takeout experience at Chipotle — one of our teenager’s favorite sources of quick food — didn’t go so well.I had ordered bowls for him and my husband, and for myself I wanted hard-shell tacos filled not with my usual beans but this time with sofritas, the tofu protein option the chain debuted more than a decade ago (to much gratitude from vegan customers).When I unpacked the bags at home, just a few minutes’ drive from the nearest Chipotle, my tacos had gone soggy — so much so that...
The Washington Post •

Crunchy Tacos With Spicy Tofu

These tacos are filled with a spicy, smoky tofu mixture inspired by Chipotle’s vegan protein option, which it calls sofritas. You roast peppers, onion, tomato and garlic, blend that into a sauce with spices and the all-important canned chipotles in adobo, and combine the sauce with roasted crumbled tofu. The toppings include roasted corn, cheese and salsa, but you can use whatever you like best. You can also use the tofu in burritos or on bowls, salads or tostadas.

Storage: Refrigerate the spic...
The Washington Post •

Column | Fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese: Southern stars align on a bun

Foods, like people, can have surprising pasts.Sketch out family trees for fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese, for instance, and you’ll see roots that snake outside the South. As writer Robert Moss explained in two fascinating historical explorations for Serious Eats, the former has ancestors from all over the country but perhaps most from the Midwest, while the latter’s ties are Northeastern, through and through.These were no carpetbaggers. To the contrary, Southern cooks and chefs welcomed...
The Washington Post •

Fried Green Tomato and Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

Fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese are Southern classics separately, and together they make magic on a sandwich. This recipe was inspired by a dish on the menu at Pennyroyal Station restaurant in Mount Rainier, Maryland. The sandwiches make a welcome vegetarian option at a cookout. If you’d like, you can omit the bread, lettuce and pickle, cut the tomato slices into halves or quarters and serve this as an appetizer.

Make ahead: The pimento cheese can be prepared and refrigerated for up to...
The Washington Post •

Column | A cherry tomato bounty calls for this quick, luscious pasta sauce

The first time I heard the phrase “your eyes are bigger than your stomach,” it was uttered by my father at Luby’s Cafeteria in San Angelo, Texas.You can guess what prompted him. As we went down the line, I would grab just about every plate I saw, but at the table I’d get full long before they got clean. I can’t remember: Did we throw all that uneaten food away, or did we — I hope — pack doggy bags?The same dynamic occurs at the farmers market, but my eyes, at least so far, haven’t been bigger th...
The Washington Post •

Column | Yemeni shakshuka is a warm, aromatic, scrambled delight

Hassan’s family escapes — first to a refugee camp just across the Kenyan border, then to an apartment in Nairobi, and finally to Oslo. But before that last move, Hassan separates from them, moving at age 7 to Seattle to live with a family friend for “more opportunities,” as her mother tells her. And she finds them, ultimately landing a modeling gig and traveling the world before turning her attention to founding a sauce company (Basbaas) and writing cookbooks (“In Bibi’s Kitchen” and the new “Se...
The Washington Post •

Yemeni Shakshuka (Spiced Scrambled Eggs)

This vibrant Yemeni dish transforms scrambled eggs into a fragrant, spiced meal good for breakfast or a light dinner. Unlike the more common version in the Middle East and North Africa, in which the eggs are poached in the sauce, here they are lightly scrambled with a tomato sauce spiced with a Yemeni blend called hawaij and a touch of heat from jalapeño. Serve with warm flatbread, for scooping.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
The Washington Post •

Column | I took a break from cooking for my family, so I made myself a sandwich

A few weeks ago, I complained about the reception I got from my family when I went to the trouble to make arancini, the classic Italian stuffed and fried rice balls. To recap (cue the TV-style voice-over: “Previously on Weeknight Vegetarian …”), I found their reaction lacking, and I mused about how it led me to realize that I needed to have more dinner parties, where friends would surely appreciate the effort.That hasn’t happened. What did happen is that I went on a bit of a cooking strike. My s...
The Washington Post •

Column | An Italian-inspired rice salad tweaks tradition for today’s busy cooks

When I first came across Italian rice salads, I was listening to the radio. On “The Splendid Table,” my friend and food journalist Russ Parsons was talking about them to cookbook author and chef Rolando Beramendi, and I was captivated.On the show and in his 2017 book, “Autentico,” Beramendi tells the story of a woman he worked with in Turin: Contessa Rosetta Clara Cavalli d’Olivola. (How fun is that to say, preferably with an Italian accent?) She told him that in the 1960s, when she began making...
The Washington Post •

Rice Salad With Greens and Beans

This riff on an Italian-style rice salad combines carnaroli or arborio rice (typically used for risotto) with arugula, white beans and vegetables pulsed in a food processor so they’re about the same size as the grains of rice. Adding a generous amount of arugula to the mix changes the typical proportions in a way that might remind you of tabbouleh. This dish is ideal for a picnic or cookout, as it is delicious at room temperature and the flavors improve over time.

Make ahead: The rice can be co...
The Washington Post •

Quiche, drag brunch and sit-ins: How food informs queer identity

Is the food itself queer, though? Author John Birdsall has convinced me that it surely can be, that plenty of foods can be considered so through the meaning added from history, people and cultures. Among many other examples in his fascinating new book, “What Is Queer Food?,” Birdsall breaks down the case for quiche, which appeared in ads in gay weekly newspapers for a brunch restaurant promising New York City’s “finest quiche Lorraine” in 1971 and more than a decade later was part of Phyllis Sch...
The Washington Post •

Column | This homemade vegan cottage cheese is quick and protein-rich

Make it or buy it? When it comes to food, the answer depends on so many variables, such as: How much time are you willing to spend? How much money? Will the homemade version be better than what you can buy? Or will you get enough satisfaction from the DIY process that none of the previous questions matter?The answer for cottage cheese used to be an easy one, at least for me. There was little reason to make it at home when I could get such high-quality versions in stores at reasonable prices. I’m...
The Washington Post •

Tofu Cottage Cheese

This vegan cottage cheese is made with two types of tofu, plus miso for flavor, and nutritional yeast and hemp seeds for more protein. Eat as a snack or appetizer with crackers and fruit, or use as the base of a main-course tartine, topping it with roasted or raw vegetables, salsa or berries.

Make ahead: The cottage cheese is fine when freshly made, but it gets even better — the flavors marry and the consistency thickens — after being refrigerated for at least 2 hours.

Storage: Refrigerate for...
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