Do you enjoy tortilla soup? It’s one of my all-time favorites! Tortilla soup is fresh and flavorful, earthy and a little spicy. Topped with a big handful of crispy tortilla strips, it’s a light but satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. As a bonus, it tastes even better the next day.

Tex-Mex tortilla soups most often include shredded chicken, but it’s not unusual to find vegetarian tortilla soups in Mexico. I can’t call this recipe fully authentic, though. It’s a delicious variation on classic tortilla soup (Sopa Azteca) that you can make at home any time you get the craving.

In Mexico, you’ll find tons of regional variations and personal preferences for tortilla soup. For this recipe, I added black beans for some heft, as well as a red bell pepper because I love the flavor and texture it provides. I tried to keep the remaining ingredients in line with what you might find in Mexico, but to be honest, I have more personal experience with the Tex-Mex variations I’ve sampled over the years.

This recipe is a fully reworked version of an old tortilla soup recipe on the blog. Perhaps you’ve made that one and enjoyed it, but I tried it again recently and just knew I could build in more flavor along the way. If you want a copy of the original, I’ve saved a PDF of the recipe right here.

This soup is closer to the spin on tortilla soup in my cookbook, Love Real Food, which features an irresistible sweet-and-spicy interplay between sweet potatoes and jalapeño. Give that one a try, too!

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Where have these red chilaquiles been all my life? Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-lah-key-less) are a traditional Mexican breakfast made with tortilla chips simmered in sauce. Typically, they’re made with green salsa (in Spanish, salsa verde, which yields chilaquiles verdes) or red enchilada sauce (chilaquiles rojos).

I love how the chips soak up some of the sauce and become a little tender. Fresh toppings, including cilantro, radish or onion, crumbled cheese and oftentimes, fried eggs, make this chip-based dish more of a complete meal. This simple recipe is not 100 percent authentic, but I believe it’ll satisfy your chilaquiles cravings.

When it comes to chilaquiles, the sauce is everything. I’ve already perfected my chilaquiles verdes recipe with homemade salsa verde. I finally tried making chilaquiles with my favorite homemade enchilada sauce, and holy smokes, I’ve been missing out!

Chilaquiles are a fun weekend breakfast or brunch. They’re also a comforting and quick breakfast-f0r-dinner option, and a great way to use up a bag of leftover tortilla chips. Ready to learn how to make them?

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Ever tried fattoush? Once you do, you’ll never forget it! Fattoush salad is a colorful Lebanese salad that’s bursting with fresh produce, lettuce and mint. It’s refreshing, crisp and satisfying.

Fattoush is the salad to make if you have random leftover fresh vegetables (radish, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.) and pita bread. You really can’t go wrong with the proportions here.

Simply tear up the pita and bake it with some olive oil and salt. You’ll end up with crisp, toasted Mediterranean croutons, otherwise known as baked pita chips.

Fattoush is the Lebanese solution for stale pita bread, much like French toast uses up stale bread. Isn’t it smart?

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This avocado salad is for you if:

1. You’re craving avocado salad.
2. You have a surplus of avocados (lucky you).
3. You’re sick of avocado toast and guacamole (is this a thing? surely not).

This salad features ripe avocado slices covered in a fresh lime dressing, topped generously with a contrasting crisp-and-crunchy blend of chopped radish, green onion, jalapeño, and herbs.

I can’t get enough of that garden-fresh combination lately, and it perfectly balances the rich, creamy avocados in this salad.

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We’re going back to basics this summer, so let’s talk about avocado toast! Creamy avocado spread onto well-toasted bread is one of my favorite quick meals. Actually, it’s one of my favorite meals in general. It’s so delicious, I’d call it one of life’s simplest pleasures.

As usual, I have strong opinions on what makes the best avocado toast. So today, I thought I’d share my basic recipe, with my best tips and favorite variations.

If you are a stranger to avocado toast, you’ve been missing out and we must remedy this situation immediately.

If you’re well-familiar with the joy of avocado toast, I hope you find some helpful tips and some fun new ways to change up your toast. Onward!

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This super fresh corn salad recipe is bursting with fresh-from-the-garden goodness. This salad features fresh sweet corn, cucumber, radishes, tomato, herbs and jalapeño tossed in a simple vinaigrette. Creamy feta or avocado brings it all together.

This salad would make a beautiful presentation at your summertime get-togethers or on your dinner table. It goes well with grilled options and balances out heavier main dishes. I think it would look cute as an appetizer, served in small glasses or ramekins.

It’s been so hot in Kansas City lately that I’ve fully embraced raw summer produce. I’m a big fan of raw sweet corn, but you could grill your corn first if you’d like some smoky flavor. This corn salad recipe is delicious either way.

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I declare this strawberry number the Official Salad of Summer 2018! It’s fully loaded with colorful strawberries, radishes, red onion, basil, jalapeño, toasty sunflower seeds, and fresh arugula.

Creamy goat cheese and a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette round out the sweet-and-slightly-spicy flavor profile. It’s an unexpected combination of flavors, perhaps, but they’re truly irresistible together.

This is a hearty summertime garden salad that you can serve as a light dinner, or as a side salad for a crowd. I think it would go well with smoky flavors from your grill.

I should mention that this is a big salad. I could barely manage to toss it all together on my largest serving platter. You could divide all of the ingredients in half—or better yet, store leftover salad and dressing separately and enjoy leftovers for a few days.

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Let’s clear up a few things about this cucumber salad. First of all, it’s Gaby’s Mom’s recipe, but we’re calling it Gaby’s for short.

Second, it’s the most delicious cucumber salad I’ve ever met. Somehow, crisp cucumber, creamy avocado and a super basic balsamic dressing create a stellar cucumber salad.

This recipe comes from Gaby Dalkin’s new cookbook, What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Recipes. Perhaps you know Gaby’s blog, which has the same name. I’m always admiring Gaby’s simple, colorful, fresh-from-the-farmers’-market recipes.

The Best Cucumber Salad Recipe

Here’s what Gaby says about this salad: “My mom made this salad just about every night when I was growing up. It was so yummy that I’d eat half the bowl before we even sat down for dinner, even though I’d get yelled at for not saving any for my dad and sister… Now it’s my go-to side salad, and my husband eats half of it before we sit down for dinner.”

Here’s what I have to say about this salad: I’ve demolished this cucumber salad all on my own in one sitting. I want to plant Persian cucumbers in my garden so I can eat cucumber salad all summer long. I’d grow an avocado tree if I could—well, I’d grow an avocado tree for many reasons. Anyway, it’s that good.

Watch How to Make Gaby’s Cucumber Salad

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Here’s a fresh green salad to brighten up dreary winter days. I’ve been hanging onto this salad recipe until those irresistibly juicy, ripe oranges landed at the grocery store. Winter is citrus season, so the time is now!

I developed this salad for a fun event in New York City a few months ago, with my friends at Osmia Organics. Sarah asked me to develop a recipe around rose geranium essential oil, which had me stumped for a while.

I thought about my trip to Morocco, and all of the rosewater they incorporate in their food. Then I remembered the orange blossoms on the trees, and combined oranges with almonds, goat cheese and radishes. A tiny pinch of cinnamon on top ties in the Moroccan theme, and creates a beautifully vibrant and fragrant salad.

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What the heck do you call such a colorful side? Colorful coconut coleslaw? More specifically, hot pink coconut coleslaw? Radical coconut slaw? I don’t know, but coconut slaw doesn’t do it justice. I do know that if you are a coconut fan, you should make this as soon as possible. You’ll be glad you did!

This whatever-you-call-it slaw was roughly inspired by some coconut tostadas I enjoyed at Hola Arepa in Minneapolis this summer. (I say roughly mostly because the original version was much prettier.)

I already went on about how amazing they were, but everything at that restaurant is amazing. I would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there if I could. I would apprentice there to learn all of their secrets if I could.

Anyway, Hola Arepa topped tostadas with poblano-avocado spread and a “ceviche” made with fresh strips of coconut meat marinated in lime. I don’t know where to buy fresh coconuts, and even if I did, I’m fairly certain I would lose a finger trying to slice it.

I used big, dried, unsweetened coconut flakes instead. Given that I had to stop myself from inhaling this giant bowl of coleslaw in one sitting, I’d say that it worked.

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