Vegetarian

If you crave the sweet maple candies sold at tourist shops, you need not wait until your next vacation to enjoy them. Maple syrup producers’ associations are eager to share these treats, and how to make them at home, to spread the gospel of pure maple syrup. This recipe is from the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association/Vermont Maple Promotion Board; the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association has produced a helpful video about making maple cream and maple candy. If you haven’t tried these maple candies, be forewarned: They’re like no other treat you’ve ever experienced.

This is probably the most famous lentil dish coming out of India—yellow lentils tempered with spices and the usual holy trinity of garlic, ginger and chile. It has always been a favorite of mine and it would grace our family dinner table at least once a week when I was growing up. There are lots of different recipes for flavoring the oil (tadka), so play around with your spice pantry and see what you come up with. If you don’t have half of these spices, then don’t worry; just add a tablespoon of your favorite spice paste and it will taste just as delicious.

This hearty burrito comes together in just 22 minutes, but it's still full of flavor.

This is the kind of healthy, satisfying food that we all wish would simply materialize at home for dinner. But making it in parts is easier than you might think!

These personalized cookies are fresher and more fun than the average takeout treat.

Krapfen These light doughnuts will be the hit of any autumn or winter brunch. The recipe doubles easily for a crowd.

Bob’s Red Mill makes a coarse cornmeal that’s perfect for these, but don’t stress if you can’t find it. A finer grind will just have less crunch.

If your largest skillet isn’t large enough to hold 12 oz. pasta and toss everything together, dump the mixture back into the pot from cooking the rigatoni and toss.

Don’t toss out your Parmesan rind. Use it to flavor the beans and broth for this comforting classic.

Puntarelle is a crisp, spiky Italian green related to chicory. If you can get it, you’re in luck. If not, escarole is a great substitute.

All that sour cream keeps these biscuits super moist and tender—they reheat well, even after sitting out for hours (pop back into 350°F oven for 5 minutes).

Frozen peas are a gift to the breakaway cook: their creamy, earthy goodness bursts with flavor, and they couldn’t be easier to store and prepare. The pesto-like tarragon emulsion, made even creamier by the addition of Greek yogurt, really brings out the best in them, and the sprinkling of pistachios on top lends a lovely toasted, nutty texture. Try them with a broiled fish fillet and a glass of grassy Sauvignon Blanc.

This side dish has it all: creamy avocado, tart orange, savory greens, zesty chutney, and crunchy toasted almonds. Serve as a salad or a side dish alongside a piece of grilled fish.

Potent—but so much classier than your dive bar shots.

This bread has a nutty flavor and intense chew; it makes toast that’s a wholesome meal unto itself. To ensure you have fresh bread on time, count back three nights from the day you want to bake.

Light, creamy, warm, and slightly-sweet egg-based dressing is the perfect companion to zesty watercress. This is adapted from a recipe in "Valentine Dinner for Two" from the February 1977 issue of Glamour magazine, which we updated for our 2016 Epi Valentine's Menu.

As long as you’ve got frozen spinach, cream cheese, and heavy cream, you can throw this together in a flash.

This bright and fiery Haitian condiment (pronounced "pick-lees") is traditionally served with meats and fried food to balance rich flavors.

This subtly flavored salad really celebrates the chickpea, which is an excellent source of fiber, protein and iron, and perfect for keeping us going on busy days.