Vegan

The following is a slightly-NSFW recipe from the brilliant minds behind the popular cooking blog Thug Kitchen. To learn more about them, read our profile.—Epicurious Editors Grab beer and get to work. Just don't get sloppy 'til you're done cooking.

There is no USDA data for water bath canning artichokes. I developed this recipe, which has a pH of 3.5, well within the safety limits for water bath canning. The processing time is based on the recommended time for marinated peppers, which contain similar quantities of olive oil—an important consideration when water bath processing foods. Rather than discard the outer leaves, boil them for about 10 minutes. Chill and serve with mayonnaise; or serve hot, with melted butter for dipping. The marinade left over after you've finished the jar of artichokes is delicious and can be used to flavor other dishes.

You need a palate-cleansing salad to balance the rich pork and hearty sides: This is it.

Brining the nuts with herbs and some spice infuses them from the inside out, and the long roasting time gives them extra toasty flavor.

We love leeks. All you need are olive oil, salt, and the heat of the oven to coax some magic out of leeks.

Keys to great chips: A lower frying temp gets the moisture out; a vinegar soak ensures they're crisp.

The sweetness of the squash, dates, and coconut oil in this simple roast is balanced by the garlic and woodsy herbs.

Though this recipe calls for a raspberry garnish, feel free to swap in caramelized apples or toasted pistachios. When working with phyllo dough, make sure to keep the unused phyllo sheets covered as much as possible, as they tend to dry out quickly.

Make a double batch of the almond-currant topping, then use it as a crunchy finish for salads and grain dishes. Though Admony calls for whole-wheat couscous, plain works just as well.

The popular side makes a great toast topper.

To give this velvety vegan soup a tiny bit of crunch and extra visual appeal, chia seeds are stirred in after the soup is pureed.

Like some sort of drug dealer, Joe (aka the big boss) has been known to keep a small plastic bag of this addictive Mexican spice rub in his glove box. And indeed, it's never a bad thing to have on hand. Although the recipe has a few steps to it, it's well worth the effort. At the restaurant, we use it to season everything from corn on the cob to chicken to our Spring booty taco. When cooking with it, just beware that it's quite salty. Also, it keeps for a long time, which means that you may want to make a double batch.

Chilly as July and August can be in San Francisco, you know it's summer when this delicious corn hits the Tacolicious menu. (It is so good that it transports you to sunshine, even if the city is socked in by fog and you're wearing a scarf.) If you already have the recado ready to go, this recipe is a cinch to make. Although the smokiness of the grill imparts great flavor, you can instead briefly boil the corn ears, halve them, and toss them with the recado-lime juice mixture. With the lime and the spices, no butter is needed. Try swapping out the corn for another vegetable, such as summer squash. To keep this recipe in the snack realm, chop the ears into thirds.

Drummed up by our intrepid recipe tester Lauren Godfrey, this nontraditional taco, sweet with squash, earthy and nutty with kale, and crunchy with fried pumpkin seeds (pepitas), is—shhhhh—vegan. Don't tell anyone, but because it is so tasty, no one will care. The cashew crema can be replaced by store-bought crema or our Cumin-lime crema, but after polling both vegetarian and carnivorous friends, everyone preferred the nutty and rich nondairy cashew version (which must be made with raw cashews to work). To prepare the butternut squash, use a sharp peeler to remove the tough skin before slicing it in half and scooping out the seeds and fibers. Lazy cook's tip: Some markets sell butternut squash already peeled and seeded and ready to go.

"Celery is the perfect vehicle for a salty, assertive dressing like this one. Chiles and peanuts make it that much more addictive." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor

If you haven't cooked with MSG before, give it a try.

Pera learned the art of arepas from his sister-in-law. Now, they're his easy Sunday meal of choice, packed with leftovers or farm-fresh produce. "My wife is a surgeon and works even longer hours than I do," he says, "so brunch is now my favorite meal to cook for her." These are some of Pera's go-to fillings—but anything tastes good in an arepa.

"At home I cook quick, healthy, and vegetarian," the chef says. Cue this soy-and-ginger-marinated tofu (no cooking required!) that tastes way better than takeout.