, a column by Food Editor Emily Ziemski where those small-but-mighty additions that instantly upgrade whatever’s on the table—ingredients, sauces, toppings—are the star of the show. Today, taking the classic gratin to new, dairy-free heights.

 I love potato gratin. There are few things more satisfying than arranging near-transparent slices of potato in an overlapping design, then covering all your hard work with creamy cheese sauce and breadcrumbs and baking until golden perfection. A gratin is a true work of devotion in which you transform those paper-thin potato slices into a browned, bubbling casserole that’s deeply rich and satisfying to behold…and I can’t eat any of it. Lactose-fueled jealousy in full-force, I decided that I wanted to make a gratin for the folks who, like myself, can’t deal with dairy. When developing this recipe, it felt important to capture the truly rich depth of flavor that comes from aged cheeses and silky cream. Without just swapping in dairy-free “replicas” of both, I wanted to challenge myself to actually build that flavor using some different techniques and ingredients. To start, I swapped classic golden potatoes for sweet potatoes and sunchokes—the latter providing a mild, nutty flavor. Both sunchokes and sweet potatoes hold up nicely to roasting, so I didn’t have any fear of them becoming soggy or falling apart. For an extra-savory boost, each layer is brushed with stock concentrate (like Better Than Bouillon) that’s been *just barely* thinned. This imbues the vegetables with extra moisture, and also a touch of salt. From there, all I needed was a simple homemade cashew cream and a 1:1 parmesan cheese swap for nutritional yeast, and I had my creamy, dreamy, dairy-free gratin. 

Note: If you want to eat your gratin on the same day you make it, you can skip soaking the cashews overnight if you have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix.

Sunchoke & Sweet Potato Gratin 

This recipe came from a friend back in the 1980's when curried chicken salad was popular and "trendy". I remember teaching both my mother and grandmother how to make it and we ate it all summer long.

Recently, I watched Ina Garten update her version with mango chutney and decided to re-vamp mine. I make my own mango chutney every summer and the recipe is on this site under "Mama's Mango Chutney". I'm down to one jar before I need to buy mangoes for a new batch of chutney.

Despite the corny name, this is great to take on picnics. I cook my rice in  homemade chicken stock and poach the chicken in water and Meyer lemon juice. One cup of raw rice yields four cups of cooked rice. - Lizthechef

Taj Mahal Salad

My three teens and husband couldn’t stand asparagus. For 16 years, I would never cook it at home. Determined to put an end to this asparagus antipathy, I created a dish so delicious that asparagus is no longer banned in our house! 

I knew a cheesy sauce would win them over, but being vegan, I had to come up with something creative. I used miso and artichoke hearts to mimic the salty umami quality of Parmesan cheese, and blended cashews for a smooth texture. This vegan creamy sauce is addictive, healthy, versatile, not to mention how quick and easy it is to whip up. 

Nutritional yeast is another ingredient I sometimes use for imparting a cheesy flavor to this sauce. It has the added benefit of enriching the sauce with vitamin B12. Substitute 1 tablespoon miso called for here with 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast if that's what you've got on hand.

Artichoke hearts are available canned in water or jarred in olive oil and spices. The oil-based marinated hearts are much more flavorful, but both varieties work for this recipe.

Make sure to soak the cashews before blending, especially if you don't own a high-speed blender. You can refrigerate them overnight in water to cover or use the quick soak method detailed in this recipe. 

For those of you wedded to snapping your asparagus stems instead of cutting, please be advised that this isn't the best method for removing those woody ends. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't snap in a built-in natural breaking point. A lot of perfectly edible asparagus is wasted this way. Instead, line up the spears and cut off the hard ends with a chef’s knife. This is usually where the stalk’s green color starts fading to white.

Vegan Creamed Asparagus With Artichoke Hearts

When it comes to vegetables, green beans are my favorite canvas. They last up to a week in the fridge, making them one of the greatest emergency ingredients. In this Indonesian-inspired recipe, you only need a handful of other staples to yield a side so flavorful, it might overshadow whatever it’s accompanying, from rice to noodles. A simple spice paste of chiles and garlic forms the sambal base, fried in oil until the chile is caramelized and wrinkled. Taking a cue from one of the most popular vegetable dishes in Indonesia known as sambal goreng buncis (sambal fried in oil with beans), the green beans come to life coated in the rich, intensely flavored sauce. This recipe sits on the crunchier end of the green bean spectrum, the beans cooked to peak vibrant green. It overflows with textures—flaky coconut and snappy cashews—but it is the combination of kecap manis and coconut sugar that has my fork scraping the plate for more. Just a little bit of each brings out the natural sweetness of the green beans, and keeps the chiles in check. I use pre-roasted and salted cashews for ease, but if you prefer to use raw cashews, simply roast them on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven until golden. Swap the coconut sugar for brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand, and if you can’t source 

 (an Indonesian sweet soy sauce), you can substitute 1 tablespoon of kecap manis for 1 tablespoon of soy sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Sambal Green Beans With Coconut & Cashews

Cookbook author Chitra Agrawal calls this creamy, gently spiced rice and lentil dish “the ultimate comfort food.” This vegetarian South Indian staple is so restorative, versions of it are often fed to babies and the unwell, but it’s also easy to brighten or spice it up as you’d like (see Chitra’s serving suggestions below). In 

, Chitra writes, “Fittingly named, huggi is the ultimate comfort food. You definitely feel like you’re being hugged when eating it. It’s made from rice, yellow lentils called moong dal, which are split mung beans without skin, and black pepper and cumin seeds fried in ghee or butter. The lentils and rice cook together, making a creamy, rich dish resembling risotto. Traditionally, this dish is served with additional melted butter or ghee on top. I usually pair it with tangy accompaniments, like raitas, my green beans palya, cilantro coconut chutney, 

, or even a dash of lemon juice. Feel free to substitute red lentils for the yellow variety if that’s what you have on hand. “Similar rice and lentil dishes exist throughout India, and are known by different names. This rice dish is also known as pongal in South India and is often served during the Hindu harvest festival or Sankranthi. There are spicy and sweet versions. You can make the sweet version by omitting the black pepper, cumin, asafetida, and ginger and adding sugar, golden raisins, and ground cardamom.” A few additional tips: If you can’t find moong dal, you can substitute other split, hulled lentils that are quick to break down and turn creamy, like masoor dal. If you don’t have enough rice or you’d like more protein, Chitra has also used a mix of quinoa and rice. If you’re missing any of the spices or dal and would like to keep them on hand in your pantry, 

 carries ingredients from all over the world and ships fast.And a final note from the editor’s husband: Make a double batch. Leftovers are delicious reheated to a porridgey consistency, but also sliced and crisped in a pan with a little oil, similar to leftover polenta. Recipe from 

Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Brooklyn

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.Want to hear more about this recipe? On 

Khara Huggi or Pongal From Chitra Agrawal

I grew up eating biryani. And while every region of India has its own special way of making it, the addition of potatoes is purely Bengali.

Mom used to prepare goat biryani on special occasions and chicken biryani for those not-so-special days when we still wanted to eat something fancy. She only prepared vegetarian biryani when my more traditional grandma or cousin visited.

It's the perfect one-pot meal and is always shared among family members. Mom would bring the whole pot to the table, where we would eat with conversation and laughter.

The first time I prepared mom’s vegetable biryani recipe after moving to the U.S. was in January 2012, when I made it to celebrate my first job offer with my friends. Since then, whenever my heart cries for Indian cuisine, I opt for this recipe rather than trying it from local Indian restaurants. Unlike the kind you would get from a restaurant, my homemade version is less spicy and greasy.

Bengali biryani is nothing more than boiled potatoes covered in layers of partially cooked white basmati rice and cooked vegetables, topped with caramelized onions, dried fruit, and freshly ground spices.

And while it sounds intimidating to many, with a few simple steps, you can make it at home—and better than any local Indian restaurant.

My Mother's Bengali Vegetable Biryani

This dairy-free version of eggnog will blow your mind. It's rich, creamy, and it's just the right amount of sweet. Serve it spiked, or simply warm up a cup for a perfect, wintery afternoon treat.

Vegan Eggnog

Jeera rice can range from the very simple—literally a spoonful of frizzled cumin seeds stirred into rice—to more elaborate variations including fried onions and cashews. This version lies somewhere in between, plain enough to play second fiddle to a robust dish, but flavorful enough to stand on its own with nothing but a bowl and a spoon for company. The recipe incorporates a foundational tenet of Indian cuisine, tadka (aka thalimpu, chaunk, or vagarne): blooming spices in hot fat to awaken them while also perfuming the oil. Most flavor compounds in spices and herbs are fat-soluble, so the ghee or oil carries the flavor through the dish. (Butter would burn during the prolonged high-heat cooking common in Indian cuisine.) My first choice of rice here is a good-quality basmati (I like Daawat or Tilda brands); failing that, jasmine rice makes an excellent stand-in. Jeera rice will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat in a loosely covered bowl in the microwave, or in a skillet over medium heat. 

Jeera Rice

This recipe is one of the best things I got out of trying Whole30—second only to the realization that it's physically possible for me to go without cheese for a month. The potatoes are seasoned at every level, from the crispy skins, to the greens-studded interior, to the wonderfully bright pesto you eat with each bite. I often make these for dinner as the entree, with a salad on the side. (And since I've finished Whole30, a glass of white wine, too.) 

Twice-Baked Potatoes With Creamy Chive Pesto

The creamy filling for these cheesecake bars comes from soaked cashews and coconut cream. The more powerful your food processor or blender, the smoother, thicker, and creamier your final filling will be. I’ve paired it with my favorite nut crust, which combines ground nuts with flaxseed (to help bind it), sweetener, and oil for flavor. It bakes up crisp on the base and slightly chewy inside—the perfect complement to rich, cheesecake-style filling (sans the actual cheese).

Coconut Vegan Cheesecake Bars With Nut Crust

I love hummus. And while this carrot dip is decidedly 

 hummus (like, at all—there are no chickpeas, zero tahini), if you’re a hummus fan, you should definitely give it a try. Though it’s a bit more work than dumping a can of chickpeas into a food processor, this garlicky carrot-cashew dip is worth turning on the oven for. Like hummus, this dip is crowd-pleasing. (“It’s vegan 

 gluten-free!” you can proudly announce when you show up at the barbecue, having been tasked with bringing dip. Great job!) Plus it goes just as well with sliced vegetables as it does crackers, flatbread, or potato chips (it’s 

 good with potato chips.) But also, if you’re not feeling dip—yet have somehow found yourself here, reading a dip recipe—know that this also makes a dreamy spread for any manner of veggie sandwich, like 

 vegan fried tempeh and avocado on multigrain

. This dip gets its heft from roasted carrots—roasted just hot and long enough to get them super-tender and browned. And since the oven’s already on, you might as well roast a head of garlic until it’s spreadable and sticky-sweet. And yes, every one of those roasted garlic cloves is going in the dip. To get things creamy without dairy, we’ll turn to nuts. As is the case with many a vegan recipe (hello, 

), buttery cashews are the nut in question. After a soak in boiling water, they blend up super-smooth, imparting just a subtle nuttiness and transforming the roasted vegetable purée into something dippable and spreadable. Just don’t skip the harissa—if you’re not into heat, buy a mild version, but this deeply spiced red pepper condiment (both tossed with the carrots before roasting and swirled on top) adds just the right amount of tang that’ll have you back for another bite.

Harissa Carrot Dip

Whether you’re braising a meat or vegetable, follow the same simple steps: Sear the main ingredient, sauté some aromatics, add a flavorful liquid, and simmer everything until tender. Here cabbage is deeply charred before braising with cashew milk, ginger, scallions, chiles, and garlic. The cabbage becomes weak in the knees while the cashew milk transforms into a thick pudding, similar to soft tofu or cheese. Don’t be scared of deeply charring the cabbage wedges— rather than tasting acrid, they will grow nutty and sweet. The final garnish of cashew-flecked chile oil cuts through all the richness and adds crunch. This recipe makes more chile oil than you will need (a good thing!). Try the extra over eggs, tossed with noodles, or alongside dumplings. If you want to have a go at a meaty braise, try this recipe for 

Garlic-Studded Pork Shoulder With Anchovies & Calabrian Chiles

 so you can gain the confidence to take this recipe off-script.

Cashew Milk–Braised Cabbage With Crunchy Chile Oil

This is a light and spicy stir-fry, with shrimp, baby bok choy, and snow peas, along with a handful of chopped cashews for texture. Velveting the shrimp -- that is, marinating it in egg white and cornstarch, then poaching it in water -- takes a little bit of time, but the payoff is plump, juicy shrimp that won't overcook. Let the seafood marinate while you prep the vegetables, then poach the shrimp, and toss everything together in a wok. Add a pile of rice to soak up the sauce, and dinner's done!

Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Chicken and Tofu Stir Fry with Celery and Cashews

Avocado Pesto Pasta With Chicken & Cherry Tomatoes

Pongal is the turkey equivalent of the Tamil harvest thanksgiving Festival of Sankranti. The festival occurs around mid-January, celebrating the winter harvest  in India and also commemorates the journey of the northward journey of the sun, heralding the advent of spring.
Freshly harvested rice is cooked along with mung dal &  milk in a pot decorated with turmeric leaves and allowed to boil over, signifying the abundance of prosperity for the year to come. 
There are two versions. The traditional, sweet variety is cooked with milk and jaggery (unrefined sugar combined with the molasses) and spiced with cardamom & saffron.
 The savory version is spiced with a seasoning of cumin & cracked peppercorn.
The finishing touch is always a generous drizzle of melted, homemade ghee.  The 'venn' in the dishes name comes from the tamil word for butter (vennai).

Savory 'Venn Pongal' (South Indian Style Rice & Mung Bean Risotto)

This Kung Pao Cauliflower has a great balance of sweet, salty, spicy with a touch of tang.

Kung Pao is a popular dish from Sichuan which involves tempering the Sichuan peppercorns before adding the rest of the spices. Over the years, there are many different adaptations of this dish. This Kung Pao Cauliflower has the heat from the dried chili without the numbing spice -- which is similar to the taste I grew up with.

The recipe is easily customizable to your personal preference. For example, you can replace cauliflower with broccoli or any types of florets. Today, I'm using the cauliflower that I've mixed with a simple batter and fry them until golden brown. Feel free to bake or air-fry the cauliflower and check the notes for substitutes. Enjoy!

Kung Pao Cauliflower

This snack mix is for when you've realized that eating an entire store-bought container of wasabi peas every three days is not a sustainable practice AND/OR for when you feel like mixing all of the best snacks together in a bowl and dousing them with what the little girls I used to babysit called "Ketchup of Death" -- Sriracha, obviously. Knock this out. You will not regret it.

These homemade wasabi peas are a little different than what you're used to, but they pack the same bite and crunch.

Wasabi Pea Snack Mix

There's no cheese in this "paneer" recipe, but there are perfectly seasoned, super crispy, cheesy-flavored blocks of tofu. Take some time to press and marinate the tofu in advance—the resulting texture is absolutely worthwhile. The green sauce may darken over time, but leftovers will taste even better on the second day, after the flavors and spices have had some time to mingle.

To make your own cashew cream to use in the recipe, you can follow these instructions: https://food52.com/recipes/20679-classic-cashew-cream

Vegan Palak Paneer

As a kid, being able to handle spicy food was a badge of honor that I wore with much pride! Even now, I have this (entirely silly) sense of pride when I order things "Thai hot" or "5 stars", smugly telling the hesitant server that I can handle the heat! Given my love of all things spicy, it should come as no surprise that I am absolutely obsessed with vindaloo, the classic Indian dish known for its spicy kick. The internet had loads of recipes to get me started; Madhur Jaffrey also had a fantastic recipe that I loved. I made it with pork, chicken, even with tofu! I loved them all!

This Vindaloo Vesuvius is the result of all the tweaking I have made to suit the dish to my taste. I knew I wanted a mellower vinegar for the marinade, so I went with the rice vinegar. Since I like things extra spicy, I also added heat through a bunch of different means: cayenne, black pepper, Serranos, spicy mustard, and all the warming spices. However, this dish also needed a little taming and that’s why I decided to add the cashew cream, so that the vindaloo would have a lingering heat, as well as a smooth, rich finish. Enjoy!

Chicken Vindaloo Vesuvius

From Sweet Laurel Bakery’s cookbook: “This was the cake that changed everything. Our whole company, and point of view, is founded on this cake. Decadent, rich, beautiful, and intensely chocolaty, it flies in the face of people who don’t think you can have your cake and be grain-free, too. This cake is a showstopper, so get ready—people will freak out over it.” Featured in: 

The Insane (Grain-Free!) Chocolate Cake That Literally Changed Everything

The Chocolate Cake That Changed Everything

From Sweet Laurel: Recipes for Whole Food, Grain-Free Desserts cookbook: "Our favorite way of serving it is on top of sliced bananas, or with a piece of dark chocolate. We won’t judge if you eat this straight out of the jar with a spoon!" Featured in: 

A No-Cook Caramel You'll Eat by the Spoonful

Vegan Caramel

Think raw, vegan dessert means a fruit cup? This rich, creamy, and beautiful raw cheesecake is going to prove you wrong. It freezes well, too, so it's perfect to make ahead when entertaining!

Raw, Vegan Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake

Quinoa is a versatile grain that packs a protein punch, and is perfect for any meal or snack.  I adapted this recipe from Cook's Illustrated, and it's like a meal in a bar: full of grains and fruit, plus protein from quinoa and nuts.  We love them for a grab-and-go breakfast or a midday snack.  

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