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Kendra Vaculin head shot - Bon Appétit

Kendra Vaculin

Contributor

Originally from the San Francisco East Bay, Kendra has worked in food media (Epicurious, Eater, Food52) and test kitchens (Blue Apron) across New York City since 2014, as a writer, recipe developer, food stylist, and producer. She was Bon Appétit's Test Kitchen Editor until 2025, where she thought a lot about what you should make for dinner, developing recipes for her monthly column Speedy Does It and overseeing the Dinner Is Served section of the print magazine. Outside of weeknight cooking, she loves back-pocket desserts, produce-centric picnic food, and stuff to make for a party. She likes ice cream more than vegetables, but it's much closer than you'd think.

Recipes

Hummus Bowls With Merguez-Spiced Tempeh

This vegan twist on a lamb sausage hummus bowl features a trio of textures—creamy, crisp, and meaty—that will keep you coming back for more.
Recipes

Crispy Tortilla Salad With Snap Peas and Avocado

A twist on the classic fattoush salad, with a creamy avocado and lime dressing and crispy fried tortilla strips standing in for the traditional pita chips.
Cooking

Forget Chocolate Bunnies—This Easter, Eat Rabbit Bolognese Instead

Welcome spring with a cozy pasta that’s just the right amount of festive.
Recipes

Creamy Rabbit Bolognese

This cozy pasta is a twist on a white Bolognese, with no tomatoes in sight. Swap in chicken legs if you prefer—rabbit tastes a lot like dark meat poultry.
Recipes

Meatball Soup With Beef Stew Vibes

All the flavors of classic beef stew in just one hour, with tender meatballs standing in for long-braised, shredded beef.
Cooking

The Quickest Beef Stew Is Actually Meatball Soup

All the same long-cooked flavors in half the time.
Recipes

Warm Chicken Piccata Salad

Turn classic chicken piccata into a salad by using the lemon-and-caper-spiked pan sauce as the base for a warm vinaigrette.
Recipes

Potato and Pea Chowder

Studded with green peas and enriched with a swirl of cream, this pea and potato chowder feels light and bright—perfect for a cool spring evening.
Recipes

Pork and Asparagus Soba

Chili crisp and tahini team up to create a savory, spicy sauce for ground pork, snappy asparagus, and nutty soba noodles.
Recipes

Crispy Mushroom and Ricotta Toast

This loaded ricotta and mushroom toast becomes full-blown comfort food thanks to a ladle-full of umami-forward broth on the bottom of the bowl.
Recipes

Cozy and Quick White Chicken Chili

Lightly mash some of the white beans for a creamy, velvety texture without any added dairy.
Cooking

I Make This Chicken Chili When I’m Bored of Other Comfort Food

It comes together in one pot in less than an hour.
Recipes

Crunchy and Bright Greek Salad

A classic that’s happy alongside a hearty, meaty main or alone as a vegetarian lunch.
Recipes

Cajun Chicken Gravy and Biscuits

A savory and spiced twist on the classic breakfast duo, featuring Cajun spice blend and sour cream biscuits that come together in a flash.
Recipes

Ponzu Salmon and Avocado Toast

When the flavors of a savory salmon poke bowl crash land on a slice of avocado toast, you’ve got a lunchtime power player on your hands. 
Cooking

This Spicy-Sweet Ginger Tonic Is My Go-To Coffee Replacement

Just as invigorating—without any caffeine crash.
Cooking

How to Build a Better Smoothie

You don’t need a recipe—just this golden ratio.
Recipes

Spicy Lemon-Ginger Tonic, Two Ways

Top this concentrate with hot water to make a steamy, cold-busting elixir, or pour it over ice with sparkling water for a sweet-spicy refresher. 
Recipes

Cabbage Quiche With Apple-Radish Salad

A custardy quiche—filled to the brim with caraway-scented cabbage and leeks—is best served with a bright, crisp, and crunchy salad.
Recipes

Blood Orange–Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

In case the blood orange caramel cascading over this cake isn’t tempting enough, the tender crumb is also delicately perfumed with woodsy rosemary sugar.