Chilaquiles

Topped with fried eggs, these chilaquiles verdes are a delicious breakfast or brunch. Load them up with crema and fresh garnishes before digging in!

In my book, this chilaquiles recipe is the ULTIMATE Sunday brunch. Sorry pancakes, waffles, and French toast—after years of living in Austin, I wake up craving breakfast dishes that are spicy and bright. And in that respect, these chilaquiles verdes seriously deliver. What are chilaquiles? Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish. Similar to migas, they were first made as a way to use up stale tortillas. They consist of fried tortillas cooked in a flavorful sauce, typically salsa verde or salsa roja. You can top chilaquiles with eggs and serve them for breakfast or brunch, like I do here, but…

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Cilantro Lime Crema

Plain old sour cream can't compare to this zesty cilantro lime crema recipe. It's easy to make, and it adds bold, bright flavor to tacos, burritos, and more!

Skip the sour cream—this cilantro lime crema is the BEST way to add a burst of tangy flavor to tacos, burritos, nachos, and more. I love it because it’s more complex than regular sour cream or my go-to alternative, Greek yogurt. The lime juice gives it zesty brightness, the cilantro freshens it up, and a little onion powder adds addictive savory depth. And the best part? To make this cilantro lime crema recipe, you just need 7 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes. The next time you want to jazz up Mexican or Tex Mex fare (or even grilled veggies!)…

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Eggplant Lasagna

You won't find any noodles in this eggplant lasagna recipe, but trust me—you won't miss them. Tender roasted eggplant is a delicious substitute.

This eggplant lasagna recipe is perfect for this time of year. Summer produce is still abundant, but the temps are starting to cool off. After months of eating salad recipes and veggie burgers off the grill, I’m ready to add comfort foods to our regular rotation. Eggplant lasagna, coming right up! If it’s not clear from the name, this eggplant lasagna recipe is a no-noodle situation. Instead of pasta, thin planks of roasted eggplant separate the layers of bubbly marinara sauce and melty cheese. It’s every bit as delicious as a classic lasagna (even Jack will vouch for it!), just…

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Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl

This Mediterranean quinoa bowl is a delicious weeknight dinner or healthy lunch! Great for meal prep, it's packed with veggies, chickpeas, and more.

Quinoa bowl recipes are some of my favorite easy meals to toss together for a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner. I love them because They’re customizable. You can change up the quinoa bowl toppings based on what you’re craving or what you have on hand. They’re great for meal prep. Cook the quinoa and mix up a tasty sauce over the weekend. Then, quickly assemble quinoa bowls all week! They’re super satisfying…not to mention tasty! I fill my quinoa bowls with protein-packed quinoa, fiber-rich veggies, and big drizzles of a flavorful sauce. It’s the ultimate combination of healthy and delicious. You can…

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Garlic Yogurt Sauce

This homemade garlic yogurt sauce is creamy, tangy, and SO easy to make! Stir it together in minutes to jazz up wraps, roasted vegetables, and more.

This garlic yogurt sauce is the simplest sauce you’ll ever make. In fact, it’s so simple that I wondered if I should even share it. Does a 5-ingredient, 5-minute recipe really deserve its own blog post? But here’s the thing: I’ve been making this garlic yogurt sauce for years. It’s the perfect “emergency sauce.” When you’re putting together a meal—tacos, wraps, quinoa bowls—and you realize you need something creamy and tangy to drizzle on top, this garlic yogurt sauce is there for you. You always have the ingredients in your pantry. You can make it in minutes (no food processor…

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Grilled Carrots

Carrots are one of my favorite veggies to throw on the grill! Sweet, smoky, and perfectly tender, these grilled carrots are a delicious summer side dish.

Why aren’t we all making grilled carrots more often? That’s what I asked myself after I tried this grilled carrots recipe for the first time. Because friends, it is delicious.  Carrots have a wonderful natural sweetness, which intensifies when you cook them on the grill. At the same time, they caramelize and char, creating a mouthwatering mix of sweet and smoky flavors. And texturally, they come out perfectly tender all the way through. Sorry, grilled asparagus and grilled eggplant—I’m making these grilled carrots for my next cookout. Steps to Make Grilled Carrots Like most grilled vegetables, grilled carrots are easy to…

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Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is famously good on steak, but uses for this Argentinian sauce don't end there. Drizzle it over vegetables and more for fresh, tangy flavor.

Chimichurri

If you’re not making chimichurri at home, you absolutely should be! This Argentinian green sauce is fresh and tangy, and you can mix it up in under 10 minutes. It’s famously good on steak, but I can attest that it tastes delicious on just about everything else too—vegetables, beans, even polenta. I developed this chimichurri recipe after Jack and I went on our honeymoon in Argentina. While we were there, I ordered chimichurri everywhere I could, savoring its zingy, herbaceous flavor. I wanted to keep enjoying it when we got back, so I learned to make my own. This 8-ingredient…

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Whipped Ricotta

Topped with honey, lemon, and fresh herbs, this whipped ricotta dip feels elevated. But it's so easy to make! You just need 5 minutes and 4 ingredients.

This whipped ricotta dip will be my go-to appetizer for the rest of the summer…and fall…and winter. It feels elevated, but it couldn’t be simpler to make. We’re talking 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep! The recipe comes together in the food processor, the S-blade whizzing away the graininess that store-bought ricotta often has straight out of the package. The whipped ricotta becomes insanely creamy and silky smooth, with a bright burst of flavor from lemon juice. I love to serve it with fresh toppings like honey, herbs, and lemon zest to balance the richness of the dip. Scoop…

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15 Easy Eggplant Recipes

Even eggplant skeptics will fall for these 15 tasty eggplant recipes! With tacos, pasta, salads, and more, they include something for everyone.

Of all the vegetable recipes I post, eggplant recipes are the most divisive. Early on, this surprised me, because eggplant recipes have always been some of my favorite foods to eat. As a kid, I never wanted to stop playing at dinnertime, except when my mom was making eggplant Parmesan. And when I started to explore vegetarian cooking on my own, grilled eggplant was one of the first dishes I mastered. But if I’ve learned one thing through writing Love and Lemons, it’s that not everyone likes eggplant. I’ve heard it called spongy, bitter, and bland, and to that I…

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Eggplant Salad

This eggplant salad recipe is a celebration of summer produce! It's bursting with fresh flavor from grilled eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs.

This eggplant salad recipe is what you should make after a trip to the farmers market in late summer. It features some of the best produce of the season: eggplant, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and lots of herbs. I love this recipe because it has a delicious blend of raw and cooked ingredients. I grill the eggplant and peppers so that they offer a tender, smoky contrast to the super-fresh tomatoes and herbs. A zingy lemon dressing ties the salad together, while tangy feta cheese and pickled onions take it over the top. Flavorful, refreshing, and bursting with seasonal veggies, this…

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Blackberry Crisp

This easy blackberry crisp recipe features juicy summer berries with a toasty oat and brown sugar topping. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

It’s blackberry season—let’s make blackberry crisp! Our kiddo loves fresh fruit, so I’ve been getting all kinds at the farmers market this summer. Peaches, cherries, blueberries… Every type has been delicious, but I’ve been especially impressed by the fresh blackberries. They’re soft, juicy, and sweet. In past summers, I’ve definitely under-appreciated this wonderful fruit! To spread the blackberry love, I’m sharing my easy blackberry crisp recipe. The fresh berries bake into a tart, jammy filling, which I top with an oat crumble that gets beautifully golden brown and toasty in the oven. This vegan and gluten-free dessert is wonderful on…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.