Almond-ella Spread

Here's a delicious, healthy version of nutella made with almonds. It's vegan, dairy-free, gluten free, and only three ingredients!

Everyone loves nutella right? I love it as much as the next person, but I don’t love all of the unhealthy ingredients that are in it. This almond chocolate spread, (almond-ella is what I’m calling it), is just as creamy and delicious. It’s super easy and just 3 ingredients: almond butter, chocolate, and (the secret to it’s smooth texture), coconut oil. Melt everything together, pour it into a jar. It’ll firm up and set as it cools, (if you can wait that long). Slather it on toasted bread and top it with your favorite fruit. Many of you have asked me to recommend gluten…

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Spicy Kohlrabi Noodles

An easy vegan weeknight recipe made with ginger-lime marinated kohlrabi, fresh herbs, and rice noodles. A great make-ahead lunch! Healthy & gluten-free.

Oh, kohlrabi… I first learned of this alien vegetable years ago when I received my very first CSA box. At the time, I wasn’t adventurous with vegetables, so I had no clue what it was and no clue what to do with it. Kohlrabi has seemed to gain some popularity since then – I often see it on restaurant menus – but back then it was barely google-able. Fast forward to now – it’s one of my favorites. People say it’s similar to broccoli stems, but I think it’s closer to daikon or even jicama. Slice it up into sticks,…

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Dukkah Spiced Yogurt Dip

Learn how to make dukkah with this simple recipe! It's a delicious way to spice up a yogurt dip, hummus, toast, and more!

My Dukkah Recipe Inspiration I recently contributed this dukkah recipe to Food 52’s Small Batch series. When they first suggested it, I had to look up how to (authentically) make it. It turns out — there’s no one way. The word dukkah literally means “to pound” and it generally consists of hazelnuts, sesame seeds, and a few whole dried spices. To me, this was the perfect opportunity to use up the nuts and spices I had just cleaned out of my pantry shelves. (Specifically, the ones that didn’t fit when I transferred them from little bags to little jars). Along with the…

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Romanesco & Chickpea Salad

Two things happened on Monday: It was Jack’s birthday and also we won the Saveur Reader’s Choice Best Cooking Blog award! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you who voted for us! As someone who’s not used to winning things, I really didn’t see this coming. I’m shocked and just so flattered. I realize — I probably should be posting cocktails and cake, but it’s been a heck of a busy week, so today I bring you: Celebration Salad. (Although, stay tuned, I have some yummy birthday carrot cake coming up next week). But for now, this…

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Spring Onion Asparagus Frittata

A frittata is the perfect brunch recipe! This spring onion & asparagus frittata is so fresh, healthy. It's easy to make and so delicious.

Easter weekend might be a whole week away, but I figure it’s never too soon to start gathering with friends for a spring brunch. We could call it Friendster—get it? Like “Friendsgiving” but for Easter instead… (and not like the late 90’s social media website). Ok, maybe not. I can hear you groaning through the computer screen. Whatever you decide to call your spring gatherings – make this easy asparagus frittata. First thing: blend your eggs in a blender. I’m sure many of you do this already. I, myself, have been lazily ignoring this tip for years thinking my whisking…

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Hazelnut Tahini Pasta

I keep a pretty full pantry (to say the least). I love to have a variety of oils, vinegars, grains & nuts on hand… but every now and then “on hand” becomes completely out of hand. This little sauce came about one day when I was cleaning out my shelves and found five separate stashes of hazelnuts. Some were newly purchased, some were tucked waaay in the back. Also, back beyond my immediate reach was a still-pretty-new-yet-forgotten-about jar of tahini. I had pasta noodles to use up, but this would be great as a dressing drizzled over a farro salad, or over…

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Ginger Kombucha Cocktails

I just realized that I have a pattern of only posting cocktails on Fridays. I don’t know if it feels more socially appropriate that a cocktail should be a pre-weekend treat or if I’m trying to cover up the fact that I’m known to have a glass of wine (or two), on any given day(s) throughout the week. I like to celebrate the little wins in life, even if a “win” is just getting through an ordinary Monday. This week, however, is not about ordinary Mondays. I just about fell off my chair two days ago when I found out…

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Matcha Mint Iced Tea

We’re about to get fresh around here… it’s spring and suddenly mint is taking over my yard. When I was first setting up this little “garden” area of mine, I was warned that mint would trail out of control. To me, this sounded like a delightful problem to have. I mean, is it even possible to have too much mint?! (I’ll have to answer that one for you later). First up: this refreshingly simple mint matcha iced tea. This is obviously not a traditional way to use matcha, but I just love it. Instead of whisking your matcha, shake it up…

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Carrot Greens Chimichurri

Don't toss those tops! Carrot greens are just as edible as carrots themselves, and they're delicious in this tangy chimichurri sauce, pesto, and more.

Today, we’re making chimichurri out of carrot greens! I don’t know who ever spread the idea that vibrant carrot tops should be tossed. They’re edible and delicious, so let’s start using them! This carrot tops recipe comes with a cute little backstory. A few years ago, Jack and I spent some time in Argentina, where I fell in love with chimichurri sauce. Upon returning home, I couldn’t find a recipe that tasted just like the bright, smoky chimichurri we had there. But recently, we learned that one of our friends in Austin is Argentinian! He kindly called his mother for…

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Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

It’s probably about time for a truly lemony post, here on Love and Lemons. Pucker up, this sweet & sour ice cream is the perfect way, in my opinion, to welcome spring. (Or to dream about spring if it hasn’t quite reached you yet). Yes, an ice cream maker is required here — I’m not going to lie, it takes up an annoying amount of space, but we really do use ours quite often. It’s fun to get creative with flavor combinations you can’t just buy in a store, (especially non-dairy combinations). I imagine making ice cream would be a fun…

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Pea Tendril & Pistachio Pesto

I’m pesto obsessed. I love pesto because anything can become pesto. I brought home these sweet pea tendrils from the farmers market the other day… I didn’t know quite what to do with them so I pesto-ed them. I usually reach for walnuts but I loved the spring color of the pistachios… plus, I just couldn’t resist the alliteration. Pea tendrils have a mild flavor that’s slightly sweet, which makes for nice mellow pesto. If you can’t find them, you can still make a nice pistachio pesto out of spinach, arugula, basil, or mint… whatever combination of soft greens and…

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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.