Roasted Beets

Learn how to roast beets perfectly every time! My recipe is easy to make, and the roasted beets are always tender and flavorful. A delicious side dish!

This roasted beets recipe is one of my go-to side dishes in the fall and winter. It’s delicious—the beets come out perfectly tender with a concentrated sweet and earthy flavor. It’s also really easy to make. Just wrap the beets in foil with a drizzle of olive oil, and roast until soft! The roasted beets are wonderful on their own, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, or dressed up more with citrus juice, herbs, or balsamic vinegar. Serve them with any weeknight dinner, or add them to a holiday meal. These oven roasted beets keep well for days in the…

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Butternut Squash Casserole

This butternut squash casserole is a fresher take on classic bread stuffing. Roasted squash, leeks, and pearl onions fill it with texture and flavor.

This butternut squash casserole recipe is a veggie-fied version of my favorite Thanksgiving food: stuffing! I’d be excited to devour any plate of stuffing in the fall, but this butternut squash casserole is my favorite version yet. Creamy cubes of squash, purple onions, and dried cranberries add gorgeous color and delicious flavor to this classic autumn dish. I encourage you to make this butternut squash casserole for Thanksgiving, but if you’re anything like me, it might end up in your regular recipe rotation too. After a few rounds of testing and taking these photos, I’ve made it 5 times this…

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Parsnip Puree

This parsnip puree is like the fluffiest mashed potatoes you can imagine. Thanks to the parsnips and roasted garlic, it's rich, nutty, and delicious.

This year, this parsnip puree is taking the place of the mashed potatoes at our Thanksgiving dinner. You might be thinking, “What?! That’s crazy!” You’re not alone. That’s what Jack thought too. He’s a big mashed potato purist. Last year’s cauliflower mashed potatoes were a stretch for him, so parsnip puree sans potatoes seemed pretty nuts. Well, good news! Both of us couldn’t stop eating the puree by the spoonful before it made it to the table. It’s rich and nutty, with an amazing light and fluffy texture. Mashed-potato-purist approved! Jack loved this recipe, and I think you will too.…

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Vegan Broccoli Soup

You'd never guess that this creamy vegan broccoli soup is totally dairy-free! It's made of a rich, savory blend of potatoes, veggies, and herbs.

Drumroll, please! This vegan broccoli soup recipe is super creamy, comforting, and brimming with cheesy flavor. I started working on it after I posted a photo of this gorgeous pile of broccoli on Instagram with a call out for broccoli recipe requests. Overwhelmingly, people asked for a healthy/vegan broccoli cheese soup. Jack loves cheesy broccoli soup (and most cheesy things, to be honest), so we were both excited to take on the challenge. I’m happy to report that the results do not disappoint! This vegan broccoli soup recipe is not to be confused with cream of broccoli soup. I have…

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Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

This pumpkin tortilla soup is a hearty vegetarian spin on a classic. Perfect for fall, this soup is also vegan and gluten-free.

We’re halfway through October and I suppose I’m behind on pumpkin season :). I haven’t made pumpkin bread, I haven’t made pumpkin cookies, in fact, I haven’t even opened a can of pumpkin yet which is blasphemy in the blogosphere. This year, I wanted to think a little outside-the-box for my pumpkin recipes, so I’m going to start with the actual vegetable rather than canned pumpkin (so I guess I’m thinking outside-the-can?). When I was brainstorming ideas of what to make with fresh pumpkin, the winner was one of my favorites – tortilla soup. While it’s traditionally made with chicken,…

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Creamy Vegan Pasta

This creamy vegan pasta is coated in a luscious sauce that's entirely dairy-free! It's a tangy blend of white beans, lemon juice & nutritional yeast.

This creamy vegan pasta is my favorite recipe to make when I’m craving comfort food but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. From start to finish, it takes just over 20 minutes to make, so it’s the perfect weeknight meal. All you need to do is boil the pasta, blend up the sauce, sauté onion and broccoli, and toss it all together. Then, you can sit down to devour warm bowls of noodles and veggies coated with this super creamy vegan pasta sauce. While this sauce looks like a rich cream or cheese sauce, it’s actually a tangy,…

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Apple Oatmeal Cookies

These apple oatmeal cookies are perfect for fall! Packed with apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and raisins, they're a healthy, cozy autumn treat.

Baking these soft, chewy apple oatmeal cookies allowed me to cross off #1 on my fall checklist: fall baking! Now that we’ve moved back to Chicago and are experiencing fall to its fullest, I have all sorts of fall activities I want to do. I can’t wait to go apple picking, to carve pumpkins, and more! If you’re also someone who loves fall activities and getting in the fall spirit, I highly recommend making these apple oatmeal cookies as soon as you can. Packed with oats, raisins, apples, and walnuts, they’re basically fall in a cookie. 🙂 Apple Oatmeal Cookies…

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Spicy Chipotle Cornbread

Learn how to make cornbread with this easy cornbread recipe! Sweet, spicy & absolutely delicious, it's meant to be served with a hot bowl of soup.

It’s fall and yes, I’m still crazy about the corn BUT hear me out – this cozy cornbread recipe is the perfect accompaniment to your favorite bowl of chili (two of my favorites are here and here). Chili and cornbread are, in my humble opinion, what fall dreams are made of. It’s the perfect dinner to cuddle up with on the couch. I have a few cornbread recipes here on the blog, but this spicy chipotle version is my new favorite. To the (vegan) cornbread base, I add chopped chipotle peppers, scallions, and kernels of fresh corn (although frozen is…

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Spinach Hummus Wrap

This bright hummus wrap is layered with crisp fresh veggies, hemp seeds, and a light spinach hummus - perfect for packing for a healthy lunch!

This month, we have a ton of airplane travel coming up. Not to complain, but travel is one of those things where I LOVE the destination(s) but don’t love the journey… especially the food that’s available during the journey, a.k.a airport food. It’s become my habit to bring my own food on the plane, and with 12+ hours to France(!) on Friday, I’m making a tasty to-go hummus wrap. These wraps would be great for school lunch boxes as well! This recipe is inspired by the hummus wraps that I picked up at Whole Foods in Union Square when we were…

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Peach Affogato & some link love

Peach affogato is a simple summer dessert. Top the peaches with ice cream and a simple maple-cinnamon oat granola. Drizzle with cold brew coffee and enjoy!

Remember way back in the day when blogs were new and everyone did “Follow Friday?” I’m thinking of bringing that back because sometimes I’m just so excited about what other talented folks are doing. Yes, I do realize that today Saturday… but regardless, here’s a list of things I’ve loved and drooled over this week. And P.S, if you need one darn simple way to enjoy peaches, scroll down for this pictured Peach Affogato. This luscious Pecan Roasted Beet Dip with Sage makes me so excited for fall… mmm, sage. These colorful tortillas! So creative! Ten Lunch Ideas that Spark Joy.…

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Overnight Oats with Blueberry Chia Jam

Make your overnight oats better with this healthy blueberry chia jam! All you need is some lemon, maple syrup, cinnamon, chia, oats, and blueberries.

Before I tell you about this recipe, I wanted to make a quick announcement to our Chicago friends – this Saturday I’ll be attending the Renegade Craft Fair Chicago at the Quaker Oats booth. Stop by to say HI and enjoy a healthy snack of Overnight Oats. I’ll be doing the meet & greet from 11:30am – 12:30pm, hope to see you there! (click here for details) Ok, back to the recipe! Last week, I was up to my ears in corn… this week, I’ve been eating blueberries until I’m blue in the face. They’re so good right now! Plus,…

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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.