Avocado & Chickpea Salad Sandwich

My go-to healthy lunch is this Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwich! With green onion, cilantro & lime, it's ideal for quick & easy vegan sandwiches.

This is my new favorite lunch. I saw this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod a couple of weeks ago and made it right away. And then I made it again the next day… and then the next day after that… As creative as I like to get at dinnertime, there’s something comforting (and probably a little OCD) about eating the same thing for lunch day in and day out. Beyond the sandwich, I’ve also been eating scoopfuls of this over mixed greens with chopped cucumbers and other veggies. And this summer, I’ll likely be serving it poolside with chips…

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Individual Mixed Berry Oat Crisps

Mini berry crisps are topped with oat & nut crumble to make a divine spring or summer dessert. Use any in-season fruit and make this crisp all year!

This is another treat my mom made for us while she was visiting. Jack has been working crazy hours lately, so it was really fun that week to have the extra company in the kitchen. I love these little mini skillets (I love anything mini), but you could bake this in any oven-safe dish you happen to have. You could also sub in any fruit you like (fresh or frozen).

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Veggie Curry with Cardamom Yogurt

A richly-spiced vegan curry made with tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and peas is served with a creamy, zippy cardamom yogurt.

Ok family, here’s the post you’ve all been waiting for. Last night was the night we almost burned the house down. All of the pieces were there. It was late, we were tired, and dinner was just about ready. I gave Jack the “five minute warning” to get the camera and computer set up, and he decided right then to do a bunch of software updates on the computer because he must always do this at the most inopportune moments possible. What’s this have to do with a fire? Between being annoyed 20 minutes later at the “5 minute” update,…

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Black Rice & Spring Vegetable Pilaf

Asparagus, broccolini & edamame are mixed with a black rice pilaf to make a healthy spring entree. Herbs & a lemon yogurt sauce top this gluten-free dish.

I love foods when they’re bright in flavor and in color. This recipe starts with a spiced wild rice pilaf and is mixed with fresh asparagus, broccolini and edamame, but feel free to use the vegetables you love most. I’ve been using black wild rice more and more lately (which is actually a grass and not a rice). It makes for a gorgeous presentation, and has the added benefit of being higher in protein than other rices. The warm nutty rice gets flavored with garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin. In the end the pilaf is topped with a bright pop…

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Roasted Cauliflower, Raisins & Capers

This roasted cauliflower dish has to be one of my favorite vegetarian sides. It's sweet, salty, bright & tangy. Serve it over quinoa to make a full meal!

I’ve had cauliflower on the brain lately. Over the last few weeks while everyone was craving chocolate-covered Valentine’s treats, I couldn’t get enough of this salty, sweet roasted goodness. I first had a similar version alongside a salmon dish at Mulberry, a restaurant/wine bar that we frequent. However, since this has been on the menu, we’ve been “frequenting” a little too much. When you go back again and again for the same twenty-seven dollar dish, I figure it’s time to learn how to make it yourself. This is so simple and it makes for such an elegant side dish. I…

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Red Pepper White Bean Spread

This healthy riff on hummus takes under 10 minutes to make. Packed with flavor from red peppers, white beans, lemon, and basil, it's vegan & gluten free.

I added this spread to sandwiches as my contribution to The Food Matters Project this week. It’s a hummus-like spread that I slathered over little toasts and topped with arugula, cucumbers, and scallions. We ate these for lunch yesterday… and then the leftover spread, well, that just got eaten by the spoonful. I love pestos and spreads like this because they’re so versatile. If we didn’t devour the whole batch in one sitting (I made a half batch – big mistake) I would have kept the extra around all week to put on my eggs, spread over roasted veggies, or snack on…

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Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms

A Moroccan-spiced weeknight pasta that will make you feel like you're at a fine dining restaurant. Saffron, mushrooms, herbs, and spinach top it off. Vegan.

We’re not planners… never have been, never will be. A lot of times we pay a hefty price for this behavior (figuratively and also quite literally), but that all becomes worth it when exciting surprises and unexpected happenings occur simply because we’re open to following a whim. Not that this is an example of a life changing “happening”, but isn’t it the small moments that really count? Last Saturday night after a long day of working, we were trying to decide which of our “weekend rotation” restaurants we would go to. Every place seemed to have a crazy 2 hour…

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Sweet Curry Brown Sugar Popcorn

Popcorn in a brown sugar-curry coating makes a sweet, spicy snack. Gluten & dairy free & vegan. Unique 10-minute treat for parties or your next movie night.

Since starting this blog a couple months ago (feels more like a year ago), I’ve “met” some of the nicest people and have received the most encouraging feedback. I honestly thought my mom would be our only reader for the first few months (hi Mom), so the idea that people are actually reading and commenting, and tweeting (lord knows that was quite the learning curve for me) has made me feel just so welcomed. One of the first people to reach out to me the week we launched the site was Kate from the blog Cookie + Kate. I’ve been…

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Beet, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

This roasted beet, avocado & grapefruit salad is my ideal fresh winter meal, with contrasting creamy, crunchy, sweet & tart elements.

This is my favorite winter salad. Although I use the term “winter” lightly – it is almost 70 degrees here. The sun is shining and my windows and doors are open… the dogs are playing in the yard… overall a perfect a Friday afternoon. It’s 20 and snowing in my hometown Chicago, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I live here in Austin where the season for happy hour margaritas on a patio is just around the corner. If it’s cold where you are, hopefully this colorful, juicy, creamy, crunchy grapefruit salad will brighten your day.

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Vegan Nachos with Cashew “Cheese”

A hearty vegan & gluten free nacho recipe with TVP-based taco meat & cashew cheese. Topped with guacamole and pico, these are perfect for spring & summer.

This recipe is from the Native Foods cookbook. Jack and I first stumbled upon Native Foods one night in California on our way back from Disneyland. I typically don’t eat foods at theme parks (I know, I’m “fun” like that), so after the fireworks we set out to drive around and find a restaurant. This was years before iphones and yelp, so it was nothing short of a Disney miracle that we aimlessly found ourselves at this awesome vegan restaurant. If you are new to the idea of nut cheese, it’s really nothing like cheese… but more of a cheese-like…

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Sweet Miso Udon

In this Japanese-inspired bowl, sweet miso sauce coats udon noodles, mushrooms, & tofu. Vegan with a gluten free option and takes under 30 minutes!

Jack has been requesting udon ever since we got back from Japan (over a year ago), so finally, tonight, udon he got. This is not traditional udon – and that’s my disclaimer. I would love to be able to say that we went to Japan and came home able to share something remotely authentic. The truth is that we pointed to things on menus and just hoped that no one would put something in front of me that was still moving. (Jack on the other hand is ok with food that still moves). One day we’ll hopefully become more diligent…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.