Guacamole Beyond Burgers w/ Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

Easy grillable plant-based burgers with easy guacamole and spicy grilled sweet potato wedges. Great for summer cookouts! Vegan.

When I first tried to become vegetarian (many years ago), the concept was so new to me that I didn’t really know what to eat. My go-to easy “meals” were those tiny cardboard-flavored frozen veggie burgers. I’d eat them for dinner and I’d bring them to cookouts… they tasted terrible and everyone around me thought I was a little crazy. It wasn’t long until I quit frozen veggie burgers altogether. A few weeks ago, we gave the Beyond Burger a whirl and wow(!), have plant-based burgers come a long way! First off, you’ll actually find them in the meat case…

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Avocado Summer Rolls

These fresh vegetable summer rolls make a fantastic healthy snack or light meal. Serve with creamy vegan coconut basil sauce for dipping!

All of the fresh herbs that we have growing on our little deck inspired this recipe for summer rolls. We have a ton of basil and some very fragrant Thai basil, among other plants like Thai chiles, tomatoes, peppers, and even figs. We’re very proud of our little plant escape, and when I say “we” I mean that I’m very proud that Jack has been lovingly watering everything up to twice a day to keep it all going. This might be the longest that we’ve actually kept plants alive. Dipping Sauce for Summer Rolls Since I know many of you…

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Asian Slaw

This Asian slaw recipe is filled with my favorite summer ingredients - fresh herbs & peaches - and tossed in a tangy miso dressing. Perfect for picnics!

This Asian slaw recipe falls into my favorite category of food: summer salads! Colorful, juicy, crunchy, sweet, bitter, herby, spicy… there are so many flavors and textures to put together with all of the great fruits and vegetables that are in season right now. I love a good salad all year round, but the summer salad will always have my heart. This Asian slaw recipe is a fantastic example of the summer salad’s potential. It takes under 30 minutes to make, and it’s jam-packed with contrasting textures and flavors. It’d be a perfect side dish for a cookout, but it’s…

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Sweet Corn & Arugula Panzanella

This Sweet Corn & Arugula Panzanella is a great vegetarian grilling side. Omit the cheese to make it vegan, or add a few chickpeas and some extra greens to make it a meal!

Tell me, what’s your favorite summer salad? If you said panzanella, you’re at the right place. If you didn’t say panzanella, that’s ok too, because I think you’ll be converted after you try this one! 🙂 It’s the ultimate summer salad to make with a bounty of fresh tomatoes. Or in this case, if you have a few tomatoes and a bounty of fresh sweet corn. Panzanella may be an Italian bread salad, but the special part about this panzanella is that it’s not entirely about the bread. I think bread salads can often get a bit too bread-y, which…

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Vegan Burrito Bowl

Move over, Chipotle! This vegan burrito bowl recipe is super flavorful and easy to make. Kick it up a notch with pineapple salsa and plenty of guac.

I love a Chipotle burrito bowl as much as the next person, but for my money, this sweet and spicy vegan burrito bowl recipe is just as good. While making it may not be quite as quick as grabbing lunch to-go, it’s still pretty easy to make, thanks to a secret ingredient: chipotles in adobo sauce! The sauce acts as a 1-ingredient marinade for meaty portobello mushroom caps, and I mix pinto and black beans with the chopped peppers to infuse them with some heat. A scoop of pineapple salsa adds a delicious sweet contrast, while burrito bowl essentials – fajita…

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Farmers Market Breakfast Bowl

This breakfast bowl recipe is meant for days when you have an abundance of fresh veggies. A delicious garlic & herb yogurt sauce ties it all together.

Lately, my fridge has been overloaded with vegetables! We’ve been hitting one, if not two, farmers markets each week. After a long winter, I’m still in awe that we’re able to leave the house, enjoy the fresh air, and peruse rows and rows of glorious vegetables. I want to buy them all! It’s hard for me to hold back, even though I’m mindful of what we’ll actually be able to eat in a week. Another thing that’s hard to hold – my heavy veggie bags as Jack runs off to find the nearest cheese sandwich vendor. With all of this…

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My Favorite Easy Summer Recipes

A round up of simple vegetarian summer dishes that elevate peak-season produce. Find ideas for delicious soups, salads, pastas, sandwiches, and more!

This is how I feel about summer cooking: I don’t want to spend tons of time in the kitchen, but I DO want to make meals at home using all of the seasonal produce that is so stunning at this time of year. The nice thing about summer cooking is that since the ingredients are so wonderful, you don’t have to do much to them in order to make a great dish. Click on the pictures to go to the full recipes: Blackberry Basil Pizza This is the easiest recipe in this post! Because blackberries and basil are such flavorful…

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Yogurt Pound Cake

This simple pound cake recipe is moist, lightly sweet & nicely spiced. It's a divine afternoon treat, especially with dollops of yogurt & in-season fruit.

I hope you’re all having a great weekend! Ours has been pretty chill – we went to the farmers market, Jack played video games, and I did some baking. I’m excited to share this lovely little pound cake recipe with you because I think it’s the perfect Sunday afternoon treat. It’s lightly sweet and nicely spiced. Yogurt makes it tangy while giving it a nice puffed up look. It’s moist with that perfect cake-y crumb that you want in a quick bread. My Pound Cake Recipe To be fair, I’m stretching the term “pound cake” a little here. It’s traditionally…

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Cucumber Gazpacho

Spice up your summer with this easy cucumber gazpacho! Made with tomatillos, cucumber, jalapeño & cilantro, it's a cool, refreshing soup.

I love gazpacho. If it’s on a restaurant menu, I’m ordering it, and once summer rolls around, I make it at home as much as I can. To date, I’ve made gazpacho recipes out of watermelon, tomatoes (raw and roasted), corn, green apples, zucchini, and even carrots. I think it’s fun to experiment with different types of fruits and vegetables to find out if they can blend up into delicious cold soups. So why did it take me so long to think about tomatillos and cucumber?! I get giddy about tomatillo salsa, so the obvious next step was to throw…

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Vegan Ice Cream

Say hello to the BEST vegan ice cream recipe! Made with just 3 ingredients, it's super creamy, smooth, rich, delicious, and easy to make.

Meet the BEST vegan ice cream. Ever. Yep, I said it. Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts of vegan ice cream recipes, ones with bases ranging from frozen bananas to cashew milk to almond milk. For me, there’s no contest. As far as dairy-free ice cream goes, coconut ice cream is by far the best. Full-fat coconut milk adds enough richness to create a texture that is super creamy, smooth, and not at all icy. It’s rich, decadent, and every bit as good as the real thing. Best Vegan Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients Lately, this vegan ice cream recipe…

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Ultimate Crudité Platter

Move over, grocery store veggie tray - here's the ultimate crudité platter for any party! Full of sweet & savory components, it's a delicious appetizer.

I love a good crudité platter. I feel like they get a bad rap because the grocery store versions with the sad celery, raw cauliflower, and grubby carrots are never the most exciting appetizer at a party, but this board fixes that by being bright, fun, and delicious! It’s a yummy mix of fresh things, salty/savory bites, and even a sweet element from the delectable Tart Cherry Thyme Compound Butter. Each little recipe is made up of super simple combinations of creative ingredients that, together, make a really unique crudité platter! I brought this board to my family’s Father’s Day…

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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.