Lemon Butter Sauce

This rich, flavorful lemon butter sauce is delicious on pasta, roasted veggies, and more. Made with 5 ingredients, it comes together in minutes.

Earlier this spring, I started making this lemon butter sauce to serve with steamed artichokes. Since then, I’ve started serving it with so much more – pasta, roasted veggies, couscous. It’s deliciously buttery and rich, with a bright, savory flavor from lemon juice and garlic. You only need 5 ingredients to make it, and it comes together in less than 5 minutes. I mean, why not drizzle it over everything? Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe Ingredients You only need 5 ingredients to make this recipe: Butter, of course! I recommend using unsalted butter here. That way, you have complete control over the…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Roasted Artichokes

This roasted artichoke recipe is my favorite way to cook baby artichokes. Tender and flavorful, they're a delicious appetizer or side dish.

I make this roasted artichoke recipe whenever I see baby artichokes at the farmers market or grocery store. I have a soft spot for anything mini – from cherry tomatoes and peppers to skillets and spoons – so whenever the little, purple-streaked artichokes catch my eye, I can’t resist buying them. They’re super cute, of course, but they have other advantages too. If you’ve ever cooked full-sized globe artichokes, you know that you need to scoop out the fuzzy choke inside the artichoke heart. That’s not the case here: once you peel off a baby artichoke’s outer leaves, you can…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Easy Mango Salsa

Change up your salsa game with this sweet and spicy mango salsa recipe! Scoop it up with tortilla chips, or top it onto tacos, burritos, and more.

With Cinco de Mayo coming up tomorrow, I thought I’d pop in to share this mango salsa. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make throughout the spring and summer because it’s refreshing, fun, and so darn simple. Follow the recipe once or twice, and you’ll be able to leave the measuring cups in the drawer and just eyeball the ingredients. After that, you can change it up in all sorts of ways. Mix in avocado, or add some black beans. You could even toss in pickled jalapeños! Because this is such an easy, flexible recipe, it lends itself well…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Mango Margarita

This frozen mango margarita recipe is my ideal warm weather drink. It's tangy, frosty, sweet, and refreshing. Pass the chips and salsa, please!

It’s finally warming up in Chicago, so we’re cooling off with this mango margarita! To me, it’s the perfect warm weather drink – frosty, refreshing, and blissfully easy to make. Just toss 5 ingredients into the blender, puree until smooth, and enjoy! Yep, making this frozen mango margarita recipe is as simple as that. Another great thing about this recipe? It’s all about the mango. Instead of using mango juice or added sweeteners, I blend up frozen mango to create its thick texture and sweet, tangy flavor. Once you try it, you’ll never make a mango margarita any other way. It’s smooth,…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

How to Cut a Mango

Learn how to cut a mango with this step-by-step guide! Then, enjoy the sweet, juicy fruit as a snack, or add it to your favorite mango recipes.

Welcome to How to Cut a Mango 101! Here on Love & Lemons, we have recipes for mango salsa, mango tacos, mango margaritas, and even mango sushi. Suffice it to say, a simple guide on how to cut a mango is way overdue. Cutting a mango isn’t difficult, but if you’re attempting it for the first time, it can be perplexing. Should you peel it first? What shape should the pieces be? And what on earth should you do about that pit? If you’re asking these questions, you’re in the right place! Below, you’ll find my method for how to…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Pinto Beans

Once you learn how to cook pinto beans from scratch, the canned kind will never taste the same. Creamy and flavorful, they're a delicious side dish.

“I’m never buying pinto beans in a can again!” I told Jack last week, as I savored spoonful after spoonful of pinto beans straight from a pot on the stove. Maybe I was exaggerating (canned beans are darn convenient, after all), but I’ll certainly reach for them less often than I used to. If the last year has taught me anything, it’s that cooking pinto beans from scratch will yield creamier, more flavorful beans every time. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m arriving late to the dried beans party. A few years back, I did try cooking them, but without…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

25 Taco Toppings for Your Next Taco Bar

Looking for a fun, flavorful dinner idea? Try a taco bar! Warm a stack of tortillas, and let everyone fill them with their favorite taco toppings.

On nights when I have a bunch of odds and ends in the fridge – minced cilantro, sliced chiles, a container of cooked black beans – I warm a stack of tortillas and set out a taco bar for dinner. It’s a long way from traditional Mexican food, of course, but Jack and I still have fun piling our tacos with whatever toppings sound best. I love this kind of DIY dinner on weeknights. For one, it’s way easier to drum up taco toppings than it is to make one composed main dish, especially if you start with fixings that…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

If you love easy recipes that pack a huge punch of flavor, these roasted cauliflower tacos are for you. They're healthy, delicious, and simple to make.

When I opened Julia Turshen’s new cookbook Simply Julia, I landed on a photo of these roasted cauliflower tacos. My first thought? “I want to eat that.” After trying them, I think it’s safe to say that you’ll want to eat these cauliflower tacos too. They’re jam-packed with flavor from nutty roasted cauliflower, aromatic spices, and a zingy avocado sauce, and they’re also super easy to make. Roast the veggies, whizz up the sauce, stuff it all into tortillas, and voila! Dinner is served. If you’re looking for more recipes that combine easy prep with big flavor, I highly recommend you…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Avocado Sauce

This bright and creamy avocado sauce is delicious on tacos, quesadillas, veggie burgers, and more! With just 5 ingredients, it's a breeze to make.

This avocado sauce is the perfect topping for these roasted cauliflower tacos. Or any tacos, for that matter. It’s smooth, rich, and creamy, with a punch of bright flavor from lime. You only need 5 ingredients to make it, and it comes together in less than 5 minutes. I think it might be a new taco night staple in our house! The recipe comes from Julia Turshen’s new cookbook Simply Julia, which is packed with 110 recipes for healthy comfort food. Like this avocado sauce recipe (and these cauliflower tacos), each one is simple to make, but filled with flavor. They’re…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Stovetop Popcorn

Planning your next movie night? This easy stovetop popcorn recipe is exactly what you need! Crispy and flavorful, it's an irresistible salty snack.

What’s a good movie night without a bowl of freshly popped popcorn?! With the Oscars coming up this weekend, I thought I’d share a recipe for the stovetop popcorn that Jack and I love to make at home. Heads up – this stuff is seriously addictive. Salty, crunchy, and tossed with a savory sprinkle of nutritional yeast, it’ll ruin you for bagged popcorn forever. It’s crispier, it’s more flavorful, and it’s so simple to make that buying pre-popped popcorn is hardly easier. Seriously! You’re just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes away from a delectable salty snack. How to Make Popcorn…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

What is Nutritional Yeast?

If you're wondering, "What is nutritional yeast?", you're in the right place! Read on to learn about what this tasty umami ingredient is and how to use it.

One of the most common questions readers ask me is, “What is nutritional yeast?”. I get it! At one time, this funky, flaky yellow powder seemed like a totally out-there ingredient to me. But today, it has a permanent place in my pantry. I use it for making “cheesy” vegan sauces and dips, punching up popcorn, and adding savory flavor to soups, scrambles, and more. Because so many of you have asked about nutritional yeast, I thought it deserved a post of its own. Below, you’ll find my Nutritional Yeast 101, complete with info on what nutritional yeast actually is,…

TO THE POST >>>>
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.