Roasted Butternut Squash

Learn how to cook butternut squash perfectly every time! Enjoy roasted butternut squash as a simple side dish, or add it to fall soups, pastas & more.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already made a few batches of butternut squash soup by the time mid-October rolls around. But while butternut squash soup is hands down one of my favorite fall foods, my love for butternut doesn’t end there. When I’m not making soup, I like to simply roast butternut squash. Golden brown, caramelized, and seasoned with salt and pepper, it has a delectable sweet and salty taste and buttery texture. If you’ve never roasted butternut squash before, you have to try it this fall! Today, I’m sharing my go-to roasted butternut squash recipe. It’s super easy…

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How to Make Pumpkin Puree

This fall, skip the canned pumpkin and learn how to make pumpkin puree at home with fresh pumpkin (or squash)! It's delicious, easy, and fun to make.

There are plenty of great reasons to know how to make pumpkin puree at home, even if you can find it in a can. Why make homemade pumpkin puree? You live in a country where pumpkin puree is not available in cans but you still want to partake in all of the yummy fall pumpkin recipes that are all around the internet and Instagram. You got overzealous at the farmers market because the pumpkin was so cute and fall looking, and you didn’t realize you’d have at least 20 pounds/9 kilos of squash to deal with. (pictured below) You got…

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Butternut Squash Soup

Served piping hot with a hunk of crusty bread, this creamy, nourishing butternut squash soup recipe is fall comfort food at its best.

My favorite fall tradition is making butternut squash soup on Sunday afternoons. On a brisk day, there’s nothing more soothing than chopping and simmering vegetables over a warm stove. As you cook, the kitchen fills with the cozy scent of sage, rosemary, and butternut squash, and when you’re finished, steaming bowls of butternut squash soup (that will last all week!) reward you for your work. In the past, my go-to butternut squash soup recipe has included coconut milk and curry spices, but this fall, I found myself craving one that was a bit more traditional. When I say traditional, I…

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Whole Oat Porridge

This whole oat porridge recipe transformed me from an oatmeal skeptic to a devoted fan! Creamy, hearty, and warming, it can be made sweet or savory.

It’s no secret that I haven’t been a huge fan of oatmeal. See, every morning in college, I cooked instant oats for breakfast. They were cheap, quick, and they filled me up, but after years of eating them day after day, I got sick of their mushy texture and bland taste. I thought that nothing could convince me to try oatmeal again, until I saw the Porridge section of Amy Chaplin’s new book, Whole Food Cooking Every Day. I’ve been a fan of Amy for years – she’s the former executive chef of Angelica Kitchen (the NYC restaurant that first…

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Tahini Sauce

Creamy, nutty, and bright, this easy tahini sauce will become a staple in your kitchen. Drizzle it over falafel, grain bowls, salads, and more!

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I love tahini. In the past, I’ve posted tahini cookies, salad dressings, oatmeal, and even ice cream, but today, I’m finally sharing my favorite 5-ingredient lemon tahini sauce recipe. This tahini sauce is incredibly versatile, as it shines on salads, sandwiches, falafel, bowls, and more! My basic version is similar to what you’d find at any Middle Eastern falafel or shawarma restaurant, but I’m also including three delicious variations here. Honestly, I can’t choose a favorite. They all pack a punch of vivid color and bold flavor, and making…

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Pickled Red Onions

Want to jazz up your next salad or bowl? Add pickled red onions! Tangy & sweet, they're the best way to give almost any dish a bright pop of flavor!

Pickled red onions have been an indispensable ingredient in my kitchen for years. Not only are they a gorgeous, vibrant pink, but they’re tangy, sweet, and a little crunchy. I like to say that they give sandwiches, salads, bowls, and more a “bright pop of flavor,” and though Jack makes fun of me for how often I use that phrase, I can’t think of a better way to describe them. Try making a batch of quick pickled red onions, and you’ll see what I mean. Top a few onto an otherwise good sandwich or salad, and it’ll become great. Their…

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Baked Sweet Potato

Learn how to bake sweet potatoes with these tips & tricks! Enjoy them with butter, salt & pepper, or in one of my favorite baked sweet potato recipes.

When the air starts to get crisp in the fall, I start craving two things: a bowl of soup and a big, puffy baked sweet potato. Both are warming, cozy, and healthy. But while making butternut squash soup might be one of my favorite Sunday activities, a baked sweet potato is my weeknight standby. They’re incredibly easy to make, as your oven does 95% of the work. While they bake, you’re free to do as you please! Prep the remaining components of your meal, finish up with the day’s work, or catch up with family or friends. Then, take them out…

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How to Cook Fluffy Quinoa

Learn how to cook perfect quinoa every time with my tried & true method. Then, use it in bowls, salads, or one of my 17 favorite quinoa recipes below!

For a lot of you, back-to-school season is meal prep season. As you get into a new routine at work, at home, or at school, having meals ready to grab & go in the fridge can be a lifesaver. One of my go-to meal prep tips is having a cooked grain on hand to bulk up salads or add to bowls. Quinoa is one of my all-time favorites: it’s SUPER healthy, it pairs well with a wide range of flavors, and it cooks in under 30 minutes! Everyone has their own method for how to cook quinoa, but I’ve been…

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Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

You'll make this easy chickpea salad recipe again & again! It keeps well if you prep it ahead of time, so pack it up for a sweet/savory healthy lunch.

Chickpea salad has been one of my go-to lunches for years. With back-to-school season right around the corner, I thought I’d share my favorite chickpea salad recipe with all of you! Because of the protein from the chickpeas, it’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but it can also double as a healthy side dish. The garbanzo beans hold up well in the fridge, so you can easily make it ahead for parties and lunches. And with a mix of beans, herbs, and fresh vegetables all cut to a similar size, you get a delicious blend of…

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White Bean Dip

You only need 4 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this creamy white bean dip! Served with pita chips and veggies, it's a delicious snack or appetizer.

If you have cannellini beans, olive oil, and a lemon in your kitchen, you’re well on your way to making this white bean dip recipe. My advice? Go for it! It comes together in seconds in the bowl of a food processor, and it’s absolutely delicious. Lemon juice and zest fill it with bright flavor, olive oil adds richness, and the white beans blend into smooth and creamy perfection. Once you have it on hand, you’ll find yourself scooping it up with carrot sticks and pita chips, slathering it onto sandwiches, dolloping it onto bowls, or (like me) eating it…

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Charred Cherry Tomatoes

Cumin seeds add a surprising spiced note to this easy blistered cherry tomatoes recipe. Serve it as a summer appetizer with lots of crusty bread!

Over the last two years, Jack and I have found that cherry tomatoes are surprisingly easy to grow. We haven’t had success with everything we’ve tried raising (this year mint has been especially tricky), but our cherry tomato plants are going pretty well. We started them from transplants, and now they’re thriving in big pots ringed in by tomato cages. As each plant grows, it produces bright yellow, bite-sized summer treats (see our little homegrown yellow variety of cherry tomatoes in this post)! As summer winds down, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’ll miss our little back deck…

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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.