Butternut Squash & Tart Cherry Quinoa

My #1 favorite healthy & hearty fall salad with butternut squash, tart cherries and a savory apple cider sage dressing. Gluten free.

My mom loves to clip articles. Newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, stories, recipes – sometimes they come in the mail, sometimes she saves them up for a visit. A couple of years ago she brought me a recipe for a couscous salad clipped from Edible Michiana that was similar to this one. We made it, loved it… then later I lost it. But I could never get this sweet & savory flavor combo out of my mind so I’ve been making versions of it ever since. The original recipe used couscous but I used quinoa here because it’s the grain I usually have on hand. I…

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Healthy Granola

This easy 7-ingredient granola recipe is a delicious healthy snack or quick breakfast. It not only tastes delicious, but it smells amazing while it cooks!

This is my go-to healthy granola recipe. Packed with oats and nuts and naturally sweetened with maple syrup, it’s a great way to get fiber and healthy fats into your first meal of the day. Even better, it clumps well! I add a tablespoon of almond butter to bind the components together, so you get plenty of delicious nutty clusters. I like to make it on Sunday and have it on hand for yogurt parfaits throughout the week! While we don’t have kids that are going back to school this week, I’m starting to think more and more about healthy make-ahead breakfast…

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Tart Cherry & Mint Iced Tea

We have a new superfood obsession – we’re head over heels in love with tart cherries. It started with this froyo recipe, but since then I’ve been tossing frozen tart cherries into our morning smoothies and mixing tart cherry juice into cocktails, (among other simple uses)… It’s an understatement to say that Jack and I both drink a lot of iced tea. While I usually prefer unsweetened tea – I’ve found that adding just a splash of tart cherry juice to plain black tea (or green tea) is so deliciously tangy and refreshing… and just slightly sweet, which is the way I…

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Spicy Sweet Potato Avocado Tostadas

There are no cool breezes in the air, but fall feelings are starting to happen in Austin by way of our local produce selection. This recipe was created from as many things from my Farmhouse Delivery (a local CSA-like farm share) box that I could fit into one meal. I received a sweet potato the size of my small dog Annie, and a bunch of tiny grape tomatoes – so I thought hearty tostadas with fresh, spicy salsa would be fitting for an in-between seasonal dinner. The okra here isn’t totally necessary but I had tons to use up so in it went. Feel free to…

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Spicy Peach Jam

Learn how to make peach jam with this easy recipe! Slather it onto toast, dollop it onto ice cream, or top it onto tacos for a surprising sweet twist.

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with my friend Grace, and she brought me the most delicious homemade blackberry jam. Since making jam isn’t really my jam, I asked her if she would come over and share a recipe for the blog. I love peaches, and they were in peak season, so we decided on spicy peach jam. And last weekend, we jammed. Well, technically, she jammed. I watched. Jack took pictures. How to Make Peach Jam Canning aside, I was surprised how easy this peach jam recipe was. It looks long but, really, the most time consuming part is…

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How to Make Frozen Yogurt

Learn how to make frozen yogurt with this easy frozen yogurt recipe! Luscious, rich & creamy, it beats soft-serve froyo any day.

We’ve made a lot of ice creams before, so I don’t know why it’s taken us this long to think of making a frozen yogurt recipe with actual yogurt! Guess what? It tastes nothing like the soft-serve froyo you get from frozen yogurt shops. It’s creamy, luscious, and rich, made with Greek yogurt, a bit of coconut cream, a little sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. The yogurt gives it a tangy flavor (a little like cheesecake), and it has a bright pop from the tart cherries that are marbled throughout. We’re kind of obsessed. How to Make Frozen Yogurt To make this frozen…

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Watermelon St. Germain Cocktails

In case I haven’t mentioned it before – it’s pretty hot here. I’ve been eating watermelon like crazy because, well, I think it just might be the most refreshing fruit on the planet. I had been thinking of making watermelon margaritas until I had the most refreshing elderflower & vodka watermelon cocktail made by the Tipsy Texan a few weeks ago at the opening of Métier Cook’s Supply (a really cute kitchen supply store, btw – if you’re in Austin, go check it out). This is definitely a simplified version but I get impatient to make cocktails that have more than just a few easy ingredients.…

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Fig & Ricotta Flatbread Pizza

It’s possible that I’ve been going a little salad crazy around here lately. Jack has brought it to my attention that we may have one too many salad recipes on the site. So this week, I’m changing things up: first pasta and now pizza. Because sometimes we all need to live a little and just say yes to a few carbs. So last Sunday night when I announced “pizza night!,” I got a thumbs up from Jack. When I said “it’s gluten free pizza night!!!!” he gave me a look. I knew Pamela’s pizza crust would be good (like I mentioned…

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Wine-ey Peaches & Cream

… otherwise known as: peaches leftover from the bottom of your sangria pitcher. With ice cream. And a pinch of cinnamon if you want to get fancy. This weekend might have been my laziest summer weekend yet. Jack was out of town so I really kicked back. I ate some pretty interesting (yet amazing) watermelon sushi Friday night with a girlfriend… went for a long sweaty walk this morning… and then caught up on every episode of Food Network Star. I can’t say I’m on pins and needles about tonight’s finale because my favorite girl (Emma) got kicked off a few episodes back. I guess I’m…

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Peach Sangria

Ginger, basil & mint give this peach sangria recipe a delicious herbal kick. Cold & refreshing, it's just the thing for hot summer days.

Happy Friday! I have the easiest, summeriest cocktail to share with you: peach sangria! This weekend, it’s going to be 102 degrees(!) here in Austin. Because hot summer days call for cold, refreshing drinks, I decided to come up with a new summer party drink recipe. I figure everyone loves sangria, so I thought – what would be more seasonal than peach sangria? Now one of my favorite sangria recipes, this drink is sweet, but not too sweet, and packed full of fruit and herbs. Peach Sangria Recipe Ingredients The base is simple: white wine, Grand Marnier, and fresh peaches. I also added…

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Sweet Potato Avocado Salad (& video!)

Check it out – a video! We recently partnered with the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission to create videos about one of my favorite foods – the sweet potato. Here’s a recipe that will start to get you in the mood for fall, but is still light and fresh. Below are a few of my favorite screenshots. Scroll down (or click the image above) for the video. Special thanks to Rightfrog Productions for the video work!

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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.