Fig & Arugula Wheat Berry Salad

This hearty grain & greens salad makes a healthy side or main in fall or late summer. Packed with fresh veggies & herbs, it can be made vegan & gluten-free!

This is actually the third time I set out to make farro. And for one reason or another, a farro post is still yet to happen. Thanks to my superior pantry labeling system (a million unlabeled bags), I happened to grab these wheat berries instead. Turns out, pre-cooked wheat berries and pre-cooked farro look remarkably similar to each other. Not that it matters… in these salads, any grain will do. The formula is simple: grain + green + nut + chopped fresh herbs + a tangy cheese (optional) + a seasonal special guest. Today’s seasonal guest is figs. But unlike my other…

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Grilled Tofu Tacos with Avocado Cashew Cream

The stars of these tofu tacos are the sauces: a smoky chipotle marinade coats the grilled tofu, and a tangy avocado cashew cream tops them off.

Who doesn’t love a fish taco? Now that I’m a vegetarian, I love veggie-filled vegetarian tacos, but I miss ones filled with flaky fish. My solution? These delicious tofu tacos! To spice up my tofu, I made a chipotle/paprika/lime marinade, which lends a nice smoky balance to the other elements of these tofu tacos: tangy avocado sauce and crisp cabbage slaw. Yes, I know, I’m really into the nut sauces… cashew cream, pestos, romesco. I can tolerate very little dairy, and people give me such sad looks when I tell them that. But really folks… I’m not missing out. You’ll love…

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Roasted Shishito Peppers

Serve these spicy roasted shishito peppers as a fun & healthy appetizer for your next summer cookout! Peanut and miso dipping sauces up the fun & flavor.

Before this year, I don’t think we even knew shishito peppers existed. Now we can’t get enough of them. They seem to be on the menu of nearly every restaurant we frequent and we’ve ordered them countless times… finally, I started making them at home. And I’ll tell you, they are just as good. And as with any simple vegetable preparation, the goodness is likely due to the fact that we’ve had really amazing ones available to us all summer long at our farmers markets. The fun thing about eating these mildly sweet peppers is the fearful anticipation that you’ll…

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Grilled Bell Pepper & Chickpea Salad

A summer salad with red and yellow bell peppers, chickpeas, fresh oregano, and basil! A simple & healthy weeknight dinner for vegans and meat eaters, too.

This Monday, like no other, calls for a healthy start. We got home late Saturday night after spending the week in Chicago. We ate way too many things at way too many places… which is generally how our vacations go. The difference this time is that because we’re food blogging now, I’d make the excuse that we were eating in the name of “inspiration”, or even more ridiculous, “research.” While I might have brought home a few new ideas, I also brought home probably a few extra pounds. So this week is gonna be a healthy one. Yesterday we went to…

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Edamame & Corn Succotash

A fresh & healthy one-pan summer vegetable recipe full of red pepper, green beans, corn, edamame, and tons of fresh herbs. Vegan and gluten free.

I’ve gone on about my love of midwestern corn before. Sweet, juicy, crunchy… the quintessential taste of summer. I’m in Chicago visiting my family this week, and that corn is every bit as good as I remembered. Salt, a little bit of butter, that’s it. I made this succotash a few weeks ago at home with what I call “pretty-good” local Texas corn. It’s the kind of that I don’t feel guilty mixing with other things… crunchy colorful vegetables, spicy jalapeños, and some bright herbs. I love a succotash that is rich and creamy, but to keep this on the lighter side I…

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Roasted Tomato Brown Rice Pasta

Roasted cherry tomatoes burst over gluten-free pasta, basil, and arugula in this simple summer dish. Perfect after a visit to your Farmers Market. Vegan.

Did you know that slavery is happening in today’s tomato fields? Did you know that it is happening, not in a distant land, but right here in the US? They are calling Florida’s tomato fields “ground-zero” for modern-day slavery. I didn’t know this, but it sure inspires me to become even more aware of where the food I eat comes from. Nicole Gulotta, who writes the beautiful food philanthropy blog The Giving Table, has organized today as Food Bloggers for Slave-Free Tomatoes. A whole bunch of food bloggers are posting their slave-free tomato recipes today as a collective voice for change. Here’s the…

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Peach Salsa Tostadas

These easy, flexible tostadas make a fun weeknight summer dinner or party dish! Crispy corn tortillas with sweet & tangy fixings are gluten & meat free.

I know, peaches 2 posts in a row… I usually try to mix it up a bit more, but I just had so many peaches left over after that salad. I had never grilled peaches before so I got tons extra “just in case.” And like always, when I plan for the worst (which is almost never), things work out. So last night we finished off the last of those peaches with these yummy black bean tostadas with peach salsa. And speaking of awesome planning, we’re headed to the airport in a little while (off to Chicago), and I’m scrambling.…

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Grilled Peach Salad & Mint Pesto

This 30-minute salad makes a bright, sweet side on any summer table. Juicy peaches, creamy mozzarella & herbs will please vegetarians & meat eaters alike!

This one has moved to the top of my list for favorite summertime dishes. Sweet grilled peaches, spicy arugula, creamy fresh mozzarella, crunchy pine nuts, and herb-y pesto… It’s simple enough to put together for a light weeknight meal, but fancy enough to serve as a starter at your next dinner party.

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Quinoa Taco Salad

Enjoy this salad for a summer lunch or weeknight dinner. Corn, poblanos, cilantro, and plenty of lime give this hearty vegan salad crunch and zest.

I eat a lot of tacos. Here in Austin, you can’t walk 10 feet without tripping over another taco truck or Mexican restaurant. But my favorite thing is actually the taco in its deconstructed form: the taco salad. You can take this in as many different directions as there are taco fillings, but I especially like this with red quinoa (although if you had non-red quinoa it would taste pretty much the same). The chewy little red kernels sort of take on the essence of taco meat. The rest of the ingredients came together from what I happened to have on…

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Strawberry Quinoa & Feta Salad

Strawberries, feta, greens, and mint make a bright, sweet, and salty spring or summer salad. A healthy gluten free & vegetarian weekday lunch or dinner!

I’m excited to be guest posting at Anthology Magazine this month with a 4-part summer salad series! If you can’t tell by now, I live on salads all summer long, so I’m excited to share some of my favorites. First up, today, is this savory-with-a punch-of-sweet strawberry & feta quinoa salad.  

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Green Bean, Potato & Corn Salad

This Mediterranean summer salad is brightened with a lemon-Dijon vinaigrette & fresh herbs. Serve as a vegan main dish or as a side for your next cookout.

These kinds of salads have been on our table a lot lately. I’ve been craving vegetables with Dijon dressing and capers… mediterranean sorts of flavors with vegetables I happen to have around. Bonus points if I don’t have to go to the store! That’s the kind of lazy summer we’ve been having. So I’m going to keep this short. Get off the internet, go do something fun outside (or not if you live where I do and it’s way too hot). And make salad.

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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.