Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This refreshing strawberry banana smoothie recipe is the perfect healthy breakfast! It's lightly sweet, a little creamy, and totally satisfying.

“I walked outside and felt like I was swimming,” is what Jack said the other day as I picked him up from the airport, fresh off a flight from LA. It’s humid here, to say the least, and the air is thick. It’s the kind of heat that sort of takes your breath away as soon as you walk out the door. But I’m not complaining, it always takes just a few weeks for the body to acclimate to our summer temps. Hydration is the key. Eight glasses of water (don’t know who recommended that) is just not enough, so I’ve…

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Carrot Smørrebrød Crisps

Inspired by open-faced Danish Smørrebrød sandwiches, I made an all-veggie version using smoky roasted & marinated carrots instead of salmon.

A few years ago, Jack and I visited Copenhagen, where we ate lots and lots (and lots) of Smørrebrød. If you aren’t familiar with smørrebrød, they are open faced sandwiches with artfully-piled toppings on dense, rectangle-shaped rye bread. It’s the national dish of Denmark… that I’m about to make a completely non-traditional version of – but this is super yummy, so let’s just have fun and go with it! 🙂 Smørrebrød toppings vary widely, but many common combinations include smoked salmon and dill. I’ve been wanting to create a fun veggie variation for a while now, so when Wasa, my favorite…

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Vegan Egg Salad

This bright and briny vegan egg salad is just as good as the real thing! Made with turmeric, tofu, vegan mayo, and mustard, it's healthy and easy to make.

I could eat this vegan egg salad for lunch every day in the spring. It’s bright and briny, creamy and tangy, and every bit as good as the real thing. Tofu steps in for the eggs, so it’s packed with enough plant-based protein to keep you full till dinner. And because you don’t need to have hard boiled eggs on hand to make it, it comes together in no time. Mix it up, pile it between slices of bread with your favorite fresh fixings, and dig in! Vegan Egg Salad Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy vegan…

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Vegan Chocolate Cake

The BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe! It's moist and deeply chocolatey, with a rich chocolate frosting made from a secret healthy ingredient.

This vegan chocolate cake recipe comes from my new cookbook, Love & Lemons Every Day. Today, I’m sharing it in honor of the book’s launch, but this vegan cake recipe would be perfect for any celebration. It’s moist and delicious, with a rich dark chocolate flavor. Topped in a luscious frosting, it’s a dessert that everyone will love, whether they’re vegan or not. Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe Ingredients This vegan chocolate cake tastes rich and decadent, but secretly, it’s healthy. Healthy for a cake, that is. 🙂 Here’s what you’ll need to make it: All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour…

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Macro Veggie Bowl

A vibrant turmeric tahini sauce is the star of this delicious veggie bowl! It adds a pop of bright flavor to the mix of fresh vegetables, rice, and beans.

When we lived in Austin, I headed to a macrobiotic restaurant called Casa de Luz whenever I craved a nourishing, cleansing veggie bowl like this one. Instead of offering a menu, it serves one rotating meal that always contains a grain, a legume, blanched greens, steamed vegetables, a pickled vegetable, and a delicious sauce. It may sound limiting, but I’ve honestly had some of the best sauce and vegetable pairings of my life there. If you’re ever in Austin, make sure you check it out! Inspired by years of enjoying delicious, nourishing meals at Casa de Luz, I used the…

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Vegan Banana Pancakes

If you like banana bread, then you'll love these vegan banana pancakes! They're lightly sweet, thick, fluffy, and filled with yummy banana flavor.

This stack of vegan banana pancakes pretty much sums up my ideal Saturday morning. Except, well, I don’t eat 7 pancakes on my individual plate, but Jack would if I put them in front of him. Portion control aside, if you have ripe bananas hanging around, give these vegan banana pancakes a try! They’re easy to make in one bowl, and they’re thick, fluffy, and full of yummy banana flavor. I think you’re going to love them! Vegan Banana Pancakes Ingredients These vegan banana pancakes aren’t just delicious – they’re good for you, too! Here’s what’s in them: Bananas, of…

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Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas make a great protein-packed vegan snack! Enjoy them on their own, or add them to your favorite healthy dishes for crispy texture.

If you like chickpeas, you’re going to LOVE this roasted chickpeas recipe! It’s no secret I’m a fan of chickpeas – they’re a great addition to soups, stews, salads, sandwiches, you name it. Not only are they a good vegetarian protein source, but they can also bump up the textural contrast in a dish. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, though, you know that I’m not a fan of mushy food. Sometimes I’m craving something crispy in a salad, and chickpeas’ soft texture won’t satisfy me. Enter: roasted chickpeas. They still have all the protein and heartiness…

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How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is such a fun, underrated vegetable! Here is my favorite way to cook it, along with a few tips and recipes.

I get so many questions about how to cook spaghetti squash, so I thought I’d share my go-to method for roasting it, a few tips, and a couple of my favorite spaghetti squash recipes. How to Cook Spaghetti Squash First thing’s first: use a sharp knife to cut it in half lengthwise. After you slice the squash in half, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Next, drizzle the insides lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I find that adding too much oil and too much salt at this stage makes the squash a bit…

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Maki Sushi Recipe

Fun & fresh maki sushi rolls made with brown rice, roasted shiitakes, cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and a tangy carrot-ginger dipping sauce.

It’s sushi day! You might be wondering – why the heck would you roll sushi at home when it’s so much easier to order it at a restaurant? Because this maki sushi recipe is fun, affordable, and way more fresh than take-out sushi… but the best part is that you can get creative about what you choose to fill your rolls with. No more cucumber-only veggie sushi rolls! These maki sushi rolls are filled with savory roasted shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, and red cabbage for crunch & color. There’s also a fun dipping sauce – the carrot ginger dressing from…

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Kale Salad

The BEST kale salad recipe! It's packed with colorful vegetables, crispy chickpeas, avocado, cranberries, and pepitas. Great for lunch!

Kale salad recipes aren’t as trendy as they used to be, but I’m still making them, and I think you should be too. My case in point is this kale salad recipe, which, if I do say so myself, is one of the most delicious ways to eat kale. A vibrant carrot ginger dressing coats the tender leafy greens, and roasted chickpeas, colorful veggies, and avocado add lots of contrasting textures. I love to serve it as a side dish because it pairs well with almost any meal, but it’s also hearty enough to pass as a standalone lunch. The sturdy…

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Sesame Noodle Bowl

This easy noodle bowl recipe is a delicious combination of crispy snap peas, sweet orange segments, shiitake mushrooms, and a savory miso dressing.

This noodle bowl is one of my favorite “bowl food” recipes. “Bowl food” always has a mix of delicious veggie-heavy ingredients with varying tastes, textures, and flavors, with a hearty base underneath. It’s fun to eat because you get something a little different in each bite. The inconvenient thing about component bowls is that all those components can take time to prepare. Chopping and cooking raw plant-based ingredients is time-consuming! This Sesame Orange Noodle Bowl is the exception, though. You’ll be surprised how quickly and easily it comes together! How to Make this Noodle Bowl Recipe Whisk together the simple…

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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.