Vegan Chocolate PB&J Cups

Ever think “I’d like to combine my favorite school lunch with my favorite halloween candy?” Well neither had I – until Jeanine (this is Jack, by the way) came up with this crazy and amazing snack idea. And she even put some salt on top, just to cement it as the best peanut-butter cup idea ever. I’m sorry that this post is a bit light on the photos – I kind of… ate… the subjects before we could take more follow up shots. Sorry about that. Just make your own – you won’t regret it. These are also vegan and gluten…

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Fig & Arugula Salad w/ Pistachio Pesto

fall / salads / gluten free

A few weeks ago, I made this in pizza form… since then, I haven’t been able to get the ingredient combination out of my mind. I knew it was destined to become a really great salad, so here we have it – a late summer/early fall salad with figs, arugula, balsamic, pistachios and a few dollops of pistachio pesto. Instead of ricotta, I tore creamy pieces of burrata and added some diced avocado. (Just skip the cheese if you’re vegan – this is indulgent enough without it). For me, this salad hits every note a good well-rounded salad should – sweet, salty, creamy…

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Roasted Chickpea Ratatouille

late summer / vegan / gluten free

Everyone loves a one-pot meal. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the one-pan meal. Arrange everything onto a baking sheet, have a glass of wine, and let the oven do the work. Start with a good assortment of late summer veggies. (p.s. how cute are those little round squashes?). Chop your eggplant, squash and tomatoes so they’re roughly the same size (about 1-inch pieces). Pile everything onto a baking sheet – this time, it’s ok if things are little crowded. Normally, you’d want more space between your vegetables but you want your ratatouille to be a little juicy, so this…

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Gluten-free Blueberry Banana Muffins

gluten free / baking / Pamela's

Bananas are one of the few foods I really don’t like. Bananas and cantaloupe, in case you were curious. Banana bread, however, is one of my favorite things ever. And because I’m impatient, I often make it in muffin form. Eighteen minutes is long enough to wait, don’t you think? These are gluten free but you wouldn’t know it. In fact, I didn’t even tell Jack until after he had already inhaled three. I used Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking & Pancake Mix and the texture came out just perfect. The flavor – sweet and banana-ey…everything you’d want in a muffin, gluten free or not. I added…

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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.

fall / salads

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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Whole Wheat Vegan Waffles

A squeeze of lemon gives these whole wheat vegan waffles a lovely buttermilk flavor and light texture. A great healthy weekend brunch!

breakfast / vegan / almond breeze

Fall happened for me last night. I stepped off the plane at Midway Airport (in shorts) and immediately thought “they really have the AC blasting here.” Until I realized, oh wait, that’s just Chicago. As I write this, I’m sitting in the kitchen I grew up in (with a few sweaters on), thinking about some of my warmest fall memories… Saturday mornings with pancakes and waffles are definitely at the top the list. Crisp, cool air, hot waffles… and most likely the Muppet Babies on TV in the background. Make-Ahead Vegan Waffles These vegan waffles are great right off the waffle iron, but lately (especially…

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Grilled Eggplant & Pesto Sandwiches

summer / vegetarian / vegan-option

You probably don’t need a recipe to make a sandwich but I couldn’t help but share this big juicy stack of late-summer grilled veggies. I rarely make sandwiches these days, (mostly because I live in the town of tacos)… but these simply grilled eggplant slices were just begging to be put between bread and slathered with arugula-walnut pesto. I piled on some roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella. Sub avocado for the cheese if you’re vegan. Then get out the napkins because things are gonna get messy! You can assemble your sandwich like I did, or put the ingredients on a platter so everyone…

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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!

vegan / gluten free

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

summer / beverage / tart cherries

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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Soba Noodles with Shishitos & Avocado

vegan / vegetarian

People like to ask me “what’s your favorite recipe?” and I never have an answer. My “favorite” is often what’s most recent and/or what’s coming up next… But this one combines two definite favorites – blistered shishito peppers (which I usually make as an appetizer), and one of my go-to simple soba noodle recipes. Because my “favorites” are almost always the simple things. I brought home a bunch of shishito peppers from the farmers market, but the base of this recipe is so versatile – feel free to sub in a star vegetable of your choice. The noodles get tossed in a light sesame-soy…

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Portobello Mushroom Dogs

Skip the packaged veggie dogs at your next cookout - grill these tangy marinated portobello mushrooms instead! They're easy, healthy & flavorful.

summer / vegetarian

We’re all familiar with the ubiquitous portobello burger, so I’ll be honest: I originally planned to serve these mushrooms in hot dog buns for the novelty of it. For my money, though, portobellos really work better in dog form than in burger-form. They get more fully covered in the tangy, savory marinade, and (because they’re thinner strips) they cook a lot more quickly and more evenly. Portobello Veggie Dog Recipe Ingredients Growing up around Chicago, hot dogs were never taken lightly. A good Chicago dog has a myriad of components, including mustard, onions, a whole pickle, peppers, and more. This…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.