Beet, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

This roasted beet, avocado & grapefruit salad is my ideal fresh winter meal, with contrasting creamy, crunchy, sweet & tart elements.

This is my favorite winter salad. Although I use the term “winter” lightly – it is almost 70 degrees here. The sun is shining and my windows and doors are open… the dogs are playing in the yard… overall a perfect a Friday afternoon. It’s 20 and snowing in my hometown Chicago, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I live here in Austin where the season for happy hour margaritas on a patio is just around the corner. If it’s cold where you are, hopefully this colorful, juicy, creamy, crunchy grapefruit salad will brighten your day.

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Vegan Nachos with Cashew “Cheese”

A hearty vegan & gluten free nacho recipe with TVP-based taco meat & cashew cheese. Topped with guacamole and pico, these are perfect for spring & summer.

This recipe is from the Native Foods cookbook. Jack and I first stumbled upon Native Foods one night in California on our way back from Disneyland. I typically don’t eat foods at theme parks (I know, I’m “fun” like that), so after the fireworks we set out to drive around and find a restaurant. This was years before iphones and yelp, so it was nothing short of a Disney miracle that we aimlessly found ourselves at this awesome vegan restaurant. If you are new to the idea of nut cheese, it’s really nothing like cheese… but more of a cheese-like…

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Sweet Miso Udon

In this Japanese-inspired bowl, sweet miso sauce coats udon noodles, mushrooms, & tofu. Vegan with a gluten free option and takes under 30 minutes!

Jack has been requesting udon ever since we got back from Japan (over a year ago), so finally, tonight, udon he got. This is not traditional udon – and that’s my disclaimer. I would love to be able to say that we went to Japan and came home able to share something remotely authentic. The truth is that we pointed to things on menus and just hoped that no one would put something in front of me that was still moving. (Jack on the other hand is ok with food that still moves). One day we’ll hopefully become more diligent…

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Beets & Chickpeas with Jalapeño Yogurt

Roasted beets and spiced chickpeas top arugula to make healthy fall or winter salad. Served with a tangy, spicy yogurt sauce. Gluten free & vegan option.

salads

There are few foods in this world (very few) that Jack won’t eat. While I’ve won him over on some (hello asparagus!), beets remain on his “absolutely-not” list. I have a stockpile of recipes I’m saving for when he goes out of town, but when my friend Hollie came over for lunch last week, I had just the thing… This hearty salad is everything Hollie and I love all in one bowl… bright arugula, smoky-garlicky chickpeas, and juicy beets topped with a generous dollop of tangy jalapeño yogurt, a garnish of cilantro, and an unexpected indian-ness from the sprinkled brown…

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Ricotta & Fig Jam Bruschetta

This 30-minute vegetarian bruschetta is perfect for fall & winter entertaining. Its depth of flavor comes from caramelized onions, fig jam, thyme, & lemon.

winter / figs / entertaining

This was sort of an impromptu appetizer I served at my birthday party* the other night. I had some really nice quality fig jam which made me crave a salty-sweet-treat appetizer to go along with a bottle of prosecco. I’m familiar with the idea of fig and gorgonzola crostini, but since I’m not a fan of gorgonzola (I know, I just lost a few readers), I got stuck on the idea of creamy ricotta instead. I caramelized tiny onion slices with balsamic, assembled the little bites, and sprinkled fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest on top. This turned out to…

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Sweet Potato & Pear Soup with Sage

Enjoy this healthy one-pot soup in fall or winter. Full of sweet potato, sage, pear, and curry spices, it is perfect for holidays and vegan & gluten free.

fall / soups

My favorite thing about cooking is when things come out of nothing. After the holidays, we had an empty fridge, empty countertops… contents of a meal (or even a snack) nowhere in sight. I had a pear that was on the verge of way-too-ripe, half an onion… and then I noticed a sweet potato that I never remembered buying. I’ve seen recipes for butternut squash soup with pears, so I figured this would work just as well. I foraged through the back of the fridge and pantry for the rest of the ingredients. Then I remembered I had this delicious…

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Spinach and Soba Noodle Soup

I love this healing soba noodle soup on winter weeknights. It takes 30 minutes to make, but ginger, mushrooms & tamari give it depth of flavor.

winter / soups / vegan

This soba noodle soup comes together in a snap, but it’s deeply flavorful, so it’s just the thing for a cold weeknight. Lately, I’ve been adding wakame flakes to it for a sea vegetable health boost. They come dehydrated in the Asian aisle of most higher end grocery stores. Beware, when the package says, “one teaspoon equals one serving… will expand over 20 times,” they really meant it. The first time I tried these I was sure that was a misprint and I tossed in a heaping handful or two and had cups upon cups of rehydrated sea greens. If…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.