Broccoli Pesto Mac & Cheese

The ultimate mac & cheese mix in - broccoli pesto! A yummy way to get your kids to eat more veggies.

Some exiting news – the book is done(!) and off to print this week. I’ll share some sneak peaks a little later but suffice it to say – I’m tired. I never thought I would say this but after shooting, testing, retesting, checking and rechecking so many recipes – I became a little “cooked” out. Over the last few weeks, while working through final copy and design edits, there’s been a lot of takeout around here and more than a few boxes of macaroni and cheese. But no one is complaining – especially not my mac & cheese-loving husband Jack. He would be more than thrilled…

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Zucchini Noodles & Lemon “Ricotta”

summer / vegan / gluten free

In a few weeks, Jack and I are headed to Rome where we will unapologetically eat gelato and pasta every day. We’ll tell ourselves we’re “walking it off,” and that “walk” will most definitely be on our way to the next meal. Until then, I’m making an effort to lighten things up. Conveniently, zucchini is in season so “zoodles” make for a fun vegetable-focused spin on regular pasta… First off – you don’t need to go out and buy a spiralizer to make these. If you’re going to invest in a gadget, I highly recommend the julienne peeler because it’s inexpensive, works great, and is small enough…

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Sesame Basil Soba Noodles

spring / gluten free

There are times when I cook that I like to pack in every vegetable and also the kitchen sink. And then there are nights when I just crave something simple. This is the latter, obviously, and it’ll take you only ten minutes to make. The ingredient combo here is a little strange, but hear me out – soba noodles, sesame oil and good parmesan cheese all have a delicious nutty flavor in common. Basil and fresh peas are sweet which offer a nice simple balance. I love the subtle flavor of fresh peas here, if you don’t have any, just skip them…

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Avocado & Lemon Zest Spaghetti

A quick and easy weeknight dinner - especially great for avocado-lovers. Use brown rice spaghetti to make it gluten free.

vegan / cookbooks / a modern way to eat

As I’m putting the finishing touches on our book, (T minus 3 days!) I thought now would be a good time to start making recipes from other peoples’ books… Last week, I briefly talked about Anna’s book, A Modern Way To Eat. While it’s been out for awhile now, it’s only recently been released in the US and I finally got my hands on a copy. What I love about it is that it’s more than just a book full of recipes (although there are over 200 of them!)… she offers tons of delicious ideas for how to mix flavors and textures together in creative but not-fussy ways.…

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Vegan Spinach Mac & Cheese

A creamy vegan mac & cheese made with cashews, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, balsamic, and cayenne. A healthy & delicious weeknight dinner.

dinner / vegan / spring

Jack here, writing for the blog today while Jeanine writes for the book… I have something to admit that I’m having a hard time with. I’m starting to prefer vegan “mac and cheese” to actual mac and cheese. Now, this is a hard one for me. You see, I love cheese. Almost every time we go to Whole Foods, I raid the “under $3 cheese” bin to find crazy new cheeses that I can barely pronounce. And a great grilled cheese is work of art. But these vegan “mac and cheese” recipes Jeanine comes up with pretty much hit everything I…

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Lemon Broccoli Pasta + Exciting News!

pasta / vegan / gluten free

I’ll cut to the chase and just start with “exciting news” part – we’re writing a cookbook! I haven’t been overly secretive about it, but it’s official… 288 pages of never-been-blogged-before vegetable-ey goodness will be out next April! (I know, I know, a whole year away – I promise it’ll be worth the wait). It’s being published by Penguin US and Penguin Canada, the teams behind some of my favorite books including Oh She Glows and What Katie Ate. We’ve been hard at work for months now and I can’t wait to show you how it’s coming together! I’ll be sharing updates and previews…

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Simple Swiss Chard Pasta

Swiss chard brings two textures to this yummy 20-minute pasta. The stems add crunch, while the leaves gently wilt into the white bean & tomato sauce.

pasta / vegetarian / gluten free

It doesn’t get much easier than this one. I’ll admit, I often get very veggie-happy. While I don’t mind chopping up a rainbow of vegetables – sometimes it’s more than ok to keep it simple and let just one ingredient be the star. Last night, I chopped up this beautiful red chard and tossed it with a few simple pantry ingredients. Dinner was done in less than 20 minutes, and Jack and I were able to get right back to our House of Cards marathon. (Don’t tell me what happens, we’re only a few episodes in). Chard works especially well in a 1-vegetable meal because…

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Rainbow Chard Bowls

These rainbow chard bowls are a delicious weeknight dinner! With 10 ingredients, they're easy to make, but they pack a punch of flavor.

winter / vegetarian / dinner

As a kid, I was obsessed with everything rainbow – my Rainbow Brite doll, a fresh new Crayola 64 pack (with built in sharpener!), and best of all – the rainbow-neon terminal at O’Hare airport. Pure magic. Nowadays, I have a new grownup rainbow obsession: rainbow chard. Cooking with Rainbow Chard If you’ve never cooked with rainbow chard before, it has a slightly bitter, earthy taste that I love to pair with sweet, tangy, and nutty accents. Aside from its gorgeous vibrant color, it has a special superpower: it’s kind of two vegetables in one! Not only can you use the chard leaves, but…

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Jalapeño Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Jalapeño mac and cheese is perfect for warming up on winter weeknights. With roasted cauliflower & fresh kale, it's filling, simple & nutritious.

winter / vegetarian / dinner

Hi everyone, Jack here reporting in from the frozen tundra of Chicago. We flew in for a quick weekend over Jeanine’s birthday (happy birthday!!!) and it is just beyond cold. Austin’s apparently snowing today, but still, not much prepares you for walking outside into 9ºF (-13ºC) weather from a nice, warm airport. This blog is almost always about making meals completely from scratch, but it’s cold times like this that sometimes you just want to pour a box of mac and cheese into a pot and go to town. Well we did that, posted a photo here on Instagram, and people went crazy for…

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Butternut Squash Pasta with Walnuts & Sage

I make this butternut squash pasta recipe when I'm craving fall comfort food. It's so easy, and the sage & squash fill it with cozy autumn flavor.

vegetarian / gluten free / fall

Butternut squash soup may be my favorite fall comfort food, but this butternut squash pasta is now a close second. It’s a pretty easy throw-together pasta made from a classic fall flavor combo: butternut squash, sage, and walnuts. The sweet, caramelized squash plays perfectly off the earthy sage and nutty walnuts, and a little butter and pecorino add the perfect amount of richness. This is one we’ll have on repeat all season long. To make it, simply roast the squash until it’s tender and caramelized. Then, sauté the shallot, sage, walnuts, chickpeas, cooked butternut squash, and garlic until the chickpeas and squash…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.