Harvest Haven Salad & a trip to Madison

A seasonal fall harvest salad with greens, turnips, radishes, tomatoes, aged goat cheese in an apple cider vinaigrette. So pretty for Thanksgiving.

The other day, we were having dinner with the family and my mom said “so, do you want to host Thanksgiving this year?” My first instinct was – heck no, that sounds like a lot of work! Of course, what came out of my mouth was a noncommittal “ok, sure? I guess?” Later that night, as the idea settled in my mind, I thought of the beautiful fall harvest-y type dishes I could make and I started to get excited. I got warm and fuzzy feelings picturing my family gathered around the kitchen in our new home, drinking wine and…

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Taco Salad with Jalapeño Ranch

What do I crave in summer? This taco salad recipe that's filled with smoky quinoa, crispy tortillas, fresh veggies, and a cool, creamy vegan ranch sauce.

I’ve had this taco salad recipe planned for a while now. Every few months, I’d glance at my upcoming list of potential recipes and start salivating over the idea of summer taco salad bowls. I love summer, I love tacos, and I really really love salads, so here we go! Instead of taco meat, I mix red quinoa and black beans with lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, and a touch of maple syrup – all of this helps create a bit of a smoky flavor. Quick tip: keep this quinoa mix on hand in the fridge to build lunchtime taco salad bowls throughout…

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Festive Fruit Salad with Lemon & Ginger

No summer picnic is complete without a fresh fruit salad, and this bright recipe, with a simple lemon-ginger dressing, is my absolute favorite.

My best 4th of July memories are all about watermelon and pool parties. When I was younger, we used to go to the community pool, and they hosted this relay race game where you’d swim across the pool trying to push a slippery watermelon with you. It was harder than you think, especially when you’re a little kid. Afterward they’d cut up the watermelon for all the kids to eat. Between the splashy water and the watermelon juices, well, it was all a big fun slippery summery mess. About this Fruit Salad Recipe All of these thoughts of watermelon made me immediately…

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Cucumber Mango Miso Noodle Bowl

The star of this easy noodle bowl is the miso-ginger peanut sauce. Its savoy, tangy flavor is perfect against sweet mango, bright lime & fresh mint.

A few weeks ago, while I was making a list of potential upcoming summer recipes, I asked Jack, “Hey, what’s a recipe you really want me to make?” In the past, answers to questions like that have been “Pretzels!” or “Pizza!” but this time it was “An Asian noodle salad.” I asked if he could be more specific, but he said, “I just really really love noodles – you know, when they’re tossed in an Asian-y kind of dressing.” Not a huge help, but at least it was something. So on a Monday when I felt I could use a little reset…

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Chickpea Salad Wraps w/ Avocado Dill Sauce

This easy chickpea salad is my vegan version of a classic tuna salad. It's tangy & light, made with Dijon mustard, crunchy celery & cornichons.

I think there are 2 types of people in this world – those who love tuna salad and those who hate it. Because my mom made it all the time when I was growing up, I definitely fall into the first category. But today, I’m hoping to bridge the “hater” gap with these chickpea salad lettuce wraps. If you’re not into fishy things, no worries, these wraps are completely vegan. If you are into fishy things, I think you’ll love them just the same – mashed chickpeas combined with salty, briny flavors (i.e. good Dijon mustard, capers, and cornichons) and…

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Best Buddha Bowl

The ultimate nutrient-packed vegan buddha bowl! Fresh veggies, beans, sauerkraut, and a vibrant turmeric tahini sauce make it hearty and flavorful.

Where did the name ‘Buddha Bowl’ come from, anyway? If you’ve been on Instagram in the last 5 years, chances are you’ve seen these colorful bowls, packed with plant-based goodness like grains, legumes, steamed and raw veggies, and flavorful sauces. According to a 2017 Epicurious article by Katherine Sacks, the name could come from how Buddha collected alms, using a large bowl to gather small bits of food that the residents of whatever village he was staying in could afford to share. Before we started calling these colorful bowls “Buddha Bowls,” I knew them as macro bowls. When we lived…

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Citrus Cabbage Salad

This napa cabbage salad is a stunning showcase for colorful winter produce. Sweet & tangy with lots of veggie crunch, it's an entertaining showstopper.

There’s exactly one thing I love about winter – the colorful produce! I know, I know, the winter is not so bad here in Austin, but I feel for those of you up north, because I used to be one of you. I live for warm sunny days, so I made this cabbage salad of bright winter produce with you in mind – to send some love – and lemons… and well, also some clementines. What’s in this Cabbage Salad Recipe? This recipe includes two major categories of ingredients. You start with a base of crispy veggies: Cabbage –  Tender napa cabbage or savoy…

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Easy Power Lunch Bowls

Simple vegan bowls filled with roasted sweet potato, marinated chickpeas, avocado, kale, hemp seeds, tahini & lemon make a healthy, filling lunch or dinner!

Most people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I personally get most excited about lunch. People who say “I was too busy, I forgot to eat lunch”… I don’t get you. But maybe I’m the only weirdo who eats breakfast and then immediately starts counting down the hours ’til lunch? This bowl was inspired by one ordinary day last week when I made a quick lunch for myself with kale, sweet potatoes, some other things I had on hand, and these Yves Kale & Quinoa Bites. It’s definitely an “I work from home” kind of lunch, but the whole thing…

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Buckwheat, Apple, Cranberry Avocado Salad

A healthy, hearty, lemon-ey salad from the cookbook Blissful Basil. Vegan and gluten free.

Oh hi – long time no post. Last week, I was a bit sick and down for the count, to say the least. This week, I’m on a healing bender. I have my blender working overtime with crazy green smoothies made with ginger, turmeric and every herb that I’ve read about that contains immune-building qualities. I’m trying to eat lighter and brighter as well because I really do believe that plants can heal. Which brings me to this recipe from Blissful Basil, a cookbook that couldn’t have arrived at a better time. If you don’t follow Ashley’s blog of the same name, you…

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Vegan Carrot “Queso” with Nacho Snacks

Who would have thought potatoes & carrots could blend into a creamy vegan queso? I sure didn't, until I made this tangy, smoky, delicious dip!

This vegan queso recipe takes me back to college, when I used to binge on super unhealthy things like chips and queso at night while trying to eat reasonably healthier and more vegetarian during the day. My transition to eating healthier foods took a few years to settle in. As a busy college student, the foods from Amy’s Kitchen really helped me make this transition. I loved their Vegetable Lasagna, the Breakfast Burrito, and of course these Nacho Snacks. So when the folks at Amy’s reached out to me, I knew I wanted to make a recipe that incorporated these snacks in a slightly healthier holiday appetizer. The secret…

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Quinoa Salad Stuffed Acorn Squash

Quinoa Salad Stuffed Acorn Squash is a healthy vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish.

Ok, so if you really know your vegetables, you’ll notice that those guys in front are actually Jester Squash and not Acorn Squash. Technicalities aside, they work just as well for roasting and stuffing. Something I really love about my local Farmhouse Delivery is that vegetable varieties show up that even I – the girl that literally wrote a book about vegetables – have to occasionally Google. This recipe is comfort food on the lighter side. Sometimes fall foods make me feel just so darn full, so what I did to avoid a near-food coma situation was stuff the squashes with a light & bright quinoa salad. Serve…

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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.