Spiced Cauliflower “Couscous”

While cauliflower pizza might not resemble actual pizza dough, cauliflower couscous (in my opinion) really does mimic the texture of actual couscous remarkably well. If you were waiting for a vegan recipe with a few less carbs – here it is. In fact, this might be just a few chickpeas and a couple of currants away from paleo. (Although I’m not an expert on paleo rules so don’t quote me on that). I went a little nuts with the nuts and spices. The cauliflower has such a subtle flavor so it’s really a blank canvas. Since we’re in the middle of winter,…

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Healthy Loaded Sweet Potatoes

I’ve never loved baked potatoes. I know… that’s hardly the way to begin a baked potato post. In my world (growing up), they came 2 ways: On our dinner table – plain with just a bit of margarine (sorry mom!)… and at the Yorktown Mall food court – those giant sour-cream-piled ones that seemed like a heart attack on a plate. (Which, by the way, were considered the “healthy” option because they were baked not fried! Gotta love the midwest in the 90’s). The kind that wasn’t an option? This kind… baked sweet potatoes stuffed with black beans, a little bit of…

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Spicy Black Bean Soup

This easy 10-ingredient black bean soup recipe is one of our mainstays on cold nights. Warm & creamy, it's perfect with a sprinkle of fresh toppings.

What I love about Super Bowl week (and it’s not the game, of course – who’s even playing? and that’s football right?)… What I love is the amount of Mexican-ish comfort food that’s all over the internet. I haven’t been into a game since the Super Bowl shuffle, but suddenly I find myself craving spicy, chile-flavored foods with tons of avocado. This year, I’m sharing this easy vegan black bean soup recipe that I love to top with dried chile salsa and dollops of a creamy, tangy vegan sun cheese in place of traditional sour cream (recipe below). How to…

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Brussels Sprout, Broccoli & Avocado Rice

Brussels sprouts, broccolini & scallions tossed with a tangy & spicy citrus sriracha dressing and topped with creamy avocado! (Gluten-free, Vegan option).

I’m pretty sure this one covers all of my major food groups: green vegetables, avocado, almonds, mint, lime & sriracha. In fact, I could probably stop right here and live happily ever after. I could change our name to The Brussels Sprout Blog and take pictures of this dish – every day – just in a different bowl (you know, to keep things exciting). Of course, I’m kidding, but I do really love this combo. What really pulls it together is the fish sauce (don’t worry, if you’re vegetarian you can sub it out), but it really brings the most amazing…

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Tomato, Chickpea & Coconut Soup

This is the perfect pantry soup. I’m even betting that most of you have these ingredients on hand already. We’re all about fresh eating around here, but there’s nothing wrong with opening up a few cans from time to time… especially in the middle of winter when you crave tomato soup and tomatoes are not in season. The soup is basically: 1 can of tomatoes, 1 can of chickpeas, and (part of) 1 can of coconut milk. The chickpeas thicken the soup and the coconut creates a creamy, velvety texture without adding real cream. For a lighter soup, you can…

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Avocado Steamed Buns

Homemade steamed buns with avocado, cabbage, and sriracha filling.

This was a little holiday break project… while others were most likely baking cookies, Jack and I were trying our hand at steamed buns. I actually had no intention of posting this, it was just something we wanted to try (we were prepared for the possibility of failure). Then it occurred to me – I should post this as a work in progress. After all of the kneading, waiting, punching, waiting, rolling, waiting & finally steaming… they came out pretty good, but they were a little dense and didn’t puff up quite enough. They were still tasty (and we ate them…

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Collard Wraps with Carrot Hummus

Sneak more veggies into your lunch with these addictive collard green wraps! The crisp leaves surround a creamy, bright spiced carrot hummus.

Put down those tortillas, this year is the year of collard green wraps! Ok, I’m totally kidding. I could never give up tortillas, and I wouldn’t expect you to either. But in the spirit of all things lighter and brighter, we’re wrapping things up in leafy greens… In order to make collard green wraps exciting, a punchy, flavorful filling is a must. I had these pretty red carrots, which made me think of this Harissa Carrot Hummus recipe I had recently seen from Aida Mollenkamp. I took a few liberties, (mostly because I was too lazy to go look up the actual recipe). Among other things, I pan-roasted…

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Coconut Rice with Kale & Edamame

A healthy, creamy and spicy rice dish with lemongrass, garlic and lime juice. Vegan and gluten free.

This one might be a stretch in the holiday-food category… but hey, it’s green and it’s red… I figure Christmas Coconut Rice has to be a tradition somewhere in the world right? This holiday season was a little different for us – we just got back from a winter wonderland of a week in Chicago, so our family festivities are pretty much over. We filled up on pizza, cheesecake, and all sorts of other indulgences… suffice it to say I’m ready to lighten things up a little bit early this year. Coconut rice is one of my favorite things… it’s…

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Maple Cornbread Muffins

Rosemary & maple make these easy cornbread muffins lightly sweet & cozy-tasting. I love to serve them at Thanksgiving or with a big bowl of chili.

Move over, dinner rolls, and make way for… cornbread muffins! Maybe it’s my Midwestern background, but I love corn, especially in this sweet & savory corn muffin recipe. My Cornbread Muffin Recipe Ingredients In my opinion, good cornbread should be golden & crumbly and walk the line between sweet and savory. These corn muffins do just that. Here’s what I use to make them healthy & delicious: Maple syrup sweetens them naturally and adds depth of flavor to this corn muffin recipe. Rosemary flecks them with green and brings its cozy, fresh wintry taste. Canola oil or olive oil is…

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Stuffed Acorn Squash w/ Kale & Creminis

The best side/vegetarian main at Thanksgiving! Acorn squash is stuffed with millet, mushrooms, kale, sage, pecans & cranberries in this healthy fall dish.

Over the years we’ve had more than a few untraditional Thanksgivings… the ones where we didn’t make it to the family feast because flying during the holiday weekend is the biggest. hassle. ever. We’ve had a slew of friendsgivings, well before they were the cool hipster thing to do… One year, Jack and I spent a nice evening alone over a romantic dinner of butternut squash risotto… And I’ll never forget the year I didn’t fly home from college and I ate a can of tuna and frozen green beans. I know, so sad. But I had schoolwork to catch…

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Coconut Creamed Spinach

Learn how to make the best creamed spinach with this easy 10-ingredient recipe! It's a healthy, delicious side dish you'll make again & again.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? When Jack was growing up, his mom would always make her famous creamed spinach, so this year, I wanted to make a riff on her traditional recipe. My new creamed spinach recipe is totally dairy-free – I use coconut milk instead of cream – and it’s filled with savory umami flavor and tons of fresh greens. It requires just 10 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make…are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yup, creamed spinach is a new Thanksgiving tradition around here. Best Creamed Spinach Recipe Ingredients To make my spin on creamed…

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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.