Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

We love snacking on these 7-ingredient carrot energy balls. They taste just like carrot cake, but they're nut-free, vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!

It’s April which means – time for carrot desserts! Or, well, in this case, carrot snacks. These lightly sweetened carrot bites are great for 3pm snacktime or an on-the-go breakfast. They’re more carroty than cakey – and by that I mean that they’re not cake-like at all and there’s no baking required (if you’re really craving cake click here or here). They’re chewy little balls made from a mix of carrots, sunflower seeds, dates, coconut, and cinnamon. By popular request, I made these nut free (as long as coconut is ok) – I was very tempted to try an almond version, but I held…

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Jessica’s Pistachio Oat Squares

6-ingredient Pistachio Oat Squares are a lightly sweet healthy snack, breakfast, or dessert! Easy to make, vegan, and gluten free.

I’m excited to share this recipe today – these Pistachio Oat Squares are SO delicious! It’s spring which means that the best cookbooks are coming out now. You know the ones – they’re brimming with fresh healthy, veggie-ful recipes. This recipe is from Jessica Murnane’s book One Part Plant. If you’re not familiar with my blog pal Jessica, you should go listen to her podcast – she’s hosted all of your favorite food bloggers (including yours truly!) and other inspiring folks who are part of the plant-forward food community. Her mission is simple – to inspire people to eat one plant-based meal a…

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Brussels Sprout Salad Avocado Toast

This smashed avocado toast is topped with a tangy Brussels Sprouts salad. Great for breakfast, a snack, or to serve to family.

There’s a shaved Brussels sprout salad in our Cookbook (page 68) that’s one of my go-to salads in the fall and/or winter. It has a tangy citrusy dressing and it’s tossed with cranberries and pine nuts. A few weeks ago while I was planning to make that salad for Thanksgiving, I saw a sprout and ricotta toast recipe on Epicurious and got the idea that my favorite little salad would make a bright festive appetizer. Instead of using ricotta cheese to hold the filling onto the toast I used smashed avocado – because I can never resist yet another seasonal avocado toast. This…

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Lemon Cake

This light, 10-ingredient lemon cake recipe is lightly sweet and bright - the perfect treat to enjoy with an afternoon tea or coffee.

“This not-too-sweet, very simple cake is perfect for that ‘it’s four o’clock and I need a little something with a cup of coffee’ moment,” says Julia Turshen about this lemon cake recipe, and I completely agree. I’ve had a little slice of this lemon olive oil cake every day this week, and it’s been delightful. This easy lemon cake recipe comes from the book Small Victories by Julia Turshen. If you think you’re not familiar with her work, you probably actually are, as she’s co-authored books with Gweneth Paltrow and Mario Batali, to name a few. I am head-over-heels for her easy…

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Coconut Macaroons

Here it is: the only coconut macaroons recipe you'll ever need! They're crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, and oh-so-good with a chocolate drizzle.

Truth: I have a hard time writing cookie posts without getting up to eat at least one. two. For this reason I usually like to post salads and other lighter foods on Mondays, but I’m switching things up today because sometimes you just need a #cookiemonday (or in this case a coconut macaroon Monday) and that’s ok. This coconut macaroons recipe is from Angela Liddon’s new book, Oh She Glows Every Day. I’m sure you all have it by now, right? If you don’t, and you’re vegan (and even if you’re not), you’re going to love it. It’s packed with SO MANY…

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Alanna’s Pumpkin Cranberry Nut & Seed Loaf

This delicious flourless loaf is vegan, gluten free, and packed with nutrients from seeds & nuts. Toast a slice for a hearty breakfast. Recipe from the book Alternative Baker.

Say hello to my new daily breakfast. I’ve made this loaf twice in the last two weeks and have been enjoying a slice in the morning ever since. It’s lightly sweet, nutty, seedy, wonderfully wholesome and dense. I’ve been craving a dark seedy “bread” like this ever since we spent time in the Netherlands this past summer. So when I flipped through Alanna Taylor-Tobin’s new book Alternative Baker, this recipe immediately jumped out to me. There’s a lot going on in this loaf – walnuts, pepitas, oats, flaxseeds, chia seeds, psyllium husks and pumpkin puree among a few other things. Once…

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How to Make Homemade Crackers

These homemade crackers are so much better than store bought ones! Totally gluten-free, they're delicious plain or as part of a cheese board.

A vacation in Norway this past summer inspired me to make these gluten-free crackers. I know, I know, it seems crazy to go all the way to Norway and come back with a homemade crackers recipe. But the thing is, my #1 favorite travel activity is visiting grocery stores in other countries. I don’t know why, but I’m so fascinated by what other people eat, how things are packaged, how stores are organized… all of it. The first day we were there, I picked up a package of gluten-free crackers that ended up being my favorite snack of the week.…

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Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are everything I want on a fall day. They're soft, puffy, deliciously spiced, and full of gooey chocolate goodness.

I was originally planning to post these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in October, but we finished them early, they turned out great, and I just couldn’t wait. Fall or not, these cookies are SO good! Oats, pumpkin, cinnamon, spices, and chocolate baked into big soft pillowy cookies – what’s not to love? These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are vegan & gluten free, and they will be so perfect for lunch boxes because they’re nut-free(!) as well. I know so many of you have asked how to make these carrot cookies without nuts. That recipe really needs the almond butter to bind them but THIS recipe holds together…

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Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispies are a delicious & healthy vegan & gluten free take on the classic rice crispy! Great for dessert or after school snack.

You can never be too old for a little back-to-school snack, right? My sister and I used to love rice crispy treats as kids. Since I rarely eat marshmallows these days, I’ve been loving this slightly healthier alternative that uses almond butter and brown rice syrup as a binder instead. I also packed in omega-rich hemp seeds, almonds, and shredded coconut – making these a filling treat to get you over that 3 o’clock slump. To make these lightly sweet treats a little sweeter, I smothered them in chocolate. At first I was going to be good and just do a…

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Peach Tostadas & a Saveur Nomination(!)

First off, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU for nominating us in this year’s Saveur Blog Awards! I’m so flattered and thrilled that you find our little corner of the internet to be an inspiring place. It’s times like these that I really don’t know what else to say besides thank you, thank you, thank you! If you have a second, it would mean the world to me if you could click here and go vote. Scroll down a tad to the “Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners” category. You can vote every day until August 31st. I owe you big 🙂 Speaking of weeknight dinners,…

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Chocolate Pudding Pops

Cool off with this yummy pudding pop recipe! Creamy from avocado & almond butter, these healthy treats are perfect on hot summer days.

Today I’m sharing my new favorite summer treat: chocolate pudding pops! I got the idea to make a healthier version of the classic pudding pop from memories of hot summer days when I was growing up. When my sister and I were younger, our goal in life was to catch the ice cream truck. We’d play outside in the yard with our neighbor friends all day until one of us yelled “sshhhhhhhh!!!!” and then we’d all run to opposite ends of the yard to figure out which direction that whimsical sound of The Entertainer was coming from. When we would close in on the…

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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.