Nasu Dengaku {Miso Eggplant}

If you need a reason to try (and love) miso, this is your recipe. I’m hoping eggplant is still in season where you are. I was excited to find these little nearly-black beauties at our farmers market last weekend. If you don’t have eggplant, this sweet & salty glaze is amazing on cod, tofu, and even sweet potatoes. There are many variations to the dengaku recipe – some use sake along with mirin, some add a bit of ginger… I’ve even made it with agave syrup before (although that would probably not be approved by the Japanese, shh). I like…

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Migas Breakfast Tacos

breakfast / eggs / favorite

At long last, we are home. There’s nothing quite like leaving your regular life for a month in order to really appreciate all things familiar. These are the top three things I’ve missed most… 1. the pups 2. my own bed, and 3. breakfast tacos. While eggs, pancakes and brunchy things seem to be the newest food trend in Tokyo, they have nothing on the Austin breakfast taco. This post is long overdue – breakfast tacos are one of those things I make all the time with no real recipe. In Austin, you can find migas all over – my favorites…

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Vanilla Matcha Smoothie

Banana, vanilla & almond milk make the sweet, creamy base of this matcha smoothie. It's a healthy, antioxidant-filled breakfast or afternoon snack!

vegan / almond breeze / smoothie

Matcha treats – I can hardly remember my life without them. Since we’ve been in Japan, matcha ice cream, matcha doughnuts, and matcha cakes have become daily afternoon snacks. This matcha smoothie, I promise, is a much healthier treat than any of those. Sure matcha is healthy, but a doughnut is still a doughnut after all. At home, this is how we enjoy matcha. I use my go-to smoothie base – almond milk and bananas – and add matcha powder along with a bit of vanilla bean. If you’re new to matcha, it’s very finely ground, high quality green tea…

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Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas

summer / entertaining / cocktail

Happy weekend! I just wanted to pop in for a minute and share this easy recipe for the spicy margaritas we served at our margarita party a few weeks ago. They were such a big hit – tart, smooth, not too sweet, and most importantly – spicy. The perfect refreshing cocktail for one last summer party! photos #1 and #3 by Chris Perez of Citygram Magazine

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A Spicy Margarita Party

I can't think of a better way to end the summer than with good friends & spicy drinks! Especially when drinks are Jalapeño Margaritas!

summer / entertaining / refinery 29

I can’t think of a better way to end the summer than with good friends & spicy drinks! A few weekends ago we had this fun little margarita party for Refinery 29 and Grand Marnier. I made a jalapeño version of the classic Grand Margarita. Let’s just say, no one left until every drop was gone.

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Whole Grain Flax Waffles

vegan / gluten free / breakfast

Admittedly, I’m not the best at baby showers. I forget that the point of a baby shower is the gift-showering part, and I usually show up with an amazon print-out of what I purchased off the registry that morning. (really, I mean well). So this is my kind of baby shower… the virtual kind where I make and eat waffles and snap a photo. No pink bows required. Melissa (of The Faux Martha) is a dear friend I’ve met through the blogosphere. Her beautiful blog is filled with delectable sweet treats and her waffle recipe is one of her signatures. When…

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Grilled Veggies with Basil Miso

vegan / gluten free / summer

The “summer’s not over yet” recipe theme continues. Right now Jack and I are in Seattle for a few days before we head to Japan. I feel inclined to write about how we spent the last few weekends at home savoring the last of our local late-summer produce… But seriously, it was 104 degrees when we left so I’m sure there will be plenty of summer (and it’s veggies) waiting for us when we get back. With Japan on the brain, I’ve been in the mood for miso. Although, I realize nothing else about this recipe is remotely Japanese… the…

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Almond Peach Cake

If you put fruit on cake, it's ok to eat it for breakfast, right? It is with this dairy-free vegan almond peach cakes! So perfect with ripe, summer peaches.

vegan / summer / almond breeze

If you put fruit on cake, it’s ok to eat it for breakfast. That’s the rule, right? Of course, the cakes I make aren’t super decadent. This one, for example, is whole-grain enough that it could just as easily be baked in a muffin tin or mini loaf pans… the shape alone would make you feel differently about what time of day is cake-appropriate. Aside from the sprinkle of brown sugar on top, there’s no refined sugar. It’s moist on the inside thanks to a combo of coconut oil, almond milk and applesauce. And then, the best part – the peaches.…

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Tomato, Feta & Honey Toasts

summer / favorite

Turns out, simple is best when it comes to tomatoes! (Thank you for all of your comments the other day, we’ll announce a winner soon!). Meanwhile, I wanted to share this one last little tomato combo that I’ve been obsessed with. It’s simple but genius, although I can’t completely take credit for it. It was straight off the little info sheet Whole Foods sent me with suggested uses for the various heirloom tomatoes. One of them said “pair with briny cheeses like feta or a drizzle of honey.” So I did both together. Try it, it’s amazing… Especially with a good…

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Mango Sesame Avocado Salsa

summer / gluten free / vegan

This wasn’t originally going to be a post, but of course that’s how so many of these things start out. I was making dinner one night last week… the mango salsa I usually make, on top of seared tuna. (thanks to my Aunt Judi for the suggestion!). I started preparing my tuna the way I usually do – marinated in soy sauce and maybe some ginger… pressed in sesame seeds, with a drizzle of sesame oil at the very end. That’s when I had the “ah-ha moment” that those asian-inspired ingredients would make for a nice spin on the salsa itself. So…

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Heirloom Tomato & Avocado Salad

summer / salads / vegan

This is the part where I get sad about the inevitable end of summer. Granted, my back-to-school days are long gone, and it’ll be another four months before I’ll have to so much as think about a sweater. The part I’m not ready to let go of is the bright colorful food. My eyes are not ready to adjust to the shade of pumpkin (as much as I love it)… just yet. Lately, I’ve been consuming these gorgeous Whole Foods heirloom tomatoes by the basket-full. They work well in this particular salad because each type is a little bit different. Some…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.