Creamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta

Creamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta - a healthy weeknight dinner coated in a simple, delicious 5-ingredient sauce made with miso and cashews.

Happy Monday, it’s pasta time! This is a spin on a recipe that has been a reader favorite (also one of my favorites) from our cookbook. In the book, this creamy miso pasta is made with brussels sprouts – have you tried it? If so, you’re going to love this version with shiitake mushrooms and kale. If you haven’t tried it, well now’s your chance 🙂 The cashew cream has just 5 ingredients: cashews, miso paste, garlic, lemon, and black pepper. It’s so simple to make, yet it’s so hearty and delicious – especially with sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Shiitakes have such a wonderful umami flavor – I…

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Romesco Cauliflower Sandwiches

Toasted bread slathered with nutty romesco sauce and layered with roasted cauliflower, fresh veggies & herbs makes the perfect vegetarian sandwich.

I have to admit something to you. This food blog job isn’t always as glamorous as you may think it is. It’s a job, like any job, with fun parts (cooking! eating!) and less fun parts that involve sitting behind a computer monitor, editing, writing, emailing, etc. It’s not a sad life by any stretch, but it’s also not glitz and glory – it’s work. Except… when some of the opportunities that come my way are totally out of left field – and I find myself going to California for a day touring an absolutely beautiful almond orchard instead of touring Adobe…

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Quinoa Risotto

This creamy quinoa risotto is just as delicious as traditional risotto, but it comes together with half the fuss! Top it with roasted veggies, and enjoy.

This creamy quinoa risotto comes from The First Mess Cookbook. If you’re not already a fan of Laura’s blog, The First Mess, you should be! This quinoa risotto recipe exemplifies so much of what I love about her work. It appeals to the eyes as well as the appetite, it’s healthy and accessible, and it combines plant-based ingredients in a really unique way. Traditional risotto is made with arborio rice, and it requires a lengthy amount of time standing over the stove stirring. This recipe is every bit as creamy and delicious as the classic Italian dish, but it streamlines…

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Black Pepper Turmeric Latte

I love this immune-boosting black pepper turmeric latte on cold mornings. With just 6 ingredients, this spicy, warming vegan drink is easy to make.

Happy Saturday friends! We’re currently having a lazy morning that’s consisted of smoothies and Shark Tank… a.k.a our Saturday morning “cartoon.” It’s dark and drizzly outside, so we’re likely not leaving the house anytime soon. I thought I’d take a second to pop in and share this super simple turmeric latte recipe. I posted it on Instagram earlier this week, but I thought I’d share it here too. Earlier this year, I stopped drinking *so much* coffee (not that I feel there’s anything wrong with coffee!) and started drinking more matcha. This week, I’ve moved onto this herbal tea turmeric…

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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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Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles are a great vegetarian weeknight dinner! Made with tahini, lime, almond butter, ginger, and plenty of veggies.

I have more than a few soba noodle recipes on this site, but I’ve decided that THIS recipe is my new favorite. These noodles are rich, tangy, creamy, sweet and a little spicy, with loads of kale mixed in – I love meals like this for weeknight dinners. The formula is simple: sauce + noodles + seasonal vegetables. Check, check, and check. The sauce can be made in advance and the rest can be assembled fairly quickly. First, let’s talk about this sauce because it’s the main component of this recipe. It’s tangy, nutty, salty, and lightly sweet. It’s sweetened with Truvia Nectar,…

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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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Ginger Miso Dressing

I love to keep this 6-ingredient citrus miso dressing on hand to brighten up simple veggie dishes. It's great on slaws, salads, and even DIY noodle bowls!

There’s nothing better than having a vibrant salad dressing on hand in the fridge during a busy work week. When you’re strapped for time, a yummy sauce can make even the simplest meal feel satisfying. Lately, whipping up this citrus miso dressing has been my go-to. It’s a bright, tangy combination of clementine, lemon, miso, garlic, and ginger. In addition to tasting delicious, all of these ingredients have detoxifying properties – so consider this dressing a little health kick too! How to Use Miso Dressing Once you make this miso salad dressing, you’ll use it on everything. Not sure where to start? Try…

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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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Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake

A tart raspberry layer, a creamy "cheesecake" layer, and a gluten-free walnut crust make this easy vegan cheesecake recipe tangy, rich & delicious.

Happy early Valentine’s day… or Galentines Day… or whatever holiday you like to celebrate with heart-shaped treats and little paper cards. As I’ve written about many times before, Jack and I have this Chocolate Molten Cake Valentine’s tradition. This year I switched things up a bit and made this decadent yet mostly raw raspberry vegan cheesecake. How cute are those layers!? Vegan Cheesecake Recipe Variations I have two versions below – one version uses raw cashews for the white “cheesecake” layer and the other version uses vegan cream cheese. I wanted to offer these two options because one requires a fancy…

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Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These lemon shortbread cookies are a fan favorite, and once you try them, you'll see why! They're tender, buttery, and filled with bright lemon flavor.

When life hands you lemons, make lemon shortbread cookies! When we first planted our lemon tree, I had this romantic idea that I’d be able to pick fresh lemons all year round. Obviously, I’m not good with plants, or I would have known that the famous saying is literally true. You get lemons once a year, and you get a lot of them. Needless to say, life has been lemony lately in many ways, but today it’s all about these lovely lemon shortbread cookies. Lemon Shortbread Cookies Ingredients When I was testing this recipe, I made a ton of lemon…

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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.