Zucchini Fritters

These crispy zucchini fritters are a great way to use up a summer surplus of zucchini. Serve them with your favorite sauce for a tasty side dish or snack!

This zucchini fritters recipe is the perfect thing to make when you have a surplus of summer squash in the fridge. It calls for a full pound of zucchini, about 3 medium. But it’s so tasty that if you happen to have even more zucchini than that on hand (and at this time of year, you might), you probably won’t mind making it again and polishing off another batch of zucchini fritters the next day. These zucchini fritters are crispy on the outside and light and tender in the middle. Lemon zest makes them nice and bright, while scallions, garlic, and…

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Zucchini Smoothie

This zucchini smoothie tastes like a chocolate milkshake, but shhh! It's made with healthy ingredients like almond butter, dates, and zucchini.

This zucchini smoothie tastes like a chocolate milkshake. It’s creamy, rich, and sweet. Even though it’s healthy enough to drink for breakfast or a snack, it could totally pass for dessert. It’s that good! Zucchini Smoothie Recipe Ingredients Ready to try this chocolate zucchini smoothie recipe? Here’s what you’ll need: Zucchini, of course! You’ll need one medium. Chop and freeze it at least a day before you plan to make the smoothie. Medjool dates – For sweetness. Almond butter – It adds protein and healthy fats. Cocoa powder – It gives the smoothie a rich chocolate taste. Cacao powder works…

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Zucchini Bread

This easy zucchini bread recipe is the best I've tried! Packed with zucchini and cinnamon, it's super moist and flavorful. Plan on having a second slice.

This easy zucchini bread recipe is the best I’ve tried. It’s super moist, warmly spiced, studded with crunchy walnuts, and PACKED with shredded zucchini, so you can use up a good portion of your summer squash haul in one go. If there’s something else you look for in a zucchini bread recipe, let me know, but to me, this one is perfection. I love that all the ingredients are pantry basics, that the batter is a breeze to stir together, and that the recipe yields two loaves. Freeze one for later or share it with a friend…and then, if you’re…

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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Tired of marinara? You'll love this easy roasted red pepper pasta sauce! Creamy and tangy, it's delicious on chewy rigatoni or any pasta you like.

When life gives you roasted red peppers, make roasted red pepper pasta! This yummy recipe is a fun way to change up your weeknight pasta rotation, because even though it looks like pasta with marinara, it tastes like something else entirely. The red pepper pasta sauce is lightly creamy, tangy, and filled with sweet and smoky flavor. Sun-dried tomatoes make it deeply savory, and basil adds a refreshing kick. If you’ve been stuck in a pasta rut lately, I hope you’ll try this recipe. This roasted red pepper pasta is simple, unexpected, and nothing if not flavorful. It’s the perfect…

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Roasted Red Peppers

Learn how to roast red peppers! Delicious in salads, sandwiches, and more, homemade roasted red peppers are sweet, silky, and super easy to make.

I use roasted red peppers in my cooking all year round. In the winter, I crack open a store-bought jar when I want to add roasted red peppers’ sweet, rich flavor to a pasta, dip, or soup. But in the summer, bell pepper season, I much prefer to make my own. Homemade roasted red peppers are sweeter and smokier than store-bought ones, and they’re not overly salty or briny either. They’re super easy to make, and they keep in the fridge for a week or more—perfect for punching up the flavor in whatever you’re cooking. I’m sharing 2 methods for…

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Fresh Spring Rolls

Stuffed with noodles, tofu, veggies, and fresh herbs, these spring rolls are SO refreshing! Serve with peanut sauce for a delicious vegetarian appetizer.

I’ll never turn down fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce for dipping, but they especially hit the spot on hot summer days. Served cold or at room temperature, they’re cooling and refreshing, stuffed with noodles, tofu, veggies, and fragrant herbs. The sweet and savory dipping sauce takes them over the top. I’ve ordered fresh Vietnamese spring rolls countless times at restaurants, but if I think to snag a pack of rice paper wrappers at the store, I make my own at home. I can’t call them 100% authentic because I love to experiment with different ingredients in the filling (mango?…

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Watermelon Popsicles

What's even more refreshing than watermelon? Watermelon popsicles! These healthy, 2-ingredient treats are perfect for hot summer days.

These watermelon popsicles are the perfect treat for a hot summer day. Ice cold, fruity, and refreshing, they’ll cool you off and quench your thirst in one go. They’re also healthy(!) and super easy to make(!), because this watermelon popsicles recipe calls for two simple ingredients: watermelon and lime juice. That’s right! There’s no added sugar, no added coloring, no added anything here. Just fresh fruit! How to Make Watermelon Popsicles This watermelon popsicle recipe couldn’t be easier to make! You’ll need two simple ingredients: Fresh watermelon – I call for 6 cups cubed, from about 1 medium melon. Not…

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Cucumber Salad

Featuring fresh dill, onions, and a sweet, tangy dressing, this cucumber salad recipe is a refreshing summer side dish. Bonus: it couldn't be easier!

This cucumber salad recipe is one of the simplest summer side dishes, and if you ask me, it’s also one of the best. It’s versatile. Serve it with any cookout or picnic fare. It’s flavorful. Shout out to the sweet and tangy dressing! And it’s SO refreshing. Just the thing for a hot day. It’s my take on a classic cucumber salad, complete with crisp, cooling cucumbers, red onion, and a punchy vinegar dressing. My special twist? I shower it with dill and chives for a fresh, savory kick. This cucumber salad has definite dill pickle vibes, and I am 100%…

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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for HOMEMADE ice cream! This sweet treat is rich, creamy, packed with vanilla flavor, and insanely easy to make.

When was the last time you made homemade ice cream? If it wasn’t this summer, it was wayyy too long ago. Break out your ice cream maker, and make this homemade ice cream recipe stat! You can buy vanilla ice cream at any grocery store, but it’ll never taste as good as the stuff you make yourself. This homemade ice cream is rich and creamy, with an indulgent vanilla flavor that even chocolate aficionados will love. And the best part? This homemade ice cream recipe is so easy to make. We’re talking 5 ingredients and 15-ish minutes of hands-on prep.…

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Grilled Zucchini

This easy grilled zucchini recipe is the perfect summer side dish! The squash is tender and flavorful—delicious with whatever you're grilling.

This grilled zucchini recipe is an easy side dish that I make on repeat all summer long. It’s a breeze to put together—slice up some fresh zucchini, toss it with a savory blend of seasonings, and grill until it’s tender and charred, but still has some bite. No soggy grilled zucchini here! I finish it with a handful of herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. The recipe highlights what I love most about seasonal cooking. It’s simple and quick, but the fresh ingredients make it delicious nonetheless. Serve it with a summery pesto pasta, veggie burgers, or whatever you’re…

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Cosmopolitan Cocktail

Travel to the '90s with this Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe! This classic vodka and cranberry juice drink may be retro, but it's still refreshing and delicious.

If you, like me, have seen every episode of Sex and the City, you have to learn how to make a Cosmopolitan cocktail, or Cosmo for short. This tart, refreshing vodka drink is a hallmark of the show, and when you watch Carrie and friends sip enough of them, you can’t help but want to try one. Below, I’m sharing my go-to Cosmopolitan recipe, which is perfect for dinner parties, girls’ nights, and binge watching the Sex and the City reboot (who else is tuning in for season 2 this week?!). It has a gorgeous blush pink color and a sweet and…

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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.