Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Part 1

Lighten up your pizza with this healthier version of pizza crust made with cauliflower, almond flour, and eggs. Top as desired! Gluten-free.

In an odd set of circumstances, I was once in a hospital waiting room in Rome talking to an Italian guy, and the topic of Chicago (where I’m from) came up. We had a long debate about Chicago pizza, and he left me with this quote – “Well it’s not pizza, but it’s good.” Not that this recipe has anything to do with deep-dish pizza – there’s no butter crust, no sausage, no brick of cheese. This “pizza”, made out of ground cauliflower and almonds, is healthy, light, and gluten-free. I couldn’t wait to give this a try but I had…

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Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Crisp on the outside and moist in the middle, this sweet potato burger has a wonderful earthy flavor from rosemary & paprika.

I couldn’t wait to make this sweet potato burger after seeing this recipe. I made a few alterations based on the ingredients I had (or rather, didn’t have) in my kitchen. I ended up making them with tofu instead of beans, which worked out great. I flavored them with rosemary and paprika, which was a nice earthy balance to the maple syrup. Sometimes veggie burgers can be too starchy and brick-heavy, but this one was moist in the center and crispy on the edges. Because there are just 2 of us, I made half the recipe that I listed below.…

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Kale, Mushroom & White Bean Stew

Filled with kale, mushrooms & white beans, this healthy vegetarian stew is perfect for warming up in winter. Wine and balsamic vinegar add depth of flavor.

It’s Food Matters Project Monday, and this one might be a stretch. This week’s pick was coq au vin, and while I’m surely on board with the vin part, chicken isn’t my thing, and I wasn’t all that inspired to try a vegetarian version of it. Jack and I were out at dinner on Friday night, and he just so happened to order coq au vin (what are the odds?). Never having tried the dish before I became vegetarian, I was surprised to see that it looked just like a rustic mushroom stew. So I took some Tuscan inspiration and decided…

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Baked Tomato Cheese & Bread Soup

A grilled cheese and tomato soup all in one, this layered cheese and bread baked tomato soup is comfort food perfect for a cold winter day.

This isn’t a typical meal in our house. Cheese around here is a sometimes food because I just can’t have that much of it. But “sometimes” has to happen… sometime. When I was in Rome, I ate gelato twice a day (you can’t be lactose intolarant in Italy, right? wrong…) and when my mom was here last week cooking us this melty, cheesy, bread-y, crusty tomato soup I couldn’t stop myself at one bowl. The idea to make this came up after a discussion about the beet salad post. We were talking about foods (there aren’t many) that Jack doesn’t like. He and…

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Veggie Curry with Cardamom Yogurt

A richly-spiced vegan curry made with tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and peas is served with a creamy, zippy cardamom yogurt.

Ok family, here’s the post you’ve all been waiting for. Last night was the night we almost burned the house down. All of the pieces were there. It was late, we were tired, and dinner was just about ready. I gave Jack the “five minute warning” to get the camera and computer set up, and he decided right then to do a bunch of software updates on the computer because he must always do this at the most inopportune moments possible. What’s this have to do with a fire? Between being annoyed 20 minutes later at the “5 minute” update,…

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Sweet Potato Hummus & Yogurt Flatbread

A simple Yogurt Flatbread is served alongside a spicy, sweet, and smoky Vegan Sweet Potato Hummus. Perfect for a fall or winter appetizer or snack.

This is the easiest flatbread recipe ever… a total go-to of mine for any meal or snack requiring dipping or wrapping. It involves just four ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen and just a few minutes to combine and roll out the dough. The longest part is letting the dough sit in the fridge for an hour, but I’ve gotten away with cutting that back to 20 or 30 minutes while I’m making the other components of my meal… Today the other “component” is this smoky sweet potato hummus, as my contribution to The Food Matters Project. Erin…

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Rigatoni with Figs & Brussels Sprouts

A veggie-packed pasta dish for fall & winter. Brussels sprouts, greens, cheese & figs combine to create a sweet & savory entree with a crispy baked topping.

It’s Food Matters Project Monday… I have to say, at first, I wasn’t excited about this week’s pick… I even almost skipped it entirely, but I’m so glad I didn’t! Flipping through any cookbook, this would never be a recipe I would stop on. The original recipe calls for blue cheese, which I don’t care for. And creamy, cheesy pasta dishes aren’t exactly my thing (I’m lactose intolerant, it’s not my fault). But it turns out, for comfort food, this is actually on the lighter side and the Brussels sprout and fig combo is just so delicious. There’s a bit…

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Roasted Cauliflower, Raisins & Capers

This roasted cauliflower dish has to be one of my favorite vegetarian sides. It's sweet, salty, bright & tangy. Serve it over quinoa to make a full meal!

I’ve had cauliflower on the brain lately. Over the last few weeks while everyone was craving chocolate-covered Valentine’s treats, I couldn’t get enough of this salty, sweet roasted goodness. I first had a similar version alongside a salmon dish at Mulberry, a restaurant/wine bar that we frequent. However, since this has been on the menu, we’ve been “frequenting” a little too much. When you go back again and again for the same twenty-seven dollar dish, I figure it’s time to learn how to make it yourself. This is so simple and it makes for such an elegant side dish. I…

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Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms

A Moroccan-spiced weeknight pasta that will make you feel like you're at a fine dining restaurant. Saffron, mushrooms, herbs, and spinach top it off. Vegan.

We’re not planners… never have been, never will be. A lot of times we pay a hefty price for this behavior (figuratively and also quite literally), but that all becomes worth it when exciting surprises and unexpected happenings occur simply because we’re open to following a whim. Not that this is an example of a life changing “happening”, but isn’t it the small moments that really count? Last Saturday night after a long day of working, we were trying to decide which of our “weekend rotation” restaurants we would go to. Every place seemed to have a crazy 2 hour…

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Molten Chocolate Cakes

Rich molten chocolate lava cakes make a simple & elegant dessert for Valentine's Day or any special occasion. Take under 30 minutes. Dairy-free option.

Jack first made molten cakes for us for Valentine’s Day a few years ago, and these luscious little cakes have been a tradition of ours ever since. It’s the one night a year that Jack cooks, and he doesn’t play it safe. He might not know the difference between a scallion and a scallop, or that 3 cloves of garlic are not 3 bulbs of garlic… every single pot and pan we own will be scattered around every bit of counter space we have… but over the years he’s learned to make a mean molten cake.

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.