Easy Vegetarian Pho

This vegan pho recipe is a simple take on the classic Vietnamese noodle soup. It gets its rich flavor from spices and mushrooms instead of meat.

A vegan pho recipe has been on my “to make some day” list for a long time. I got the idea from a Vietnamese restaurant just a short walk away from our house. Their mushroom pho is has a richly spiced broth and loads of slurpy noodles. It’s hot, flavorful, and comforting, but it still feels nice and fresh. After enjoying bowls upon bowls of their delicious soup, I’ve finally made my own vegetarian pho recipe to share with all of you. What is Pho? If you’re not familiar with pho (pronounced “fuh”), it’s a Vietnamese noodle soup that features…

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Healthy Vegan Dinner Recipes

11 of our favorite plant-based dinner options. They're healthy, filling and vegan - most can also be made gluten-free.

Raise your hand if you may have had a little too much chocolate and red wine yesterday while celebrating Valentine’s Day. Suffice it to say, I’m getting a slow start to my week, but I plan to recover by catching up on my vegetable intake over the next few days. Here are a few delicious vegan dinners that are favorites in our house. I hope you love them too! Pictured above: Spicy Sweet Potato Avocado Tostadas (if you don’t have cherry tomatoes, use jarred salsa instead) Millet Cakes with Carrots & Spinach / Sesame Broccoli Shiitake Stir Fry Pictured above: Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco Sauce Chili-Orange Veggie Bowl / Vegan…

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A Valentine’s Date Night In

3 Valentine's Date Night Ideas for signature cocktails, homemade pasta dinner recipes, and romantic desserts.

For years, Jack and I have been celebrating Valentine’s Day at home in lieu of long waits for dinners at fancy restaurants. Tackling a new kitchen project together – even if you mess it up – is always tons of fun. Here are 3 date night ideas… each with a Love & Lemons spin, of course! #1: CREATE A SIGNATURE COCKTAIL prep ahead: 1. Make fancy ice in the shape of hearts or x’s and o’s – how cute?! 2. Think about some fun memories you’ve shared over drinks. It can be as extravagant as the Caipirinhas you sipped on your honeymoon in Rio or…

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Meyer Lemon Madeleines

These Meyer lemon madeleines are light, sweet, and perfect for sharing on Valentine's Day. Dust them with powdered sugar for an extra special touch.

If I had to pick a favorite holiday, it would have to be Valentine’s Day. I’ve always loved the day because really, it’s so… simple. The only real rule is that you need to show people you love them. Check back Friday for a date night story about Jack and me, but I’m dedicating this post to the person that made this day my favorite when I was a kid – my mom. Growing up, she always made Valentine’s Day so special for me and my sister. For at least a week leading up to February 14th, we would make crafts with…

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Tart Cherry Tartelettes

Tart Cherry Tartelettes. A no-bake Valentines Day dessert. Vegan and Gluten Free.

There seems to be a national holiday for every type of food imaginable… I’m usually the last to know until my Instagram feed is chock full of deliciousness for National Chocolate Cake Day (January 27th), National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (May 15th), and the one I’m most ashamed to have missed, National Taco Day (October 4th). But this month, I’m covering all my bases because February is not only National Chocolate Lovers’ Month, it’s also National Cherry Month. To celebrate, we’ve partnered with the Cherry Marketing Institute to bring you these decadent (no-bake) chocolate tart cherry tartelettes. These start with a…

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Healthy Loaded Vegan Nachos

Who knew nachos could be healthy? We love this version topped with walnut-mushroom taco meat, cashew nacho "cheese," and plenty of veggies.

It sounds silly to say, but the first vegan “dish” I really fell hard for was nachos. It was years ago at Native Foods where the Native Nachos were a revelation to us. They weren’t a snack, they were our dinner late one night. They were piled high with taco “meat,” black beans, cashew cheese (a crazy concept at the time), salsa, and guacamole… we scarfed them down saying (with our mouths full) “how are these vegan?!” I came home with their cookbook and every night later that week, I made nachos. My version here is quite a bit different, but the…

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Mini Potato Pizzas

Mini Potato Pizzas are the perfect easy & healthy party appetizer.

If there’s any vegetable that’s under-represented on this blog, it has to be the potato. If you take a glance at our recipe index, you’ll notice that I while I have a mild obsession with sweet potatoes, I often skip over other potato varieties. But I have to tell you, I’m in love with all potato varieties (russets, red, whites, blues, the list goes on…), which are especially great for entertaining. These little pizzas are SO delicious and so so easy. A perfect appetizer to serve this Sunday for the big game. To make these, first seek out some colorful pretty petite potatoes. Ok, just kidding, if you…

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Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

This roasted cauliflower steaks recipe is a showstopping main dish! I serve them over creamy romesco sauce & top them with lemon zest & pine nuts.

Cauliflower is one mighty veggie – it’s can transform into rice, a creamy dip or queso, and even mashed potatoes! But sometimes, I crave it made simply. This caramelized cauliflower steak recipe is what I make on those days. Golden brown, tender, and savory, these roasted cauliflower steaks have become one of my favorite vegetarian main dishes. They’re not a side salad trying to be a meal, and there’s no fake meat. Who knew a slab of cauliflower could be so satisfying? How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Steaks Making a cauliflower steak isn’t difficult, but you do have to be…

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Greek Salad Flatbread Pizza

Love salad? Love pizza? Then enjoy the best of both worlds with this fresh, fun Greek salad flatbread pizza! It's an easy, delicious 30-minute dinner.

If you love Greek salad but you also love pizza, then this flatbread pizza recipe is for you. It’s a genius mashup of those two yummy things: classic Greek salad ingredients – olives, tomatoes, onions, feta, romaine, and artichokes – over a hearty whole wheat pizza crust. I wish I could take credit for this fantastic combination, but today the recipe (and all of the ingredients to make it), came from Hello Fresh, the healthy meal kit delivery service. We tried out their veggie box last week and are here to report back with our stamp of approval! Greek Salad Flatbread Pizza…

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Beet Hummus

I love the bright color of this slightly sweet beet hummus. A little cumin & coriander enhance its flavor, making it an addictive appetizer or snack!

I love the way this beet hummus tastes – it’s slightly sweet, but not too beet-y. Jack, our resident beet-hater, was skeptical as I made this, but he ended up loving it. But what really excites me is the color. It’s so bright and vibrant – exactly what I feel like eating in the middle of winter when the days are bleak and grey. Ok, that’s an exaggeration because it’s actually super sunny here today. But if it’s grey where you are – try out this beet hummus recipe. Beet Hummus Recipe Ingredients To make this recipe, 10 simple ingredients are…

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Pre-order The Love & Lemons Cookbook!

It’s so surreal to be sitting here writing this post. When we first started talking about this book (nearly 2 years ago!), the year 2016 felt like a lifetime away. It’s no joke, the process of publishing a book is LONG! But here we are – 120 recipes, roughly 300 photos and 1 broken dishwasher later – and it’s now available for preorder and will be out March 29th! So what’s the book about? Simple, beautiful cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients. The recipe chapters are organized by vegetable so that your cooking inspiration can start where mine does – the farmer’s…

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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.