Falafel

Packed with fresh herbs and spices, this crispy baked falafel recipe is bursting with flavor. Stuff it into a pita wrap with all the fixings, and enjoy!

I’ll never forget the first time I tried falafel. Stuffed into pita bread with fresh herbs, crisp veggies, and a big slather of hummus, it was crispy, rich, and bursting with earthy, aromatic flavor. I devoured the entire wrap in minutes, amazed at the medley of tastes and textures dancing across my tongue. Falafel has been one of my favorite foods ever since. I still order it out to eat whenever I get the chance, but these days, I more often make this homemade falafel recipe. What Is Falafel? I’m getting ahead of myself. What is falafel, anyway? In case…

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Mango Smoothie

This cool, creamy mango smoothie is easy to make with just 5 ingredients! Blend it up in minutes for a healthy breakfast or ultra-refreshing snack.

This mango smoothie recipe is like sunshine in a glass! It’s cool and creamy, with a sweet, tangy tropical flavor and the cheeriest color around. It tastes so good that it could pass as dessert, but it’s really an easy, healthy option for any time of day. This mango smoothie recipe calls for 5 simple ingredients and comes together in under 5 minutes. What’s not to love about that? Mango Smoothie Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you need to make this healthy mango smoothie recipe: Frozen mango chunks – Grab a bag of frozen mango from your grocery store, or get…

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41 Healthy Lunch Ideas

If you're looking for new healthy lunch ideas, you're in the right place. These easy lunch recipes are fun, filling, and good for you, too!

Good healthy lunch ideas are like gold. In the middle of a busy work day, lunch is the longest break I take. It’s a time to reset, relax, and re-energize to tackle the tasks that lie ahead. Great healthy lunch recipes are ones that I can make ahead of time and that will keep me full and focused throughout the afternoon. But the best healthy lunch ideas taste delicious, too! They add something fun and flavorful to the middle of the work day, making my midday break extra-refreshing and worth looking forward to. Below, you’ll find my top healthy lunch ideas,…

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Chilaquiles

Topped with fried eggs, these chilaquiles verdes are a delicious breakfast or brunch. Load them up with crema and fresh garnishes before digging in!

In my book, this chilaquiles recipe is the ULTIMATE Sunday brunch. Sorry pancakes, waffles, and French toast—after years of living in Austin, I wake up craving breakfast dishes that are spicy and bright. And in that respect, these chilaquiles verdes seriously deliver. What are chilaquiles? Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish. Similar to migas, they were first made as a way to use up stale tortillas. They consist of fried tortillas cooked in a flavorful sauce, typically salsa verde or salsa roja. You can top chilaquiles with eggs and serve them for breakfast or brunch, like I do here, but…

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Cilantro Lime Crema

Plain old sour cream can't compare to this zesty cilantro lime crema recipe. It's easy to make, and it adds bold, bright flavor to tacos, burritos, and more!

Skip the sour cream—this cilantro lime crema is the BEST way to add a burst of tangy flavor to tacos, burritos, nachos, and more. I love it because it’s more complex than regular sour cream or my go-to alternative, Greek yogurt. The lime juice gives it zesty brightness, the cilantro freshens it up, and a little onion powder adds addictive savory depth. And the best part? To make this cilantro lime crema recipe, you just need 7 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes. The next time you want to jazz up Mexican or Tex Mex fare (or even grilled veggies!)…

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Eggplant Lasagna

You won't find any noodles in this eggplant lasagna recipe, but trust me—you won't miss them. Tender roasted eggplant is a delicious substitute.

This eggplant lasagna recipe is perfect for this time of year. Summer produce is still abundant, but the temps are starting to cool off. After months of eating salad recipes and veggie burgers off the grill, I’m ready to add comfort foods to our regular rotation. Eggplant lasagna, coming right up! If it’s not clear from the name, this eggplant lasagna recipe is a no-noodle situation. Instead of pasta, thin planks of roasted eggplant separate the layers of bubbly marinara sauce and melty cheese. It’s every bit as delicious as a classic lasagna (even Jack will vouch for it!), just…

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Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl

This Mediterranean quinoa bowl is a delicious weeknight dinner or healthy lunch! Great for meal prep, it's packed with veggies, chickpeas, and more.

Quinoa bowl recipes are some of my favorite easy meals to toss together for a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner. I love them because They’re customizable. You can change up the quinoa bowl toppings based on what you’re craving or what you have on hand. They’re great for meal prep. Cook the quinoa and mix up a tasty sauce over the weekend. Then, quickly assemble quinoa bowls all week! They’re super satisfying…not to mention tasty! I fill my quinoa bowls with protein-packed quinoa, fiber-rich veggies, and big drizzles of a flavorful sauce. It’s the ultimate combination of healthy and delicious. You can…

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Garlic Yogurt Sauce

This homemade garlic yogurt sauce is creamy, tangy, and SO easy to make! Stir it together in minutes to jazz up wraps, roasted vegetables, and more.

This garlic yogurt sauce is the simplest sauce you’ll ever make. In fact, it’s so simple that I wondered if I should even share it. Does a 5-ingredient, 5-minute recipe really deserve its own blog post? But here’s the thing: I’ve been making this garlic yogurt sauce for years. It’s the perfect “emergency sauce.” When you’re putting together a meal—tacos, wraps, quinoa bowls—and you realize you need something creamy and tangy to drizzle on top, this garlic yogurt sauce is there for you. You always have the ingredients in your pantry. You can make it in minutes (no food processor…

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Creamy Corn Pasta

This corn pasta is deliciously creamy...without any cream! Blended corn creates the sauce's luscious texture. Fresh basil takes it over the top.

This corn pasta recipe is late summer in a bowl. Just like the season, it feels transitional. While it’s bursting with fresh, summery produce like sweet corn and basil, it’s also creamy and comforting, suggestive of all the cozy fare we have coming our way this fall. To clarify—when I say that this corn pasta is creamy, I don’t mean that it’s made with actual cream. The luscious texture comes from the corn itself! It blends into a silky sauce that beautifully coats the pasta. More corn kernels stay whole for crunch, while basil and pecorino cheese add depth of…

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Grilled Carrots

Carrots are one of my favorite veggies to throw on the grill! Sweet, smoky, and perfectly tender, these grilled carrots are a delicious summer side dish.

Why aren’t we all making grilled carrots more often? That’s what I asked myself after I tried this grilled carrots recipe for the first time. Because friends, it is delicious.  Carrots have a wonderful natural sweetness, which intensifies when you cook them on the grill. At the same time, they caramelize and char, creating a mouthwatering mix of sweet and smoky flavors. And texturally, they come out perfectly tender all the way through. Sorry, grilled asparagus and grilled eggplant—I’m making these grilled carrots for my next cookout. Steps to Make Grilled Carrots Like most grilled vegetables, grilled carrots are easy to…

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Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is famously good on steak, but uses for this Argentinian sauce don't end there. Drizzle it over vegetables and more for fresh, tangy flavor.

Chimichurri

If you’re not making chimichurri at home, you absolutely should be! This Argentinian green sauce is fresh and tangy, and you can mix it up in under 10 minutes. It’s famously good on steak, but I can attest that it tastes delicious on just about everything else too—vegetables, beans, even polenta. I developed this chimichurri recipe after Jack and I went on our honeymoon in Argentina. While we were there, I ordered chimichurri everywhere I could, savoring its zingy, herbaceous flavor. I wanted to keep enjoying it when we got back, so I learned to make my own. This 8-ingredient…

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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.