Perfect Baked Potato

A perfect baked potato has crispy skin and fluffy insides. My method for how to bake a potato works every time, so load up your spuds, and dig in!

A perfect baked potato is hard to beat. The outside is brown and crisp, coated in a crust of sea salt. Pierce the skin, and your fork gives way to a soft, fluffy interior. It might be hard to resist eating the whole thing straight out of the oven, but if you take the time to top it with a pat of butter or a dollop of (cashew) sour cream, you won’t be able to deny that it was worth the wait. Reading this, you might be surprised to learn that until recently, I wasn’t a baked potato fan. I…

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How to Make Cashew Cream

This easy vegan cashew cream is a delicious dairy-free alternative to sour or heavy cream! It's creamy, versatile, tangy, and bright. What's not to love?

If you’re interested in eating more plant-based recipes, cashew cream will be your new best friend. It’s easy to make, it requires just 6 ingredients, and it’s every bit as rich and creamy as sour or heavy cream. I love to add it to creamy vegan pasta sauces, top it onto baked potatoes, serve it over burrito bowls, and more! My vegan cashew cream recipe uses basic ingredients. Raw cashews make it thick and creamy, water helps it blend, extra-virgin olive oil adds richness, and lemon juice, garlic, and salt give it a bright, tangy flavor. To make it, just…

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Vegan Bacon

Learn how to make vegan bacon three ways! Crispy, smoky, salty, and slightly sweet, it's just as good as the real thing.

Whenever I take a tray of vegan bacon out of the oven, Jack, my bacon-loving husband, appears instantly. “What’s this?” he asks. As soon as I say, “Vegan bacon,” he reaches for it right away. Now, Jack is no fool. I make vegan bacon three ways: with tempeh, with coconut, and with shiitake mushrooms. None of these ingredients transforms into an exact replica of real bacon, and they wouldn’t fool him for a second. However, seasoned the right way, they have all the traits that make bacon so irresistible: they’re smoky, salty, and slightly sweet with a perfect crispy texture.…

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Homemade Taquitos

Meet my new favorite appetizer: Baked Green Chile Taquitos! They're crispy on the outside, gooey in the middle, tangy, lightly spicy, and so. much. fun!

Who would have guessed that moving to Chicago would have made me a taquitos fan? Just after Jack and I moved here, a new bar opened up down the block from our house. At first, we went there for drinks, but we’ve kept going back for taquitos! As it turns out, this bar has an inventive chef who comes up with a rotating menu of homemade taquitos. They make their tortillas from scratch and stuff them with seasonal, local ingredients. After just a few visits, Jack and I were total taquitos converts, and I knew I had to try making…

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What is Jackfruit?

Want to start eating jackfruit at home? You're in the right place! Read on to learn how to turn this fruit into a delicious plant-based meat substitute.

Who would have thought that jackfruit – a sweet, funny-looking tropical fruit – would become a trendy meat substitute? Lately, I’ve been seeing it on more and more restaurant menus, and I’ve been using it more and more in my kitchen. It’s fantastic in everything from dips to tacos to sandwiches and more, and it’s good for you, too! The unripe jackfruit that I use in my recipes is high in fiber and low in calories, and its meaty texture makes it really fun to eat. If you’ve never to cooked with it, I heartily recommend that you try a…

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Curried Lentil Salad

Prepare to fall in love with this lentil salad recipe! It's filled with bold curry flavor, it's fresh, yet satisfying, and it even tastes great on day two.

This lentil salad recipe is my ideal winter lunch. It’s fresh and filled with veggies, but it’s hearty and satisfying at the same time. Curry spices and a zippy cilantro lime dressing infuse it with bright, bold flavor, and cubes of roasted paneer cheese and crisp turmeric cauliflower give it unexpected complexity and texture. Furthermore (yes, there’s more!), it’s flexible and easy to make, and it still tastes great after a few days in the fridge! Serve it as a side dish or prep it on a Sunday for lunches all week, but no matter what, make this lentil salad…

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How to Cook Lentils

Learn how to cook lentils perfectly every time! Tasty, nutritious, and easy to make, they're a fantastic way to add protein to salads, side dishes, and more.

If you’re interested in adding more plant-based meals to your diet, lentils are one of the first things you should turn to. These tiny legumes are protein and fiber powerhouses, they’re easy to cook, and they have a delicious earthy flavor that adds to all sorts of dishes. Read on to find my go-to method for how to cook lentils, along with information about different varieties and my favorite lentil recipes. How to Cook Lentils My method for how to cook lentils is easy! It comes down to 2 basic steps: Rinse. On occasion, you’ll find small rocks or debris mixed…

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Homemade Granola

There's a lot to love about this homemade granola recipe. It's easy to make, it's healthy, it's delicious, and it will make your kitchen smell amazing!

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent hours in the granola aisle at the grocery store, trying to find just the right kind. You know the one – it has lots of fun mix-ins like nuts and dried fruit, it’s sweet, but not too sweet, it’s spiced with cinnamon, and it’s filled with big clusters of oats and nuts. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve come to realize that it’s nearly impossible to find the perfect granola at the store. Enter: my homemade granola recipe! Instead of using white or brown sugar, I sweeten it naturally with a modest…

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How to Make Oat Milk

Learn how to make oat milk at home! With this easy recipe, it always comes out smooth & creamy - perfect for adding to coffee, baking recipes & more!

Have you tried oat milk yet? Lately, it seems to be popping up everywhere. You can add it to your coffee at Starbucks, buy a carton of it at the store, or even pick up a pint of oat milk ice cream! I had to see what all the fuss was about, so I tried making my own homemade oat milk. I have to say, I’m hooked! It’s super easy to make, it’s smooth and creamy, and it has a yummy oat-y flavor that tastes great in coffee or tea. Unlike other non-dairy milk recipes, this one doesn’t require any…

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Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls

Piled high with crunchy, creamy, savory, and spicy components, these hearty bowls are healthy, satisfying, and (most importantly) fun to eat!

I hope you’ve all had a great start to the New Year! I’m popping in today to share these super fun, super healthy Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls. They’re a delicious mix of crunchy fresh veggies, creamy avocado, spicy kimchi, tangy peanut sauce, and brown rice, with savory marinated grilled tempeh steaks on top. If you’re someone who wants to eat more plant-based recipes in the New Year, you have to try this one! Hearty, satisfying, and fun to eat, it’d be a great make-ahead lunch or easy dinner. I posted this recipe on Instagram a while back, and I…

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How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice

Learn how to cook brown rice perfectly every time! With this easy stovetop method, it's always fluffy and light - just right for stir fries, bowls, and more.

I love days when I have a big container of cooked brown rice in the fridge. It’s a fantastic starting point for curries, stir fries, fried rice, and more, and its earthy, nutty flavor is even delicious on its own. Sometimes, I’ll toss it with a pinch of salt, top it with an egg, and call it breakfast. Plus, it’s not only tasty; it’s good for you too! Brown rice is filled with fiber and other nutrients. When I have it on hand, tossing together a grain bowl for lunch or dinner takes minutes, so I’m less likely to reach…

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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.