Paloma Cocktail

We all love a margarita, but if you ask me, this paloma cocktail is just as good! Made with grapefruit and lime juice, it's sweet, sour, and refreshing.

When Jack and I lived in Austin, we’d always order paloma cocktails on summer afternoons at Hula Hut. It had a big deck right on Lake Austin, and it was filled with people all summer long. We loved to sit there in the hot sun, sipping our cocktails and sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with friends. Last weekend, the spring sun inspired us to make this paloma recipe at home. With just the two of us, our “scene” looked a bit different than our Hula Hut days, but we still had fun mixing up our drinks together. In fact, we’re already looking forward…

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Simple Syrup

Make this easy simple syrup recipe to sweeten your favorite cocktails! Enjoy it plain, or add herbs, lavender, ginger, and more to infuse it with flavor.

If you like to make cocktails at home, knowing how to make simple syrup is essential. By definition, simple syrup is a mixture of equal parts sugar and water. It allows you to sweeten cold drinks consistently – unlike granulated sugar on its own, it won’t settle into a gritty mound at the bottom of your glass. And good news! As the name suggests, this simple syrup recipe is, well, simple. It only requires two ingredients, and it comes together in 5 minutes flat. Stored in an airtight container or glass jar in the fridge, it will keep for up…

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How to Cook Asparagus

Learn how to cook asparagus with this 3-part guide! Blanched, grilled, raw, or roasted, it's a delicious spring side dish or fresh ingredient.

What’s your favorite method for how to cook asparagus? For me, choosing just one is impossible, because asparagus totally transforms depending on how you prepare it. When you roast it in the oven, its tips turn perfectly crisp and golden brown. When you blanch it, it comes out vibrant green and fresh, and when you grill it, it becomes wonderfully charred and juicy. Can I pick all three? Below, you’ll find my best tips on these techniques for how to cook asparagus. If you already love asparagus, I hope you also love this handy guide. If you don’t love it,…

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Okonomiyaki

This okonomiyaki recipe proves that weeknight dinners don't have to be boring! It cooks in a flash, and it's healthy, delicious, and super fun to make.

When you think of pantry recipes, okonomiyaki might not be the first thing that comes to mind. It certainly wasn’t for Jack and me. Over the last few weeks, we cooked our way through a whole slew of bean recipes, rice recipes, and pasta recipes before it dawned on us that we had everything we needed to make this popular Japanese street food right in our kitchen! Jack and I first tried okonomiyaki on a trip to Japan nearly ten years ago, and we’ve loved it ever since. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s sort of a frittata-like Japanese…

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Matcha 101 – What It Is and How to Use It

I love starting my day with a steaming cup of matcha green tea. Read on to learn how to make this energizing, antioxidant-packed drink at home!

A few years ago, matcha started popping up everywhere – in lattes, ice cream, smoothies, icing, and more. While I’ll never say no to a matcha doughnut, today I want to focus on the simplest way to enjoy it: by whisking it into hot water to create a frothy, nourishing tea. I’ve loved drinking matcha this way since Jack and I took our first trip to Japan years ago, and I still make myself a cup almost every morning. To me, it’s the perfect way to start the day. It’s energizing and calming both at once, and above all else,…

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Healthy Banana Muffins

When I have these healthy banana muffins on hand, I always go back for seconds. They're moist, fluffy, and filled with spiced banana flavor.

For years, these healthy banana muffins have been one of my favorite breakfasts. But in the last few weeks, I think I’ve made them more times than I ever have before. Like many of you, Jack and I have been going to the store less often lately. I grab a big bunch of bananas every time we go, but we never finish them all before they become soft, speckled, and far too ripe to eat on their own. My solution? Banana muffins, of course! They’re moist, fluffy, and filled with spiced banana flavor. Made with whole wheat flour and maple…

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Broccoli Rice

Don't toss that broccoli stalk! Instead, pulse it into broccoli rice to add to burritos, bowls, stir-fries, and more. It's easy, healthy, and delicious!

Everyone’s crazy for cauliflower rice, but if you ask me, broccoli rice deserves just as much love. It’s a great way to take an entire head of broccoli – stalk and all – and turn it into something delicious. Lightly sauté it with cilantro and lime to make a grain-free base for a homemade burrito bowl, mix it with brown rice to make a zesty side dish, toss it into a stir fry, or roll it into a wrap. Really, your options are endless. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I love to find…

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21 Rice Bowl Recipes

Want to get creative with your weeknight dinners? These easy rice bowl recipes are just the thing for you! They're flexible, fun, and delicious.

I come up with my favorite rice bowl recipes on nights when I don’t know what to cook for dinner. Because rice bowls rely on components—white rice or brown rice, a protein, a veggie, a sauce—you can almost always improvise them without a trip to the store. Start with a base of cooked rice, and then, get creative! Simple ingredients can mix and match into a healthy, delicious rice bowl in an infinite number of ways, so don’t hesitate to have fun. To get you started, I’m sharing 21 simple rice bowl recipes below. You’ll also find ideas for substitutions…

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31 Easy Chickpea Recipes

Got garbanzo beans? Put them to work in these easy chickpea recipes! They include fresh salads, flavorful curries, the BEST hummus, and more.

We LOVE chickpea recipes! Also called garbanzo beans, chickpeas are healthy, packed with fiber and plant-based protein. Even better, they’re delicious and versatile. Keep a few cans in your pantry, and you won’t get stuck making the same old chickpea recipes on repeat. Nope—you can blend these legumes into hummus, form them into falafel, or roast them up for a crispy snack. You can toss them into a salad or a pot of soup or stuff them into a sandwich. If you want more specific ideas, check out the chickpea recipes below. They’re some of my favorites. I hope you…

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Love & Lemons Every Day Cookbook Birthday!

Love and Lemons Every Day is one year old! It's a big, beautiful book filled with healthy, delicious recipes, flexible cooking charts, and more.

Hi all! I’m popping in today to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the launch of our second cookbook, Love and Lemons Every Day. To all of you who have the book – thank you! The best part of this year has been seeing you dive in to it and its recipes. I can’t tell you how much I love seeing your creations when you tag me on Instagram or Facebook. If you like what you’ve made (and I hope you do!) it’d mean the world to me if you’d leave a positive review on Amazon or wherever you bought the…

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Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Try this spaghetti aglio e olio recipe once, and you'll make it over and over. It uses simple ingredients, it cooks in 20 minutes, and it's totally delicious.

Spaghetti aglio e olio translates to “spaghetti with garlic and oil.” The traditional dish contains little more than these ingredients. It might be finished with a sprinkle of parsley or a pinch of red pepper flakes, but even these are optional. In its simplest form, this classic Italian pasta features spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. But if you’ve ever tried it, you know that spaghetti aglio e olio is far more than the sum of its parts. The garlic infuses the oil with rich, nutty flavor, and salty, starchy pasta cooking water transforms it into a deeply flavorful…

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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.