Vegetarian Memorial Day Recipes

holiday / recipes

Memorial Day is coming up next weekend! Whether you’re hosting a gathering or simply bringing a side dish (hi, I’m Jeanine – the family salad maker), here are a few veggie-ful party recipe ideas. Click on the links or directly on the photos to go to the recipes: First up: Instead of meticulously assembling appetizers, you can set out a bunch of ingredients for this Mix & Match Crostini Bar so your guests can assemble their own toppings. Include some gluten free crackers and at least one vegan spread (like the vegan pesto shown above) and you’ll have all of your bases covered. It’s…

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

With crisp edges, chewy middles & just 6 ingredients, these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are one of my absolute favorite treats.

gluten free / cookbooks

Ok, guys, get ready: you’re going to fall in love with these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Let me tell you why: This peanut butter cookie recipe comes together in one bowl, it uses 6 ingredients, and it results in decadent, soft, pillowy cookies that are lightly crisp on the outside. These little guys are flourless, and they’re sweetened with coconut sugar, so they’re secretly on the healthy side too. This peanut butter cookie recipe comes from my friend Kathryne’s new book Love Real Food. Her blog, Cookie and Kate, is one of my favorite vegetarian blogs to read, and she is…

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Blueberry Fennel Flatbread w/ Whipped Feta

Here, blueberries & fennel make a wonderful unexpected pairing, and tangy whipped feta accents their sweet, fresh flavors. Perfect for a spring brunch!

spring / vegetarian / favorites

If you caught last week’s post about my CSA box tips, you might recognize some of those ingredients here in this recipe. What I love most about my “surprise” Farmhouse box is that it inspires me to come up with flavor combinations that I would not have thought of otherwise. Blueberries and fennel?? Yes, it works! The saying is true – what grows together goes together. These were the first blueberries of the season, and I knew I wanted to make a simple recipe to really highlight them. This flatbread is so easy to make and I think it’d be such…

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Vegan Pimento Cheese Dip

You won't believe how close this vegan pimento cheese recipe tastes to the real thing! It's tangy, creamy, and so delicious as a spring appetizer.

appetizers / vegan

My husband Jack loves pimento cheese. Actually, he loves any kind of cheese but, having grown up in the south, pimento cheese has a special place in his heart. So I made this vegan version! Although he was skeptical as I was blending it together he was shocked and impressed by how close it tastes to the real thing. Cashews give this spread a creamy base while jarred pimentos, dijon mustard, and lots of lemon give it a proper tang. It’s best with Ritz-like crackers, but I also like to serve it with tons of chopped up veggies as well. This…

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Mango Coconut Muffins

I love to start my day with these bright mango coconut muffins! They're 100% vegan and have fresh flavor from lime, mango chunks & coconut flakes.

vegan / spring / breakfast

Muffins have such a special place in my heart. Growing up, my family ate muffins for breakfast nearly every day, and it was awesome. My sister and I would *think* we wanted the colorful cereals that the other kids had. We’d beg my mom to buy them and when she would, they’d end up going stale on the top shelf in the pantry. Nothing beat a warm muffin and a big glass of milk first thing in the morning. Of course, I’ve since nixed the milk part, but my love for muffins continues. These mango and coconut muffins are my new favorite morning treat.…

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CSA Box Strategies + a Farmhouse Salad

local / tips

I’ve talked about this over and over on here, but one of my favorite ways to incorporate fresh produce into my meals is through my local Texas CSA delivery that I get bi-weekly. The fruits and vegetables are grown from local farms and when my “bushel” arrives, the contents are always a surprise! There’s no better way in my opinion to eat hyper local than by signing up for a local CSA box – and they can be found all over the country. BUT – I’ll be honest – sometimes it can be a bit daunting. Finding ways to eat and store the vegetables…

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Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites

These sweet potato bites are a fun and festive party appetizer! A nutty, tangy avocado tartare tops thin rounds of roasted sweet potato.

appetizers / snacks & dips / vegan

How cute are these sweet potato appetizer bites?! The topping is my plant-based riff on classic tuna tartare, with diced avocado in place of the fish. It tastes fantastic, with a yummy mix of nutty, tangy, creamy, and crunchy elements. It’s also pretty! The vibrant sweet potato contrasts with the pale avocado, and watermelon radish adds a big pop of pink. If you ask me, these sweet potato bites are almost as fun to look at as they are to eat. Speaking of eating, these sweet potato appetizer bites are totally vegan and gluten-free! As a result, they’re a perfect…

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Kentucky Derby Party Recipes

spring / entertaining

As you know, the Kentucky Derby® is right around the corner (did you see last week’s Sparkling Mint Juleps?). Today I’m partnering with 14 Hands Wine to share some Derby Day party tips, recipes, and a few great wine pairings. It’s time break out your fancy hats, pour some wine and get started! First up are these colorful open-faced (crust off!) tea sandwiches. These are super easy to make if you make the spread ahead of time and assemble these just before your guests arrive. Instead of a cream cheese spread I made an herbal creamy dill spread by blending sunflower…

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Sweet Potato Noodles with Garlic & Kale

Sweet potato noodles inject the classic Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with brilliant color in this easy dish. I love to top mine with basil & plenty of Parmesan.

pasta / gluten free / vegan-option

Have you tried sweet potato noodles? In the past, I’ve made zoodles and doodles (noodles made out of daikon radish), but it didn’t occur to me until recently to make swoodles(?). Is that what we’re calling them? Anyway, one night, with a hungry stomach and minimal ingredients on hand, I saw this gorgeous recipe for Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, and I realized I could make something similar using sweet potatoes in place of the pasta. This recipe starts with 2 medium sweet potatoes – you’ll be surprised how many noodles they make, and then you’ll also be surprised by how much they cook down…

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Sparkling Mint Juleps

spring / cocktail

Happy Friday! Hold on to your giant fancy hats – the Kentucky Derby® is coming up in a few weeks, so we’ve partnered with 14 Hands Wine (a.k.a. the preferred wine of the Kentucky Derby) to bring you a fresh spring cocktail. What is it? A twist on a traditional mint julep – it’s minty, it’s tangy, and it’s sparkly! The classic mint julep is made with mint, bourbon, simple syrup and crushed ice. Instead of the simple syrup, I took the liberty of adding lime juice and sparkling wine instead. I think bubbles make everything better and 14 Hands Brut, with its apple and citrus flavors, is…

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Healthy Easter Brunch Recipes

spring / brunch / favorites

This blog is nothing if not seasonal, so let’s celebrate the holiday where rabbits lay the most delicious eggs – Easter! In all seriousness, this holiday means two things to me – brunch with family & friends and the start of berry season (yay!). So I’ve picked out a few recipes you could serve at an Easter brunch, and a few that are less Easter-y and just scream spring me to me (I’m looking at you, Sunshine Chia Bowls). You can click directly on the photos to go to each recipe: Avocado Almondaise Tartines (pictured above) Shakshuka with Spinach and Harissa Tart Cherry…

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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.

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