Shrimp Po’ Boy with Mango

I’m sure fried food is exactly what you thought you’d see here today. But, you know, we’re only human and sometimes we fry things. Well, to be clear, Jack fries things. I sit back with a glass of wine and watch. It’s a hard job, but someone’s gotta make sure he doesn’t burn the house down. Pictured is shrimp, but he also made a tofu version using the same method. I mixed up a tangy sauce by pureeing mango with kewpie mayo. (You could use regular mayo or even vegenaise if mayo isn’t your thing). We ate these with sliced mango,…

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Spring Salad & Arugula Hummus

Lately, we’ve been getting back into our ritual saturday morning walks to the farmers market. In the cooler months, we struggle to leave the house by noon. But the summer heat is starting to set in so we have some added incentive to get up and out a little bit earlier. (That and the vegan Red Rabbit doughnuts waiting for us when we get there). After we’ve had out fill of doughnuts, breakfast tacos, and coffee, I pick up whatever veggies look the best that day and we head home. A few weekends ago, I came back with this assortment……

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Mango Pesto

Admittedly, I have a pesto obsession (see here, here & here). Adding mango wasn’t something that ever occurred to me, but I’ve been trying to think of simple creative ways to use mango. (And no this isn’t another Arrested Development post, if you know what I mean. If you don’t, you can google it)… But mango pesto – so delicious, who knew? I just love this lighter and brighter twist, especially for summer. You can be healthy, like we were, and eat it as a snack with sliced cucumbers. Or you can do what we did with the leftovers – scoop it on…

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5 Kale Dinners

Challenged by Food52, here are five kale recipes! Spanakopita, Sushi Bowls, Kale and Eggs, Chimichurri, and Spanish Chickpea with Kale!

In case you weren’t getting enough kale in your life… This week, I was thrilled to contribute to Food 52’s Halfway to Dinner series. The challenge was to make a few bunches of kale stretch into 5 nights of relatively simple meals. You don’t have to twist my arm to cook kale so it’s a challenge I gladly accepted. (Although after “week-of-greens” I’m pretty sure my husband Jack is out eating fried chicken somewhere…)

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A Beso $300 giveaway

A Beso $300 giveaway

I just love kitchen stuff. And I know you do too because I get a slew of comments & questions every time I post a recipe that requires a special gadget. I admit, I can be a hoarder of things like ice cream makers, mandolines & tortilla presses… So here’s your chance to get some of those things you might be missing (or really, whatever you want). Put your own collection together at Beso and one lucky winner will win $300 toward their items. Choose from tons of products from all your favorite brands… you can even browse my collection if you want some…

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Pea & Chickpea Pasta Salad

This has been a favorite lately. I’ve made it countless times before I even thought of posting it here. It’s too easy… the ingredient list is short, and you likely already have these these things on hand. It’s super delicious and it takes no time to toss together. If I weren’t always trying to come up with new ideas, I would stop here and we would eat this most nights of the week. (Maybe switch out the veggies every so often to change it up). I whisked a little dijon with olive oil and lemon juice before tossing it with…

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Fried Egg & Mango Salsa Waffle

Happy Friday! This one makes me so happy that the weekend is just about here… This is part 1 of a fun project I’ve been working on with the Mango Board as part of their “Mangover” campaign. (makeover + mangoes, get it?) It’s about simply adding mango to ordinary food for an unexpected pop of color & tangy sweetness. Once a week they’re asking their facebook fans for meal ideas they would like to see made over with mango. This week (breakfast week), the choice was waffles and eggs. So I made a quick mango salsa with avocado, smoked paprika and a pinch…

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Gluten-free Almond Coconut Bars

This recipe is from the hilarious new book Gluten is my Bitch: Rants, Recipes and Ridiculousness for the Gluten Free, by April Peveteaux. If you’ve been recently diagnosed with Celiac disease and are feeling sorry for yourself, this is a must-read. If you’re like me and you deal with other food sensitivity issues, you’ll have a good laugh reading April’s stories because you totally “get it.” And because she is just so freaking funny. My favorite part has to be the chapter about traveling as a gluten-free person. It’s called “Paris doesn’t have to suck, but it might.” I had…

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Creamy Leek & Almond Pasta

A healthy & light creamy pasta made with almond milk, cremini mushrooms, greens, lemon, basil and sun dried tomatoes. Vegan option.

Meals like this are the reason I love cooking at home. These are the kinds of dishes that my lactose intolerant self can’t order at restaurants. The amount of butter and cream that go into pastas and risottos… I don’t even want to know. I worked on this a few different ways. I was going to make an almond version of cashew cream (similar to this one), but I decided I didn’t want to ask you to break out the blender. At least not this time. The winner was this version where I simmered leeks & mushrooms in almond milk. Such…

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Fair Trade Mother’s Day giveaway

This weekend, celebrate Mother’s Day the Fair Trade way. When you buy your mom chocolate, coffee, or flowers be sure to look for the Fair Trade Certified logo… you’ll be helping mothers and families in developing countries earn livable wages and ensure safe working conditions. Read the stories of Fair Trade moms all over the world (click) Why & where to buy Fair Trade flowers? (click) What is Fair Trade? Fair Trade is a global movement to alleviate poverty in the developing world, while ensuring consumers quality products that improve lives and protect the environment. Everyday purchases that bear the Fair Trade…

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Spiced Carrot & Chickpea Salad

This salad is loosely inspired by a carrot salad I ate during a trip to Morocco a couple of years ago. It was part of our first night’s dinner… a hot night (114 degrees!) on the rooftop of our Riad at sunset. There were marinated vegetable salads, flatbreads, tagines, and a bottle of moroccan rose… all while the evening prayer chanted over a loudspeaker in the distance. We might as well have been on another planet, it felt so surreal. Yet, one of the things I remember most about that night was the carrot salad. Recently, J.R. Watkins asked me to create a dish…

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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.