Avocado Smoothie

Made with banana and coconut milk, this avocado smoothie recipe is deliciously creamy without any dairy. An easy, refreshing vegan breakfast!

A recent trip to Dallas inspired me to make this creamy avocado smoothie recipe. While we were there, Jack and I went to a popsicle shop that had this dairy-free avocado lime pop that I went crazy for. I’ve wanted to recreate it all summer, and I finally did…in smoothie form! Don’t worry – this avocado smoothie doesn’t taste at all like guacamole. Instead, it’s like a fresh lime sorbet. Thanks to the avocado and banana, it has a delicious creamy texture that makes it a really satisfying breakfast or snack. In fact, it’s so good that I’d even eat…

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Super Fun Summer Smoothies!

Enjoy classic treats in smoothie form! These four fun drinks are inspired by blueberry muffins, PB&J, mint chip ice cream, and peaches & cream.

Every so often, I get on these mean green daily smoothie kicks that, in all honesty, can get a little TOO green over time. The kick starts with delicious well-balanced smoothies, but as the days go on, I start cutting corners. I add too much liquid so that the blender will blend fast, leaving me with a watery smoothie. And speaking of water, that’s what I use when I run out of almond milk. I add ice in the name of “thickness,” and I start skipping all ingredients that actually add flavor. What I (we) are left with to drink first thing in…

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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.

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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Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

We love snacking on these 7-ingredient carrot energy balls. They taste just like carrot cake, but they're nut-free, vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!

It’s April which means – time for carrot desserts! Or, well, in this case, carrot snacks. These lightly sweetened carrot bites are great for 3pm snacktime or an on-the-go breakfast. They’re more carroty than cakey – and by that I mean that they’re not cake-like at all and there’s no baking required (if you’re really craving cake click here or here). They’re chewy little balls made from a mix of carrots, sunflower seeds, dates, coconut, and cinnamon. By popular request, I made these nut free (as long as coconut is ok) – I was very tempted to try an almond version, but I held…

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Brussels Sprout Salad Avocado Toast

This smashed avocado toast is topped with a tangy Brussels Sprouts salad. Great for breakfast, a snack, or to serve to family.

There’s a shaved Brussels sprout salad in our Cookbook (page 68) that’s one of my go-to salads in the fall and/or winter. It has a tangy citrusy dressing and it’s tossed with cranberries and pine nuts. A few weeks ago while I was planning to make that salad for Thanksgiving, I saw a sprout and ricotta toast recipe on Epicurious and got the idea that my favorite little salad would make a bright festive appetizer. Instead of using ricotta cheese to hold the filling onto the toast I used smashed avocado – because I can never resist yet another seasonal avocado toast. This…

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Lemon Cake

This light, 10-ingredient lemon cake recipe is lightly sweet and bright - the perfect treat to enjoy with an afternoon tea or coffee.

“This not-too-sweet, very simple cake is perfect for that ‘it’s four o’clock and I need a little something with a cup of coffee’ moment,” says Julia Turshen about this lemon cake recipe, and I completely agree. I’ve had a little slice of this lemon olive oil cake every day this week, and it’s been delightful. This easy lemon cake recipe comes from the book Small Victories by Julia Turshen. If you think you’re not familiar with her work, you probably actually are, as she’s co-authored books with Gweneth Paltrow and Mario Batali, to name a few. I am head-over-heels for her easy…

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Pumpkin Waffles

Spice up your fall weekends with these easy pumpkin waffles! They're crisp on the edges, tender in the middle, and filled with delicious pumpkin flavor.

Lately, making these pumpkin waffles has become my favorite Saturday morning activity. I love to stand over the warm waffle iron as they cook, letting the scent of pumpkin, vanilla, and warm spices waft over me. Needless to say, by the time the pumpkin waffles are done, I’m more than ready to eat. I devour one right away, while it’s still nice and hot. Then, I let the others cool and stash them in an airtight bag in the freezer. They reheat perfectly, so in the fall, I try to keep a supply of frozen pumpkin waffles on hand for…

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Alanna’s Pumpkin Cranberry Nut & Seed Loaf

This delicious flourless loaf is vegan, gluten free, and packed with nutrients from seeds & nuts. Toast a slice for a hearty breakfast. Recipe from the book Alternative Baker.

Say hello to my new daily breakfast. I’ve made this loaf twice in the last two weeks and have been enjoying a slice in the morning ever since. It’s lightly sweet, nutty, seedy, wonderfully wholesome and dense. I’ve been craving a dark seedy “bread” like this ever since we spent time in the Netherlands this past summer. So when I flipped through Alanna Taylor-Tobin’s new book Alternative Baker, this recipe immediately jumped out to me. There’s a lot going on in this loaf – walnuts, pepitas, oats, flaxseeds, chia seeds, psyllium husks and pumpkin puree among a few other things. Once…

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Homemade Vanilla Hazelnut Milk Latte

Delicious homemade hazelnut milk flavored with maple, cinnamon, nutmeg & vanilla is perfect with coffee or espresso! Great for lazy weekends. Vegan.

Happy Friday! I have a fun little weekend project for you – take a few extra moments to make your own hazelnut milk! It’s so delicious, I promise it’s worth the effort. Actually, it requires very little effort, it just takes some planning ahead for the proper amount of soaking and chilling. The result is a delightfully lightly sweet & nutty milk that’s so yummy mixed with espresso or coffee. This time I made lattes with Nespresso’s Solelio & Giornio coffees which are light and medium in roast with red fruity & white floral notes respectively. These are absolutely perfect for lazy Sunday mornings. The hazelnut…

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Berry Superfood Smoothie Bowl

Learn how to make a smoothie bowl with this delicious, antioxidant-packed recipe! Almond butter gives it protein and amazing PB & J flavor.

This scenario happens often: I get on a smoothie kick, and I make the same one again and again and again. Same time, same place, same smoothie. Tell me that this happens to you too? This berry-spinach smoothie bowl recipe is my new latest obsession. Why You’ll Love this Smoothie Bowl Recipe It tastes amazing. Instead of banana, I add a scoop of almond butter for creaminess (and a little protein). As a result, it has a hint of PB&J flavor – it’s SO delicious and also husband-approved. Which means that I’m pretty sure it would be kid-approved too. It’s easy to keep the…

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Sweet Healthy Breakfast Recipes

These are some of our favorite weekend treats, perfect for a lighter breakfast or brunch. Vegan options.

Is it Saturday yet? I’ve been on the biggest breakfast kick and lately fruit-filled smoothies, muffins, and waffles are all I’ve been able to think about. I just finished eating a blueberry version of these muffins and now I’m sitting here daydreaming about what I might bake up this weekend. Since sweet breakfasts can get unhealthy really quickly, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite lighter morning treats. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! pictured above: Sunshine Citrus Chia Bowls Vegan French Toast / Matcha Kale & Peach Smoothies Vegan Carrot Cake Waffles / Cinnamon Quinoa Bowls pictured above: Healthy Apple Cinnamon…

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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.