Fall Hazelnut Panzanella

A delicious stuffing/panzanella hybrid, this healthy fall salad full of tangy sautéed mushrooms and crispy kale makes the perfect Thanksgiving side. Vegan.

Panzanella is one of my favorite summertime salads, so I thought, why not make a fall version using some stuffing-esque ingredients? Instead of juicy tomatoes, I sautéed some mushrooms and added tangy dried cranberries. Instead of sweet basil, I used woodsy sage. I normally toss pine nuts in my panzanella, but hazelnuts have been my nut of choice this fall, so I toasted those up instead. I tossed it all with grilled bread and a tangy vinaigrette and served it alongside grilled salmon. Jack’s conclusion (as we devoured the whole bowl) was “well it’s not stuffing, and it’s not panzanella… but it’s…

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Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

A creamy, Thai-spiced pumpkin soup made with coconut milk and red curry paste. Vegan, gluten free, easy, and warming on fall evenings.

Soup was probably the reason I started cooking… and at first, it was just a Sunday thing. Weekday cooking didn’t stand a chance. After a hectic work day, I wanted nothing but to sit down at a restaurant and have someone bring me food. But on lazy Sunday afternoons, I started to enjoy the peaceful process of chopping and stirring (with a glass of red wine nearby)… and all the warm fuzzy feelings that come with making soup. To me, Sunday soup making became the calm before the storm… a necessary rejuvenating time before a new crazy week would begin. Pumpkin…

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Homemade Cornbread Stuffing

Poblano peppers spice up this sweet & savory homemade cornbread stuffing recipe. Not a fan of spice? Don't worry. It's just as good without them.

Poblano Cornbread Stuffing | Love & Lemons

What are your family’s Thanksgiving traditions? We always have a turkey, of course, along with green beans, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Oh, and there’s always Jello (and not for dessert… it’s “dinner Jello”). But my favorite part is the stuffing. I’m a huge fan of traditional versions made with crusty bread (see here and here), but this year, I’m changing things up by adding this lightly spicy poblano cornbread stuffing to our Thanksgiving table. What’s in This Cornbread Stuffing Recipe? This homemade cornbread stuffing is a delicious mix of classic stuffing ingredients plus a few extras for a spicy…

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Delicata Squash Veggie Bowl

A cozy and healthy fall bowl made with roasted delicata squash & kale, sauteed mushrooms, and tangy ginger miso gravy. Great for a vegan/gf lunch or dinner.

Roasted Delicata Squash | Love & Lemons

Heading into indulgent-holiday-food season, I feel like some good healthy “bowl food” is in order. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept of bowl food, it has nothing to do with football or nachos… the breakdown looks like this: piles of greens: kale, chard, spinach, and mustard greens are all fine choices a seasonal vegetable: I had delicata squash and mushrooms, but really anything goes a protein: tofu or chickpeas are usually my go-to’s a grain: brown rice, quinoa… the options are limitless crunchy things: toasted nuts and/or seeds a good sauce: to pull it all together I just loved this ginger-miso gravy…

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Sweet Potato Surprise

A creamy noodle casserole with mac n' cheese style vegan sweet potato sauce. Spinach, shallot, scallions + sage are baked in for extra nutrients and flavor!

I first made this months ago with the very first butternut squash of the season. I had decided ahead of time that it would be a “non-photo” night since casseroles are not the easiest subject matter. Of course, after we made it, I was regretting not having the camera out because it tasted way too good not to share. For the second go-around, I made it with sweet potatoes only because that had a better ring than “butternut squash surprise.” If you’re vegan, this will taste like a baked mac and cheese. If you’re not vegan, it will just taste…

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Roasted Squash with Apple Salsa

Sweet winter squash are topped with a crisp and tangy fall apple-jalapeño-lime salsa. Serve for a unique Thanksgiving side or a healthy vegan and GF main!

My mom is in town visiting this week. Usually she comes bearing a pile of recipe clippings that she’s been collecting for weeks leading up to the trip. I’ve been stuck in a bit of a “same-ingredient” rut lately, so I was really looking forward to someone else just telling me what to make. But this time she showed up empty-handed and said, “I’m here to eat what you make – you know, all of those recipes you post that I never get to eat because I’m not close enough to stop by for dinner.” So I sat down and…

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Spicy Seared Okra

One of the best okra recipes out there! Simply sautéed with jalapeño, nuts, tomatoes & garlic, okra becomes an addictive dish you won't stop craving.

I realize that it’s Halloween, and okra is not exactly candy. But this simple recipe is so good, you’ll crave it like chocolate. Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but you’ll crave it nonetheless. Okra is something that’s completely new to me. I’ve been living here in Texas for a while now, but have never been inclined to give this humble vegetable a try until I had it at this summer at Contigo. Their preparation is pretty straightforward: oil, garlic… cook them over high heat so they get that nice char without becoming slimy. The genius part is the way they…

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Ginger Miso Eggplant Noodles

Crispy tofu, mushrooms, and eggplant are tossed with gluten-free noodles and sweet Asian-inspired sauce to make a healthy weeknight summer dinner. Vegan.

I know I say this a lot here… but my absolute favorite meals are the ones that became something out of nothing. I realize this doesn’t look like quite nothing – some of you (mom) are thinking this looks like a lot of ingredients to happen to have on hand. But I promise… a half opened thing of mushrooms on one shelf, a couple scallions in the bottom left drawer, and these few poor eggplant counting down their last days… were not exactly screaming “yay dinner” in unison. “Old me” would have left these things aside, and gone to the grocery store…

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Roasted Cauliflower Hazelnut Salad

I love eating this spiced cauliflower salad at the holidays. It's filled with juicy pomegranates, crunchy hazelnuts, fresh parsley, and crisp celery.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the US release of Ottolenghi’s newest book, Jerusalem… So I couldn’t have been more excited the day it showed up on my doorstep last week. I don’t know how you like to approach a new cookbook, but I like to start with a fast flip… trying to devour as much as I can all at one time. Later on during my second pass, I’ll settle down and take in the stories, reading through the recipes much more carefully than I did the first time around… This time I fast-flipped, intently…

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Tahini Zucchini Noodles

Light zucchini noodles are coated in creamy vegan tahini sauce & tossed with kale, baked tofu & crunchy pine nuts. A healthy, gluten-free weeknight dinner.

Let’s just call this a seasonal transitional dish. It’s like wearing shorts with a chunky sweater because you’re not quite sure if you are warm or cold, and most days you’re a little bit of both. This tahini sauce is rich and creamy… while the cold zucchini noodles are on the lighter side. I got the idea from this pin that caught my eye… which led me to the blog Earthsprout, a beautiful raw food blog with some amazing recipes. To be honest, I wasn’t sure Jack was going to be into this one. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a finicky eater, and he…

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Ginger Noodles with Kale & Shiitakes

This noodle bowl is filled with a warm gingery broth & fresh herbs, sautéed shiitakes, kale, garlic & scallions. A healthy dinner in fall or spring. Vegan.

Our vacation was filled with two weeks of unapologetic amounts of cheese, bread, wine, and pastries… so coming home, this is the kind of comforting meal I look forward to… healing Asian foods… shiitake mushrooms, ginger, sesame (and kale just for kale’s sake). This is inspired by a recipe of Heidi’s that I’ve made countless times in a variety of ways. I just love the basic flavor idea – simmering ginger broth kicked up with lime juice, basil, mint, and crushed red pepper flakes. Just because vacation is over doesn’t mean it’s time to eat boring food. I kicked up…

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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.