Carrot & Oat Cranberry Cookies

Healthy carrot cookies made with almond flour, coconut oil & maple syrup. Loaded with chocolate, cranberries, and nuts of your choice! Vegan & gluten free.

Warning: these are super addictive. A great healthy snack… but if you work from home like I do, they will call to you more often than a nagging client. They call me at breakfast time for a sweet pick me up with my morning coffee. Around 2pm for a post-lunch treat. Maybe again around 4pm for a post-post lunch treat… And since you’ll have eaten them all day long, you might want a change of pace for dessert that night. Warm one (or two) of them and crumble over your ice cream.

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Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Crisp on the outside and moist in the middle, this sweet potato burger has a wonderful earthy flavor from rosemary & paprika.

I couldn’t wait to make this sweet potato burger after seeing this recipe. I made a few alterations based on the ingredients I had (or rather, didn’t have) in my kitchen. I ended up making them with tofu instead of beans, which worked out great. I flavored them with rosemary and paprika, which was a nice earthy balance to the maple syrup. Sometimes veggie burgers can be too starchy and brick-heavy, but this one was moist in the center and crispy on the edges. Because there are just 2 of us, I made half the recipe that I listed below.…

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Avocado & Chickpea Salad Sandwich

My go-to healthy lunch is this Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwich! With green onion, cilantro & lime, it's ideal for quick & easy vegan sandwiches.

This is my new favorite lunch. I saw this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod a couple of weeks ago and made it right away. And then I made it again the next day… and then the next day after that… As creative as I like to get at dinnertime, there’s something comforting (and probably a little OCD) about eating the same thing for lunch day in and day out. Beyond the sandwich, I’ve also been eating scoopfuls of this over mixed greens with chopped cucumbers and other veggies. And this summer, I’ll likely be serving it poolside with chips…

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Individual Mixed Berry Oat Crisps

Mini berry crisps are topped with oat & nut crumble to make a divine spring or summer dessert. Use any in-season fruit and make this crisp all year!

This is another treat my mom made for us while she was visiting. Jack has been working crazy hours lately, so it was really fun that week to have the extra company in the kitchen. I love these little mini skillets (I love anything mini), but you could bake this in any oven-safe dish you happen to have. You could also sub in any fruit you like (fresh or frozen).

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Veggie Curry with Cardamom Yogurt

A richly-spiced vegan curry made with tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and peas is served with a creamy, zippy cardamom yogurt.

Ok family, here’s the post you’ve all been waiting for. Last night was the night we almost burned the house down. All of the pieces were there. It was late, we were tired, and dinner was just about ready. I gave Jack the “five minute warning” to get the camera and computer set up, and he decided right then to do a bunch of software updates on the computer because he must always do this at the most inopportune moments possible. What’s this have to do with a fire? Between being annoyed 20 minutes later at the “5 minute” update,…

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Black Rice & Spring Vegetable Pilaf

Asparagus, broccolini & edamame are mixed with a black rice pilaf to make a healthy spring entree. Herbs & a lemon yogurt sauce top this gluten-free dish.

I love foods when they’re bright in flavor and in color. This recipe starts with a spiced wild rice pilaf and is mixed with fresh asparagus, broccolini and edamame, but feel free to use the vegetables you love most. I’ve been using black wild rice more and more lately (which is actually a grass and not a rice). It makes for a gorgeous presentation, and has the added benefit of being higher in protein than other rices. The warm nutty rice gets flavored with garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin. In the end the pilaf is topped with a bright pop…

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Roasted Cauliflower, Raisins & Capers

This roasted cauliflower dish has to be one of my favorite vegetarian sides. It's sweet, salty, bright & tangy. Serve it over quinoa to make a full meal!

I’ve had cauliflower on the brain lately. Over the last few weeks while everyone was craving chocolate-covered Valentine’s treats, I couldn’t get enough of this salty, sweet roasted goodness. I first had a similar version alongside a salmon dish at Mulberry, a restaurant/wine bar that we frequent. However, since this has been on the menu, we’ve been “frequenting” a little too much. When you go back again and again for the same twenty-seven dollar dish, I figure it’s time to learn how to make it yourself. This is so simple and it makes for such an elegant side dish. I…

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Red Pepper White Bean Spread

This healthy riff on hummus takes under 10 minutes to make. Packed with flavor from red peppers, white beans, lemon, and basil, it's vegan & gluten free.

I added this spread to sandwiches as my contribution to The Food Matters Project this week. It’s a hummus-like spread that I slathered over little toasts and topped with arugula, cucumbers, and scallions. We ate these for lunch yesterday… and then the leftover spread, well, that just got eaten by the spoonful. I love pestos and spreads like this because they’re so versatile. If we didn’t devour the whole batch in one sitting (I made a half batch – big mistake) I would have kept the extra around all week to put on my eggs, spread over roasted veggies, or snack on…

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Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms

A Moroccan-spiced weeknight pasta that will make you feel like you're at a fine dining restaurant. Saffron, mushrooms, herbs, and spinach top it off. Vegan.

We’re not planners… never have been, never will be. A lot of times we pay a hefty price for this behavior (figuratively and also quite literally), but that all becomes worth it when exciting surprises and unexpected happenings occur simply because we’re open to following a whim. Not that this is an example of a life changing “happening”, but isn’t it the small moments that really count? Last Saturday night after a long day of working, we were trying to decide which of our “weekend rotation” restaurants we would go to. Every place seemed to have a crazy 2 hour…

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Sweet Curry Brown Sugar Popcorn

Popcorn in a brown sugar-curry coating makes a sweet, spicy snack. Gluten & dairy free & vegan. Unique 10-minute treat for parties or your next movie night.

Since starting this blog a couple months ago (feels more like a year ago), I’ve “met” some of the nicest people and have received the most encouraging feedback. I honestly thought my mom would be our only reader for the first few months (hi Mom), so the idea that people are actually reading and commenting, and tweeting (lord knows that was quite the learning curve for me) has made me feel just so welcomed. One of the first people to reach out to me the week we launched the site was Kate from the blog Cookie + Kate. I’ve been…

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Beet, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

This roasted beet, avocado & grapefruit salad is my ideal fresh winter meal, with contrasting creamy, crunchy, sweet & tart elements.

This is my favorite winter salad. Although I use the term “winter” lightly – it is almost 70 degrees here. The sun is shining and my windows and doors are open… the dogs are playing in the yard… overall a perfect a Friday afternoon. It’s 20 and snowing in my hometown Chicago, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I live here in Austin where the season for happy hour margaritas on a patio is just around the corner. If it’s cold where you are, hopefully this colorful, juicy, creamy, crunchy grapefruit salad will brighten your day.

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.