Vegan Nachos with Cashew “Cheese”

A hearty vegan & gluten free nacho recipe with TVP-based taco meat & cashew cheese. Topped with guacamole and pico, these are perfect for spring & summer.

This recipe is from the Native Foods cookbook. Jack and I first stumbled upon Native Foods one night in California on our way back from Disneyland. I typically don’t eat foods at theme parks (I know, I’m “fun” like that), so after the fireworks we set out to drive around and find a restaurant. This was years before iphones and yelp, so it was nothing short of a Disney miracle that we aimlessly found ourselves at this awesome vegan restaurant. If you are new to the idea of nut cheese, it’s really nothing like cheese… but more of a cheese-like…

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Sweet Miso Udon

In this Japanese-inspired bowl, sweet miso sauce coats udon noodles, mushrooms, & tofu. Vegan with a gluten free option and takes under 30 minutes!

Jack has been requesting udon ever since we got back from Japan (over a year ago), so finally, tonight, udon he got. This is not traditional udon – and that’s my disclaimer. I would love to be able to say that we went to Japan and came home able to share something remotely authentic. The truth is that we pointed to things on menus and just hoped that no one would put something in front of me that was still moving. (Jack on the other hand is ok with food that still moves). One day we’ll hopefully become more diligent…

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Sweet Potato & Pear Soup with Sage

Enjoy this healthy one-pot soup in fall or winter. Full of sweet potato, sage, pear, and curry spices, it is perfect for holidays and vegan & gluten free.

My favorite thing about cooking is when things come out of nothing. After the holidays, we had an empty fridge, empty countertops… contents of a meal (or even a snack) nowhere in sight. I had a pear that was on the verge of way-too-ripe, half an onion… and then I noticed a sweet potato that I never remembered buying. I’ve seen recipes for butternut squash soup with pears, so I figured this would work just as well. I foraged through the back of the fridge and pantry for the rest of the ingredients. Then I remembered I had this delicious…

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Spinach and Soba Noodle Soup

I love this healing soba noodle soup on winter weeknights. It takes 30 minutes to make, but ginger, mushrooms & tamari give it depth of flavor.

This soba noodle soup comes together in a snap, but it’s deeply flavorful, so it’s just the thing for a cold weeknight. Lately, I’ve been adding wakame flakes to it for a sea vegetable health boost. They come dehydrated in the Asian aisle of most higher end grocery stores. Beware, when the package says, “one teaspoon equals one serving… will expand over 20 times,” they really meant it. The first time I tried these I was sure that was a misprint and I tossed in a heaping handful or two and had cups upon cups of rehydrated sea greens. If…

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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.