Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are everything I want on a fall day. They're soft, puffy, deliciously spiced, and full of gooey chocolate goodness.

I was originally planning to post these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in October, but we finished them early, they turned out great, and I just couldn’t wait. Fall or not, these cookies are SO good! Oats, pumpkin, cinnamon, spices, and chocolate baked into big soft pillowy cookies – what’s not to love? These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are vegan & gluten free, and they will be so perfect for lunch boxes because they’re nut-free(!) as well. I know so many of you have asked how to make these carrot cookies without nuts. That recipe really needs the almond butter to bind them but THIS recipe holds together…

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Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispies are a delicious & healthy vegan & gluten free take on the classic rice crispy! Great for dessert or after school snack.

You can never be too old for a little back-to-school snack, right? My sister and I used to love rice crispy treats as kids. Since I rarely eat marshmallows these days, I’ve been loving this slightly healthier alternative that uses almond butter and brown rice syrup as a binder instead. I also packed in omega-rich hemp seeds, almonds, and shredded coconut – making these a filling treat to get you over that 3 o’clock slump. To make these lightly sweet treats a little sweeter, I smothered them in chocolate. At first I was going to be good and just do a…

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Chocolate Pudding Pops

Cool off with this yummy pudding pop recipe! Creamy from avocado & almond butter, these healthy treats are perfect on hot summer days.

Today I’m sharing my new favorite summer treat: chocolate pudding pops! I got the idea to make a healthier version of the classic pudding pop from memories of hot summer days when I was growing up. When my sister and I were younger, our goal in life was to catch the ice cream truck. We’d play outside in the yard with our neighbor friends all day until one of us yelled “sshhhhhhhh!!!!” and then we’d all run to opposite ends of the yard to figure out which direction that whimsical sound of The Entertainer was coming from. When we would close in on the…

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Summer Strawberry Crumble

This 10-ingredient strawberry crumble is the easiest summer dessert! It's nutty & delicious, and a splash of balsamic vinegar gives it a little pop.

I’ve had a torn page from last month’s Bon Appetit issue sitting on my desk for the last few weeks. Whenever I’d look away from the computer or pace around the room while on the phone (P.S. does anyone else need to walk while they talk?), I’d glance at this pie recipe out of the corner of my eye and think “strawberry pistachio, YES! Why didn’t I think of this combo before?” This red and green ingredient pairing of pistachios and strawberries is like Christmas in July, er… June. This strawberry crumble recipe works just as well with walnuts or pecans, but it’s just so pretty with pistachios. While I got…

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Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

An easy refreshing summer dessert. Vegan & gluten free.

This is the dessert I’m going to make all summer. With just 5 ingredients, it’s so easy! The best part is that (if you have a decent blender) no ice cream maker is required here. Just blend and freeze. It’s tart, sweet, and so so lovely with the little unexpected hint of mint. Jack and I both love Montmorency tart cherries for many reasons (see all of these recipes that use them). They have some wonderful superfood qualities, they’re known to help soreness after a workout, and they’re a natural source of melatonin which helps regulate sleep. We love them most of all, of…

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Oatmeal Energy Balls

I make these oatmeal energy balls just about every week. Nutty, sweet, and packed with good-for-you ingredients, they're the perfect healthy snack!

This oatmeal energy balls recipe resulted from a massive cookie flop. I was craving a cookie, but I didn’t have the exact ingredients for my oatmeal cookie recipe on hand. I messed around with it, swapping in what I did have, and I ended up with a sweet and nutty “dough” made from oats and almond butter. It was never going to bake into perfect oatmeal cookies, but it tasted so good that I immediately thought, “Energy bites!” A few tests later, and these oatmeal energy balls have become my favorite healthy snack. They’re rich, nutty, and chewy, and they…

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Boozy Root Beer Floats

made with homemade vegan vanilla ice cream.

Let’s cut to the chase – I love root beer floats. Oh, by the way, this is Jack posting once again. That’s not to say that Jeanine doesn’t love root beer floats, but when we got an opportunity to work with a beer company that brews alcoholic root beer, I knew I would be writing this post. The first question I had, of course, was “boozy root beer? Is it good?” Well I’m glad to say that yes, BEST DAMN Brewing Co.’s hard root beer is really good and tastes just like root beer. Root beer floats may be one of my favorite…

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Vegan Scones with Raspberries

Coconut flour is the secret to giving these gluten-free vegan scones the perfect texture. Dotted with raspberries, they're a yummy breakfast treat.

My sweet breakfast kick continues. For over a year, I was on a nonstop savory & spicy breakfast kick. Next came the carrot-ey baked goods, and now we’re onto these vegan scones. Or I should say, the royal “we” are on to these scones. Jack loves them too, but my dirty secret is that he only has one or two out of every batch because I hide the extras in the freezer – where I know he will never look (well, until he reads this). Vegan Scones Ingredients These little treats are vegan and gluten-free. Instead of butter and cream, they’re made…

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Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

If you're a fan of carrot cake, then you'll LOVE these soft, nutty & healthy breakfast cookies! Make a big batch and freeze them for on-the-go treats.

For a while, I went through a frittata phase, then there was the chia bowl phase, followed by a bit of a smoothie kick… which brings us to my current morning trend: cookies for breakfast! But before you think I’ve completely given up on myself, hear me out – I make these cookies with lots of good things – carrots, oats, flax, walnuts, pepitas, cranberries, and QUINOA. Yes, carrots and quinoa – it almost sounds like a salad, but I promise you these “healthier” cookies are so delicious and energizing in the morning. They’re also vegan, gluten-free, and sweetened with maple syrup…

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Meyer Lemon Madeleines

These Meyer lemon madeleines are light, sweet, and perfect for sharing on Valentine's Day. Dust them with powdered sugar for an extra special touch.

If I had to pick a favorite holiday, it would have to be Valentine’s Day. I’ve always loved the day because really, it’s so… simple. The only real rule is that you need to show people you love them. Check back Friday for a date night story about Jack and me, but I’m dedicating this post to the person that made this day my favorite when I was a kid – my mom. Growing up, she always made Valentine’s Day so special for me and my sister. For at least a week leading up to February 14th, we would make crafts with…

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Tart Cherry Tartelettes

Tart Cherry Tartelettes. A no-bake Valentines Day dessert. Vegan and Gluten Free.

There seems to be a national holiday for every type of food imaginable… I’m usually the last to know until my Instagram feed is chock full of deliciousness for National Chocolate Cake Day (January 27th), National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (May 15th), and the one I’m most ashamed to have missed, National Taco Day (October 4th). But this month, I’m covering all my bases because February is not only National Chocolate Lovers’ Month, it’s also National Cherry Month. To celebrate, we’ve partnered with the Cherry Marketing Institute to bring you these decadent (no-bake) chocolate tart cherry tartelettes. These start with a…

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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.