Tart Cherry Cheesecake Parfaits

The other day, I had this intense craving for cheesecake. The timing was a little out of the blue since I eat cheesecake exactly once a year when my mom makes it at christmas time. She makes a family recipe – my Grandma Kissel’s infamous recipe – and no one but her and my Aunt Kathy have it. It’s amazingly creamy and light and perfect and it won’t be getting passed down to me anytime soon. I wasn’t going to attempt to make sub-par cheesecake to satisfy my craving, so I made a lighter and altogether easier no-bake version. I’m not going to exactly call this…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Matcha Milkshakes

vegan / gluten free

In case you haven’t noticed, I sort of have a thing for matcha. I know it’s SO trendy… but I personally think it’s exciting to see really great healthy foods become insanely popular. Everyone’s drinking matcha lattes and matcha mochas these days – but now that it’s almost summer, here’s a really simple ice cream treat. This one’s really more of an idea than a “recipe.” I didn’t even bother breaking out the blender to make these milkshakes because in the spirit of our “grab and go” monthly series with Almond Breeze, I wanted to make these simple enough to…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Pavlovas with Lemon Coconut Cream

If you've never had a pavlova for dessert, you're in for a treat! In my recipe, I top vanilla meringue with lemony coconut cream, berries & fresh mint.

gluten free / dairy free

For me, there’s such an overlap between cooking and traveling – I just love navigating new recipes as much as I love exploring new places. I’m in my happy place when I’m getting lost, trying new things, and tasting new foods… whether in my kitchen or somewhere around the world. We’ve had a serious case of wanderlust lately. Jack and I have spent a good amount of time in Europe and Asia, but one place that’s been high on our travel list is New Zealand. By an amazing stroke of coincidence, Air New Zealand approached us to partner up for…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

When we go to Japan, our favorite treat is the matcha green tea ice cream. Here's my vegan version, which uses coconut milk in place of dairy.

vegan / gluten free

Jack here, bringing you one of the many joys from our Japan travels – matcha ice cream. We had no idea, before going, that green tea ice cream was even a thing. But the minute you walk down the street in any touristy area, you’re guaranteed to see giant fake green soft-serve cones outside of ice cream shops. Seeing something so American and familiar as a giant fake soft-serve ice cream cone, but *green*, was, well, it made me want to eat some. Fast forward through the trip, and Jeanine and I must have eaten 1 cone each every other day. So enough…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Vegan Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking for the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies? You've found them. Double this recipe to make a bigger batch, and enjoy!

vegan

Happy Saturday! I’m so excited to share this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe today because I just realized something: for as much as I love to bake cookies, this blog is seriously lacking recipes to show for it. Then, I realized why – the camera can hardly snap a photo before Jack reaches his hand into the frame, and they all disappear. Waiting for me to arrange warm cookies nicely on a plate is not something this guy I’m with usually has the patience for. But today, we were able to get a few shots of these, and I couldn’t be happier, because…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Valentine’s Molten Chocolate Cakes

Valentine's Day = time for molten chocolate cake! With 6 ingredients & 20 minutes, you'll have the perfect treat to share with someone you love.

valentines day

Happy almost-Valentine’s Day! Jack here reporting on my first baking love – molten chocolate cake. See, way before this blog, I pretty much had one staple “date night” dish. That dish was seared scallops and it was always a hit. Well, one Valentine’s Day, I decided to kick it up a notch and shoot for the moon… by trying out molten chocolate cakes. I had never made anything like a molten chocolate cake before, and for those unfamiliar, it’s a cake that spills out chocolate sauce when you cut into it. It’s a great show when it works. My first time making…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Peanut Butter Goji Berry Granola Bars

Delicious & healthy homemade granola bars made with peanut butter, goji berries, pepitas, pistachios, and a little chocolate. Gluten-free and easy to make!

vegan / gluten free / snacks

Happy New Year! Today I’m guest posting over at Better Homes and Gardens’ Dish Delish Blog. These granola bars were inspired by their recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Granola Bars, which reminded me of the ones my mom used to pack into my school lunch everyday. I might not have that Barbie and the Rockers lunchbox anymore, but I thought it would be fun to recreate this favorite afternoon treat in a healthier way. My version is packed with goji berries, chia seeds, pistachios, pepitas, (and of course, chocolate)… These are so quick & easy to make. Click over to the BHG Dish…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Buttercup Squash Crumble Bars

The ultimate fall dessert - these crumbly, creamy butternut squash bars are topped with chocolate and coconut. (Plus a video!!)

holiday / baking

I had this buttercup squash (perhaps the funkiest looking squash of them all), sitting on my countertop for the longest time. It likely would have become soup had it not been for the name itself – “buttercup” which spoke to me and said: let’s make a crumbly & buttery dessert! I won’t go as far to say this is healthy, but hey, it’s the holidays and we’re making dessert, so let’s live a little. These bars are made with good quality organic ingredients (and remember: squash). This recipe is loosely based on my recipe for raspberry crumble bars. I switched out…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

White Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

holiday

We have a new favorite food and it’s not what you think. Well, ok, it is what you think, given that the title and photo in this post have given it away. Lately, I haven’t been able to make it through the Whole Foods checkout line without sneaking a package of those Justin’s white chocolate almond butter cups – have you had them? (This is not a sponsored post, btw). So I thought – how hard would it be to make them at home? First we tried to make a vegan version w/ cacao butter – total fail. (points for trying…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Matcha White Hot Chocolate

A delicious, grown-up winter treat, this Matcha White Hot Chocolate is an easy, cozy drink for cold days. 4 ingredients and full of healthy antioxidants!

holiday / beverage

Hot chocolate always has to come with warm fuzzy memories, doesn’t it? I vividly remember being about 9 – otherwise known as the age when snow was fun. My sister and I would spend hours and hours building forts and making snow angels. We’d come in the house with red noses and leave our snowpants in a puddle at the door (you know, for mom to clean up). We’d sit down to mugs of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, no marshmallows for me. I might not have wintery white Christmases anymore, but here’s my fancy adult white hot chocolate that’s made oh…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Cranberry & Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark is a quick & easy holiday recipe. It's delicious topped with dried fruit, coconut, and nuts. Vegan and gluten-free, too!

vegan / holiday

During the holidays, Jack has a thing for peppermint bark. I have a thing for not picking sticky candy pieces out of my teeth, so we compromised this chocolate bark together using festive ingredients that we both love – pistachios, dried cranberries, coconut flakes, and (most importantly!) a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. This chocolate bark is my kind of holiday dessert because it’s (naturally) red and green, and also easy to throw together. You might even already have these ingredients (or similar ones) on hand in your pantry. If you don’t – feel free to customize with whatever toppings you like…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Welcome to Love & Lemons!