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,…

TO THE POST >>>>

Brussels Sprout & Red Onion Pizza

Shaved Brussels sprouts, sliced red onions, fresh mozzarella, and garlic oil make the ultimate pizza topping combination. Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit.

Last week, it was Brussels sprouts in pasta… this week I bring you the wonder of Brussels sprouts on pizza. This is such a fancy, grown-up pizza combination. Clumps of fresh melty mozzarella, thin shavings of Brussels sprouts and ribbons of red onions… all topped on the perfect soft yet crispy-edged crust brushed with a little garlic oil. For this post, I was trying to think back to a special homemade pizza story to share… I’m half Italian, yet I hardly have a childhood memory of my dad in the kitchen tossing dough in the air. (The only culinary technique my dad…

TO THE POST >>>>

Poached Eggs, Greens & Couscous

A light, 30-minute vegetarian dinner for spring weeknights. Poached eggs top sautéed greens & Israeli couscous. Brightened with a squeeze of lemon.

I think I might make a new category on the side bar over there to the right. In addition to “savory” and “sweet”, I could soon fill an entire category called “things with eggs.” I eat them almost every morning in the form of a scramble, omelette or a breakfast taco… but I especially love runny, yolky eggs for dinner. A poached egg instantly turns something incredibly simple into a fancy meal. (Or nature’s perfect sauce, as Jack calls it). I had never actually poached an egg before this. I have one of those cheater egg-poaching pans… but a dome…

TO THE POST >>>>

Rigatoni with Figs & Brussels Sprouts

A veggie-packed pasta dish for fall & winter. Brussels sprouts, greens, cheese & figs combine to create a sweet & savory entree with a crispy baked topping.

It’s Food Matters Project Monday… I have to say, at first, I wasn’t excited about this week’s pick… I even almost skipped it entirely, but I’m so glad I didn’t! Flipping through any cookbook, this would never be a recipe I would stop on. The original recipe calls for blue cheese, which I don’t care for. And creamy, cheesy pasta dishes aren’t exactly my thing (I’m lactose intolerant, it’s not my fault). But it turns out, for comfort food, this is actually on the lighter side and the Brussels sprout and fig combo is just so delicious. There’s a bit…

TO THE POST >>>>

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…

TO THE POST >>>>

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…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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…

TO THE POST >>>>
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.