Perfect Baked Potato

A perfect baked potato has crispy skin and fluffy insides. My method for how to bake a potato works every time, so load up your spuds, and dig in!

A perfect baked potato is hard to beat. The outside is brown and crisp, coated in a crust of sea salt. Pierce the skin, and your fork gives way to a soft, fluffy interior. It might be hard to resist eating the whole thing straight out of the oven, but if you take the time to top it with a pat of butter or a dollop of (cashew) sour cream, you won’t be able to deny that it was worth the wait. Reading this, you might be surprised to learn that until recently, I wasn’t a baked potato fan. I…

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Vegan Bacon

Learn how to make vegan bacon three ways! Crispy, smoky, salty, and slightly sweet, it's just as good as the real thing.

Whenever I take a tray of vegan bacon out of the oven, Jack, my bacon-loving husband, appears instantly. “What’s this?” he asks. As soon as I say, “Vegan bacon,” he reaches for it right away. Now, Jack is no fool. I make vegan bacon three ways: with tempeh, with coconut, and with shiitake mushrooms. None of these ingredients transforms into an exact replica of real bacon, and they wouldn’t fool him for a second. However, seasoned the right way, they have all the traits that make bacon so irresistible: they’re smoky, salty, and slightly sweet with a perfect crispy texture.…

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Homemade Taquitos

Meet my new favorite appetizer: Baked Green Chile Taquitos! They're crispy on the outside, gooey in the middle, tangy, lightly spicy, and so. much. fun!

Who would have guessed that moving to Chicago would have made me a taquitos fan? Just after Jack and I moved here, a new bar opened up down the block from our house. At first, we went there for drinks, but we’ve kept going back for taquitos! As it turns out, this bar has an inventive chef who comes up with a rotating menu of homemade taquitos. They make their tortillas from scratch and stuff them with seasonal, local ingredients. After just a few visits, Jack and I were total taquitos converts, and I knew I had to try making…

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Curried Lentil Salad

Prepare to fall in love with this lentil salad recipe! It's filled with bold curry flavor, it's fresh, yet satisfying, and it even tastes great on day two.

This lentil salad recipe is my ideal winter lunch. It’s fresh and filled with veggies, but it’s hearty and satisfying at the same time. Curry spices and a zippy cilantro lime dressing infuse it with bright, bold flavor, and cubes of roasted paneer cheese and crisp turmeric cauliflower give it unexpected complexity and texture. Furthermore (yes, there’s more!), it’s flexible and easy to make, and it still tastes great after a few days in the fridge! Serve it as a side dish or prep it on a Sunday for lunches all week, but no matter what, make this lentil salad…

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How to Cook Lentils

Learn how to cook lentils perfectly every time! Tasty, nutritious, and easy to make, they're a fantastic way to add protein to salads, side dishes, and more.

If you’re interested in adding more plant-based meals to your diet, lentils are one of the first things you should turn to. These tiny legumes are protein and fiber powerhouses, they’re easy to cook, and they have a delicious earthy flavor that adds to all sorts of dishes. Read on to find my go-to method for how to cook lentils, along with information about different varieties and my favorite lentil recipes. How to Cook Lentils My method for how to cook lentils is easy! It comes down to 2 basic steps: Rinse. On occasion, you’ll find small rocks or debris mixed…

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How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice

Learn how to cook brown rice perfectly every time! With this easy stovetop method, it's always fluffy and light - just right for stir fries, bowls, and more.

I love days when I have a big container of cooked brown rice in the fridge. It’s a fantastic starting point for curries, stir fries, fried rice, and more, and its earthy, nutty flavor is even delicious on its own. Sometimes, I’ll toss it with a pinch of salt, top it with a fried egg, and call it breakfast. Plus, it’s not only tasty; it’s good for you too! Brown rice is filled with fiber and other nutrients. When I have it on hand, tossing together a grain bowl for lunch or dinner takes minutes, so I’m less likely to…

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Roasted Broccoli

This oven roasted broccoli recipe is easy and versatile. The crisp, golden brown florets are delicious as a side dish or in all sorts of broccoli recipes!

Do you have any favorite broccoli recipes? I love it in just about anything – broccoli salad, frittatas, pasta, etc. – but my favorite way to eat broccoli might be the simplest: roasted! Roasted broccoli is so easy to make, and the florets come out of the oven deliciously golden brown, crisp, and tender. I have a hard time not eating them all straight off the sheet pan, but they’re also a fantastic addition to all sorts of recipes and a yummy side dish on their own. If you love roasted broccoli as much as I do, read on to…

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Easy Peanut Sauce

Try this easy peanut sauce recipe once, and you'll want to have it on hand at all times. It's perfect for jazzing up noodles, salads, bowls, and more!

Does anyone else absolutely love peanut sauce? Creamy, spicy, savory, and a little sweet, it’s a sauce that I’m equally happy drizzling over dinner or enjoying straight off a spoon. I can’t get enough! This peanut sauce recipe the first thing I turn to whenever I want to jazz up a simple stir fry, bowl, or salad at home. It’s super easy to make, and it calls for basic pantry ingredients that you likely already have on hand (no fish sauce here!). Peanut butter gives it creamy texture, rice vinegar or lime juice makes it nice and tangy, tamari or…

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Peanut Summer Rolls

Fresh veggies, herbs, and peanut noodles pack these summer rolls with bright, refreshing flavors. They're a delicious appetizer or light lunch!

Summer rolls are my favorite thing to make when I’m craving something light and healthy, but totally fun. I love stuffing rice paper wrappers with lots of fresh produce, mixing together a flavorful dipping sauce, and digging in! In this recipe, I toss noodles with an easy, sweet and savory peanut sauce made of peanut butter, sriracha, tamari, and a drop of maple syrup. Then, I roll the noodles into wrappers with avocado, sautéed mushrooms, green onion, and fresh basil and mint. How to Make Summer Rolls If you’ve never made fresh rolls like these before, it may seem intimidating,…

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Avocado Toast

Love avocado toast? Learn how to take it to the next level with this simple recipe (+5 amazing variations!) and my best tips and tricks!

When avocado toast came onto the scene years ago, lots of people wrote it off as a trend. But as someone who still eats it for breakfast or lunch a few times a week, I have to say that I think avocado toast is here to stay! It’s super easy to make, it’s healthy and satisfying, and it’s a blank canvas for flavorful seasonal toppings. What’s not to love? Below, you’ll find my basic avocado toast recipe along with 5 fun & fancy variations. Whether you toss them together for breakfast, enjoy them for lunch, or make them for a…

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How to Make Cauliflower Rice

Learn how to make cauliflower rice with this easy recipe! It's a yummy, low-carb substitute for regular rice in bowls, stir fries, burritos, and more.

Cauliflower rice! It’s seems like it’s everywhere and in everything, so I thought I would take a few minutes to “dive deep” on this phenomenon, especially because I keep using it, and now I can just link to this post in future recipes 🙂 So what is it? It’s simply cauliflower pulsed in a food processor until it forms into granules that are about the size of rice. Is it as good as rice? Not on its own, but it’s a great starting point health-wise and texture-wise. When it’s seasoned well and used in a recipe with other great flavors…

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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.