Spinach Artichoke Dip

This baked spinach artichoke dip is a guaranteed party hit! It's deliciously creamy and cheesy, but shhh! A secret veggie ingredient is hiding inside it.

If you want to impress guests at your next holiday party, make this spinach artichoke dip! It’s creamy, cheesy, and rich with briny artichoke flavor. In fact, it’s so good that every time we make it, Jack and I devour it standing at the kitchen counter. We can’t get enough! But I’ll let you in on a secret: this spinach artichoke dip is made of mostly veggies. Sure, it’s loaded with the essentials – spinach and artichokes – but it also contains a surprising veggie ingredient: cauliflower! Instead of using cream cheese, sour cream, or mayonnaise to make this dip’s…

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How to Make Oatmeal

Learn how to make oatmeal on the stovetop and in the microwave! Piled with your favorite toppings, this easy oatmeal recipe is healthy and delicious.

Let’s make oatmeal! This healthy breakfast is warm, creamy, and SO easy to make. I think it’s delicious with toppings like nut butter and fresh fruit. I didn’t always feel this way. When I was in college, I made instant oatmeal every single morning. By the end of those four years, I didn’t want to see a bowl of oatmeal again, let alone eat one. I thought oats were bland and mushy—totally not for me. But over the years, oatmeal recipes like overnight oats and steel cut oats have gotten me back onto the oatmeal train. I’m committed to getting fellow oat skeptics…

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Best Pumpkin Pie

A smooth, spiced pumpkin filling and sweet, nutty pecan crust make this pumpkin pie recipe the absolute best -  two slices for me, please!

Growing up, my favorite part of Thanksgiving was the pumpkin pie. All year, I’d look forward to that creamy, cinnamon-y, custardy filling. I loved pumpkin pie filling so much that I’d scoop it right out of its pie crust, leaving a triangle-shaped shell of pastry on my plate. I’d then pass it to my Dad (who ate everything my sister and I left behind), and ask for another slice. As an adult, I often opt for apple crisp because I don’t think Jack will eat all of my empty crusts (ok, actually, he might), but either way, that’s not an…

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How to Cook Tofu

Silken or extra-firm? To press or not to press? This easy baked tofu recipe + my best tips and tricks will teach you how to cook tofu like a pro!

Everyone has an opinion on tofu, and here’s mine: I absolutely love it…when it’s prepared the right way. If you’ve never worked with it before, cooking tofu can be daunting. But once you learn a little about it, it couldn’t be easier to prepare tofu well. Below, you’ll find my best tips and tricks for how to cook tofu like a pro, plus my go-to sriracha baked tofu recipe! What is tofu, anyway? Tofu is a soy-based food that’s made from curdling soy milk and forming it into a solid block. It’s a good source of plant-based protein that can…

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No Bake Cookies

These no bake cookies are quick and easy to make—no oven required! Made with chocolate, peanut butter, and oats, they're rich, chewy, and delicious.

No bake cookies! If you’re not already making these irresistible, EASY treats, head to the kitchen and make yourself a batch. You’re going to love this recipe! No bake cookies were one of my favorite childhood desserts, and I still love them to this day. Made with simple ingredients like peanut butter, cocoa powder, and oats, they have a rich chocolate peanut butter flavor and amazing chewy texture. Given their name, you’ve probably guessed that these no bake cookies don’t bake in the oven. Instead, the dough comes together on the stovetop and sets up in the fridge. The process…

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Butternut Squash Soup

Served piping hot with a hunk of crusty bread, this creamy, nourishing butternut squash soup recipe is fall comfort food at its best.

My favorite fall tradition is making butternut squash soup on Sunday afternoons. On a brisk day, there’s nothing more soothing than chopping and simmering vegetables over a warm stove. As you cook, the kitchen fills with the cozy scent of sage, rosemary, and butternut squash, and when you’re finished, steaming bowls of butternut squash soup (that will last all week!) reward you for your work. In the past, my go-to butternut squash soup recipe has included coconut milk and curry spices, but this fall, I found myself craving one that was a bit more traditional. When I say traditional, I…

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Tahini Sauce

Creamy, nutty, and bright, this easy tahini sauce will become a staple in your kitchen. Drizzle it over falafel, grain bowls, salads, and more!

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I love tahini. In the past, I’ve posted tahini cookies, salad dressings, oatmeal, and even ice cream, but today, I’m finally sharing my favorite 5-ingredient lemon tahini sauce recipe. This tahini sauce is incredibly versatile, as it shines on salads, sandwiches, falafel, bowls, and more! My basic version is similar to what you’d find at any Middle Eastern falafel or shawarma restaurant, but I’m also including three delicious variations here. Honestly, I can’t choose a favorite. They all pack a punch of vivid color and bold flavor, and making…

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Easy Peach Cobbler

You'll make this easy peach cobbler recipe again & again! Because juicy peaches + buttery topping + vanilla ice cream = a match made in heaven.

This peach cobbler recipe has been a long time coming. If you’ve followed the blog for a while, you know that peaches are my favorite part of summer. I add them to salads, serve them with cheese, top them onto pizza, and, of course, devour them plain. Given all the peach recipes I’ve made over the years, it’s high time I shared a more classic, easy peach cobbler recipe. Homemade peach cobbler can go in a few directions. Sometimes a sweet, cake-like batter surrounds the fruit, while other times a biscuit-like topping covers it. Still other times, a light, flaky…

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White Bean Dip

You only need 4 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this creamy white bean dip! Served with pita chips and veggies, it's a delicious snack or appetizer.

If you have cannellini beans, olive oil, and a lemon in your kitchen, you’re well on your way to making this white bean dip recipe. My advice? Go for it! It comes together in seconds in the bowl of a food processor, and it’s absolutely delicious. Lemon juice and zest fill it with bright flavor, olive oil adds richness, and the white beans blend into smooth and creamy perfection. Once you have it on hand, you’ll find yourself scooping it up with carrot sticks and pita chips, slathering it onto sandwiches, dolloping it onto bowls, or (like me) eating it…

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Corn Salsa

Made with fresh veggies, cilantro, and lime, this easy corn salsa recipe is zesty, sweet, and spicy. Enjoy it with chips or on tacos, burritos, and more!

Chipotle’s corn salsa can’t compete with this homemade version! Starring fresh corn and other crisp veggies, it’s tangy, sweet, and spicy. I can’t get enough of it! I pile it on salads, burrito bowls, tacos, and more and serve it as a summer appetizer with tortilla chips. Luckily, this corn salsa recipe is easy to make. You don’t have to do any real cooking. Simply dice up the veggies, chop the corn kernels off the cob, and stir everything together. If you’re doing the math, that means that I use raw corn in this salsa. Readers often ask me about why…

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Roasted Tomatoes

Want to punch up the flavor in your next pizza or pasta? Try adding roasted tomatoes! They're deliciously chewy & tart with an irresistible umami flavor.

Roasted Tomatoes

Have you ever tried roasted tomatoes? If you haven’t, I’m here to tell you that you have to make this roasted tomato recipe before summer ends. While I love using juicy fresh tomatoes in recipes like pico de gallo, Caprese salad, and panzanella, roasted tomatoes transform into something totally different. As they roast, they lose moisture, and their flavor intensifies. They come out of the oven chewy & tart, with a super-concentrated, intense umami flavor. These little guys are totally irresistible! Make sure you roast a big batch – you’ll find endless ways to use them. Around here, we can’t get…

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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.