Red Curry & Miso Veggie Bowl

Your favorite veggies are roasted with a spicy miso glaze to make this easy vegan & gluten free veggie bowl. Perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner.

“Quick and easy weeknight cooking” hasn’t been something I’ve focused on much here. If something I’ve made happened to be quick, it was by accident more than anything else. I enjoy the process of cooking, and when I’m inspired, hours can fly by. (Although I’ll add the disclaimer that recipes on this site should, by no means, take “hours”). After a particularly stressful day last week, inspiration ran out. I was tired and preoccupied.  I had a plethora of vegetables lying around the kitchen begging me not to abandon them for a restaurant. But my jumbled mind couldn’t figure out…

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Grilled Summer Herb Garden Pizza

These grilled tomato, mozzarella & herb pizzas are perfect for beautiful summer weeknights (+weekends, too)! Enjoy a healthy dinner in less than 30 minutes.

I really wanted this to be “every-herb-I-have-except-basil pizza.” I’ve been on a bit of a basil kick lately and I really wanted to give some attention to the other herbs I have growing in the new garden. But the tomatoes I had were so pretty, I just couldn’t bring myself to not match them up with basil. It would be like peanut butter without jelly… ketchup without mustard… or me without Jack (it’s ok to groan, sorry). Basil notwithstanding, I couldn’t make up my mind on which other herbs to use, so I just went out and grabbed everything that…

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Black Bean Tacos with Zucchini Salsa

Healthy beans & greens tacos and a creamy avocado-zucchini salsa make a crowd-pleasing spring or summer dinner. Vegan. Gluten-free option.

It’s funny when inspiration strikes, or where a good idea finds you…The other day I was sitting at the Discount Tire store, waiting on my car…bored out of my mind. Just me and my phone. After every last email had been replied to and every last tweet read, I went to my go-to time-passing app, Epicurious. They aren’t paying me to write this, but I love this app. It saves me every time… dentist offices, bad movies, you name it… I stopped on this zucchini salsa recipe which completely intrigued me. How could zucchini possibly become a replacement for tomatillos?…

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BBQ Portobello Sliders

Add some veggies to your next summer cookout with these little sandwiches! BBQ-marinated mushrooms make a delicious meal for meat-eaters and vegans alike.

Summer makes me happy… long sunny days, warm nights, flip flops, juicy watermelons, waffle cones, and food with ketchup. Or in this case, BBQ sauce. A few weeks ago, I was drooling over this post. So last weekend, for my dad and Jack, I decided to made a mushroom version. The only change I really made to the sauce was adding dijon mustard. I love ketchup… Jack hates it… so the mustard added a nice kick and kept the overall tomato-y factor in balance.

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Peanut Soba Noodles with Kale

This soba noodle bowl loaded with green veggies, herbs, and zesty, sweet, and spicy peanut sauce makes a healthy 30-minute weeknight dinner. Gluten-free.

I admit, this picture is minimal, even for us. I mean, is there even a bowl here? Modern art was not exactly what we were going for… we were just hungry. Sometimes we spend a lot of time on our photos, other times, it’s “Got it? Look good? Is it clear? Yes. Great, let’s eat…” In front of my computer the next morning is when I sit alone shaking my head and go, “If only we woulda… Next time we should really…” and then I take a break and enviously pin other people’s photos. But really, I’d rather spend time figuring…

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Swiss Chard Pasta Bake

This healthy, veggie-filled pasta bake will satisfy meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Great for company or a weekend dinner. Gluten-free and vegan options.

The week of bribing people with food and drink continues… my dad is still working around the house (and he’s staying an extra week now – oh the projects I’m going to dream up right after I finish this post). The other night, Jack’s sister came by to help organize the pantry and closets… I’m on this kick where I want things in order (I’m not always this way), and I’m not above delegation to get things done. So my part was to, of course, make dinner for everyone. My dad and Jack are easy, they are human vacuums for…

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Lemon-Walnut Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

A zesty, nutty lemon-walnut dressing brightens this hearty vegetarian salad. Filled with herbs & veggies, this salad makes a healthy weeknight dinner.

My role this week while my dad is visiting = food machine. Which I don’t mind one bit… he’s been hard at work knocking tasks off our “house-to-do” list, and I’m more than happy to be doing the heavy cooking rather than the heavy lifting. I can’t get him to stop for lunch (unless you count the beer… liquid lunch) so for dinners, big bowls of substantial food are in order. I made this quinoa & chickpea salad the other night with some other stuff I happened to have, including beautiful radishes from my CSA box. And I always seem…

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Lemon & Chive Ricotta Bruschetta

Creamy, bright lemon & chive ricotta tops crisp toast to make a delightful summer appetizer. Tomato & basil add more flavor & nutrition to this quick snack.

Spring cleaning is happening today at my house, so I’m gonna keep this one short and get back to it. My dad is in town visiting, which I love because he’s the cheapest labor around. As long as I keep the fridge stocked with beer, he’s a happy guy. So I guess you could say this was a fancy beer snack we had yesterday evening. Not a pairing I would recommend, but my dad is not really the “pairing” kind. This ricotta mixture is light and mellow – it’s not a punch of garlic-herby flavor – it’s bright and slightly…

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Strawberry Basil French Toast

Delight guests at your spring or summer weekend brunch with this easy strawberry & basil topped French toast. Sweet, surprising, and dairy-free!

I realize the contradiction. Yesterday I was talking about not eating bread, and today I’m sharing french toast. That was just poor planning… Last week, after a chat with myself about basil and desserts, the idea for a strawberry maple basil-ey breakfast stuck in my head. I rarely make french toast these days. In a previous, less healthy life (college), I ate it just about every day. Sometimes for breakfast and for dinner. I don’t recommend that, but I do recommend a sweet indulgent morning every now and then… Here are some other sweet strawberry breakfast ideas that caught my…

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Veggie Sushi with Sunflower Miso Paste

Raw vegan sushi filled with crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and a tangy, salty sunflower miso paste. A light gluten free meal for spring or summer.

We eat a lot of sushi… probably similar to the rate normal americans consume pizza. I don’t want to make this blog about weight loss, but sushi is my skinny secret. I don’t crave breads like I used to, I crave nori. Sushi at home might seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really not hard. I’m no Jiro or anything: it just takes a bit of a steady hand and some focus (which gets harder with the more sake you consume)… but honestly, if it comes out a little sloppy looking, it’ll still taste good. Don’t…

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Spring Green Lemon & Basil Pasta

This is the pasta we made for my sister and her husband on this unintentionally-late-cooking night. We actually handmade these pasta noodles, which I’ll have to show in another post. Between messy flour, sticky noodles, and it being 11pm… we failed to get photographs of any part of that process. Despite starting this meal way too late, it comes together super fast. The lemon and olive oil highlight the crunchy spring vegetables in a bright but simple way. And especially if you’re using homemade pasta, the flavors don’t overwhelm the taste of the fresh noodles. I was pleasantly surprised that this…

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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.