Jalapeño Poppers

These baked jalapeño poppers are the ultimate game day snack! They're crispy on top, creamy in the middle, and packed with delicious savory flavor.

If anything could turn me into a sports fan, it’d be these baked jalapeño poppers! Like all the best game day snacks (looking at you, salsa and guac), they’re simple, tasty, and really darn fun. The day I took these photos, I planned to eat just one or two jalapeño poppers straight from the oven, to check that the flavors were right. Before I knew it, I’d had 3, 4… I think it’s safe to say that the flavors were a-ok. 🙂 Of course, I couldn’t write a jalapeño poppers recipe without adding a fresh twist. These jalapeño poppers are…

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Sweet Potato Salad

This roasted sweet potato salad recipe is a perfect fall lunch or side dish! Feta cheese, avocado, and a bright tahini dressing fill it with flavor.

I hope you’re all excited, because this sweet potato salad recipe is the first of many fall salads that I have coming your way this season! I love salad all year long (Like, who can say no to a tomato salad in the summer?), but fall salads have a special place in my heart. We move away from juicy summer bounty towards sweeter, starchier veggies like sweet potatoes and squash. And after a few months of craving leafless salads filled with tomatoes and corn, I want nothing more than a bowl of fall greens like spinach, arugula, or kale. Together,…

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes

These oven roasted sweet potatoes have crisp, caramelized edges and tender centers. They're delicious as an easy side dish, in tacos, bowls, and more!

These roasted sweet potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes. They’re easy to make in a hot oven with just olive oil, salt, and pepper, but they’re still so delicious. These roasted sweet potatoes are lightly crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and full of sweet and savory flavor. I don’t know what it is about fall weather, but when the air gets cool and crisp, I start cooking sweet potatoes like crazy. I make baked sweet potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato soup. But this roasted sweet potato recipe is how I cook them most…

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Tartar Sauce

Once you learn how to make tartar sauce, you'll never buy it at the store again! This recipe is creamy, tangy, and easy to make in under 10 minutes.

This tartar sauce recipe is creamy, fresh, and packed with tangy, savory flavor. No store-bought version I’ve tried comes close! Luckily, this homemade tartar sauce is easy to make with simple ingredients like mayo, dill pickles, capers, and lemon. You can whip up a batch in 10 minutes or less! Tartar sauce is traditionally served with seafood, but we love this recipe with potatoes, veggies, and more. Really, anytime you feel like a dish could use a rich, tangy pop of flavor, you can make this tartar sauce recipe to brighten it up! Tartar Sauce Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make…

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Gluten Free Banana Bread

This gluten free banana bread recipe is moist, tender, and filled with spiced banana flavor. It's everything banana bread should be, gluten-free or not!

I’ve gotten so many requests for a gluten free banana bread recipe over the years, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this one with you! Tasting this gluten free banana bread, you’d never guess that it wasn’t made with wheat flour. It’s moist, tender, and filled with spiced banana flavor. In fact, if I did a side-by-side comparison with my regular Healthy Banana Bread, I wouldn’t be able to choose a favorite! We’re getting some sunshine in Chicago today, but for the last week, it’s been cool and rainy. I love starting gray, chilly mornings like these with a thick…

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Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Try this cast iron pizza recipe once, and you'll never make pizza any other way! Thanks to the hot skillet, the crust is perfectly golden brown and crisp.

I may not be excited about summer winding down, but I am excited that it’s finally cool enough to crank up the oven and make cast iron skillet pizza! Jack and I have made regular homemade pizza for years, but this spring, this cast iron pizza recipe took our pizza game to a whole new level. It’s the closest you’ll ever come to making restaurant-style pizza without a fancy oven or pizza stone. Thanks to the hot skillet, the crust becomes crisp and browned on the outside, while the thick edges stay nice and chewy in the middle. We made…

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How to Make Homemade Croutons

Learn how to make homemade croutons! With a delicious crunchy texture and rich garlic flavor, they're so much better than store-bought.

If you try these homemade croutons once, you’ll never buy them at the store again. This crouton recipe is easy to make with 4 ingredients—bread, olive oil, garlic, and salt—and it comes together in under 30 minutes. The croutons are crunchy, garlicky, and savory, perfect for adding texture and complexity to salads and soups. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to eat them straight off the baking sheet too. Like homemade breadcrumbs, these homemade croutons are a great use for stale bread. So instead of tossing that dried-out heel on your counter, put it to work in this recipe! You…

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How to Make Veggie Noodles

Learn how to make veggie noodles with carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, and more! They're super fun and flavorful - you won't miss the pasta one bit.

Did you know that you can make veggie noodles out of cucumber, carrots, kohlrabi, and more? We’ve all heard of zucchini noodles by now, but lots of other vegetables can transform into curly, colorful noodles too! Making these veggie noodles is one of my favorite summer cooking projects. It doesn’t require the stove or the oven, so unlike baking, it won’t heat up the whole house. It’s also a great way to showcase peak-season summer produce. But most importantly, it’s fun! There’s something mesmerizing about watching a humble root veggie turn into vibrant vegetable noodles. You can make vegetables noodles…

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Easy Black Bean Burger

This chipotle black bean burger recipe comes together in under 30 minutes! Make it once, and it'll have a permanent place in your regular rotation.

This black bean burger recipe is going to be your new best friend. The hearty patties are charred on the outside, tender in the middle, and packed with bold, smoky flavor. But that’s not all. They’re also easy to make! You won’t need to haul out the food processor or dirty 3 pans to whip them up. Nope – this black bean burger recipe comes together in one bowl in under 30 minutes, cooking time included. Lately, Jack and I have been cooking the burgers outside on the grill, but they come out just as well in a cast-iron skillet…

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Homemade Pita Bread

Once you start making this homemade pita bread recipe, you won't be able to stop! Soft, puffy, and flavorful, it beats any kind from the grocery store.

This homemade pita bread recipe comes from my friend Molly Yeh. It’s been on my list to try for years, but for one reason or another, I never made it until this spring. When I finally did, what Jack and I thought would be a fun, one-time cooking project turned into a full-on pita bread obsession. We started putting extra yogurt on the grocery list just so we could make it! If you’re thinking, “Wait. Yogurt? In pita bread?”, you’re not crazy. It’s not a typical pita bread recipe ingredient. But in my opinion, it’s what makes this pita bread…

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Best Veggie Burger

If you make one veggie burger recipe, it has to be this one. These burgers have a wonderful savory flavor and hearty texture. They're grillable, too!

Say hello to the BEST veggie burger recipe! Of course, that’s just my opinion, but once you try it, I think you’ll agree. For one, these patties are grill-able! And if you’d rather be spending time in the sun than in the kitchen, you can even make them a day or two in advance. But that’s not all. This veggie burger has an amazing meaty texture and savory, smoky flavor. It’ll keep its shape when it’s stuffed inside a bun, and it’s delicious with fancy fixings or with good old ketchup and mustard. Unlike many packaged veggie burgers, its incredible…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Welcome to Love & Lemons!

I'm Jeanine Donofrio, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer. I share fresh, delicious vegetarian recipes that celebrate seasonal ingredients and flavors.

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