“Ricotta” Stuffed Cabbage

This is my gluten free (and pasta-free) version of stuffed shells. This “cheesy” cashew filling tastes just as indulgent as the real thing.

This is my gluten free solution to last week’s stuffed shells. You’ll notice it’s also pasta-free but trust me, this “cheesy” cashew filling tastes just as indulgent. This little creation was a total happy accident… while I was shopping, I had filled my cart with everything necessary for the stuffed shells, with one ingredient left to go: the shells. And just my luck, no shells. I figured, I’d go searching for them somewhere else the next day. But when I got home I noticed a lonely cabbage in my fridge and voilà. When I remade these (for this post) I found…

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Cold Sesame Noodles w/ Kale & Shiitakes

I may call this a noodle salad, but secretly it's a kale salad, too. Made with sesame dressing and lots of sturdy veggies, it's perfect packed for lunch.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I think Monday lunch is the most important meal of the week. If I’ve destroyed myself indulged a little too much over the weekend, I like to recover with a good healthy Monday lunch. Start the week off right, and it’s easier to make healthier choices throughout the week. I’m also trying to make more meals in advance (I’m hoping these kinds of recipes are helpful for you too). This is a noodle salad, but secretly there’s a kale salad hidden in here as well. I like to…

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Chilaquiles with Avocado

Chilaquiles with Avocado - my take on fresh healthier chilaquiles. Made with corn tortillas, eggs and red chile salsa. A favorite for breakfast or brunch. Gluten free.

I’m thinking of trying to grow avocados this spring… I don’t really have a green thumb, but I eat so darn many of them, I figure it’s worth a try. (Also, I’m just now realizing that this is my 3rd avocado recipe in a row – oops!) If anyone has any experience growing them, please let me know! I’m guessing that I probably have to start soon… Today’s recipe is something I really love to make at home because it tends to be a little too greasy for me at restaurants. Chilaquiles are usually considered hangover food and it all…

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Vegan Coffee Cake Muffins

I’m heading to Chicago later this week and I’m trying to think warm thoughts… It’ll be all of 1 degree when I land… and, (brr), my skin just isn’t that thick anymore. These muffins are a variation of my absolute favorite childhood breakfast: my Grandma Kissel’s coffee cake. On cold snowy mornings, there was nothing better than waking up to smell of warm cinnamon-ey cake wafting through the house. Of course these are slightly healthier and also vegan – using almond milk instead of sour cream and coconut oil instead of butter. But this is cake after all, so whatever…

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Brussels Sprout, Broccoli & Avocado Rice

Brussels sprouts, broccolini & scallions tossed with a tangy & spicy citrus sriracha dressing and topped with creamy avocado! (Gluten-free, Vegan option).

I’m pretty sure this one covers all of my major food groups: green vegetables, avocado, almonds, mint, lime & sriracha. In fact, I could probably stop right here and live happily ever after. I could change our name to The Brussels Sprout Blog and take pictures of this dish – every day – just in a different bowl (you know, to keep things exciting). Of course, I’m kidding, but I do really love this combo. What really pulls it together is the fish sauce (don’t worry, if you’re vegetarian you can sub it out), but it really brings the most amazing…

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Easy Pita Lunch Ideas

These 4 easy pita recipes are great packed for healthy lunches! All are vegetarian - prep the components ahead of time for a fast, delicious midday meal.

There’s a category that’s seriously underrepresented on Love & Lemons: lunch. Lunch, for me, is the meal that happens in between all of these recipe posts. It’s usually a quick throw-together meal that utilizes a previous night’s dinner and/or an assortment of random on-hand ingredients… (ie. a half of an avocado, a few leaves of kale, leftover quinoa, an opened container of greek yogurt). I love a big lunch salad, but when I don’t have enough greens & things to make up a full meal, I take what I do have and put it in (or on) a pita. I…

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Collard Wraps with Carrot Hummus

Sneak more veggies into your lunch with these addictive collard green wraps! The crisp leaves surround a creamy, bright spiced carrot hummus.

Put down those tortillas, this year is the year of collard green wraps! Ok, I’m totally kidding. I could never give up tortillas, and I wouldn’t expect you to either. But in the spirit of all things lighter and brighter, we’re wrapping things up in leafy greens… In order to make collard green wraps exciting, a punchy, flavorful filling is a must. I had these pretty red carrots, which made me think of this Harissa Carrot Hummus recipe I had recently seen from Aida Mollenkamp. I took a few liberties, (mostly because I was too lazy to go look up the actual recipe). Among other things, I pan-roasted…

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Coconut Rice with Kale & Edamame

A healthy, creamy and spicy rice dish with lemongrass, garlic and lime juice. Vegan and gluten free.

This one might be a stretch in the holiday-food category… but hey, it’s green and it’s red… I figure Christmas Coconut Rice has to be a tradition somewhere in the world right? This holiday season was a little different for us – we just got back from a winter wonderland of a week in Chicago, so our family festivities are pretty much over. We filled up on pizza, cheesecake, and all sorts of other indulgences… suffice it to say I’m ready to lighten things up a little bit early this year. Coconut rice is one of my favorite things… it’s…

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Coconut Creamed Spinach

Learn how to make the best creamed spinach with this easy 10-ingredient recipe! It's a healthy, delicious side dish you'll make again & again.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? When Jack was growing up, his mom would always make her famous creamed spinach, so this year, I wanted to make a riff on her traditional recipe. My new creamed spinach recipe is totally dairy-free – I use coconut milk instead of cream – and it’s filled with savory umami flavor and tons of fresh greens. It requires just 10 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make…are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yup, creamed spinach is a new Thanksgiving tradition around here. Best Creamed Spinach Recipe Ingredients To make my spin on creamed…

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Kale Stem Pesto

You know all of those kale recipes? The ones that say to use just the leaves and save the coarse stems for another use? Well friends, this is your “other use”. The same way I collect stale tortillas for the eventual tortilla soup, I save chopped up bits of kale stems (and sometimes other stems) for this eventual pesto. Tiny little bags, all over my freezer. When I’m ready to make this, I mix them with freshly chopped stems so the whole thing doesn’t taste too “frozen.” I just love making this in the colder months when bounties of fresh…

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Whole Grain Flax Waffles

Admittedly, I’m not the best at baby showers. I forget that the point of a baby shower is the gift-showering part, and I usually show up with an amazon print-out of what I purchased off the registry that morning. (really, I mean well). So this is my kind of baby shower… the virtual kind where I make and eat waffles and snap a photo. No pink bows required. Melissa (of The Faux Martha) is a dear friend I’ve met through the blogosphere. Her beautiful blog is filled with delectable sweet treats and her waffle recipe is one of her signatures. When…

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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.