Homemade Vanilla Hazelnut Milk Latte

Delicious homemade hazelnut milk flavored with maple, cinnamon, nutmeg & vanilla is perfect with coffee or espresso! Great for lazy weekends. Vegan.

Happy Friday! I have a fun little weekend project for you – take a few extra moments to make your own hazelnut milk! It’s so delicious, I promise it’s worth the effort. Actually, it requires very little effort, it just takes some planning ahead for the proper amount of soaking and chilling. The result is a delightfully lightly sweet & nutty milk that’s so yummy mixed with espresso or coffee. This time I made lattes with Nespresso’s Solelio & Giornio coffees which are light and medium in roast with red fruity & white floral notes respectively. These are absolutely perfect for lazy Sunday mornings. The hazelnut…

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Summer Strawberry Crumble

This 10-ingredient strawberry crumble is the easiest summer dessert! It's nutty & delicious, and a splash of balsamic vinegar gives it a little pop.

I’ve had a torn page from last month’s Bon Appetit issue sitting on my desk for the last few weeks. Whenever I’d look away from the computer or pace around the room while on the phone (P.S. does anyone else need to walk while they talk?), I’d glance at this pie recipe out of the corner of my eye and think “strawberry pistachio, YES! Why didn’t I think of this combo before?” This red and green ingredient pairing of pistachios and strawberries is like Christmas in July, er… June. This strawberry crumble recipe works just as well with walnuts or pecans, but it’s just so pretty with pistachios. While I got…

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Avocado Sandwich

Bursting with bright pickled onions, lots of greens, and a creamy, lemony edamame spread, this avocado sandwich is a must-try lunch recipe!

This avocado sandwich is the ULTIMATE vegetarian sandwich. Yep, I said it. I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly had my fair share of disappointing veggie sandwiches. They’re bland, boring, and not at all filling. Not the case here! This avocado sandwich is jam-packed with flavor and texture, and it’s guaranteed to keep you full till dinnertime. I’m obsessed with it, and I think you will be too! Aside from the avocado, the key ingredient here is a lemon edamame spread. It’s super creamy and bright, and it packs this sandwich with plant-based protein. Along with the other fresh…

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Broccoli Pasta Salad

This bright broccoli pasta salad recipe is chock full of fresh veggies and coated with a tangy no-mayo tahini dressing. Perfect for summer picnics!

This is not your regular pasta salad. In fact, Jack (who is not the biggest fan of traditional pasta salad) said “Omg, this is the best pasta salad!” It’s healthy and packed with lots of veggies, and unlike a lot of pasta salads, it’s light on the mayonnaise – in that it has none. With Memorial Day coming up, I figure you may need a packable potluck salad that won’t spoil if it sits out for a little while. This one, made with a creamy tahini dressing, is just right for that. How to Make Pasta Salad – the Healthy Way! Bring on the veggies! This broccoli pasta…

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Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

An easy refreshing summer dessert. Vegan & gluten free.

This is the dessert I’m going to make all summer. With just 5 ingredients, it’s so easy! The best part is that (if you have a decent blender) no ice cream maker is required here. Just blend and freeze. It’s tart, sweet, and so so lovely with the little unexpected hint of mint. Jack and I both love Montmorency tart cherries for many reasons (see all of these recipes that use them). They have some wonderful superfood qualities, they’re known to help soreness after a workout, and they’re a natural source of melatonin which helps regulate sleep. We love them most of all, of…

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Avocado Cucumber Sushi Roll

Learn how to make sushi with this easy sushi recipe! Filled with mango, avocado & cucumber, it makes a healthy, delicious sushi roll.

We love sushi. We love it so much that we rarely make it at home, well, because Uchi is just down the street. But this homemade sushi recipe is a fun kitchen project to do with your significant other when you’re looking for something new to do together in a Friday night. Plus, making this sushi roll is way less expensive than ordering sushi at a restaurant. Sushi Roll-Making Tips! First things first – don’t be scared! The only thing required for “sushi date night” is a bamboo mat and a positive attitude. You need to be in the kind of…

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Berry Superfood Smoothie Bowl

Learn how to make a smoothie bowl with this delicious, antioxidant-packed recipe! Almond butter gives it protein and amazing PB & J flavor.

This scenario happens often: I get on a smoothie kick, and I make the same one again and again and again. Same time, same place, same smoothie. Tell me that this happens to you too? This berry-spinach smoothie bowl recipe is my new latest obsession. Why You’ll Love this Smoothie Bowl Recipe It tastes amazing. Instead of banana, I add a scoop of almond butter for creaminess (and a little protein). As a result, it has a hint of PB&J flavor – it’s SO delicious and also husband-approved. Which means that I’m pretty sure it would be kid-approved too. It’s easy to keep the…

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Spiralized Daikon “Rice Noodle” Bowl

Healthy daikon "noodles" are tossed with cucumber, carrots, herbs and avocado with tamari-lime and creamy cashew sauces. Vegan & gluten free.

I’ve made zucchini noodles a whole bunch of times (here and here, to name a few). Zoodles seem to be all the rage, but have you tried “doodles”? Doodles (that’s what I’m calling them) are noodles made out of daikon and they’re awesome. They’ve got a little bit more bite to them than zucchini noodles and I find them to be less watery. I love how they look like rice noodles, yet these noodles are all vegetable. To go along with the daikon noodles, I made these bowls with cucumber, carrots, radishes, tofu and fresh herbs. These are all bahn mi…

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Kiwi Avocado Salsa Verde

Change up your usual avocado salsa with a surprising sweet ingredient: kiwi! It's a vibrant, fresh & fun dip that's perfect for parties.

My husband Jack really loves kiwi. He grew up in Florida, so I always envisioned him growing up among kiwi trees. His grandfather had quite the green thumb, and Jack always tells stories of the fruits and vegetables they would pick and eat together. He talks about kiwi so much that I had just assumed that this tropical fruit was part of that picture as well. Last week when I was trying to dream up a unique salsa recipe, I thought kiwi would be fun and different, and most importantly – Jack would love it. It’s not a fruit I typically…

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Boozy Root Beer Floats

made with homemade vegan vanilla ice cream.

Let’s cut to the chase – I love root beer floats. Oh, by the way, this is Jack posting once again. That’s not to say that Jeanine doesn’t love root beer floats, but when we got an opportunity to work with a beer company that brews alcoholic root beer, I knew I would be writing this post. The first question I had, of course, was “boozy root beer? Is it good?” Well I’m glad to say that yes, BEST DAMN Brewing Co.’s hard root beer is really good and tastes just like root beer. Root beer floats may be one of my favorite…

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Vegan Scones with Raspberries

Coconut flour is the secret to giving these gluten-free vegan scones the perfect texture. Dotted with raspberries, they're a yummy breakfast treat.

My sweet breakfast kick continues. For over a year, I was on a nonstop savory & spicy breakfast kick. Next came the carrot-ey baked goods, and now we’re onto these vegan scones. Or I should say, the royal “we” are on to these scones. Jack loves them too, but my dirty secret is that he only has one or two out of every batch because I hide the extras in the freezer – where I know he will never look (well, until he reads this). Vegan Scones Ingredients These little treats are vegan and gluten-free. Instead of butter and cream, they’re made…

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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.