Hemp Seed & Kale Pesto

An easy 5-ingredient homemade Kale Pesto. Great for fall and winter, this recipe is vegan, gluten-, nut- & dairy-free. Serve on pasta or your favorite dish!

vegan / gluten free

I freaking love pesto. I make it all the time – usually with any herbs, greens, nuts, or seeds I have around. I like to swirl it into my soups, top it onto my eggs, or dollop it onto big salad-ey grain bowls. While there are one or two (or twelve) pesto recipes on this site already, I really love this version, so I think there’s room for one more. Before I started the blog, I would have never imagined just how many people are allergic to nuts. So in the spirit of the healthy new year, this tasty pesto is dairy-free, gluten-free (obviously), and nut-free…

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Top 10 Recipes of 2015

recipes / reader favorites

Happy new year! I hope you’re all having a lovely holiday weekend. I have some exciting things planned for 2016 (like our book! more on that soon). But first, I thought it would be fun to share what all of your favorite recipes were over the past year. These 10 recipes topped the analytics, but also ranked high in “I made this and loved it!” comments that were either made here on the blog, in social media, or told to me in person. And always – let me know if there’s anything you would especially like to see in 2016! #1: Spaghetti Squash with Kale…

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Edible DIY Gift Ideas (+ printables!)

holiday 2015 / vegan / gluten free

I have to say that my favorite part about Christmas is wrapping the gifts. When I was in college in Chicago, I had a part time job wrapping gifts at the infamous Marshall Fields on State Street. Their gift wrap room was full of rolls of beautiful wrap, ribbon, and bows – it was a small haven from the holiday chaos that was happening everywhere else outside in the city. So recently, when I was given the opportunity to go through The Container Store’s “Gift Wrap Wonderland,” I was positively giddy. Of course they have gift wrap galore, but they also adorable jars, tags,…

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Kitchen Gift Guide – Our favorite things

gift guide / holiday 2015

Are you done with your holiday shopping? I didn’t think so. Today, I’m here to help cross a few people off your list (and maybe add a few things onto your own list). Here are some of my absolute favorite kitchen items. These are things I personally have, love, and I hope you (and your friends & family) love them too. Staub Mini Cocottes (Graphite Grey) or Cherry Red Staub 4 Quart Round Cocotte / 7 Quart Maple Kitchen Tools Lodge Mini Skillet Aiya Organic Matcha / Matcha Whisk Glass Teapot (ok, this one is on my list – hint, hint, Jack) Le Parfait Jars (I use these for…

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Healthier Holiday Recipes

entertaining / holiday 2015

I don’t know how it happened. Just yesterday it was July and here we are, it’s almost Christmas. In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I’d share a few healthy-but-not-too-healthy recipe ideas. These are some cheery favorites, organized into 3 simple menus for various types of holiday gatherings: Party Food (pictured above): Vegan Kale & Artichoke Dip  Minty Pomegranate Spritzer (my go-to holiday cocktail!) Curried Avocado Chickpea Salad Sliders Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark A Cozy Christmas Morning: Strawberry Vegan Waffles Mini Spinach & Sun dried Tomato Frittatas Apple Mimosas Almond Milk Chai Lattes Dinner Party: Ginger Kombucha Cocktails Minty Millet Pomegranate Salad Sweet…

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You’re invited! A Homemade Gift Workshop

holiday 2015 / events / The-Container-Store

Hi friends! If you’re going to be in Austin on December 12th (next Saturday), mark your calendars! I’m hosting a super fun event at the Container Store. I’ll be cooking up yummy treats and showing you how to turn them into simple & pretty gifts using all of my favorite jars, tags, ribbons & more from the Gift Wrap Wonderland at the Container Store. Hope to see you there! It’s a free event, but click here to RSVP! The Details: Saturday, December 12th 11:00am – 1:00pm The Container Store 9629 Research Blvd. Austin, Texas RSVP here

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A Trip to Sonoma

The ultimate trip to Sonoma. A visit to the original WIlliams Sonoma, handmade pasta from Flour+Water, and wine at Silver Oaks Winery.

travel / Fortessa / Williams Sonoma

I love my job more than anything, but working from home can sometimes get a little isolating. So when opportunities like this come my way, I’m all in! Last month, I spent an amazing few days with Williams Sonoma, Fortessa, The Fairmont, and a group of lovely bloggers in Sonoma. We were wined and dined and wined some more… Here’s just a quick recap! I’m a sucker for kitchen gear so it was fun to visit the original Williams Sonoma store. It just reopened this year – many of the charming details were replicated from the store that Chuck Williams first opened in 1956. If you’re in Sonoma,…

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2015 Cookbook Gift Guide

Cookbooks make the best holiday gifts. Here are some of my top picks of 2015!

cookbooks / holiday 2015

I say this every year – but I think cookbooks make the greatest gifts. Here is a collection of some of my favorites that have come out this year. (If I’ve missed any good ones – let me know in the comments below!). Also – be sure to glance over at last year’s gift guide because there are some goodies on that list too! Travel Inspired: Rosewater & Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood Near & Far by Heidi Swanson Mexico the Cookbook, by Margarita Carrillo Arronte (*see note) Books from restaurants we’ve loved: Nopi by Yotam Ottolenghi Gjelina by Travis Lett Flour + Water: Pasta by Thomas McNaughton Veggie Forward:…

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Sweet Potato Recipes

fall / favorite / vegetarian

What’s your favorite fall vegetable? If you’re not saying “sweet potatoes!” with an exclamation, then, well, you might want to switch over to another post. My favorite has to be the almighty and ever-so-versatile sweet potato. I love the way my kitchen smells when I roast them and I love how they’re easier to cut (without injury) than most squashes. For some sweet inspiration, here are some of our favorite recipes: Pictured above: Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Skillet Sweet Potato Tahini Crostini / Curried Sweet Potato Soup Sweet Potato Avocado Tacos / Sweet Potato Pomegranate Salad Sweet Potato Quinoa Quesadillas …and a bunch more in the…

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2015 ACL Austin Restaurant Guide

Looking for the best food in Austin for SXSW, F1, or Austin City Limits? This food guide will show you the best spots in Austin, from a local!

austin / Restaurants

Whether you’re heading to Austin for South by Southwest or ACL (or just for fun!), here’s a list of some of my personal favorite food recommendations. These are sorted by neighborhood: Near Downtown: La Condessa – my favorite mexican food & best guacamole Josephine House – pretty spot, good wine, dinner, brunch flagship Whole Foods – the Disneyland of Whole Foods-es SFC Downtown Farmers Market – Saturdays 9am to 1pm Snap Kitchen – for a quick & healthy meal to go. (vegan, gf, paleo options) South Lamar Area: Juiceland – veggie juices & smoothies Henri’s – tiny neighborhood spot – great food, cheese & wine…

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Almond Breeze Brunch Workshop

I made "emoji smoothies," whole grain vegan waffles, and a tomato basil frittata for a brunch workshop in LA. Check out the recipes here!

travel / events / brunch

Happy Friday! I hope you have brunch plans this weekend, because today I have a little brunch recipe inspiration to get you started… Last weekend, we flew to California to host this super fun brunch cooking class with Almond Breeze. It was a blast getting to meet & cook with a few fans of the blog (of all ages!). First we made my favorite frittata recipe with summer squash, cherry tomatoes and basil. This is a great easy recipe, especially with the abundance of late summer produce that’s in season right now. Of course we couldn’t have an almond milk party without smoothies. At the class, we made super…

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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.

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