Easy Peanut Noodles

This simple recipe offers two variations for making delicious, easy peanut noodles. These vegan dishes make great weeknight dinners or weekday lunches!

easy / vegan

I don’t make peanut noodles nearly enough. I forget how easy it is to make a peanut sauce, and that I usually already have all the ingredients on hand. I’ve made other peanut sauce variations before, but this time I wanted to simplify it down to just the necessary six ingredients. It takes about 5 minutes (tops) to stir it together… then toss it with noodles & veggies. Dinner is done. We rarely have leftovers when I serve peanut noodles for dinner, but when we do, I use the leftover peanut noodles in lettuce wraps for lunch the next day.…

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Nasu Dengaku {Miso Eggplant}

eggplant / japan

If you need a reason to try (and love) miso, this is your recipe. I’m hoping eggplant is still in season where you are. I was excited to find these little nearly-black beauties at our farmers market last weekend. If you don’t have eggplant, this sweet & salty glaze is amazing on cod, tofu, and even sweet potatoes. There are many variations to the dengaku recipe – some use sake along with mirin, some add a bit of ginger… I’ve even made it with agave syrup before (although that would probably not be approved by the Japanese, shh).  I like…

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Yudofu (Tofu) in Kyoto

travel / japan / kyoto

In Japan, tofu is not a meat or dairy replacement. It’s just a regular food that regular people eat – and hardly anyone there is vegetarian. The very best way to experience tofu is at a yudofu restaurant in Kyoto. You sit down (on mats) to a set meal which starts with a few small dishes made out of various types of tofu. Then comes the big star – the simmering pot of soft tofu. It’s luscious, creamy, and unlike any kind of tofu that has ever come out of a box. This particular meal was at Okutan, a 350…

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Uji & Matcha

travel / japan / matcha

A few days ago, we took this short little day trip to the land of Matcha. Uji is famous for producing the finest Matcha in Japan since the 14th century. It’s not necessarily a “must see,” but it’s an easy 30 minute train ride from Kyoto and it was just so beautiful. We strolled the little main street, saw a (pretty touristy) tea ceremony, drank some frothy matcha, and had a nice cha-soba lunch.

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Fushimi Inari-Taisha

travel / japan / kyoto

…otherwise known as Fushimi Inari-Taisha. (We nicknamed it Starfox Mountain). This shrine is the #1 Kyoto attraction on Trip Advisor, yet last time we were here, we somehow missed it. We really try hard not to fall into major tourist traps… I guess sometimes we try a little too hard. This one is amazing. If you go, prepare to walk up a ton of stairs (it’s about 35 minutes to the top), so be sure to wear good shoes like I didn’t. Some fun geek trivia – a friend of Jack’s who lives here who worked on the old Super…

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A Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast at the Claska Hotel in Tokyo. Miso soup, rice, pickles, and miso broiled fish - SO delicious.

travel / tokyo / japan

We made it to Japan! I think it’s only fitting that our first post is about the first meal of the day. I wouldn’t normally recommend eating breakfast at your hotel, but in Japan you have to (at least once) experience the Japanese breakfast. If you haven’t heard of it, the concept might rock your mind… I mean, it is miso soup and fish for breakfast after all… This particular breakfast was at the Claska, a boutique hotel in Tokyo. We spent our first two nights there and our favorite part was their version of the Japanese breakfast. It was…

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A Spicy Margarita Party

I can't think of a better way to end the summer than with good friends & spicy drinks! Especially when drinks are Jalapeño Margaritas!

summer / entertaining / refinery 29

I can’t think of a better way to end the summer than with good friends & spicy drinks! A few weekends ago we had this fun little margarita party for Refinery 29 and Grand Marnier. I made a jalapeño version of the classic Grand Margarita. Let’s just say, no one left until every drop was gone.

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Seattle snapshots

travel / seattle

We had such a wonderful time this past week in Seattle. Thank you to everyone who left recommendations – we went to as many of them as we could!! These are some of our highlights. This is by no means a comprehensive list, just the places we happened to make it to in the short 3 days we were there.

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We’re heading to… Japan!

travel / japan

We’re going to Japan! I know, I’m surprised too… it kind of came up at the last minute, but here we go… Right now I’m en route to Seattle to meet up with Jack. Later this week we’ll be off to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and back to Tokyo… followed by a couple of days in San Francisco before we head home. We spent some time in Japan a few years ago (pic above), but of course if you have any must-try food suggestions, let me know!! We’re so excited to fill up on sushi, ramen, udon, soba, kyoto vegetables and…

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Almond Peach Cake

If you put fruit on cake, it's ok to eat it for breakfast, right? It is with this dairy-free vegan almond peach cakes! So perfect with ripe, summer peaches.

vegan / summer / almond breeze

If you put fruit on cake, it’s ok to eat it for breakfast. That’s the rule, right? Of course, the cakes I make aren’t super decadent. This one, for example, is whole-grain enough that it could just as easily be baked in a muffin tin or mini loaf pans… the shape alone would make you feel differently about what time of day is cake-appropriate. Aside from the sprinkle of brown sugar on top, there’s no refined sugar. It’s moist on the inside thanks to a combo of coconut oil, almond milk and applesauce. And then, the best part – the peaches.…

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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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