Chickpea Salad

Fresh veggies, herbs, and a zesty dressing add bold flavor to this chickpea salad recipe. Healthy and satisfying, it's perfect for picnics and lunches!

You can never have enough chickpea salad recipes in your back pocket, right? I definitely feel that way, and I hope you do too, because even though there are already *several* chickpea salads on this blog, this NEW chickpea salad recipe is a total keeper. It’s filled with fresh Mediterranean flavors—crispy cucumbers play off juicy tomatoes, which in turn contrast with the tender chickpeas. Briny olives and pickled onions add a delicious pop, and handfuls of herbs freshen the whole thing up. A zippy lemon dressing ties it all together. This chickpea salad is healthy, satisfying, flavorful, and fresh. It’s…

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Peanut Noodles

This peanut noodles recipe is a quick, delicious meal! You can stir together the spicy, creamy peanut sauce while the noodles cook. So easy!

Peanut noodles are one of the most crave-able meals. The gooey noodles, the creamy sauce, crunchy veggies, and refreshing herbs… Luckily for us, this peanut noodles recipe is just as easy as it is delicious. You can stir together the peanut sauce in a single bowl, and the only component that requires cooking is the noodles. Even with the fresh toppings, the whole dish comes together in less than 30 minutes. It’s a quick option for a weeknight dinner, and leftovers pack up perfectly for lunch the next day. Ok, I’m craving peanut noodles now. Anyone else? Let’s cook! Peanut…

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Sushi Bowl

This sushi bowl recipe is the easiest way to satisfy a sushi craving at home! Flavorful fixings like sliced avocado, nori, and spicy mayo top seasoned rice.

When I feel like eating sushi but I don’t feel like making sushi, I make this sushi bowl recipe instead. It’s easy to put together (no rolling required!), but it still captures all the tastes and textures I crave in a good veggie sushi roll. Creamy avocado plays off sticky seasoned rice, which in turn contrasts with crisp, cooling cucumbers and crackly nori. I add ripe mango for a hit of sweetness, baked tofu for protein, and big drizzles of spicy mayo for richness and heat. I like to prep the components ahead of time and enjoy this sushi bowl for…

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Lentil Salad

Add this lentil salad recipe to your lunch rotation ASAP! Packed with fresh veggies, olives, and feta, it's super flavorful and great for meal prep.

This lentil salad recipe is helping me ease into a new lunch routine. After a summer filled with picnic leftovers and impromptu farmers market meals, I’m trying to get back in the rhythm of doing at least a little meal prep at the start of the week. That way, at lunchtime, I’m not totally stumped by what to eat. Luckily, this lentil salad recipe is simple to make, so it’s a breeze to put together on a Sunday. It also tastes so good that I don’t mind eating it for a few days on repeat. I douse al dente lentils,…

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Mezze Platter

This mezze platter is perfect for serving a crowd! Filled with fresh veggies, pita, and assorted spreads and dips, it offers a little something for everyone.

If you ask me, a mezze platter is the perfect solution for feeding a crowd. This Middle Eastern tradition of serving a medley of appetizers and small plates before a meal (or even as a meal) ensures that there’s always something for everyone. Folks can munch on fresh veggies, salads, bread, cheese, dips, spreads, and more. I love that you can prep every component ahead of time, so if you’re entertaining, you just have to pull the dishes out of the fridge and assemble your mezze platter when your guests are ready to eat. They’ll love sampling all the different…

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Tabbouleh

This version of tabbouleh - the Middle Eastern herb and bulgur salad - is zingy, fragrant, and SO refreshing. Perfect for a mezze platter or picnic!

Herbs are arguably my favorite fresh ingredients, so it should come as no surprise that I love tabbouleh. Alternatively spelled tabouli or tabouleh, this Middle Eastern salad consists of finely chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat. Don’t let the bulgur’s presence fool you – traditional Lebanese tabbouleh isn’t so much a grain salad as it is an herb salad with grains. The parsley and mint are the real star ingredients, making the salad pungent, fragrant, and intensely refreshing. You’ll find my go-to tabbouleh recipe below. If you love bright, herbaceous flavors, it’s one you have to try. Pack it up…

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Panzanella

Filled with ripe, juicy tomatoes and crusty bread, this panzanella salad is a delicious summer meal. A shower of fresh basil takes it over the top.

This classic panzanella is one of the recipes I make most often throughout the summer. In this Tuscan bread salad, cubes of dry Italian bread mingle with juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and savory onions. A big handful of basil and a zingy vinaigrette tie it all together. Panzanella has humble roots. It originated in the Tuscany region of Italy as a way to use up stale bread. But its simple ingredients create a salad that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. The dried-out bread soaks up the tomato juices and tangy dressing, softening and absorbing all that…

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Pickle Relish

This homemade pickle relish takes veggie burgers and hot dogs to a whole new level! It's crunchy, sweet, and tangy - the perfect summer condiment.

It’s official: I’m never buying pickle relish at the store again. This homemade version is tangier, crunchier, and more savory and complex. The recipe also makes a very reasonable amount – right around a cup – so it’s actually possible to polish it off within a couple of weeks. (Looking at you, every massive jar of store-bought relish I’ve never managed to finish.) The next time you want to jazz up a veggie burger, hot dog, or whatever you’re grilling, I highly recommend you give it a try! Pickle Relish Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this sweet pickle…

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BLT Pasta Salad

This BLT pasta salad recipe is a fun twist on the classic sandwich. Packed with fresh veggies and avocado, it's a flavorful side dish or light lunch.

BLT pasta salad! Ok, more like TAT pasta salad, but this recipe has some serious BLT flavors going on, so we’re sticking with that. As you might have guessed, there’s no actual bacon here, just my trusty tempeh bacon plus sun-dried tomatoes for an extra savory kick. This BLT pasta salad recipe would be a great dish to pass at a Labor Day gathering this weekend, but it’s also hearty enough to be a vegetarian main dish. Pack it up for a weekday lunch, or serve it for a light dinner. Whichever way you pick, I think you’re going to love…

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Cold Cucumber Soup

This cold cucumber soup recipe is perfect for hot summer days. Creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing, it's a delicious, nourishing starter or side dish.

This cold cucumber soup is everything I want on a hot summer day. To make it, you don’t have to turn on the oven, the stove, or even the grill. Just toss the ingredients into a blender, puree, and chill! After a few hours in the fridge, this cucumber soup will be so creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing that you won’t be able to resist going back for seconds. Cucumber Soup Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this cucumber soup: Cucumbers, of course! I love to use delicate, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers in this recipe. Don’t forget to save…

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Sesame Cucumber Salad with Pickled Mustard Seeds

This easy, refreshing cucumber salad recipe is perfect for hot days! A sweet and tangy dressing coats cool cucumbers, onions, and lots of fresh herbs.

This cucumber salad recipe is the quintessential summer side dish. Like all the best summer recipes, it calls for just a few ingredients, but it still packs a big punch of flavor. Thanks to a light sesame salad dressing, it’s salty, sweet, nutty, and tangy, with plenty of fresh mint and dill to take it over the top. You only need 15 minutes to make it (including 10 minutes of hands-off chill time), so toss it together and enjoy it as a dinner side dish, or, like me, eat it straight out of the bowl! On hot days, there’s nothing…

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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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