Lemon Cake

This light, 10-ingredient lemon cake recipe is lightly sweet and bright - the perfect treat to enjoy with an afternoon tea or coffee.

“This not-too-sweet, very simple cake is perfect for that ‘it’s four o’clock and I need a little something with a cup of coffee’ moment,” says Julia Turshen about this lemon cake recipe, and I completely agree. I’ve had a little slice of this lemon olive oil cake every day this week, and it’s been delightful. This easy lemon cake recipe comes from the book Small Victories by Julia Turshen. If you think you’re not familiar with her work, you probably actually are, as she’s co-authored books with Gweneth Paltrow and Mario Batali, to name a few. I am head-over-heels for her easy…

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A Fall Wine Party (& a video!)

Fall entertaining tips, appetizer recipes and a delicious pumpkin hummus recipe.

A few weeks ago I threw this simple, fun Friday night wine party. Here in Austin, it was the first day of fall (read: the first day that the temps dropped below 90 degrees)… I invited some of my closest friends, served up some fall-inspired appetizers and (to keep things easy!) opened up a few boxes of Bota Box wines. Here was my menu: – Roasted Butternut Squash Crostini w/ Sage – Assorted Cheese Platter – Pumpkin Hummus (recipe below) I roasted cubes of butternut squash and topped them onto crostini with lemon ricotta and fried sage. This is my…

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Pumpkin Waffles

Spice up your fall weekends with these easy pumpkin waffles! They're crisp on the edges, tender in the middle, and filled with delicious pumpkin flavor.

Lately, making these pumpkin waffles has become my favorite Saturday morning activity. I love to stand over the warm waffle iron as they cook, letting the scent of pumpkin, vanilla, and warm spices waft over me. Needless to say, by the time the pumpkin waffles are done, I’m more than ready to eat. I devour one right away, while it’s still nice and hot. Then, I let the others cool and stash them in an airtight bag in the freezer. They reheat perfectly, so in the fall, I try to keep a supply of frozen pumpkin waffles on hand for…

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Healthier Halloween Treats

Hi friends! Happy weekend-before-Halloween! This time of year was always a favorite for me growing up… not so much for the halloween candy, but for the homemade chocolate pumpkin-y treats that my mom would bake. I liked a good 3 Musketeers bar, but I loved pumpkin brownies and cookies even more. So in the spirit of things that won’t get stuck in your teeth, here are some homemade favorites that I’ve made and a few tasty treats from others’ sites that had me drooling this week: Pictured above: Vegan Chocolate PB&J Cups Buttercup Squash Crumble Bars  /  Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats Sweet Harvest Pumpkin…

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Collard Green Wraps

Ditch the tortillas and make collard green wraps instead! They're fun, healthy, and delicious with all sorts of fillings. Find my favorites below!

There are so many reasons to love these collard green wraps. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, delicious, and most importantly, FUN! Last week, I got a ton of huge, gorgeous collard greens in my CSA box, and these vegan collard green wraps became my default healthy lunch. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about collard green leaves instead of my typical tortillas, but honestly, I’m a complete collard convert. The wraps aren’t hard to fold, and once you have your fillings on hand, they take minutes to make. This collard green wrap recipe calls for classic burrito fixings, but feel free…

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Coconut Macaroons

Here it is: the only coconut macaroons recipe you'll ever need! They're crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, and oh-so-good with a chocolate drizzle.

Truth: I have a hard time writing cookie posts without getting up to eat at least one. two. For this reason I usually like to post salads and other lighter foods on Mondays, but I’m switching things up today because sometimes you just need a #cookiemonday (or in this case a coconut macaroon Monday) and that’s ok. This coconut macaroons recipe is from Angela Liddon’s new book, Oh She Glows Every Day. I’m sure you all have it by now, right? If you don’t, and you’re vegan (and even if you’re not), you’re going to love it. It’s packed with SO MANY…

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White Bean Tomato Mushroom Soup

Last month, I came home from chilly, rainy Chicago with a sore throat, a cold, and a mad craving for soup. I’ve been trying all kinds of new soup recipes since then, but this one really hit the spot. It’s made with hearty cannelini beans, butternut squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, herbs, and a little kale wilted in at the end. It’s the perfect “cozy up on the sofa and start a new TV show” (we just started Stranger Things) kind of soup. Also, the leftovers are great reheated for lunch the next day. This post is in partnership with Randalls and Albertsons for their O…

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Farro Fried Rice with Brussels Sprouts

Have a leftover grain in your fridge? Then you've come to the right place. We love this easy fried "rice" made with Brussels sprouts & leeks.

If you caught Friday’s post, then you’ve already seen the shorthand version of this recipe. I love this one because it’s an easy go-to “use what you have in your fridge” sort of thing. Especially if what you have in your fridge right now is leftover farro. If you don’t have cooked farro in your fridge at this moment, I suggest making this hearty salad tonight, and this fried “rice” recipe tomorrow. You’ll be halfway there. Of course, you can just make this with brown rice or white rice or whatever you have. I thought farro was a fun alternative because I just love those…

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Fall Weeknight Meal Planning Tips

A few months ago, I wrote this post about how I go about my meal prep for a week of healthy eating. Since then, so many of you expressed how helpful it was so I’m back here again with a fall version. I love this season because the produce is so beautiful and cozy… it all just makes me want to get into the kitchen and cook! To me, there’s nothing better than the smell of squash and onions roasting away in the oven. We’re partnering with Wolf to bring you these tips as part of their Reclaim the Kitchen initiative.…

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Alanna’s Pumpkin Cranberry Nut & Seed Loaf

This delicious flourless loaf is vegan, gluten free, and packed with nutrients from seeds & nuts. Toast a slice for a hearty breakfast. Recipe from the book Alternative Baker.

Say hello to my new daily breakfast. I’ve made this loaf twice in the last two weeks and have been enjoying a slice in the morning ever since. It’s lightly sweet, nutty, seedy, wonderfully wholesome and dense. I’ve been craving a dark seedy “bread” like this ever since we spent time in the Netherlands this past summer. So when I flipped through Alanna Taylor-Tobin’s new book Alternative Baker, this recipe immediately jumped out to me. There’s a lot going on in this loaf – walnuts, pepitas, oats, flaxseeds, chia seeds, psyllium husks and pumpkin puree among a few other things. Once…

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Roasted Delicata Squash Kale Salad

It’s Monday, which for me often means: salad day! This past weekend was full of food, wine, friends, and fun – but I’m definitely a little tired today and ready for a healthy eating reset. Not that this is rabbit food by any stretch – it’s full of roasted vegetables, nutty farro, roasted chickpeas, diced apples, cranberries… basically everything I love about fall in one hearty bowl. This one starts by roasting delicata squash and red onion wedges (btw, how pretty is this color combination?). To get the most out of my oven’s heat, I roasted chickpeas as well. Roast them…

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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.