Ricotta & Fig Jam Bruschetta

This 30-minute vegetarian bruschetta is perfect for fall & winter entertaining. Its depth of flavor comes from caramelized onions, fig jam, thyme, & lemon.

This was sort of an impromptu appetizer I served at my birthday party* the other night. I had some really nice quality fig jam which made me crave a salty-sweet-treat appetizer to go along with a bottle of prosecco. I’m familiar with the idea of fig and gorgonzola crostini, but since I’m not a fan of gorgonzola (I know, I just lost a few readers), I got stuck on the idea of creamy ricotta instead. I caramelized tiny onion slices with balsamic, assembled the little bites, and sprinkled fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest on top. This turned out to…

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Sweet Potato & Pear Soup with Sage

Enjoy this healthy one-pot soup in fall or winter. Full of sweet potato, sage, pear, and curry spices, it is perfect for holidays and vegan & gluten free.

My favorite thing about cooking is when things come out of nothing. After the holidays, we had an empty fridge, empty countertops… contents of a meal (or even a snack) nowhere in sight. I had a pear that was on the verge of way-too-ripe, half an onion… and then I noticed a sweet potato that I never remembered buying. I’ve seen recipes for butternut squash soup with pears, so I figured this would work just as well. I foraged through the back of the fridge and pantry for the rest of the ingredients. Then I remembered I had this delicious…

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Seared Tuna Roll with Basil Aioli

A fun home cooking project! Step-by-step recipe for sushi featuring tuna, avocado, and cucumber served alongside a basil aioli. Gluten-free.

Welcome to amateur sushi night… Tonight’s dinner was inspired by the leftover bowl of white rice that’s been sitting in the back of my fridge. We’ve been eating enough stir fries lately and I figured Jack was probably kale-d out. Plus I thought this sounded like “group” fun. (Especially for our little Japanese girl who was standing by for floor droppings). We took a class once about 5 years ago at Central Market and I remembered this blackened tuna roll with 7-spice and basil sauce that I’d been meaning to make again. Of course Jack and I got home from…

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Spinach and Soba Noodle Soup

I love this healing soba noodle soup on winter weeknights. It takes 30 minutes to make, but ginger, mushrooms & tamari give it depth of flavor.

This soba noodle soup comes together in a snap, but it’s deeply flavorful, so it’s just the thing for a cold weeknight. Lately, I’ve been adding wakame flakes to it for a sea vegetable health boost. They come dehydrated in the Asian aisle of most higher end grocery stores. Beware, when the package says, “one teaspoon equals one serving… will expand over 20 times,” they really meant it. The first time I tried these I was sure that was a misprint and I tossed in a heaping handful or two and had cups upon cups of rehydrated sea greens. If…

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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.