Roasted Broccoli Bowls

…otherwise known as “roast what you have” bowls. This week (again) was all about quick cooking, olympic watching, and dinners that fit into one bowl. Which sounds super lazy, but I just know that I’ve burnt more than a few calories anxiously watching athletes go for gold. Anxiety is an ab workout right? This TV “workout” was fueled by some roasty-toasty broccoli and sweet Farmhouse carrots that I happened on hand. I completed the meal with the help of some pantry ingredients: chickpeas, jarred roasted red peppers, tahini, etc. Feel free to switch up the vegetables and add some sort…

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Spiced Cauliflower “Couscous”

While cauliflower pizza might not resemble actual pizza dough, cauliflower couscous (in my opinion) really does mimic the texture of actual couscous remarkably well. If you were waiting for a vegan recipe with a few less carbs – here it is. In fact, this might be just a few chickpeas and a couple of currants away from paleo. (Although I’m not an expert on paleo rules so don’t quote me on that). I went a little nuts with the nuts and spices. The cauliflower has such a subtle flavor so it’s really a blank canvas. Since we’re in the middle of winter,…

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Chickpea Miso Noodle Soup

Chickpea Miso Noodle Soup - a healing broth made from lemon and miso is perfect for cold season. Make this gluten free by using quinoa pasta. Vegan.

They say to feed a cold right? I don’t get sick very often, but this week I’ve been a little bit down for the count. It’s not the worse thing ever – it’s just lingering… and it’s also hungry. Lately, I’ve been craving foods that are hot, cold, and, well, salty (you know, so I can actually taste things). My scratchy throat and I were on Pinterest the other day and we were inspired by this soup and also this one. I read somewhere that garlic, lemon, and steam help to cure coughs and colds so this broth-y soup fit the bill. I didn’t want cheese to…

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Easy Pita Lunch Ideas

These 4 easy pita recipes are great packed for healthy lunches! All are vegetarian - prep the components ahead of time for a fast, delicious midday meal.

There’s a category that’s seriously underrepresented on Love & Lemons: lunch. Lunch, for me, is the meal that happens in between all of these recipe posts. It’s usually a quick throw-together meal that utilizes a previous night’s dinner and/or an assortment of random on-hand ingredients… (ie. a half of an avocado, a few leaves of kale, leftover quinoa, an opened container of greek yogurt). I love a big lunch salad, but when I don’t have enough greens & things to make up a full meal, I take what I do have and put it in (or on) a pita. I…

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Tomato, Chickpea & Coconut Soup

This is the perfect pantry soup. I’m even betting that most of you have these ingredients on hand already. We’re all about fresh eating around here, but there’s nothing wrong with opening up a few cans from time to time… especially in the middle of winter when you crave tomato soup and tomatoes are not in season. The soup is basically: 1 can of tomatoes, 1 can of chickpeas, and (part of) 1 can of coconut milk. The chickpeas thicken the soup and the coconut creates a creamy, velvety texture without adding real cream. For a lighter soup, you can…

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Mushroom & Chickpea Stew

This mushroom & chickpea stew is a cozy, hearty dinner perfect for fall or winter. Swap in whatever veggies you have to round out this delicious dish!

I realize, I just posted this happy sunny day post, so this is a little contradictory… but since then, I’ve been a fighting a bit of a cold. And all I can think about right now is soup. Well, and smoothies… hot and cold foods to cure a scratchy throat. And maybe some ice cream for good measure. You’re supposed to feed a cold, right? This soup/stew, whatever you want to call it, really hit the spot… it’s warm, hearty, and packed with a healthy amount of veggies. It was especially good served with a little bit of this pesto…

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Sweet Potato Tahini Crostini

  We got home last week and I immediately started thinking about post-vacation recovery foods. Kale salads, green juices… that sort of thing. That is until Jack announced that he was craving bread. Which sounded good, so bread we had. This cozy little crostini turned out to be perfect for our lazy, rainy weekend. (Kale salad, on the side). This sweet potato spread – it’s halfway to hummus. It’s thicker and has a stronger tahini flavor, which was a nice contrast to the light & airy ricotta. It’s also a convenient way to use up a bit of leftover baked…

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Heirloom Tomato & Avocado Salad

This is the part where I get sad about the inevitable end of summer. Granted, my back-to-school days are long gone, and it’ll be another four months before I’ll have to so much as think about a sweater. The part I’m not ready to let go of is the bright colorful food. My eyes are not ready to adjust to the shade of pumpkin (as much as I love it)… just yet. Lately, I’ve been consuming these gorgeous Whole Foods heirloom tomatoes by the basket-full. They work well in this particular salad because each type is a little bit different. Some…

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Spring Salad & Arugula Hummus

Lately, we’ve been getting back into our ritual saturday morning walks to the farmers market. In the cooler months, we struggle to leave the house by noon. But the summer heat is starting to set in so we have some added incentive to get up and out a little bit earlier. (That and the vegan Red Rabbit doughnuts waiting for us when we get there). After we’ve had out fill of doughnuts, breakfast tacos, and coffee, I pick up whatever veggies look the best that day and we head home. A few weekends ago, I came back with this assortment……

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Pea & Chickpea Pasta Salad

This has been a favorite lately. I’ve made it countless times before I even thought of posting it here. It’s too easy… the ingredient list is short, and you likely already have these these things on hand. It’s super delicious and it takes no time to toss together. If I weren’t always trying to come up with new ideas, I would stop here and we would eat this most nights of the week. (Maybe switch out the veggies every so often to change it up). I whisked a little dijon with olive oil and lemon juice before tossing it with…

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Spiced Carrot & Chickpea Salad

This salad is loosely inspired by a carrot salad I ate during a trip to Morocco a couple of years ago. It was part of our first night’s dinner… a hot night (114 degrees!) on the rooftop of our Riad at sunset. There were marinated vegetable salads, flatbreads, tagines, and a bottle of moroccan rose… all while the evening prayer chanted over a loudspeaker in the distance. We might as well have been on another planet, it felt so surreal. Yet, one of the things I remember most about that night was the carrot salad. Recently, J.R. Watkins asked me to create a dish…

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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.