Lemony Chickpea Salad

chickpeas for hunger / loveandlemons.com

Today, I’m participating, in Food Bloggers Against Hunger. A movement organized by Nicole of The Giving Table, in response to the movie A Place at the Table. Today 200 food bloggers are sharing budget-friendly recipes to raise awareness about hunger in America. There is plenty of food in this country, yet most don’t realize (myself previously included) that 1 in 4 kids don’t know where their next meal will come from. One of the main points of the film is that hunger and obesity in this country go hand in hand. Ingredients that make up unhealthy processed foods (corn, soy,…

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Cauliflower Puree with Chickpeas

When I'm craving an easy, cozy weeknight dinner, I make this cauliflower puree. I sprinkle it with capers, roasted chickpeas & fresh rosemary.

This cauliflower puree might just be my last cauliflower post of the season. I’m trying to remind myself that it’s still March and many of you have snow on the ground. Or at least slush. Which is hard for me to comprehend because it suddenly became July here this week. But last week, when it was a little bit cooler and cauliflower was still showing up at my door, we made this fancy little meal. Cauliflower, two ways… a light velvety puree, with roasted florets and chickpeas on top.

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Chickpea & Saffron Stew

A smoky tomato soup made with spinach, chickpeas and spices. Vegan and gluten free.

Chickpea & Saffron Stew // loveandlemons.com

It’s good to be home. After a busy (and very social) week at Alt Summit, it was nice to come home and spend some quiet time over the stove. Unlike many of the recipes I make here, this one is an old friend. It’s my take on Espinacas con Garbanzos… and has been a favorite ever since our first trip to Barcelona. But the real thing it has going for it is that it’s largely a pantry meal. Because who feels like going to the store right after they get off the airplane? Not me, that’s for sure.  

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Chickpea Radicchio Wraps

Chickpea Radicchio Wraps - a healthy lunch or plant-based appetizer. These wraps are filled with chickpeas and drizzled with basil-oil. Vegan and Gluten Free.

Chickpea Radicchio Wraps / www.loveandlemons.com

I just can’t get enough of non-bread wrappy things lately, so I was very excited when this cute little radicchio head showed up in my vegetable delivery box last week. Not that there’s anything wrong with bread, (and I did eat cake for breakfast this morning), but I’m trying to eat a bit lighter overall. And I just love the crunch of these crisp radicchio leaves. Do you all get a CSA box? If you don’t, I highly recommend subscribing to one. I’m not going to lie, it can be a little overwhelming. You’ll ask “what the heck is kohlrabi…

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Sesame-Ginger Chickpea Cakes

These vegetarian sesame-ginger chickpea cakes make impressive healthy homemade appetizers. Cilantro lime yogurt sauce adds creamy texture & tons of flavor.

As promised, here is the vegetarian followup to the tuna cakes I posted last week. I used most of the same ingredients (because I happened to have them all leftover)… the end result was pretty different, but delicious just the same. Of course, I really have a soft spot in my heart for panko-crusted anything… With this, I wanted to share a couple of handy tips: 1. Fresh ginger – keep it in the freezer, and grate it as you need it. No thawing required… by the time you grate, it’ll be thawed enough. I love to cook with ginger,…

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Grilled Bell Pepper & Chickpea Salad

A summer salad with red and yellow bell peppers, chickpeas, fresh oregano, and basil! A simple & healthy weeknight dinner for vegans and meat eaters, too.

This Monday, like no other, calls for a healthy start. We got home late Saturday night after spending the week in Chicago. We ate way too many things at way too many places… which is generally how our vacations go. The difference this time is that because we’re food blogging now, I’d make the excuse that we were eating in the name of “inspiration”, or even more ridiculous, “research.” While I might have brought home a few new ideas, I also brought home probably a few extra pounds. So this week is gonna be a healthy one. Yesterday we went to…

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Chickpea Nicoise Salad

Tossed with an herby lemon dressing, this vegetarian take on the classic Nicoise salad makes a healthy weeknight meal for spring or summer. Gluten free.

We were on vacation in Nice around this time last year, and I think I ate a nicoise salad for lunch every day of that trip. Or as Jack has coined it, the “Nizzan” salad, because the Italians call Nice “Nizza” (pronounced like pizza). We learned this as were running through the Rome airport (we are always running), and the airport desk workers were yelling out “Nizza! Nizza! last call for Nizza!” So that’s what we call it now. The city and the salad. This is one of my favorite main course salads because it’s so filling yet light and…

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Lemon-Walnut Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

A zesty, nutty lemon-walnut dressing brightens this hearty vegetarian salad. Filled with herbs & veggies, this salad makes a healthy weeknight dinner.

My role this week while my dad is visiting = food machine. Which I don’t mind one bit… he’s been hard at work knocking tasks off our “house-to-do” list, and I’m more than happy to be doing the heavy cooking rather than the heavy lifting. I can’t get him to stop for lunch (unless you count the beer… liquid lunch) so for dinners, big bowls of substantial food are in order. I made this quinoa & chickpea salad the other night with some other stuff I happened to have, including beautiful radishes from my CSA box. And I always seem…

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Green Garbanzo & Leek Soup

Herbs & leeks make a bright, zippy chilled soup for hot summer days. This easy vegan soup is filled with protein from garbanzos and a lemon yogurt sauce.

We really should have called this site The Basil Blog. I just realized that the last 7 of 8 savory recipes I’ve posted all include basil. And even as I was reflecting on that, the most prominent thought that came to mind was wondering how delicious a basil brownie might be. (Strawberry basil sauce – yes?) So I make no apologies… it’s one of my favorite things, especially when my basil plant is flourishing like it is. This is my attempt at contributing to The Food Matters project today. It’s white bean and asparagus soup day. However, it’s been in…

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Avocado & Chickpea Salad Sandwich

My go-to healthy lunch is this Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwich! With green onion, cilantro & lime, it's ideal for quick & easy vegan sandwiches.

This is my new favorite lunch. I saw this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod a couple of weeks ago and made it right away. And then I made it again the next day… and then the next day after that… As creative as I like to get at dinnertime, there’s something comforting (and probably a little OCD) about eating the same thing for lunch day in and day out. Beyond the sandwich, I’ve also been eating scoopfuls of this over mixed greens with chopped cucumbers and other veggies. And this summer, I’ll likely be serving it poolside with chips…

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Beets & Chickpeas with Jalapeño Yogurt

Roasted beets and spiced chickpeas top arugula to make healthy fall or winter salad. Served with a tangy, spicy yogurt sauce. Gluten free & vegan option.

There are few foods in this world (very few) that Jack won’t eat. While I’ve won him over on some (hello asparagus!), beets remain on his “absolutely-not” list. I have a stockpile of recipes I’m saving for when he goes out of town, but when my friend Hollie came over for lunch last week, I had just the thing… This hearty salad is everything Hollie and I love all in one bowl… bright arugula, smoky-garlicky chickpeas, and juicy beets topped with a generous dollop of tangy jalapeño yogurt, a garnish of cilantro, and an unexpected indian-ness from the sprinkled brown…

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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.