“Ricotta” Stuffed Cabbage

This is my gluten free (and pasta-free) version of stuffed shells. This “cheesy” cashew filling tastes just as indulgent as the real thing.

This is my gluten free solution to last week’s stuffed shells. You’ll notice it’s also pasta-free but trust me, this “cheesy” cashew filling tastes just as indulgent. This little creation was a total happy accident… while I was shopping, I had filled my cart with everything necessary for the stuffed shells, with one ingredient left to go: the shells. And just my luck, no shells. I figured, I’d go searching for them somewhere else the next day. But when I got home I noticed a lonely cabbage in my fridge and voilà. When I remade these (for this post) I found…

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Vegan Stuffed Shells with Kale

No one will know these vegan stuffed shells are dairy-free! Packed with fresh herbs and kale, this stuffed shell recipe is one of our favorite dinners.

vegan / pasta / hatchery box

I swear, no one will know these stuffed shells are vegan. Ok, that was a big statement, let me start over. I’m really pretty sure that these vegan stuffed shells will win over your pickiest eaters. This isn’t fancy food here… we all loved jumbo stuffed shells in the 90’s, and I’m bringing them back today with the best quotation marked “ricotta” that I’ve made yet. The trick is to combine cashew cream with tofu. I’ve made a lot of vegan lasagnas by crumbling tofu with herbs – which looks very ricotta-esque, but still tastes decidedly tofu-esque. The cashew cream offers a…

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Chili-Orange Veggie Bowl

I steam the veggies instead of roasting them in this easy bowl, and their clean flavors shine under a lightly spicy, tangy chili vinaigrette.

winter / vegan / gluten free

If you had asked me two weeks ago about the best way to cook (flavorful) veggies, my unwavering answer would have been: roast them. I’m a sucker for all things roasty, toasty, caramelized, slightly crisp and even a tad bit charred… the simple steamed veggie is just a bit, well, simple for me. That is, until now… Our oven went kaput a few weeks ago and I was forced to get a little creative. (Although, thank you Thermador for coming to the rescue!). My little oven haitus seemed miserable at first, but it’s in fact incidents like these that force me to think outside…

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Miso Shiitake Soba Soup

A simple dashi is the base of this warming, healing miso soup. With lots of veggies, soba noodles & tofu, it's hearty enough to be a meal on its own.

winter / vegan / gluten free

To all of you who are snowed in… this is my attempt to send warm thoughts through the computer screen. It’s not exactly balmy here, but it’s a far cry from the -11 degrees my weather widgets (and text message updates from my mom) are showing for tomorrow’s Chicago’s forecast. Yikes… This soup is full of warming healing ingredients (shiitakes, ginger, miso, etc.)… and would be the perfect thing if you’re under the weather, figuratively or quite literally. If you need more soup recipe ideas, try this ginger miso soup, this many-veggie soup, or this vegan tomato soup!

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Mushroom & Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

spring / vegan / gluten free

Nutella one day, quinoa the next. This is what I call balance. Tasty balance. Last week, I had this huge head of red lettuce. After a few days of salads, I worked my way down to the small rounded leaves in the center. I thought they were just too cute to tear apart into another salad, so I thought… lettuce wraps. This could be a lovely spring appetizer, or a light meal for two. Especially if you’ve been over-indulging lately like we have been.

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Mushrooms & Wheatberries

vegan / winter

There aren’t enough mushrooms on this blog. I’m not sure how they became so under-represented here because we eat them like crazy. But I suppose I don’t make so many “recipes” with mushrooms, I just make them. So this one is kind of a non-recipe… something we eat pretty often, changing up the vinegars & herbs to create different variations. I’ve done my best below to estimate cups and tablespoons, but I really cooked in increments of “splashes” and “handfuls.” Ok, I quite commonly cook in splashes and handfuls. It drives my proofreader (my mom) crazy. Does it drive you…

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Sesame & Orange Kale Salad

winter / vegan / gluten free

I’m a new believer to the raw kale salad movement. I know, I’m late to this party (especially given my love for kale). But better late than never. It was this salad from Snap Kitchen that convinced me a few weeks ago. Bright, tangy, citrusy… exactly what I’m craving during this part of the winter. I made an asian-inspired version by whisking together a dressing of miso paste, a few squeezes of orange juice and some sesame oil… and added in avocado, and toasted almonds, and pickled red onions. And speaking of late… I’ve gotta cut this short because I’m halfway…

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Sesame Clementine & Cabbage Salad

vegan / gluten free / winter

I’ve gotten over a major food fear recently. It sounds weird to say, but I haven’t eaten oranges (or fruits from the orange family) for about a year and a half. I know, it’s about the weirdest aversion to have. People in general like oranges. And I did too, until I had a certain unfortunate food experience while on vacation in Morocco. Coming home, I figured I wouldn’t look at an orange for maybe a few months… then a year and a half went by and I still had no good reason to confront them. Last month I was invited…

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Delicata Squash Veggie Bowl

A cozy and healthy fall bowl made with roasted delicata squash & kale, sauteed mushrooms, and tangy ginger miso gravy. Great for a vegan/gf lunch or dinner.

fall / vegan / gluten free

Heading into indulgent-holiday-food season, I feel like some good healthy “bowl food” is in order. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept of bowl food, it has nothing to do with football or nachos… the breakdown looks like this: piles of greens: kale, chard, spinach, and mustard greens are all fine choices a seasonal vegetable: I had delicata squash and mushrooms, but really anything goes a protein: tofu or chickpeas are usually my go-to’s a grain: brown rice, quinoa… the options are limitless crunchy things: toasted nuts and/or seeds a good sauce: to pull it all together I just loved this ginger-miso gravy…

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Ginger Miso Eggplant Noodles

Crispy tofu, mushrooms, and eggplant are tossed with gluten-free noodles and sweet Asian-inspired sauce to make a healthy weeknight summer dinner. Vegan.

vegan / gluten free / favorite

I know I say this a lot here… but my absolute favorite meals are the ones that became something out of nothing. I realize this doesn’t look like quite nothing – some of you (mom) are thinking this looks like a lot of ingredients to happen to have on hand. But I promise… a half opened thing of mushrooms on one shelf, a couple scallions in the bottom left drawer, and these few poor eggplant counting down their last days… were not exactly screaming “yay dinner” in unison. “Old me” would have left these things aside, and gone to the grocery store…

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Tahini Zucchini Noodles

Light zucchini noodles are coated in creamy vegan tahini sauce & tossed with kale, baked tofu & crunchy pine nuts. A healthy, gluten-free weeknight dinner.

summer / vegan / gluten free

Let’s just call this a seasonal transitional dish. It’s like wearing shorts with a chunky sweater because you’re not quite sure if you are warm or cold, and most days you’re a little bit of both. This tahini sauce is rich and creamy… while the cold zucchini noodles are on the lighter side. I got the idea from this pin that caught my eye… which led me to the blog Earthsprout, a beautiful raw food blog with some amazing recipes. To be honest, I wasn’t sure Jack was going to be into this one. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a finicky eater, and he…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.