Crafts, Hobbies & Home
Home Improvement & Design
![Jeanine Donofrio - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B07NDNPPS4.jpg)
Love and Lemons Simple Feel Good Food: 125 Plant-Focused Meals to Enjoy Now or Make Ahead
Love and Lemons is back with make-now and make-ahead vegetarian recipes-including 100+ tested vegan options-for every kind of cook.
What type of cook are you? That is the question Jeanine Donofrio, creator of the wildly successful blog Love & Lemons and bestselling cookbooks by the same name, asks her readers in her newest book, Love & Lemons: Simple Feel-Good Food. Jeanine is beloved for her bright and breezy cook-from-the-hip style where trips to the farmers market lead to impromptu, seasonal meals. But, as life has gotten busier (she's a mom now), meal plans and weekly prep have entered into the rotation, too. Over the last few years, Jeanine has realized that getting fresh, nourishing, and flavor-packed meals to the table daily is doable through different approaches. After engaging with millions of her followers, two cooking camps crystallized: those who love easy, at-the-ready dishes that can be made at the drop of a hat and those who like to plan in advance (like Jeanine's mom who always has a whole lasagna in the freezer, a trick Jeanine has since adopted). Now, for the first time, she's put pen-to-paper serving up feel-good recipes for both types of home cooks, and those who toggle between, just like herself.
In Love & Lemons: Simple Feel-Good Food, each chapter-Breakfast, Salads, Soups, Dinner, and Dessert-is divided into two parts: one for recipes made with minimal prep and ingredients ("at the ready"), and the second for food prepared ahead of time ("in advance"), whether that be components or full dishes destined for the freezer. Here, morning meals can be met with quick-to-assemble Spiced Chickpea Waffles or Skillet Granola while pre-made pancake dry mix ensures a fluffy stack is just minutes away. Rainbow Blender Soups turn one base into four colorful bowls while Tortellini Soup with Lemon Peel Broth offers an elegant, no-waste trick. Quick, meatless mains include Spring Pea Fritters with Whipped Feta, Chickpea Cacio e Pepe, and a range of sheet pan dinners such as Eggplant Sheet Pan Shawarma, while two different homemade veggie burgers (White Bean Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Paneer) require some forethought but store brilliantly. Moreover, eight no-waste meal plans (what Jeanine calls 3-in-1 recipes -- three dinner dishes made with one whole vegetable) further provide kitchen ease without sacrificing flair or freshness. And, as with her previous books, scattered throughout are Jeanine's signature flow charts, offering visual guides to reusing, mixing, and matching ingredients to create fresh, must-eat dishes for grain bowls, lasagnas, tacos, and more.
What type of cook are you? That is the question Jeanine Donofrio, creator of the wildly successful blog Love & Lemons and bestselling cookbooks by the same name, asks her readers in her newest book, Love & Lemons: Simple Feel-Good Food. Jeanine is beloved for her bright and breezy cook-from-the-hip style where trips to the farmers market lead to impromptu, seasonal meals. But, as life has gotten busier (she's a mom now), meal plans and weekly prep have entered into the rotation, too. Over the last few years, Jeanine has realized that getting fresh, nourishing, and flavor-packed meals to the table daily is doable through different approaches. After engaging with millions of her followers, two cooking camps crystallized: those who love easy, at-the-ready dishes that can be made at the drop of a hat and those who like to plan in advance (like Jeanine's mom who always has a whole lasagna in the freezer, a trick Jeanine has since adopted). Now, for the first time, she's put pen-to-paper serving up feel-good recipes for both types of home cooks, and those who toggle between, just like herself.
In Love & Lemons: Simple Feel-Good Food, each chapter-Breakfast, Salads, Soups, Dinner, and Dessert-is divided into two parts: one for recipes made with minimal prep and ingredients ("at the ready"), and the second for food prepared ahead of time ("in advance"), whether that be components or full dishes destined for the freezer. Here, morning meals can be met with quick-to-assemble Spiced Chickpea Waffles or Skillet Granola while pre-made pancake dry mix ensures a fluffy stack is just minutes away. Rainbow Blender Soups turn one base into four colorful bowls while Tortellini Soup with Lemon Peel Broth offers an elegant, no-waste trick. Quick, meatless mains include Spring Pea Fritters with Whipped Feta, Chickpea Cacio e Pepe, and a range of sheet pan dinners such as Eggplant Sheet Pan Shawarma, while two different homemade veggie burgers (White Bean Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Paneer) require some forethought but store brilliantly. Moreover, eight no-waste meal plans (what Jeanine calls 3-in-1 recipes -- three dinner dishes made with one whole vegetable) further provide kitchen ease without sacrificing flair or freshness. And, as with her previous books, scattered throughout are Jeanine's signature flow charts, offering visual guides to reusing, mixing, and matching ingredients to create fresh, must-eat dishes for grain bowls, lasagnas, tacos, and more.
Readers Top Reviews
Little Tater
This is one of the coolest cookbooks I own—and I probably have close to 100 vegetarian and vegan cookbooks now. The recipes I've tried so far have been great, especially the Zucchini Snack Cake (which in my view is worth the price of the entire book). I swapped in JustEgg to make the zuke cake vegan and it was so light, fluffy, and just sweet enough. The recipes are vegetarian, plant-dominant, and most are easily veganizable. The super unique part is the second half of the book, where there are 3-day meal plans using one shared ingredient, i.e. three recipes using zucchini, broccoli, or white beans. I think this is an absolutely brilliant concept and can't wait to try some of these trios.
Barbara H.Little
My focus will be on the organization of the book - unique in my experience, and so very helpful. So VERY helpful! There are 5 sections - Breakfast, Salads, Soups, Dinner, and Dessert. Each section is divided into two categories: "At the Ready", and "In Advance". "At the Ready" recipes are those you can cook "on the fly" with ingredients you can easily get or have on hand. "In Advance" are recipes that can be frozen if you choose to do that, already prepared when you just don't have time to cook a great meal. So then, we no longer have to plow through cookbooks to find the perfect answer for our goals for the day. BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT! (Healthy and absolutely delicious.)
John SmithBarbara
If you haven’t had the pleasure to own and use previous editions of Jeanine’s Love and Lemons cookbooks, this most recent is the best so far. I don’t know how she’ll top this. This Simple Feel Good edition is well organized for easy reference. The photo illustrations are gorgeous and inspirational. The paper quality is really nice. The book is well written and thorough. We’ve purchased her earlier books and love them too. It’s not a re-hash, it’s all new, creative and with easy-to-follow system improvements and suggestions to include substitutions and base recipes that can be tweaked to prepare other varied meals. So practical! We’re going out to restaurants less frequently but enjoying home cooking and home entertaining more often. Many thanks to Jeanine Donofrio for her passion to share fun, easy and fabulous healthy recipes. The hardcover cookbooks make great gifts too, btw. We’ve gifted our eldest with one as he loves to cook too.
HattieJ.John Smit
I pre-ordered this cookbook way back in mid-January when Jeanine first announced it! I have anxiously awaited its arrival! I have her other two cookbooks and have made way over half the recipes in both books! I've never made that many recipes from a cookbook, but these recipes are that good. I often refer back and remake recipes. I have tried many things I've never eaten before and loved them as a result of how well these recipes are designed. I have skimmed through every single page of Simple Feel Good Food! I'm going to love this cookbook as much or maybe even more than I have love the first two. I'm not a meal prep kind of person but the unconventional way Jeanine lays it out in half of this new cookbook, this is for me! Jeanine is way ahead of any other cookbook author. I love her charts for making variations of pesto, salsa, smoothies, etc. The photos are awesome, the layout of the book is lovely, and the recipes are delicious! Plus there is the sweetest photo of her and her son in the back! What's not to love about a Love and Lemons cookbook?!
AmyHattieJ.John S
Loving my other Love and Lemons cookbooks, I pre-ordered this book last year and what a lovely treat it is! My mouth has been watering as I’ve been going through this beautiful cookbook. It’s a feast for the eyes! Full of beautiful photography and gorgeous layouts with creative and delicious looking wholesome meals. The way it’s set up is so smart and helpful. It is both well written and well thought out. There are charts to customize a recipe per season or per your taste. There are great tips and loads of yummy looking dressings and combinations. In the 3 in 1 meal plan section, Jeanine takes one ingredient and does it 3 ways, so that you build on the recipe each of the 3 days. It’s a fun and brilliant concept. Also, it’s written for two types of cooks: those who love quick and easy recipes with minimal prep and ingredients and those who like to plan ahead. It’s nice to have the choice! I tend to want a quick meal on the weekdays and spend more time on the weekends. I cant wait to jump in!
Short Excerpt Teaser
INTRODUCTION
My mom keeps a whole lasagna in her freezer at all times. My sister and brother- in- law plan and shop for their meals at the beginning of every week. I prefer to cook on the fly with what I bring home from the farmers market or with what I have on hand.
For a long time, I was convinced that my way was, of course, the best way. My cook- from- the hip approach was fun and freeing, after all! I even wrote a book (The Love & Lemons Cookbook) about the impromptu meals that I made with my farmers market finds.
But over the last few years, I've finally realized that there isn't one best way to get dinner on the table. For one, I have an overall busier life (we have a baby now!). I have to admit, my mom is right- sometimes, a frozen lasagna can be a lifesaver on a hectic weeknight.
I've also learned from you- the Love & Lemons readers. I've had countless conversations with you about your favorite recipes on loveandlemons.com, adapting recipes to make them work for you, and what you'd like to see more of. You've taught me that we all share a goal: to eat fresh, healthy, and delicious food. But, as with my family and me, we have different ways of getting there.
Some of you love easy meals that you can make right now. When I posted a tomato soup recipe that you could make with ingredients you had in your pantry right at that moment, you made it, right then.
Others of you like to plan ahead. When I shared a sweet potato grain bowl that you could prep in advance for lunch, you (and I!) enjoyed wholesome meals all week. When I wrote about how to put together one grocery list for three easy (but not identical) dinners, an overwhelming number of you said, "I'd love to see a book with this approach!"
So here we are. This book serves up feel- good recipes for these two types of cooks: those who love easy, at- the- ready dishes that can be made at the drop of a hat, and those who like to plan in advance. You might be one, the other, or a little bit of both. Whatever the case, I hope these recipes make your mealtimes simpler, fresher, and more delicious. Happy cooking!
My mom keeps a whole lasagna in her freezer at all times. My sister and brother- in- law plan and shop for their meals at the beginning of every week. I prefer to cook on the fly with what I bring home from the farmers market or with what I have on hand.
For a long time, I was convinced that my way was, of course, the best way. My cook- from- the hip approach was fun and freeing, after all! I even wrote a book (The Love & Lemons Cookbook) about the impromptu meals that I made with my farmers market finds.
But over the last few years, I've finally realized that there isn't one best way to get dinner on the table. For one, I have an overall busier life (we have a baby now!). I have to admit, my mom is right- sometimes, a frozen lasagna can be a lifesaver on a hectic weeknight.
I've also learned from you- the Love & Lemons readers. I've had countless conversations with you about your favorite recipes on loveandlemons.com, adapting recipes to make them work for you, and what you'd like to see more of. You've taught me that we all share a goal: to eat fresh, healthy, and delicious food. But, as with my family and me, we have different ways of getting there.
Some of you love easy meals that you can make right now. When I posted a tomato soup recipe that you could make with ingredients you had in your pantry right at that moment, you made it, right then.
Others of you like to plan ahead. When I shared a sweet potato grain bowl that you could prep in advance for lunch, you (and I!) enjoyed wholesome meals all week. When I wrote about how to put together one grocery list for three easy (but not identical) dinners, an overwhelming number of you said, "I'd love to see a book with this approach!"
So here we are. This book serves up feel- good recipes for these two types of cooks: those who love easy, at- the- ready dishes that can be made at the drop of a hat, and those who like to plan in advance. You might be one, the other, or a little bit of both. Whatever the case, I hope these recipes make your mealtimes simpler, fresher, and more delicious. Happy cooking!
