• RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • NEWSLETTER
  • COOKBOOK
  • SAVED RECIPES
  • Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook
Love and LemonsMenu

Navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Recipes
  • My Saved Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

Social

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Strawberry Basil French Toast

Delight guests at your spring or summer weekend brunch with this easy strawberry & basil topped French toast. Sweet, surprising, and dairy-free!

I realize the contradiction. Yesterday I was talking about not eating bread, and today I’m sharing french toast. That was just poor planning… Last week, after a chat with myself about basil and desserts, the idea for a strawberry maple basil-ey breakfast stuck in my head. I rarely make french toast these days. In a previous, less healthy life (college), I ate it just about every day. Sometimes for breakfast and for dinner. I don’t recommend that, but I do recommend a sweet indulgent morning every now and then… Here are some other sweet strawberry breakfast ideas that caught my…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Veggie Sushi with Sunflower Miso Paste

Raw vegan sushi filled with crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and a tangy, salty sunflower miso paste. A light gluten free meal for spring or summer.

We eat a lot of sushi… probably similar to the rate normal americans consume pizza. I don’t want to make this blog about weight loss, but sushi is my skinny secret. I don’t crave breads like I used to, I crave nori. Sushi at home might seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really not hard. I’m no Jiro or anything: it just takes a bit of a steady hand and some focus (which gets harder with the more sake you consume)… but honestly, if it comes out a little sloppy looking, it’ll still taste good. Don’t…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Poblano “Crema” Enchiladas

Healthy, veggie-packed green enchiladas make a delicious spring or summer weekend dinner. Vegan & gluten-free with tomatillo sauce & poblano cashew crema.

summer / vegan / tomatillo

Nothing like a five o’clock Friday post the day before Cinco de Mayo… I’m sure everyone’s off on a patio with a margarita in hand by now, but I just had to get this one last recipe out before I go pour my first happy hour drink. We made this last night (hence the late post). I’ve posted cashew cream before, but I have to say that this roasted poblano version really takes the cake. If you make only one component here, make that. It’s a wonderful creamy sauce on these vegan enchiladas, but it would be delicious dolloped onto…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Mango & Black Bean Quesadillas

Chard, mango, and jalapeño make sweet & spicy quesadillas for a fun and healthy spring or summer appetizer, lunch, or weeknight dinner. Vegan option.

I’ve been living in Austin for nine years now, and I find myself continually surprised and in awe of what grows here. Actually, let me start over…. For the first 5 years, all our food grew from restaurants. The next 3 years, it grew from Whole Foods. Now, (much) of our food grows from Rainlily Farm, Springdale Farm, Boggy Creek Farm, and most recently… wait for it… our front yard. In a million years, I never thought I’d get excited about gardening. And growing up where I did (a suburb of Chicago), I’m fascinated by the possibilities of what I can plant…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Crab Cakes with Avocado-Wasabi Sauce

Healthy baked crab cakes made with Asian flavors: lime, ginger, and coconut. This 30-minute meal is served with a creamy vegan wasabi sauce. Dairy free.

appetizers / entertaining

I don’t post about it a lot, but seafood is actually a staple part of our diet. The only reason I haven’t featured more of it is that I can’t cook a good-looking piece of fish to save my life. I can make it taste good, but I’ve either poked the holy heck out of it, or it comes off the pan broken… and I just can’t get seem to get a picturesque sear when it counts. But crabcakes covered in panko and baked (my preferred foolproof method so they won’t fall apart), I can do. Now, this flavor combo could…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Mini Grilled Cheeses

Mini grilled cheese sandwiches make a fun snack or appetizer. Topped with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, fresh mozzarella, and sautéed mushrooms. Vegetarian.

vegetarian / snacks / cheese

I finally caved… here’s my contribution for this silly thing called National Grilled Cheese month. Grilled cheese is probably Jack’s favorite food, so it was pretty mean of me to keep this “holiday” a secret until this close to the end. Now that I spilled the beans, it’s likely we might see a special contribution from him before the end of April. (although maybe don’t hold your breath for it). The ingredient list below seems really long, but it all comes together pretty quickly. Feel free to skip any of the components you don’t feel like making. And if you’re…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Raspberry & Goat Cheese Brownies

Healthy brownies baked with a raspberry-cream cheese swirl. These oat flour based treats are naturally gluten- and refined-sugar free. Vegan option.

This might be somewhat of a surprising thing to see here, considering I’m not a fan of goat cheese. But Jack is (that’s an understatement)… and literally this is all of his favorite things packed into one decadent dessert. Months ago, I saw this recipe on The Kitchn, and I immediately knew I’d surprise him with it for his birthday. Of course I’m not going to sit by and watch him eat a pan of brownies all by himself. So I made two versions, a (non-dairy) cream cheese version for me, and this goat cheese version for him. (This was easy to…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Part 2

Lighten up your pizza with this healthier version of pizza crust made with cauliflower, almond flour, and eggs. Top as desired! Gluten and dairy free.

This is part two of the cauliflower crust pizza post from the other day. I had wanted to try this again as a vegan version using flax in the crust instead of eggs (and figure out how to make it not fall apart). I haven’t gotten around to that yet (I’ll report back when I do), but this version is entirely dairy-free. I topped it with leftover kale pesto that I had stored away in my freezer along with some sautéed broccolini, roasted tomatoes, and pine nuts. I could have posted these two pizzas as “his and hers” versions. To Jack’s benefit,…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Part 1

Lighten up your pizza with this healthier version of pizza crust made with cauliflower, almond flour, and eggs. Top as desired! Gluten-free.

In an odd set of circumstances, I was once in a hospital waiting room in Rome talking to an Italian guy, and the topic of Chicago (where I’m from) came up. We had a long debate about Chicago pizza, and he left me with this quote – “Well it’s not pizza, but it’s good.” Not that this recipe has anything to do with deep-dish pizza – there’s no butter crust, no sausage, no brick of cheese. This “pizza”, made out of ground cauliflower and almonds, is healthy, light, and gluten-free. I couldn’t wait to give this a try but I had…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Zucchini Carpaccio Salad

This summer salad bursts with flavor from a basil-parsley vinaigrette. Quick enough for weeknights or busy weekends, this gluten-free dish is a must-try.

Growing up in the midwest, I thought it was just a cruel joke that spring and summer clothes would show up at the mall in February. Bright colors, shorts, flip flops…when there was still snow and slush on the ground. It didn’t occur to me until I moved away that spring was actually starting to happen in other parts of the country. Now that I’m trying to eat more seasonally, I’m realizing that our season in food is also ahead of the game. We had kale before everyone had kale, and now the first of our zucchini’s have arrived. So…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>
PRIOR PAGE
NEXT PAGE
A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
SEARCH RECIPES
Search Recipes Search Recipes
breakfast  /  main-dish  /  dessert
vegan  /  gluten free
ALL RECIPES >>
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Welcome to Love & Lemons!

I'm Jeanine Donofrio, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer. I share fresh, delicious vegetarian recipes that celebrate seasonal ingredients and flavors.

More about us...

Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and FacebookInstagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook
Various Shop Items
Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook
Top Recipes
  • Healthy Breakfast Ideas
  • Easy Dinner Ideas
  • Healthy Lunch Ideas
  • Best Brunch Recipes
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Best Salad Recipes
  • Best Soup Recipes
  • Easy Appetizer Recipes
Cooking With Vegetables
  • Avocado
  • Beets
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Broccoli
  • Butternut Squash
  • Cauliflower
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Sweet Potato
Plant-Based Cooking Basics
  • Brown Rice
  • Lentils
  • Roasted Chickpeas
  • Farro
  • Tofu
  • Tempeh
  • Quinoa
  • Zucchini Noodles
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • COOKBOOK
  • SHOP
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • CONTACT
  • PRIVACY POLICY
Click here to view our privacy policy.
Copyright © 2026 Love and Lemons, LLC. All rights reserved.