All Food Recipes

Black Sesame Butter Banana Bread

Black sesame butter bread made with black sesame seed butter and bananas with a touch of cacao. Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and naturally sweet!

Hi!

Long time no talk.

I’ve been feeling a little short on words lately, as if my communication is congruent with the darkening days.

The winter solstice is this Saturday– the darkest day of the year.

I know this because I googled it and I googled it because I still use natural lights for all of my photoshoots.

So the darker earlier days really rains on my food photography parade, you know?

I also know this because I have a 90-min Winter Solstice Yoga Flow class on Thursday night where we do 108 sun salutations to welcome winter with warmth.

Anyway, you haven’t missed a whole lot behind the scenes.

Yoga teacher training and photoshoots keeps me busy during the day and in the evenings I cozy up and watch Christmas movies on Netflix.

In fact, I think I’ve watched more Christmas movies this year than any other year on record.

They’ve got a lot going for them: they always have happy endings and the soundtrack is all Christmas music.

SOLD.

This Black Sesame Butter Banana Bread also has a lot going for it.

It’s made in 1-bowl with less than ten ingredients for a decadent dessert or breakfast bread that’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and naturally sweet!

…

Almond Flour Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles

By Flora & Vino 8 Comments

Almond flour cashew butter snickerdoodle cookies that are vegan, grain-free, oil-free, and rolled in plenty of cinnamon and unrefined coconut sugar.

Is it cookie season yet?!

I kind of can’t believe that my big December calendar shows only a little over two weeks to Christmas.

Don’t tell my family and friends, but I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping yet.

Aside from my mini blue spruce tree adorned with all of my childhood ornaments and the Christmas music on repeat, I feel pretty unprepared for the holiday.

This past weekend I had yoga teacher training every day with a 15K race early Sunday, so I have quite literally been on the run.

But I did make cookies.

These Almond Flour Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles are the perfect healthier holiday cookie, complete with just 7 ingredients.

Bake them in 10 minutes for a vegan, grain-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free twist on the classic cookie!

…

Mint Dark Chocolate Coconut Layer Bars

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan and grain-free mint dark chocolate coconut layer bars made with a cacao date-nut base, sweet coconut butter center, and mint dark chocolate top.

The expiration date on my almond milk this morning read “12 04” in blue typeface and I thought to myself, oh, good, I’ve got time to enjoy it.

Except I didn’t because looking down at my iPhone calendar I realized that it’s already December, actually, and today is December 4th.

So I poured a big glass of almond milk and chugged it while it lasts.

Kind of like my almost expired almond milk, I feel like the end of this year is going to be here before we know it.

Today there are exactly three weeks until Christmas and four weeks until we ring in 2020- WHAT.

The end of this year just feels heavy, you know?

I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately, honestly, with awkward energy flowing between efforting through December tasks and making big plans for the next.

So, maybe we could use a refresher?

These Mint Dark Chocolate Coconut Layer Bars are a great refreshing distraction to this busy season.

They’re delicious in three easy layers that are vegan, grain-free, and naturally sweetened with no bake time required!

…

Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Baked sweet potatoes stuffed with vegan chili served warm with your favorite chili toppings. Perfect for football Sunday and easy weeknight meals.

In yoga teacher training recently we talked about our cold-weather food cravings.

Which makes sense because the room we congregate in for teacher training is FAH-REEZING.

BRRR.

It also makes sense because doing all the yoga makes you crave all the food.

Anyway, we (the collective YTT group) agreed that all we want to eat lately are carbs, and by carbs, we mean sweet potatoes.

And what better

You might have had sweet potato in your chili before, so this is a similar concept…except better.

Sweet potatoes and chili are two of my favorite plant-based comfort foods, so together, they create unparalleled edible bliss.

These Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are ready in under and hour to add to your weekly winter meal rotation.

…

Lentil Oat Loaf (Vegan & Gluten-Free!)

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

Vegan lentil oat loaf with cooked lentils, gluten-free oats, diced vegetables, spice, and plenty of ketchup. Serve with sides for plant-based dinner!

Back when Dan and I first started dating we thought it was a good idea to have his parents over for dinner at his apartment.

Instead of ordering pizza or takeout, I offered to cook, hoping the perfect meal would make me an instant hit with his parents.

Dan’s dad requested meatloaf, so, naturally, I made the fanciest version I could find on the web.

The dinner was a blur of wine and laughter and dirty dishes in good company.

Despite its success, that meatloaf was the first and last of its kind that came out of my kitchen.

The whole plant-based thing coupled with my limiting belief that ‘meatloaf is hard to make’ held me back.

Until now.

This Lentil Oat Loaf is packed with protein, fiber, and veggies to keep you satisfied.

…

Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Roasted butternut squash salad with squash noodles, yellow onion, fresh sage, and dried cranberry. Perfect for a vegan and gluten-free holiday side dish!

A few years ago my parents served a warm butternut squash cranberry salad for the Thanksgiving Day spread.

One fateful forkful and I was in love and obviously I went back for seconds.

It was simple and elegant; equal parts sweet and savory.

After our plates were cleared I asked my mom about the recipe and she admitted that it was a Whole Foods pick up.

No shame in the catering game, friends.

Anyway, years later, (this year, to be exact!) I discovered the same squash dish at Whole Foods in the hot foods section.

I picked it up and checked out the simple ingredients: butternut squash, cranberries, onion, sage, and seasonings…etc.

Cart frozen in action, blocking the hot bar, I had an epiphany.

“Hey, I can make this. And I might be able to make it even better.”

Tis Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad is quick and easy with naturally sweetened dried cranberries, succulent squash, and savory sage.

…

Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan dark chocolate pecan pie with a grain-free crust, a Medjool date-sweetened filling, and plenty of dark chocolate chunks. A decadent holiday pie!

Today on Instagram I stumbled across a quiz with deep questions, like…

Coffee or tea? (Matcha, obviously.)

Breakfast or Brunch? (Breakfast is the best meal of the day!)

Cake or Pie? (Hmmm…)

Now this is a tough one, guys, but, when pressed by the bold letters of the quiz screenshot, I had to say pie.

There’s just something about warm filling inside a crispy triangle crust that just GETS ME.

Particularly if it’s this Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie.

This decadent pie needs to make an appearance on your holiday dessert table this year!

It’s made with just seven ingredients while being oil-free, gluten and grain-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free.
…

Golden Sesame Squash Fries

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Butternut squash “fries” seasoned with turmeric and cumin with a sesame seed twist! Bake a pan for a healthy snack or side paired with your favorite dip.

Let’s commiserate on cold weather for a minute, because it’s cold here in Virginia and I’m cold right along with it.

My townhouse isn’t well insulated and when I open the cabinets and dishwasher a rush of cold air hit me and the dishes I remove are icy cold and uninviting to the touch.

So I blast the temperature on my Nest thermostat up up up in hopes that the bottom two floors defrost while the top floor rests at a balmy eighty degrees.

Are you chilly too?

I love the changing seasons, but colder weather has never really been my cup of tea.

It requires so much work, you know?

All of the layers, heavy socks, and moisturizer — bonus points if you get a little Vitamin D for the day.

Anyway, I’ve got a recipe today that will warm your house and your heart and your insides.

These Golden Sesame Squash Fries are oven-baked with warm turmeric and a crunchy seeded exterior!

Open, sesame.

…

Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Quick and colorful 1-pan cauliflower side roasted to perfection with simple seasonings and herbs. Enjoy as a holiday side or add protein for a cozy entrée.

Can we talk for a second about how close the holidays are?

Today is two weeks until Thanksgiving and yesterday was six weeks until the new year.

Not that I’m counting or anything.

To be honest, I haven’t even fully acknowledged that it’s November, let alone the side I’m going to bring to Thanksgiving Day dinner at my parents’.

Luckily, I hope this Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad can help us with our holiday dish scramble.

It’s the perfect side dish to add some cozy color to any plant-based plate!

You just need one pan, three heads of cauliflower, the perfect neutral, high-heat cooking oil, and your favorite fresh herb to bring this salad to your dining room table.

…

My Go-To Trail Mix

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

5-minute mix it yourself trail-mix with cashews, cranberries, dark chocolate, shredded coconut, and a shake of cinnamon. Perfect for on-the-go snacking!

At my hair appointment last weekend I sat in the salon chair and said, “Well, I’m not a hiker.”

“If you’ve got hiking boots, you’re a hiker,” my hair stylist said, motioning towards the hiking boots that protruded from under the long black salon gown that I wore buttoned around my neck like a cape.

I laughed and nodded in agreement.

I hadn’t had time to change before my hair appointment to change out of the hiking gear I wore to climb Raven Rocks with my girlfriends.

Earlier that morning, exhilarated by the crisp fall air and endorphins, we made a pact to do 12 hikes in 2020.

So maybe I am a hiker, huh?

I thought to myself as my stylist wrapped strands of my hair into highlighting foils.

And every good hiker knows to bring plenty of snack with you when you hit the trail.

Whether you’re a hiker or not, you’re going to love this easy snack mix that I call My Go-To Trail Mix.

It’s perfect to mix up for nutritious pre-portioned snacking on the go!

…

Black Sesame Butter Banana Bread

Almond Flour Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles

Mint Dark Chocolate Coconut Layer Bars

Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Lentil Oat Loaf (Vegan & Gluten-Free!)

Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad

Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

Golden Sesame Squash Fries

Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad

My Go-To Trail Mix

Join the Flora & Vino Mailing List!

what’s happening now on instagram

All Food Recipes

Footer

Join the Flora & Vino Mailing List!

what’s happening now on instagram