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Swiss Chard Pasta

Swiss Chard Pasta Sauce made with swiss chard, basil, cashews, and nutritional yeast on top of your favorite noodles.

This past weekend Flora spent her first night away from us since we brought her home nearly 9 months ago.

Because we were spending the evening at a concert in Virginia, we wanted to make sure that she was well taken care of in our absence.

While I’m not a new parent, I can imagine that the feeling I had is similar when venturing out without your babes.

I kept seeing my watch during the live music and thinking, I hope Flora is OK!

We didn’t know what to expect when we picked her up bright and early the following morning from doggie daycare.

But I *know* we didn’t expect her to want to go back inside with the providers instead of back in the car with us!

So we drove home convinced that she had the time of her life and with pictures as proof to suggest that she made some new pals.

I have a new pal too, and its name is Swiss Chard Pasta.

This Swiss Chard Pasta Sauce is made with swiss chard, basil, cashews, and nutritional yeast on top of your favorite noodles.

Think pesto, but not.

Think green goddess salad, but with noodles.

Think green!

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Avocado & Cucumber Rolls with SunButter Sauce

By Flora & Vino 8 Comments

Avocado & Cucumber Rolls wrapped in toasted sushi nori sheets with a creamy SunButter Sauce. Perfect for a date night meal!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I never really got back to “normal” after the pandemic.

I didn’t really need to, because my normal can be working in pajamas in the comfort of my own home.

Outside of teaching yoga once a week, climbing, and heading to our favorite coffee shop every Saturday, I otherwise don’t *need* to venture out.

During the pandemic, my house became my safe space, my place of work, and my workout studio.

I stopped attending hot yoga at the local studio (something at the time I couldn’t imagine living without), and started practicing exclusively at home.

So it was rather magical this weekend, when I attended my first hot yoga class in over 5 years during my 300 hr YTT program.

Sitting in an easy seat chanting with a chorus of of “OM” vibrating around me, tears prickled behind my closed eyelids.

THIS, I thought, is what yoga is about.

It’s nothing short of magical and it’s about me but it’s also about embodiment inside of community.

While I’m grateful for my strong personal practice at home, I’m remembering what drew me to yoga classes in the first place.

I’m so glad that I ventured outside of my comfort zone to learn, grow, and connect again; it’s been a while.

It’s also been a while since I’ve made sushi at home.

It’s interesting because sushi is both so simple and so complex at the same time.

It has a few parts that take some foresight, but if you take the time to plan, you’ll be very grateful that you did.

These Avocado & Cucumber Rolls are wrapped in toasted sushi nori sheets with a creamy SunButter Sauce.

It’s the perfect meal to make with others so dinner is a shared experience.

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Easy Vegan Pasta Salad

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Easy Vegan Pasta Salad made with your favorite noodles and raw vegetables in a simple red wine vinaigrette. Perfect for summer meal prep!

This coming weekend is the second meeting of my 300 hr yoga teacher training, which also is technically my *first* weekend because I missed the first due to sickness.

I’ve found myself planning, replanning, and agonizing over the details of work, life, and yoga this week, wanting everything to be *just so* for a successful weekend.

I’m nitpicking at my clothing, my accessories, my gear; the small things that I bring that I feel are in my sphere of control.

The training is forcing me out of my routine, out of the state of Maryland, out of my comfort zone.

In a sense, it feels very much so out of my control.

But I try to keep reminding myself that there is no perfect yoga pants, morning routine, or notebook that will make this weekend EASY.

And it’s good to do HARD things frequently in life, right?

The one thing I know that I’ll need is a quick healthy lunch that doesn’t need reheating, assembly, or fussing.

And contrary to what I said about doing hard things, I like my food choices and recipes to be without a doubt easy!

This Easy Pasta Salad is made with your favorite noodles and raw vegetables in a simple red wine vinaigrette.

It’s perfect for summer meal prep, camping trips, weekends away, and anytime you’re craving something simple and fresh.

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Vegan Refried Bean Tacos

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan Refried Bean Tacos with pinto beans and seasonings in 1-pan on the stovetop. Serve in hard shell tacos with your favorite toppings!

Last weekend I taught yoga outside at one of my favorite local gluten-free breweries.

Between you and me, I was grateful to finish class without a coughing fit or a sneeze attack.

Yes, this time of year I have special kind of jealousy reserved for all of the people I see outside, enjoying the beautiful weather, and doing it allergy free.

Sure, they could all be heavily medicated, but I have at least a few friends who claim that the thick yellow dust that coats my car every day doesn’t bother them.

Blasphemy, right?!

So I’ve been hiding indoors in self pity and self preservation, until I realized that Flora is bringing the outdoors indoors via her double coated fur.

One shake from her is all it takes to make my throat scratchy, my eyes watering, and my nose stuffy.

There’s only so much cleaning I can do, and let me tell you, my robot vacuum is heavily employed right now.

It’s an all hands on deck situation as I fight a never ending battle against nature.

This past week was also cinco de mayo, and whenever I think of cinco de mayo I remember a trip I took with my sister at the beginning of May to New York.

Now, I think my allergies are bad here, but they’re *nothing* compared to what I experienced in NYC 5+ years ago.

I remember walking through Times Square, the wind whipping between the sky scrapers, bringing with it lots of…whatever it is I’m heavily allergic too (I think oaks!)

My respiratory system was NOT happy.

I sneezed through every crosswalk, tears streaming down my face, my pockets full of soggy used tissues.

My sister looked over and asked repeatedly, “Are you OK?!” to which of course I responded, “Yes, I’m fine, it’s just allergies.”

I hadn’t thought to pack allergy meds and was too stubborn to buy them, so I suffered through the trip half-seeing and half-crying all the time we were outdoors.

Telling this story always makes me feel better, because whatever Flora is dragging inside, it’s nowhere near what NYC on the 5th of May has to offer.

So here’s what I have to offer this first week of May.

My favorite Vegan Refried Bean Tacos that we’ve been eating on repeat here for taco Tuesday.

I wanted to get this recipe out before Cinco de Mayo, but, it’s always a good day to eat tacos, right?

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Spring Buckwheat Tabbouleh

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Spring Buckwheat Tabbouleh made with buckwheat groats, chickpeas, herbs, and fresh vegetables in an olive oil and lemon dressing.

This week we *finally* planted some seeds!

Spring has sprung here in Maryland, and we’ve been enjoying beautiful spring days in the seventies.

Living in a condominium, we do most of our planting on our back deck (a space I’m so grateful to have!).

This year, for the first time, we planted seeds in a large wooden planter box!

Last year, our zinnias and nasturtiums looked a bit cramped, so this year we afforded them a bit more space.

Right now, the planter box doesn’t look like much.

It’s just a huge box filled with damp soil that Flora loves to dip into when we open the door (she loves to eat dirt!).

But the anticipation, expectation, and excitement of growth is there, planted along with the tiny seeds.

I can’t wait to see nasturtiums, marigolds, zinnias, and herbs of all shapes and colors emerging from the soil!

For now, we wait.

Luckily, I have something for us to eat in the meantime.

This Spring Buckwheat Tabbouleh is made with buckwheat groats, chickpeas, herbs, fresh vegetables, and herbs in an olive oil and lemon dressing.

It’s the perfect hearty yet light meal for the spring season.

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins made with almond flour, oat flour, and frozen blueberries. Perfect for a nutritious breakfast or snack.

I have a working oven; I repeat, I have a working oven!!!

It’s been *over* two weeks since the oven lit up light a firecracker and died while I was baking a sheet pan meal at 450 degrees.

Since then, we’ve been waiting patiently for a new oven part to arrive and be installed.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on portable induction cooktop.

This is actually my first experience with induction cooking, friends.

While I loved how quickly the pans heated up for a stir-fry, I found it to be lacking when you need to boil a *lot* of water, like pasta.

We survived mostly on oatmeal, homemade fried rice, and air-fried sweet potatoes for the past few weeks.

Which isn’t the worst menu to live on, right?

That being said, I’m super grateful and excited to have a functioning oven again.

Sure, ovens are great for cooking and I rely on it frequently to roast veggies and chickpeas.

However, the one thing I couldn’t stop craving while we were oven-less was baking MUFFINS.

Homemade muffins warm from the oven, bursting with blueberries.

Naturally, today’s recipe is a celebration of that craving.

Friends, I give you, Vegan Blueberry Muffins.

These Vegan Blueberry Muffins are made with almond flour, oat flour, and frozen blueberries.

They’re perfect for a nutritious breakfast or snack!

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Smashed Edamame Toast

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Smashed Edamame Toast made with tahini, seasoning, and herbs spread on sourdough bread and topped with sauerkraut and hemp hearts.

Recently, we dropped off Flora at her first doggy daycare experience.

It was significant because:

This is the first time Flora has *ever* been away from us with other people, except for the vet visits when they take her back for bloodwork.
Flora is scared of other dogs! From an early age just a dog barking or slightly approaching was enough to elicit a full blown fear response.

As her doggie parents, we struggle between the dichotomy of wanting to both protect and socialize her.

A neighbor of ours recommended a local family-owned small business that does doggie daycare, so we booked an appointment.

I’m glad that socialization won out and that all three of us were brave enough to give it a chance.

At first, we received photos of Flora looking half terrified (but alive!) and then later pictures of Flora playing with a new best friend named Maisie.

We joked that here we were all worried for nothing, and Flora was making friends easier than M and me.

(Making friends in your 30’s is HARD, y’all!)

When we picked her up at the end of the day, she was ecstatic to see us.

Tail wagging, whining, jumping, colliding, uncontrollable on a leash happiness.

The daycare providers warned us that Flora would be exhausted after a day full of mental and physical stimulation with other pups, so we planned for her to pass out.

WRONG.

If Flora is consistent about anything, it’s being inconsistent with what how dogs *usually* behave.

She strutted inside and immediately initiated play with a rubber squeaky ball while M and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

You can’t keep a good dog dow-wow-wow-wow-own (anyone get the reference?).

I propose a toast, to trying new things, like this Smashed Edamame Toast.

It’s made with tahini, seasoning, and herbs spread on sourdough bread and topped with sauerkraut and hemp hearts.

The perfect spring toast packed with protein for a light lunch, breakfast, or snack!

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SunButter Chocolate Easter Eggs

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Easy SunButter Chocolate Easter Eggs with just 5-ingredients! Perfect for an Easter treat or anytime healthy candy substitute.

A few years ago, at a get together at my cousin’s house, my sister made a point of getting M to try some marshmallow peeps.

Growing up in Germany, M had no idea what to expect from Classic Peeps.

(I’ll note that this moment was made arguably even better by the fact that my sister had purchased neon pink peeps instead of the classic yellow.)

So M, ever adventurous, bit into the marshmallow fluff covered in pink sugar, chewed a few times, and said, “This is pretty gross!”

We all burst into laughter, our suspicions confirmed.

M isn’t a sugar lover, and peeps are nothing but pure sugar!

Although peeps were always a part of my Easter basket, they were never my thing, either.

They were too sweet, too airy, too artificial tasting.

Not that the rest of the Easter candy I was consuming was by any means healthful, but at least they had normal coloring.

Which is why I stand by the fact that Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs are by far the superior Easter dessert.

They always had what I’ve heard described as “the perfect ratio of chocolate to peanut butter”, even more so than chocolate peanut butter cups!

That is, until today, because I made you some SunButter Chocolate Easter Eggs that are the real winner.

These easy SunButter Chocolate Easter Eggs are made with just 4-ingredients!

They’re perfect for an Easter treat or anytime healthy candy substitute.

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Cauliflower Cashew Alfredo

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Cauliflower Cashew Alfredo made with fresh or frozen cauliflower, raw cashews, and Eden Foods Organic Unsweetened EdenSoy.

Hello, friends!

Since we last chatted I had a birthday spent with M and Flora doing my favorite things.

We completed a 3.7 mile hike at Seneca Creek State Park, which happens to be the longest hike Flora has ever completed with us!

She had the *best* tongue-hanging-out-of-the-side-of-her-mouth time, even though she was afraid of the geese around the pond trail loop.

When we got home, she passed in the entry way (her favorite sleeping spot) for most of the rest of the day.

That’s when we realized that in order to have a calm puppy, we *just* need to hike her for four miles every day.

Easy, right?

On my birthday evening, we ordered a new vegan + gluten free pizza place near us that might be the best I’ve had since going vegan.

So it was a great day!

After that, it feels like the month of April was put on fast forward.

It’s been a whirlwind of appointments, commitments, and chaotic spring energy.

Do you feel this too, in the springtime, where everything seems to start at once and your energetically pulled in 100 directions?

A lot of my time and energy has also gone into trying to learn to use a new cooktop for work and reschedule all oven recipes for a later date.

The oven-less saga continues, however, we did receive an induction cooktop in the meantime so I can continue creating recipes while we wait for new oven parts.

Luckily, it’s spring time, and most of us are craving fresh and lighter recipes for incoming warmer weather.

However, we’re back down to the 30’s overnight here in Maryland this week, so I’m still craving warm dinners for the chilly spring eves.

I’m waiting to plant my seeds outside, but I’m not waiting to make this pasta.

This Cauliflower Cashew Alfredo is easy to make on the stovetop with a homemade alfredo sauce and spring vegetables.

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10 Vegan Cheesecake Recipes

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

10 Vegan Cheesecake Recipes made gluten free and refined sugar free with whole food ingredients. Perfect for any occasion cake is required!

Hello, friends!

We just got back from a beautiful weekend away in Shenandoah, Virginia for my annual birthday weekend trip.

I’m the kind of person who really leans into my birthday and likes to feel celebrated, you know?

M and I have escaped for a blissful weekend away for vineyards + hiking for the past two years, so that made this our third visit.

However, it was the first time bringing along our 10-month old Aussie, Flora, for the ride.

As it turns out, the literal car ride itself was the hardest part for Flora.

She has a *lot* of anxiety in the car, and looked pretty expired by the time we reached our Air B&B in Free Union, Virginia.

Once we were there, though, she surprised us with how well she behaved at the vineyards and at our new home for the weekend.

It was a lovely few days of morning coffee on the patio, late morning hiking, and afternoon vineyard visits followed by a cozy evening at the house.

We loved exploring Sugar Hollow Reservoir and sipping wine at Glass House Vineyard, Moss Vineyard, Stinson Vineyard, and Knight’s Gambit Vineyard!

My personal favorite was Glass House, because the vineyard contains a glass conservatory area filled with tropical plants.

I mean, could anything BE more Flora & Vino?!

We (read: I) bought way too many bottles of wine but justified it by eating leftovers all weekend (beautiful area + wineries but not so many vegan options!).

Anyway, all said and done, it was a great way to turn 37.

So, where does this leave us?

Well, I got home to a still broken oven unit, so while I wanted to give you a new cake recipe to celebrate your girl, I’m currently unable to bake.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t!

Here are 10 Vegan Cheesecake Recipes made gluten free and refined sugar free with whole food ingredients.

They’re perfect for any occasion cake is required; especially this recipe creator’s birthday.

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