Appetizers

Harissa Roasted Cauliflower with Cranberries & Hazelnuts (True Foods Kitchen Remake)

Harissa roasted cauliflower baked and coated in a tahini sauce and topped with fresh herbs, cranberries, and hazelnuts. Enjoy as an appetizer or side!

If you’ve been following me for a while it’s no surprise that I’m obsessed with the Charred Cauliflower from True Foods Kitchen.

It’s the perfect mix of flavors.

Tender roasted cauliflower smothered in cool-y hot harissa tahini and topped with dried fruit, chopped nuts, and bright herbs.

Mmm.

I finally decided to make my own variation, so I’m not ordering takeout *every* time the cauli cravings hit.

Guys, I’m not sure how it’s possible, but I might live my remake even more than the original.

Maybe because it came from my own fridge but also because you can control the sauce and the toppings.

I love it so much that I volunteered to make this dish for my family’s Thanksgiving day spread.

It’s that good.

My variation includes buttery hazelnuts and tart cranberries on top.

This Harissa Roasted Cauliflower with Cranberries & Hazelnuts is my new favorite appetizer slash side for *every* occasion.

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Vegan Zucchini Pizza Poppers

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The cutest plant-based pizza bites made with a zucchini base and loaded with more vegetables. Serve solo as an appetizer or over grains for a meal!

I just finished my bookclub book for the month!

It’s always a bittersweet feeling to read a book cover to cover and lose the characters after the epilogue.

During last month’s bookclub meeting, we had an epic discussion via Zoom.

I remember the meeting clearly, because I tested these zucchini pizza bites while on the Zoom call.

While talking motifs and heroines and historical context, I sliced zucchini and veggies and made mini vegan pizza poppers.

When the were done I plated them and proudly showed my friends my creation through the screen.

I quickly decided that they were absolutely fantastic and deserved a place on the blog.

I’m so excited to share them with you today!

These Vegan Zucchini Pizza Poppers are a delicious plant-based pizza alternative baked and served in under 30 minutes!

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No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets

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Plant-based and protein packed nuggets made with chickpeas and seasonings and baked to perfection. Serve with your favorite dip!

This past weekend M and I switched studio spaces.

We decided that, as much as I wanted my studio space to be separate and tucked away from “real life”, it just made sense logically to have me closer to the kitchen.

And M further from the noise of the kitchen.

So I lugged my photography boards, standing lights, and tiered shelves of props down to the main level while M disassembled and reassembled my standing desk.

For some reason it was emotional to leave my studio nook upstairs.

Yeah, that separation between personal and business life as a work-from-home entrepreneur is always hard.

Except lunchtime.

Lunchtime everything kind of falls into place.

Today I’m sharing these No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets.

They’re baked and are the perfect plant-based back-to-school snack for all ages!
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The Best Oil-Free Hummus

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Oil-free hummus made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and a splash of almond milk. Perfect to prepare and have on hand for snacking, dips, and spreads!

Last weekend I got out for my first outdoor adventure in Maryland.

I made it to see Weverton Cliffs with one of my oldest friends from high school.

One of the definite perks to moving to Maryland is living in the same state as this lady who I’ve kept in touch with since the 7th grade!

The hike to the top is short but our conversation felt long as we caught up on life the past year.

We’ve both changed a lot since we last hugged in person, and in communicating “what’s new” that change felt like something to be pretty proud of.

We stopped at the overlook and took pictures, embracing, and posing against a breathtaking backdrop of tree canopy and blue sky.

Then we completed a breath work meditation, resting against slabs of rock with our eyes closed.

It was kind of magical.

Also magical is this The Best Oil-Free Hummus recipe that goes with…literally anything.

This hummus takes just 10 minutes to blend up without any preservatives or added oils!

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Vegan Cheese Board

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Make a vegan cheese board with fresh vegetables, fruit, dairy-free cheese, hummus, nuts, olives, and spreads. Perfect to assemble for a party appetizer!

There are lots of reasons to celebrate today.

This past week we did the final exchanges at our new place in Maryland to make it officially ours.

I instantly feel at peace when I open the front door, like I’m leaving all of my worries on the welcome mat.

It’s definitely got that clean slate feeling; all of the open empty condo space feeling like an expansive blank notebook waiting to be filled.

I know we’re going to be happy there.

Also, today is the fourth of July, and I’m seeing fireworks in the person for the first time in several years!

If you’re hosting today or any time later this summer, I have a quick and easy recipe for you to wow your guests.

This Vegan Cheese Board is easy to assemble for a fun plant-based board for entertaining.

It just required a board, lots of your favorite snacks, and a little creative assembly.

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Everything Granola Bites

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Protein-packed energy balled made with SunButter, chia seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, and a hidden granola crunch! Perfect for a quick portable snack!

This past week M and I built a tent in my living room.

A mass of lime green nylon, woven mesh, and sturdy poles erected into a dome in under ten minutes.

As the weather gets warmer, I’m dreaming of summer adventures.

It’s been forever since I slept away from home, and I’m itching to pack up the car with my new camping gear and explore.

Do you like camping?

M will tell you that I’ve never *really* been camping, which is partially true.

I guess I’ve been *glamping*, i.e. sleeping in a camp cabin, with four walls and a roof and a screened in door.

So maybe I’m romanticizing all of it– sleeping under the stars, s’mores, and basking in forest sunlight.

But I think there’s the chance to make a camper out of me, yet.

Everything is starting to feel more and more possible– as people become vaccinated, as the book comes closer to a close, as my camping set is complete.

I’ve also been thinking about easy food to make while in the great outdoors, starting with easy snacks.

These Everything Granola Bites are a great portable snack to make in advance for all of your adventuring this year.

They’re made no-bake with simple ingredients that will fuel all of your summer fun!

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Carrot Cashew Queso

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Vegan queso made with steamed carrots, cashews, and plenty of nutritional yeast. Serve it with tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, chips, and veggies!

How was your Saint Patrick’s Day?

I forgot to wear green, but I didn’t forget to celebrate.

M and I opened a bottle of champagne that’s been hanging out in the fridge since New Years and toasted to the cookbook manuscript’s completion.

We even played a few Irish jigs (mostly rowdy drinking songs) while we attended our weekly virtual game night with my sister and cousins.

While shuffling pieces in Bandido, we talked dreamily about meeting up later this year, in person, in a post-COVID world, full vaccinated and ready for hugs.

I literally can’t wait.

But until then, I have a cookbook to finish birthing.

It’s been a bit of a transitional week here as I re-surface into the world after my manuscript submission and start to assess the next big hurdle–

The cookbook photos.

Dun dun dun.

Yes, the cookbook photos are due in less than two months and I’m equal parts excited and anxious to start photographing again.

Naturally, I’ve been procrastinating, waiting for the perfect daylight, the perfect feeling, the perfect gap in my schedule, to pick up my Canon camera.

But, you and I both know that there is will never be a perfect time, so I really just need to jump into the messiness.

Kind of like this Carrot Cashew Queso that I’m sharing with you today.

Well, it’s only messy if you blend it the way I did– with the Vitamix lid ajar on the highest setting.

I’m still finding blobs of cheezy carrot queso clinging to the cabinets and kitchen backsplash.

Lauren-error aside, this queso is super easy to make on the stovetop and in the blender for a quick savory dip!

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Tahini Date Caramel Dip

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This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

Tahini date caramel dip made with Medjool dates, pure maple syrup, and a tahini twist. Perfect as a sweet dip for fresh fruit, crackers, or apple chips!

In my early conversations M we talked a lot about food.

It’s good neutral ground for conversation, and, well, I *am* a food blogger.

One day I remember asking him if he liked dates.

“The fruit, not the…well, date, date,” I said, blushing behind my iPhone screen.

As it turns out he liked both examples of the word, but I’m here today to talk about one.

The ooey gooey edible dates.

Because I just rediscovered them this past week and I blended them into something special for you.

This Tahini Date Caramel Dip is made with just 5 ingredients in the blender for a sweet snack with apple chips!

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Dark Chocolate Tahini

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Dark chocolate tahini made oil-free and refined-sugar-free with just three ingredients. Blend it up and serve with baked apple chips for dipping!

During quarantine, I became irrevocably infatuated with a store-bought chocolate tahini spread.

I used it like I would a chocolate dessert syrup.

Then I got M on the chocolate tahini train, too.

And, well…sharing is hard.

With a chocolate tahini shortage imminent, I knew I had one of two choices.

I could either hoard and hide those sweet sesame seed butter jars, or learn to make dark chocolate tahini myself.

Obviously, I took the higher path.

Are you proud of me?

This Dark Chocolate Tahini requires just 3 ingredients and 30 minutes to be yours to hide and hoard.

Or, you know, to share.

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Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha

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Oil-free baked Japanese yam rounds served with hummus and a drizzle of sriracha! This simple sweet and spicy combo is a great snack or appetizer!

It’s a big day here at F&V, guys.

Today, I’m getting a new dishwasher installed!

It’s true, I tend to be hard on dishwashers, demanding that they deal with dishes saturated from recipe testing.

However, in my defense, this dishwasher just wasn’t that great from the start.

It had a bit of a funky smell when I moved in that took ages to wear off and somehow the dishes managed to come out dirtier *after* a cleaning cycle.

Gross.

So here’s to hoping that the new dishwasher can keep up with me.

Anyway, the snack I’m sharing with you today is easy on the dishwasher, and on the assembly!

This oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan recipe is to assemble and even easier to devour.

The snack: Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha!

The situation: It’s the perfect game time snack whether you’re playing Jackbox Games this weekend or watching the Super Bowl.

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Harissa Roasted Cauliflower with Cranberries & Hazelnuts (True Foods Kitchen Remake)

Vegan Zucchini Pizza Poppers

No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets

The Best Oil-Free Hummus

Vegan Cheese Board

Everything Granola Bites

Carrot Cashew Queso

Tahini Date Caramel Dip

Dark Chocolate Tahini

Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha

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