Dressings, Dips & Spreads

Rainbow Rice Paper Wraps with Black Sesame Sauce

Rainbow rice paper wraps with crunchy raw veggies and baked tofu with black sesame sauce. Perfect for a light and fresh summer meal!

This year M and I have been making our way through the Marvel universe.

It started with all of The Avengers films and led us all the way to, most recently, to Venom (which kind of loosely connects to the Spiderman world, right?).

Anyway, this is all relevant because the night we made these Rainbow Rice Paper Wraps with Black Sesame Sauce I took a giant bite of rice paper wrap dipped in black sesame sauce.

I overestimated the size of the bite and drippiness of the sauce so black sesame sauce dribbled down my chin while I greedily chewed.

M took one look at me and burst out laughing, saying that I looked just like Venom.

If you know, you know.

Afraid to look at myself in the mirror, I hastily wiped the inky sauce off of my face with a wet paper towel.

Anyway, these Rainbow Rice Paper Wraps with Black Sesame Sauce are too good to worry about looking cute while you eat them.

They’re made with crunchy raw veggies and baked tofu with a delicious black sesame sauce that you’re going to want to drink.

Make them this summer for a light and fresh warm weather meal!…

Vegan Brownie Batter Dip

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Vegan brownie batter dip made with Chocolate SunButter and chickpeas. Serve with a spoon or as dip for fresh fruit, chips, or pretzels.

Are you a planner?

If you’ve been around here a while, you probably know that I am the plannerly-est of planners.

I’ve always gotten heart eyes over bulleted checklists, scrawling grocery lists, and color-coded calendars.

But lately my spreadsheets and planners and journals have been a bit out of control.

If I spend all of my time planning, I’ll never actually get to the *plan*, you know?

M is much more intuitive and fluid in his scheduling and actions.

It always amazes me how he can wake up and *not know* what’s going to happen; to do what feels good and not what a TO-DO list says TO DO.

The concept baffles me.

So I’m working on being a little less rigid in my expectations in myself, my day, and my time.

Luckily, this Vegan Brownie Batter Dip doesn’t require much planning.

In fact, I feel safe betting that you have most of the ingredients in your pantry already.

What do you wager?

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Blueberry Cashew Butter

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

//#ad 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!

3-ingredient homemade cashew butter made with freeze-dried blueberries and raw nuts. Serve with Bare Snacks Banana Chips for an easy snack!

Today I added a plant to my plant family.

A spider plant!

My grandparents used to have one hanging in their sunroom, the tufts hanging low from their green striped foliage.

After asking Instagram what plant I should get for the new place, I received several spider plant recommendations.

When I rounded the corner and saw a sea of them at Whole Foods, I decided it was a sign and carried my favorite to the checkout.

Now it’s perched in my living room, getting acquainted with my split leaf philodendron and the daylight from the deck window.

I like to think it looks happy.

What’s been also been bringing me joy lately is this new butter recipe I’m sharing with you today.

This Blueberry Cashew Butter is made in less than 10 minutes with just three ingredients

It’s mildly sweet, berry-y, and kind of addicting.

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The Best Oil-Free Hummus

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Oil-free hummus with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and a splash of almond milk. Perfect to prepare 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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Pineapple Guacamole

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

//#ad 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!

Easy guacamole with plenty of avocado and a sweet pineapple finish! Serve as a fun summer appetizer or side for dipping or a spread for the main meal.

I may be in the process of moving, but I refuse to miss a taco Tuesday.

Which is really just a weekly excuse to make guacamole.

How do you make tacos at your house?

Every Tuesday I count the squishy avocados and lay them on the counter for M to open and smash.

He’s unofficially the resident in-house guacamole maker.

He makes the guacamole while I prepare the fajita veggies and black bean filling.

If you’re looking for an excuse to make guacamole this summer, try this Pineapple Guacamole!

It’s adapted from the stuff I enjoy with M weekly with the addition of a fruity flair.

This minimalist guacamole is made with all of your tried and trues plus the addition of pineapple chips for sweetness and crunch!

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Vegan S’mores Dip

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan baked s’mores dip made with dark chocolate and vegan marshmallows. Serve with graham crackers and fresh fruit as a summer dessert or appetizer!

Remember how we counted sleeps before Christmas?

Well today is my last sleep before the big move.

Tomorrow I have friends and family come and help me muscle stuff from Virginia to Maryland.

I’m slowly accepting the chaos that is life in flux right now.

I finally realized that letting all of the uncertainties and unknowns remain uncertain and unknown is a lot easier than desperately trying to control them.

You’ve heard of the hot girl summer, right?

Well, here I am, proud of my hot *mess* summer.

My time and creativity in the kitchen has been limited, too.

I’m mostly working my way through the fridge and freezer; using up random jars of sauerkraut and frozen peas in a desperate attempt to lighten up the U-haul situation.

But that’s okay because the recipe I have to share with you today requires minimal ingredients and prep!

This Vegan S’mores Dip is so easy to bake and enjoy for whatever season you’re in this summer.

It’s made vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free with just three ingredients and your choice of dippers!

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Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy strawberry chia seed jam to made on the stovetop with frozen fruit and chia seeds and naturally sweetened with lime and maple syrup.

This Strawberry Chia Seed Jam has been persistent in my recipes this past week.

In the past 7 days, it’s showed up in my Nut Butter & Jam Breakfast Quesadillas AND my SunButter & Jelly Brownies.

So I thought I might as well post it on the blog so it has a forever home here at F&V.

Because, and this is on record, I will love it forever.

It’s sweet, strawberry-y, and spreadable, with big strawberry chunks and a fantastic chia texture.

Oh, and it makes everything from breakfast to snacking to dessert more fun and delicious with minimal ingredients and cook time.

This Strawberry Chia Seed Jam is made with just 5 ingredients on the stovetop for a sweet summer spread!

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Cherry Tomato Salsa

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Fresh homemade salsa made with sweet cherry tomatoes! Enjoy as a dip with your favorite crackers or as an addition to tacos, burritos, and bowls.

Today I had a coffee date with a girlfriend that I haven’t seen in over a year.

We parked our cars outside of the Starbucks drive-through and socially distanced sipped on coffee, bridging the gap between our cars with conversation.

Guys, I had forgotten how nice it is to be in the company of another woman and catch up on life as we know it.

I came home with an empty coffee cup and a full heart, ready to take on a photo shoot and blog post writing.

Lately I’ve been all about mixing up my routine; making small changes to embrace an awakening world.

I’m currently enrolled in not one but TWO 7-day free trial via workout apps.

Which kind of goes hand in hand with the 6 AM alarm that startled me into waking up after the third snooze this morning.

I feel like I’ve been in a deep sleep or meditation for the past year and I’m just starting to regain consciousness.

Like, Rip Van Winkle level sleepiness.

An in-person game night with my cousins and sister is planned for two weeks out; the first date we’re all fully vaccinated.

We joked that no games would be played– the entire night will probably revolve around hugging.

So much hugging. And food!

What better way to embrace summer celebrations, in person and afar, then with a fresh dip?

This Cherry Tomato Salsa is made with just six ingredients and served with my favorite grain-free crackers!

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Raw Walnut Cashew Butter

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

#ad// 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!

2-ingredient homemade raw walnut cashew butter made super creamy in under 10 minutes Serve it with Bare Snacks Banana Chips for an easy snack!

Did you pull any epic pranks on April Fools Day?

After one of my aloe plants fell out of it’s pot for the fourth (or fifth?) time last week (it was poorly potted and in a precarious position), I had a plant funeral and buried the evidence in my trashcan.

RIP, aloe.

As part of an April Fools day joke, I purchased a new plant and propped it up on the late aloe’s plant stand on April the first, waiting for M to notice.

I smirked while he ate his breakfast, finally asking, pointedly, “So, do you notice anything different???”

After doing a lingering living room scan, he finally picked out the monstera deliciosa sitting pretty near the window sill.

I laughed, assuring him I would keep my plant murderess tendencies contained.

I’m so infatuated with this little green plant and it’s smooth heart-shaped leaves already turning towards the sunshine.

Let’s see how long it survives…

Hopefully longer than this Raw Walnut Cashew Butter that I made last week and served with banana chips.

It requires just two ingredients and a blender without any added sugars or oils.

It’s true: I wouldn’t kid about something as serious as nut butter, not even on April Fools!

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Carrot Cashew Queso

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

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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Dressings, Dips & Spreads

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