The Main Meal

Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese

Nut-free macaroni and cheese made in one pot with your favorite pasta, steamed root vegetables, SunButter, and a crunchy sunflower seed topping.

Friends, I finally picked my pumpkins for Halloween.

And by “picked” I mean I ordered two pumpkins on the Target app and picked them up in the Curbside pick up spot on the way home from outdoor climbing yesterday.

There was something so calming about a nameless Target employee in a red bullseye shirt picking out my gourds this season.

Picking out the “perfect” pumpkin can be a bit frustrating, can’t it?

Darting from pumpkin to pumpkin in the patch, grabbing them by the stem and rolling their bulbous body over only to find a rotting or flattened backside.

Gah.

Since all forms of decision making feels hard right about now, I was more than ready to let a stranger decide the fate of my front step decor.

Luckily, whoever it was picked me out two really solid pumpkins; round and red-orange with a stocky sturdy stem.

I literally can not wait to carve them up this weekend!

I also can’t wait to share this Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese with you.

It’s the perfect cozy companion for your table this fall made with veggies and seeds.

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Flatbread Tortilla Pizza

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Easy flatbread pizza made with gluten-free tortilla, sweet corn purée, late summer produce, and herbs. Perfect for a lightened up pizza night in!

I had family Zoom call this week with all of my extended family.

It was weirdly comforting to see the rectangles glow yellow when familiar voices trailed from my Mac Book Pro.

Then my aunt put on a slideshow of old photos that she clicked through with the group.

There was one of me in my signature bowl hair cut about 4 or 5 years old.

I’m wearing a polka dot jumper with a can tucked under my left arm, looking dubiously at the camera.

What made it even funnier is that the soda can kind of looks like beer.

(But it wasn’t, guys.)

Then there were the photos of my parents circa 1988; my dad long and lanky; my mom with heavy brunette bangs.

What was really great, though, were the old snaps of my great and great great grandparents.

Blurry black and white photos that capture the early 20th century with a haunting stoic charm.

Photos are so enchanting, guys.

Like the photos of this Flatbread Tortilla Pizza that draw you in with one beguiling triangle after the next.

This delicious vegan pizza is made vegan and gluten-free with a tortilla base, sweet corn sauce, and late summer veggies.

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Black Bean Quinoa Chili

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Hearty plant-based chili with black beans, quinoa, and mushrooms in a sweet tomato broth. Perfect to prep in advance and load up with toppings!

Is it still soup season?

As long as we’re staying safe at home, I’m saying it is.

Each Monday throughout April I’ve made a new pantry-friendly recipe via Instagram stories.

And surprise, surprise, almost all of them have been soup!

It’s so satisfying to throw legumes, grains, and veggies in a cook pot and let them simmer to deliciousness.

Give me a pot, some quinoa, black beans, and spices, and I can make you a vegan, gluten-free, and totally satisfying meal.

This Black Bean Quinoa Chili is packed with black beans, quinoa, and mushrooms in a sweet tomato broth.

It’s made with only pantry-friendly ingredients that you probably already have tucked away in your cabinets.

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Quinoa Cakes with Oil-Free Basil Pesto

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Easy plant-based patties packed with protein and leafy greens! Perfect for meal prep and easy weeknight meals. Serve with a nutty oil-free basil pesto!

Are you in a food rut?

I was Marco-Polo-ing with a friend today discussing our food rut probs.

Mine came on slowly with building disdain, like playing a song on repeat during a workout when each chorus inspires a little less feeling.

When I realized that I had consumed a variation of steamed vegetables + plant protein + tahini for every dinner in recent memory, I knew I needed a menu intervention.

And don’t get me started about dishes. (They’re never-ending!!!)

So, what kind of quarantine cook are you?

Are you unleashing you creativity or are you sticking to the tried and true basics?

Either way, you’re going to love these Quinoa Cakes with Oil-Free Basil Pesto.

They’re made with cooked quinoa, leafy greans, and tahini with a nutty oil-free basil pesto!

Schedule out a day next week in your menu to make this lean clean quarantine cuisine.

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1-Pot Spring Quinoa Primavera & Rosé

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Colorful quinoa dish packed with herb infused quinoa and seasonal spring veggies. Serve with sparkling rosé for a refreshing plant-based pairing!

Happy Friday, friends!

We did it again.

I know all of the days are prone to run together in quarantine unless you carefully segregate them with consistent routine, so if you weren’t sure what day it was, allow me to remind you with a virtual toast.

Tonight I did a virtual happy hour with a friend and we confessed that even virtual dates can be tiring.

Anyone else Zoom-ed out?

I figured I could schedule back to back to back Zoom calls just because I wasn’t leaving the comfort of my home, but, as it turns out, my introvert tendencies still apply to the virtual world.

I.e. I need time to retreat and rest and recharge.

Anyway, I thought we could make something special to end the week with a toast.

This 1-Pot Spring Quinoa Primavera & Rosé is a fresh 1-pot dish for warmer weather.

You need dry quinoa, dried herbs, frozen vegetables, and lots of lemon!

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1-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

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Easy 1-pot pasta with gluten-free pasta, bell pepper, kale, and kalamata olives with a fresh tomato basil pasta sauce. Perfect for easy weeknight dinners!

Well, hello, stranger.

I came home from yoga teacher training this weekend with a voracious appetite that couldn’t be satiated.

This weekend we began our “teach outs” where each student teaches a 60-minute sequence of their own to the group.

It’s hard to believe that in just three weeks I will receive my YTT certification!

Anyway, this weekend we had SIX teach outs, so, that means 6+ hours on the mat.

I woke up today and texted my YTT group text saying, “Guys, I tried to do a chaturanga today and just almost died.”

It’s true. So I took a break from yoga to make something delicious.

After working out the mind, body, and soul for 22 hours this weekend, I definitely wanted all of the carbs.

And nothing says carb-loading like a healthy bowl of pasta, right?

This 1-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta comes together on the stovetop in less than 30 minutes for an im-pasta-bly good weeknight dinner!

Or, post-YTT meals– just sayin’.

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Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowls

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Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowls made with spaghetti squash, asian spices, and veggies! Made in one pan on the stovetop for an easy workweek dinner.

Hello, winter!

Tonight I brought in the winter solstice at my yoga studio by doing 108 sun salutations in honor of the longest day of the year.

But now I’m hungry, so let’s all congregate in the kitchen and get warm.

Cooking always seems to become more of a priority this time of year, when hot healthy food is the center to family gatherings and the oven is a source of warmth.

I thought we could kickstart the new year with these Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowls that are super comforting and packed with cozy cooked veggies and a tangy Asian flair.

These bowls are the perfect easy meal for #meatlessmonday or any day of the week, requiring only one baked spaghetti squash, one pan, and all the veggies and spices your heart desires.

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Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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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.

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Lentil Oat Loaf (Vegan & Gluten-Free!)

By Flora & Vino 16 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.

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Delicata Squash Quinoa Power Bowl

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Power bowl with roasted delicata squash, quinoa, spinach, basil, and toasted pine nuts. Oil-free, gluten-free, and packed with protein and leafy greens!

At yoga teacher training last weekend we wrote our fears (about beginning training) on scraps of paper and burned them standing in a circle in the parking lot.

When it was my turn, I read my fears aloud (public speaking, lack of time, judgement) and then added sheepishly, “One of my other fears is fire, so, uh, could someone else light this for me?”

One of my yoga teachers grabbed my paper, squatting towards the asphalt and lighting my folded fears with ease.

The truth is that all of my fears wouldn’t fit on that scrap piece of paper even if I wrote SUPER small.

They’ve been a little out of control lately adjusting to living, cooking, and working in a new space.

Change. Is. Hard.

For example, I used an electric stovetop my *entire* life, and was more than apprehensive about the gas cooking range in my new townhome.

“You mean I have to cook over an open flame???”

Fear of fire, friends.

Well, and the very real fear of accidentally leaving the gas on, because I can be so haphazard in the kitchen.

This Delicata Pesto Quinoa Power Bowl is the first thing I’ve cooked in my new home and I’m pretty proud of it.

These power bowls are an excellent basic meal to make this fall for an easy protein-packed lunch or dinner.

Feel the fear (and the fire) and do it anyway!

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Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese

Flatbread Tortilla Pizza

Black Bean Quinoa Chili

Quinoa Cakes with Oil-Free Basil Pesto

1-Pot Spring Quinoa Primavera & Rosé

1-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowls

Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Lentil Oat Loaf (Vegan & Gluten-Free!)

Delicata Squash Quinoa Power Bowl

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