The Main Meal

Pumpkin Quinoa Bowls with Balsamic Reduction

Hearty quinoa bowls with a pumpkin twist with blackened brussels sprouts, avocado, and an easy balsamic reduction. Great for a gluten-free grain bowl!

I’m happy to report that it’s finally starting to feel like fall here in Virginia.

We got back from Indiana on Monday and were cooly greeted with sweater weather.

I stepped our of the car, shivering in my T-shirt, and instantly started craving all things soothing and warm.

You know what goes well with sweater weather?

Hot chocolate, big pots of soup, oh, and cozy quinoa bowls with flavors that represent the season.

These Pumpkin Quinoa Bowls with Balsamic Reduction are my current go-to power bowl.

Grab a sweater and let’s get brusselin’.

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Cauliflower Crust Pizza

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free pizza made with a cauliflower crust topped with fresh vegetables with a lemon tahini twist. Perfect for a healthy pizza party!

Happy Friday, friends!

I woke up this morning feeling so light, like a huge weight I didn’t even know I was carrying had been lifted off my shoulders.

Work week, you’re heavy. Anyone else relate?

My shoulders do hurt, actually, but I think it’s more from awkward photography angles than carrying heavy things, but can we pretend it’s the latter?

Because this Cauliflower Crust Pizza is anything but heavy.

You’re going to love this oil-free, gluten-free crust paired with fresh vegetables and a dreamy lemon tahini drizzle!

It’s the weekend, and every fun weekend starts….with a slice of pizza.

Join me!

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Romaine Tempeh Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Delicious plant-based Romaine Tempeh Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream made with “tempeh taco meat” and a creamy cashew-based sour cream.

Do you feel like you’re being pummeled with pumpkins?

If you do, don’t worry, I put orange on the back-burner for this post to share a classic.

I was in Michael’s recently picking up some photography props and commented to the cashier about the Halloween display already in plain sight.

“Oh”, the girl said, like that was nothing, “The entire Christmas spread is set up in back.”

Woah, now. One holiday at a time!

And it just so happens that today is one of my favorite holiday that comes around on a weekly basis…

It’s Taco Tuesday, so let’s make Romaine Tempeh Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream!

When I first joined the workforce after college, I went through a major Taco Bell phase.

The kind of enduring phase that leaves you with an embarrassingly large ziplock bag stuffed with leftover hot sauce packets.

I guess it was the convenience of the whole thing, and tacos were a succinct meal decidedly more fun than a sandwich or salad.

On multiple occasions I eagerly took intricate taco orders for my coworkers and left the office guilt-free to hit the drive-through.

FYI, walking through the office around lunchtime wafting the smell of spices and fried food while handing out tacos will make you everyone’s best bud.

So, wouldn’t it be cool if they handed out Romaine Tempeh Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream at a taco drive-through?

Well, they hand them out at my house…

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Summer Squash & Chickpea Meal

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Summer Squash & Chickpea Meal packed with summer produce in under 30 minutes! Perfect for busy summer nights and weekly meal prep.

Dan has a theory that food tastes better if you clean the dirty dishes before you chow down.

I wouldn’t know, because I always greedily dig into my food while I let the dirty dishes “soak”.

They totally need to do that, you know.

That’s why I make meals like this Summer Squash & Chickpea Meal so there’s only one pan staring up at me under soap suds after dinner.

Oh, and because it tastes like everything fiery and fun about summer in a pan.

I love making this one-pan meal because it builds on itself until you’re left with a pan brimming with perfectly spiced chickpeas and veg.

How can all that flavor fit in just one pan?

Well, it is a pretty big pan.

No, seriously, pull out your largest pan for this recipe because you need to accommodate for a lot!

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Tempeh Burgers with Portobello Mushroom Buns

By Flora & Vino 3 Comments

Marinaded tempeh burgers served between portobello mushroom buns with classic toppings. The perfect gluten-free and vegan alternative for summer grilling!

I’ll be honest, friends.

I didn’t actually pick the epic pictured stack up and eat it sandwich-style.

It was more of a knife and fork kind of a meal.

But that doesn’t make the combo any less respected as a burger.

On the contrary, friends, only the most bad-ass epic burgers have to be eaten with utensils.

Burgers like these Tempeh Burgers with Portobello Mushroom Buns.

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Garden Tempeh Macro Bowls with Hemp Heart Ranch

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Plant-based macro bowl with crumbled tempeh, seasonal summer vegetables, and an oil-free hemp heart dressing. Perfect for meal prep lunches.

Helllllloooooo, friends!

It’s good to be home.

Even on my most carefully planned vacations I always seem to come home with an insatiable craving for vegetables.

Does this happen to you too?

Oh, what I wouldn’t have done for this Garden Tempeh Macro Bowl with Hemp Heart Ranch when I hobbled in the door with my three (yes, three) suitcases Friday night.

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Sushi Quinoa Power Bowl

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Bring the plant-based sushi bar to your house in 30 minutes! Toasted quinoa, steamed edamame, raw veggies, and avocado with a 2-ingredient dressing.

My first date with Dan was at a sushi restaurant.

It was my first time having sushi, so I let him order for the both of us and tried to play cool.

Tried.

I was actually staring at my chopsticks nervously, debating the best method to transport those rolls from point A (plate) to point B (mouth) gracefully.

After figuring out the whole logistics, I decided that I liked sushi.

Spoiler alert: then I went vegan.

After going plant-based I sorely missed all of the sushi flavors without, well, the sushi.

I thought my sushi days were over until I discovered avocado rolls.

Whoever thought to stuff creamy avocado in a bed of sticky rice was a total genius.

I also found that most sushi places are also equipped to make cucumber, squash, or sweet potato rolls too.

Yum.

We always order an appetizer of steamed edamame, pinching the salty green pods hungrily while waiting for the main course.

I created these Spicy Veggie Sushi Power Bowls to combine all of my favorite sushi flavors from the sushi bar to your kitchen.

Recreating my favorite restaurant dishes at home because it allows me total control of quantities.

And of course, who would I be if I didn’t add extra veg to the mix?

I don’t think I’ve ever left a restaurant complaining about too many vegetables on my plate, how about you?

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BBQ Chickpea Salad with Hemp Heart Ranch

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

BBQ Chickpea Salad with mixed greens and stovetop bbq chickpeas and fresh vegetables served with creamy hemp heart ranch.

Happy Fourth of July weekend, everyone!

It’s been hot hot in Virginia and I want to talk salad.

I’ve never really understood the whole side salad thing.

Have you?

When I order them in restaurants I always end up mixing it with the main course to make an eclectic but scrumptious mess.

Salad might be the last thing on your mind this weekend, but then you haven’t tried this BBQ Chickpea Salad with Creamy Hemp Heart Ranch yet.

Because if you had you wouldn’t be able to get over these flavors.

You’re going to love the mix of smoky sweet warm chickpeas with fresh raw chopped veg, all tied together with a creamy hemp heart ranch.

This recipe was inspired by a salad from “Salad Samurai” by Terry Hope Romero.

I love this book because it takes salad making to the next freakin’ level.

No “wimpy” salads can be found in this gem, friends.

Each page reveals a new protein packed salad with realistic serving sizes, unique flavors, and creative ingredients.

Basically, they make salads that are so much more than salads.

They’re MEALS.

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Green Chickpea Salad Collard Wraps

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Green chickpea salad wraps made with an avocado and almond milk yogurt base. These wraps are perfect for a light refreshing lunch!

It’s HOT here.

I open the windows in the morning to let warm air in while slurping down a frosty shake, quickly shutting them post-brain freeze because it’s just too humid.

It’s all OK because I have the perfect recipe to share for a heat wave.

Two firsts are going down with this post— first wrap AND first chickpea salad!

I’ve been making these Green Chickpea Salad Collard Wraps for the perfect light yet satisfying summer plate.

The first time I tried collard ‘wraps’ I was totally skeptical.

You want me to stuff all of my sandwich toppings into…that?

I’m sorry I so grossly underestimated you, collards.

After stuffing them with copious amounts of this Green Chickpea Salad, I’m pretty sure these sturdy greens can withstand anything!

Allow me to convince you.

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Butternut Squash Pizza with Kale Pesto

By Flora & Vino 9 Comments

Butternut Squash Pesto Pizza made with a butternut squash crust topped with hummus and roasted veggies. Perfect for a healthy pizza night to share!

In high school my favorite pizza was pineapple pizza.

Not Hawaiian, but plain pineapple.

I loved the unexpected sweetness of the pineapple paired with the salty tomato sauce and cheese.

“Hi, I’m Lauren, I like pineapple pizza.”

It was one of those trademark “likes” I made a part of my identity.

My pizza tastes have changed over the years, though, and now I’m all, “Hi, I’m Lauren, check out this Butternut Squash Pizza with Kale Pesto Hummus that completes me.”

Guys. It’s going to complete you, too.

Although I adhere to a plant-based diet, I like to be mostly gluten-free and oil-free as well, just because that’s what makes my body feel the best.

Because of this, I surmised that a vegan gluten free oil free pizza (that tasted good) wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

But oh, how wrong I was!

I just needed to develop a killer crust for myself.

This Butternut Squash Pizza with Kale Pesto Hummus has become a classic for me and I hope it will for you too.

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The Main Meal

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