The Main Meal

Butternut Squash Pizza with Kale Pesto

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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Pickled Cabbage Quinoa Bowls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Plant-based bowls with pickled cabbage, pea pistachio pesto, toasted quinoa, and herbed tofu. The perfect nourishing bowl for spring lunch.

A few years ago Dan and I ate at an eclectic restaurant down the street that was big into pickling.

I was beyond excited to eat there, because it was one of those rare places that had several completely vegan dishes.

So I ordered a seasonal dish with pickled pumpkin, because, pumpkin anything, right?

Well, let’s just say that I’m now a firm believer that some things should remain un-pickled.

Cabbage, however, is not one of those things.

These Pickled Cabbage Quinoa Bowls are fun, fresh, and perfect for Spring.

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Garlicky Chickpeas & Kale Bowl

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Plant-based bowl with quinoa, baked kale, and crispy chickpeas in a delicious oil-free tahini dressing with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds.

Yesterday it was 93 degrees here and there was a brief period where I had the doors open (not realizing that it was actually over 90 degrees) and the oven on, roasting stuff.

It got hot fast, friends.

But the eats were worth it and Harper loves hanging out on the balcony, so I’m not complaining.

You’ll want to turn your oven on too, to make this Garlicky Chickpeas & Kale Bowl, but don’t worry, it comes together in under 30 minutes.

I bet you already have the basics in your cabinet and the garnishes are totally customizable, so let’s get bowl-ing, shall we?

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Spring Lemon-y Leek Soup

By Flora & Vino 6 Comments

1-pot soup packed with spring vegetables and leeks. Perfect to cozy up to when the weather turns brisk on spring evenings.

You guys, I can’t believe it’s May.

When did that happen?

The weather is warmer here, but sometimes the evenings still have a bit of nip to them.

I always attend spring evening events optimistically jacket-less, only to find myself shivering once the sun has gone down.

This Spring Lemony Leek Soup is perfect for such evenings when you want a little bit of comfort and warmth (or a jacket) until the sun comes up again.

Leeks and I had tempestuous beginnings that grew into an unshakeable love.

I can’t say I ever liked leeks.

This is probably because I never liked onions, but that’s a story for another post.

My parents used to serve a Potato Leek Soup for family lunches on the weekend.

I remember picking out all of the leeks, swirling my spoon around the bowl to avoid the ribbed white rings, collecting pockets of broth and potatoes instead.

At some point, I decided that hey, leeks aren’t so bad, and then I decided to make an entire pot of soup that featured them.

Crisp spring vegetables pair with soothing thyme and bright lemon to create a perfectly light and fresh flavor.

Prepping a pot of this Spring Lemony Leek Soup for the week is so easy and somehow it tastes even better day after day as the flavors meld together.

It’s magic!

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Vegan Mac ‘N’ Peas Bowls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan cheese-less mac ‘n’ cheese comfort bowl with “cheesy” tahini sauce, gluten-free chickpea pasta, green peas, and roasted tomatoes.

In college, I mastered the art of eating seemingly unappealing meals on the go.

I stopped at the campus convenience store for Kraft Easy Macs, popped them in the communal microwave, then stirred in a packet of tuna (pre-plant-based days) and some leftover steamed vegetables from last night’s dinner.

I liked how the vegetables and tuna instantly calmed the boiling temperatures of the pasta so I could shovel in forkfuls while walking to the Art building for class.

Ok, so, not the most appetizing meal, but this totally sets the foundation for how I like my macaroni and cheese.

I love taking side dishes and transforming them into an unexpectedly hearty meal.

These Vegan Mac ‘N’ Peas Bowls are oil-free, gluten-free, and plant-based.

They’re completely respectable as a full meal with the addition of protein and plenty of green vegetables smothered in a “cheezy” tahini-based sauce.

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Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls with quinoa, and roasted rainbow vegetables. Perfect for protein packed lunches and dinner.

Being entirely plant-based, I institute periodic self checkins where I ask myself (in very serious and stern self-monologue)…

“Are you getting enough protein?”

If my only recent food recollections are flashes of veggies dipped in hummus (oops), the response to myself is a bashful “no”.

Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls to the rescue.

I’m excited to share these Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls with you because it’s one of my absolute favorites.

Have you tried tempeh yet?

If you want to try tempeh, but aren’t sure what the heck to do with it, this recipe is for you.

If you’ve tried tempeh and decided you’re definitely not a fan, give this recipe a try and reassess.

This magical maple and balsamic marinade has a way of swaying even the most hard and fast of tempeh opinions.

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Cracker Crusted Cauliflower Steaks

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Creative veggie-centric “steaks” made with cauliflower and a crave-able cracker coating. Oil-free, gluten-free, grain-free and packed with flavor.

The other night Dan came home from a dinner raving about a juicy steak that he’d eaten.

For those of you who don’t know, my better half is decidedly not plant based, so we communicate our passion for our separate eats verbally to each other.

OK, so, actually it’s usually me babbling to Dan, just home from work, about all of the amazing things I made that day.

I lean over the kitchen island granite excitedly, waving colorful snapshots on my iPhone in his face.

So Dan’s steak stories got me thinking about steak.

Not about missing steak, but how it would be fun to do a veggie-centric dish where there is one veg star.

Friends, I give you Cracker Crusted Cauliflower Steaks, starring Cauli.

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Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Cauliflower rice tabbouleh bowls made with, herbed tofu, hummus, olives, and artichoke. Perfect for a warm weather nutritious lunch or dinner!

I think it’s the artichoke in these bowls that has me hypnotized.

Or maybe it’s the delicious herbed tofu cubes.

Or that big dollop of hummus and mess of veggie-packed cauli rice tabbouleh…

Your turn.

Even though we moved nearly six months ago (has it really been that long??), I still haven’t established local “spots” where I stop in for a meal.

Until I find a good Mediterranean restaurant near me, these Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls combine all of my favorites in one meal that comes together quickly and easily.

You’re going to love the way raw cauliflower “rice” acts as a rice substitute in this recipe.

This is the kind of bowl you mix up with satisfaction post-assembly and inhale.

These Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls are also the first tofu recipe I’ve shared on the blog so far.

Admittedly, when I first went vegan, I ate quite a bit of tofu to transition.

Lately though, I have to remind myself that I still have a package to use in the fridge.

Let’s use it to make these Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls!

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Spring Macro Bowl

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

A spring macro bowl packed with seasonal spring veggies. Oil-free, gluten-free, and packed with plant protein! Perfect for meal prep lunches.

Happy Spring, friends!

It’s always that last stretch of winter that really feels the longest and the coldest, isn’t it?

The days are finally starting to feel longer and warmer and I’m dreaming about vacations and outdoor adventures and all of the seasonal green veggies.

This Spring Macro Bowl is the partial realization of those dreams (where’s the beach and fruity drink?), and culmination of my favorite spring veggies in one giant bowl.

Produce that’s in season not only looks better, but tastes better.

I get a lot of my recipe inspiration based on what’s available, so I packed this bowl with all of my spring finds.

You’re going to love the variety of textures and tastes with bright bursts of herbs and tangy lemon.

From crunchy radish to creamy artichoke, this bowl really has it all.

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“Clean out the Fridge” Vegetable Chili

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

“Clean out the Fridge” Vegetable Chili starring all the veggies in the fridge! This plant-based soup is perfect to clean out your fridge and meal prep.

Does it ever happen to you that the projects you embark on with the least effort turn out the best?

It happened to me recently with my “Clean out the Fridge” Vegetable Chili, a wonderfully quirky blend of unexpected veg and flavors.

Spooning velvety chunks of rainbow veggies and beans into my mouth, I decided that this this soup is by far the best chili I’ve made yet.

I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve thought about chili this week. The cold front and last minute snow storm that hit most of the country has everyone reaching one last time for their crockpot and oven mitts.

But friends, have you ever tried cleaning out the fridge with your chili?

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The Main Meal

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