The Main Meal

Sesame Tahini Soba Noodles

Soba noodle bowl with sesame, tahini, broccolini, and edamame. Ready in under 30 minutes for a cozy better-than-takeout plant-based meal.

It feels like M and I have been away more this fall than we’ve been home!

I can’t complain, because it’s all good things filling up our calendar.

This past weekend we were near Charlottesville, VA, exploring the outdoors and celebrating one of my friends’ birthdays.

We hiked Humpback Rocks and visited some local breweries and good eats all while staying at a beautiful B&B.

We arrived home last night and stuffed our suitcases up in the attic storage until next year.

As much as I loved all of our travels from this past year, I’m equally excited to cozy up at home until 2023.

That’s not to say that we don’t have things planned– there’s holiday parties and game nights and social engagements on the horizon, for sure.

But they’re all day trips and events that will find us sleeping in our own bed at the end of the day.

The temperature also dropped about 20 degrees this weekend, from the mild 60’s to the much chillier 40’s.

So I’m ready to make all of the cozy comforting food until it’s time to bring out the holiday menu.

This Sesame Tahini Soba Noodles is the quickest, most comforting meal I’ve made in a while.

It’s ready in under 30 minutes for a cozy better-than-takeout plant-based meal!

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Spanish Rice & Beans Stuffed Peppers

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Baked bell peppers stuffed with Eden Foods Spanish Rice & Pinto Beans and served with your favorite toppings. Perfect for an easy warm weeknight dinner!

Friends, since we last chatted I became a marathoner.

I ran the 26.2 miles to complete the Chicago Marathon in under 5 hours this past Sunday and felt unstoppable after I crossed the finish line.

It was an emotional and rewarding experience, with anxiety-ridden lows and pride-filled highs.

I’m so glad that I trained and conquered and feel so eternally grateful for the support of my friends and family who saw me to the finish line.

This week I’m taking it easy, with lots of long walks and yoga and stretching.

And, of course, lots of hearty plant-based foods to refuel and recharge!

After expending so much energy with the race and traveling. I honestly haven’t been in the mood to spend hours in the kitchen.

So I loved making these Spanish Rice & Beans Stuffed Peppers for an easy dinner for M and me during the workweek.

These baked bell peppers are stuffed with Eden Foods Spanish Rice & Pinto Beans and served with your favorite toppings.

They’re perfect to prepare for an easy warm weeknight dinner to share!

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Chickpea Macaroni Casserole

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Cozy and quick chickpea macaroni casserole made with Chickapea Elbows and frozen vegetables baked in a creamy cashew sauce. Ready in an hour!

When I was growing up my mom used to make a terrific tuna noodle casserole.

It was bubbling with flaky tuna, garden veggies, and noodles in a cheesy sauce.

I remember it being hot, hearty, and oh so comforting.

This Chickpea Macaroni Casserole has all of those same nostalgic vibes made entirely vegan and grain-free.

It’s made with Chickapea Elbows and frozen vegetables baked in a creamy cashew sauce.

This plant-based meal is wonderful straight out of the oven and equally as delicious reheated as leftovers.

Bake it in under an hour for a cozy warm meal to share!

You’re going to love this cozy casserole in your oven and on your table this fall and winter!

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Pesto Pasta Salad

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Pesto pasta salad made with Chickapea Penne Pasta in a delicious vegan pesto with juicy heirloom tomatoes. Perfect for a summer main or side!

I missed live music, friends!

This summer I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several concerts to see some of my favorite artists.

Feeling the energy of a live crowd around me pales in comparison to lazy listening in my living room.

I felt intrinsically connected by the pulsing beat, the shared emotion, the pregnant silence between songs.

And it’s even better if you can bring your own picnic with you!

The first time we attended an outdoor show, I threw this Pesto Pasta Salad together.

It was a hot hot day, and I knew we’d be craving something cold and fresh, yet hearty and filling.

M and I devoured the entire bowl listening to Sharon Van Etten at Wolftrap in Vienna, Virginia.

It was so good that I made it for our next outdoor event and at this point it’s a concert tradition.

Today I’m sharing this Pesto Pasta Salad Pesto made with Chickapea Penne Pasta in a delicious vegan pesto with juicy heirloom tomatoes.

It’s perfect to make and share for a summer main or side!

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Sesame Shiitake & Broccoli Stir-Fry

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Sesame Shiitake & Broccoli Stir-fry with dried shiitake mushrooms and broccoli in sesame sauce served over rice or your favorite grains.

A girlfriend and I switch off and on houses working remotely together.

Sometimes it’s challenging to schedule, but whenever we make it happen, I’m always *so* grateful for the change in scenery.

Last Friday I brought my laptop and planners to her place and worked at her kitchen table.

There’s something about working somewhere different that always kicks starts my creativity and motivation.

I need to remember this, I thought to myself, as I checked boxes off of my TO-DO list at an unusually quick pace.

And really I have our WFH session to thank for this Sesame Shiitake & Broccoli Stir-Fry recipe.

We brainstormed ways to use dried mushrooms after a lunchtime walk in her neighborhood.

What I finally came up with is this delicious stir-fry made with dried shiitake mushrooms and vegetables in a sticky sesame sauce over rice.

It’s better tasting and probably quicker to make than calling in takeout!

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Baked By Melissa’s Green Goddess Salad

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

My version of the viral green goddess salad with cabbage, herb-y green dressing, and chickpeas. Perfect to meal prep for a fresh lunch!

If you’ve been following me on social media, you know that I joined TikTok this year.

Because social media is big part of my job, I rarely find myself scrolling without a purpose.

TikTok, however, is an entirely different story, friends.

In the evenings when I’m too tired to make the move from the couch to the bed, I fall down a Tik Tok rabbit hole.

My thumb seems to move entirely of its own volition, descending through messy kitchens, viral sounds, and couples humor.

It’s like the wild, wild west.

Many evenings the app makes me laugh out loud, causing me to shove my phone in M’s face and plead, “Just WATCH this,” between giggles.

He’ll roll his eyes and say, “I don’t understand TikTok!”

Well, you don’t have to understand or even like the app to appreciate the recipe that I’m sharing today.

This Green Goddess Salad is my version of the salad from Baked By Melissa that was EVERYWHERE on the internet earlier this year.

And I saw it first on…you guessed it…TikTok!

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Rainbow Vegetable Kabobs with Creamy Sriracha Sauce

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Rainbow Vegetable Kabobs with Creamy Sriracha Sauce made on the grill or grill pan. Enjoy them over rice with fresh herbs for a fresh summer meal!

It’s grilling season!

Lately, when I take my daily walk through the neighborhood, I come back hungry.

And not because I walked 10,000 steps.

It’s because tantalizing smells are wafting from the neighboring houses.

It takes all I have not to pop in their garden or patio where upbeat music plays, voices carry, and smoke rises from the grill.

Clearly, I didn’t get the invite.

But friends, I’m cordially inviting you to my plant-based grilling party.

It’s a Rainbow Vegetable Kabobs with Creamy Sriracha Sauce party!

Attire: grilling casual.

RSVP, yes or no?

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Smoky White Bean & Beet Burgers

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Smoky White Bean & Beet Burgers made with beets, oats, navy beans, walnuts, and smoky seasonings. Serve over vegetables or between buns!

This past weekend I hiked the North Folk Mountain Trail to Chimney Top in West Virginia with friends!

We got up at 5 AM to get to the trail for a mid-morning start and afternoon finish.

The 5.3 mile there-and-back trail was rated “hard” on Alltrails and it lived up to its name.

At the top you can see 360 degree views from the chimney top, a massive rock formation that looks like a giant chimney jutting up through the hills.

So it goes without saying that we absolutely earned the burger feast we grilled at the end.

I was so impressed with our food spread that we set up over pavilion picnic benches.

My friends brought their camping cooktop and condiments, I brought vegan burgers, pasta salad, and chips.

If you were to ask me what my current favorite burger is, I’d tell you these Smoky White Bean & Beet Burgers.

They’re a little sweet, a little smokey, and packed with texture from oats, white beans, and walnuts!

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Rainbow Rice Paper Wraps with Black Sesame Sauce

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

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!…

BBQ Tempeh Sheet Pan Meal

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BBQ Tempeh Sheet Pan Meal with bbq marinaded tempeh, sweet potato, and broccoli drizzled with hemp heart ranch. Perfect for meal prep for the week!

Do you have big plans for Memorial Day?

We’re planning to see family and friends and spend time outdoors, weather permitting!

I’m looking forward to grilling on my parents’ deck, shaded by the deck umbrella overlooking a lawn of English Ivy.

It’s the unofficial beginning of summer, right?

If you’re feeling like you missed the BBQ boat this year, I got you.

Grab your favorite BBQ sauce and a sheet pan and let’s make a BBQ Tempeh Sheet Pan Meal for dinner!

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The Main Meal

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