Flora & Vino

Gluten-Free

Warm Kale Quinoa Bowl with Citrus Tahini

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Warm lunch bowl with kale, quinoa, chickpeas, and roasted sweet potatoes with an oil-free citrus tahini dressing. Perfect for a cozy working winter lunch!

Warm Kale Quinoa Bowl with Citrus Tahini by Flora & Vino

Hi, friends.

It’s kind of a strange time of year.

The novelty of the new year has worn off and the next big holiday in sight is Valentine’s Day.

I’ve been hunkering down and working on the cookbook with the fire of a fast approaching manuscript deadline.

Honestly, the hardest part of cookbook recipe creation is keeping said recipes from you! 

I’m so accustomed to the instant gratification of the blog posting process that hoarding all of this content feels downright miserly.

Which is why I’m letting one of the recipes slip through the cracks today…

This Warm Kale Quinoa Bowl with Citrus Tahini is my current, go-to lunch!

It’s served warm, and packed with complex carbs, plant-based protein, and a creamy, oil-free citrus tahini dressing.

So, if it can fuel me to write my first cookbook, I can’t wait to see what it does for you!
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Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies

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Blueberry almond protein cookies made with almond butter, oats, and almond protein powder sweetened with banana and blueberries. Perfect for meal prep!

Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies by Flora & Vino          

Yesterday I went to a coffee shop for the first time since last March. 

After a “best coffee in VA” google search and a 20-minute drive, M and I found ourselves at local roastery gem.

The minute I opened the door the rich smells of coffee beans washed over me like seeing a long lost friend. 

And then, I did see a long lost friend.

I was examining the whole coffee beans in colorful bags when suddenly my friend Walt was there, too. 

Walt graduated from yoga teacher training in the same group as me, so, we’ve been through a journey together far before the world was on fire from COVID.

It felt surprising and fortuitous to see a familiar face during a global pandemic at a shop I only popped in by chance. 

Life is funny.

He looked different with a mask and longer hair but the easy conversation was the same and we talked about yoga, hiking, and of course, coffee.

I just started drinking coffee, again, guys, which I told Walt with raised eyebrows. 

Lately I love getting up 6 AM and sipping on warm dark roast coffee with a splash of almond milk.

You know what’s absolutely fantastic with coffee?

Something a little sweet. 

These Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies are the best way to start your day with a burst of protein! 

You bring the coffee and I’ll bring the cookie recipe. 

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Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars

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Almond butter chocolate chunk cookie bars layered with a chocolate date topping. A fun vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and refined-sugar-free dessert!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars by Flora & Vino

How’s 2021 treating you so far, everyone?

It’s been really busy here.

Between creating blog content, working on a cookbook deal, and the day to day life stuff, I feel like the best visual representation of myself is somewhere between the exhausted and skeleton emoji.  

But I really can’t complain because all of this; all of this awesome expansive busy-ness are dreams of my own creation. 

I wrote “I published a cookbook” in my manifestation journal over and over and over. 

Every single day in 2020 until in fall it finally came to fruition and I forwarded the acceptance email to M with big capital letters that read, “THIS IS SO EXCITING.” 

I’m trying to access and harness that initial wonder and excitement in this busy season of overwhelm.  

I don’t think you’ll have *any* trouble harnessing wonder and excitement when it comes to my latest recipe today.

It may be crunch time for me, but it’s munch time for you.

These Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars are entirely n0-bake with TWO layers of vegan and gluten-free deliciousness. 

Let’s make cookie bars! 

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Cherry Chia Pudding

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//#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 to mix up cherry chia pudding with protein that’s lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Top with fresh cherries, apple chips, and hemp hearts!

Cherry Chia Pudding by Flora & Vino         

Hi, dear friends, and happy 2021. 

Since we last spoke, we collectively said goodbye to the longest, hardest, weirdest year yet. 

After I cheers-ed away 2020 with champagne and lots of cookies, I woke up on January first feeling a little forlorn. 

Yeah, I was in a bit of a post-holiday funk, as is typical for me after New Years Eve. 

I cried a little, almost bought a bunch of plants, decided against it (where to put them???), then watched a lot of feel good TV reruns. 

Things started to shift after I hopped onto an impromptu video call with girlfriends to talk meal prep and workout goals for the coming week. 

Making plans and getting back into a routine always does wonders for my morale. 

It made my heart swell to see us all in our Brady brunch Zoom boxes, hurrying around our virtual spaces, cleaning, shopping, and doing respective Sunday tasks. 

It’s those kinds of interactions that make this weird world feel normal and worth it. 

So, maybe our 2020 feelings didn’t magically disappear come 2021. 

But we can still plan for an amazing year, where literally anything is possible.

Get back into our back-to-work groove with this Cherry Chia Pudding that’s easy to mix up in advance for a sweet snack! 

Because I’m cheering (cherrying?) you on this year. 

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Thai Salad with SunButter Dressing

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Vegetable Thai salad with raw vegetables, baked tofu, cilantro, and an easy oil-free SunButter dressing. Perfect for an easy meal prep lunch or dinner!

Thai Salad with SunButter Dressing by Flora & Vino         

Last week I impulsively decided to cut my bangs. 

New year, new hair? 

I haven’t done *true* bangs in almost 15 years, since I was obsessed with Anne Hathaway’s thick bang in the Devil Wears Prada.

Remember how chick she looked, guys!?

Well, I didn’t look like that at all. 

The hacked locks stacked on my forehead like a massive mop, a hair helmet of sorts.

So yeah, I’ve been avoiding bangs for a bit. 

But change is good, and I’m getting used to the feeling of movement across my forehead. 

Aaand coming to terms with the fact that, if I actually want them to lay right, I need to style them. 

Doh. 

I’d much rather just style my salads…

I’m excited to share this Thai Salad with SunButter Dressing with you as a fresh option after post-holiday indulgences! 

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Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

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These oil-free roasted chickpeas are an easy protein-packed snack and make the perfect addition to salads and bowls. Sub in your favorite seasoning!

Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas by Flora & Vino

And the countdown to the new year keeps marching on. 

It’s the silent prayer on everyone’s lips…2021. 

Last night I attended an intention setting and new year manifestation virtual yoga class. 

The class was divided into three themed segments where we moved and breathed into our past, present, and future. 

It was a beautiful 75 minutes, and looking backwards and forwards made me feel a lot more grounded in the here and now. 

So, here we are, with days left in what many people are calling the hardest year of our lives. 

In reflecting in an Instagram post this past week, I realized that while this year was so devastatingly hard in so many ways, it also inspired personal growth at an accelerated rate. 

And most of it feels pretty good. 

I’m also feeling pretty good about ending the year snacking on Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas.

They’re baked with your favorite seasonings and zero added oils for an easy protein-packed snack and make the perfect addition to salads and bowls! 

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Pumpkin Apple Bake

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//#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!

Pumpkin apple bake made with pumpkin puree and apples naturally sweetened with banana. Perfect for a breakfast or holiday side dish!

Pumpkin Apple Bake by Flora & Vino

My laptop has about the same birthday as Flora & Vino, the blog, circa January 2017.  

Which means they’re both just on the verge of their fourth birthday. 

So it’s actually kind of a miracle that the glowing lettered squares on my keyboard *just* started sticking this week. 

Since last weekend the “y” and “l” keys require aggressive tap-tap-tapping with my index finger before they grace the cursor with their appearance. 

Which, naturally, led to a whole heck of a lot of typos this week. 

Guys, do you know just how many words contain a “y” and an “l”???

Too many.

You’d think with all of the food I photograph that a sticky spill might be the culprit, but I can’t pinpoint any instance of spillage. 

Hm. I guess I need to make a visit to the tech store sometime soon.

Well, you know what else is sticky but a lot sweeter? 

This Pumpkin Apple Bake that’s made with pumpkin puree and apples, sweetened with banana.

It’s excellent to whip up for a unique cold weather breakfast or holiday side!

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Savory “Sausage” Breakfast Bowl

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Start your day with this savory breakfast bowl featuring plant-based sausage, sautéed mushrooms and greens, sweet potato, avocado, and hummus. 

Savory "Sausage" Breakfast Bowl by Flora & Vino

Happy Christmas Eve, friends! 

It’s raining here today and it looks like we might have a wet Christmas instead of a white one. 

It’s OK, because I have a whole day planned around baking and cooking.

Usually on Christmas morning growing up we enjoyed a big savory breakfast to fuel for an epic gift opening session.  

There’s something about a big savory brekky that feels so cozy and wonderfully wintry.

My favorite way to do it plant-based is to throw all of the savory stuff in a bowl. 

This Savory “Sausage” Breakfast Bowl is packed with all of your favorite vegetables to kick start the day. 

Add my favorite Hilary’s Eat Well Spicy Veggie Sausage and it’s a party!

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Cumin Roasted Carrots

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Roasted carrots simply seasoned with ground cumin, garlic, and fresh herbs. Enjoy as a colorful side on your plant-based plate!

Cumin Roasted Carrots by Flora & Vino

Yesterday I completed a socially distant gift drop off at my parents’ house. 

I piled brown paper bags to their full capacity with wrapped presents and managed to corral them into the car with only one red bow jumping ship.

Huzzah. 

I felt a bit like Santa Claus, humming to classic Christmas music with gifts in tow, driving down highways to where I used to live.

I dropped their gifts perched on my old front porch and scooped up gifts addressed “To: Lauren” in their stead. 

I inwardly laughed, because they had used the same Whole Foods brown paper bags to transport the gifts as I had. 

It was a bit strange, waving at my parents behind a mask and a storm door, but I know they could tell I was grinning. 

When I got home, M said that the mini tree was too small; the sea of new gifts dwarfed its green needled stature. 

It’s going to be a good Christmas, friends. 

Do you typically have your big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? 

Typically, we’ve always done the “nicer” dinner on Christmas Eve and saved leftovers for Christmas Day. 

This year, let’s try roasting carrots as a colorful side! 

These Cumin Roasted Carrots are so easy to roast and serve with your plant-based main. 

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Pistachio Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies

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Vegan and gluten-free sugar cookies dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pistachios and sea salt. Perfect for healthy holiday baking!

Pistachio Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies by Flora & Vino

The Christmas countdown is officially on, with only *three* more sleeps until Christmas Day.

Do you have any creative Christmas plans? 

Most of my social plans this year are virtual, aside from spending time with M on Christmas Day. 

But the one thing I refuse to do any differently is the holiday baking.

With that in mind, I have *one* more Christmas cookie post for you to add to your holiday baking list. 

These Pistachio Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies are the cutest cut outs you’ve seen all year! 

Vegan and gluten-free sugar cookies dunked in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pistachios and sea salt.

They’re basically all I want for Christmas!

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