Gluten-Free

Date Caramel Nougat Bars

Date Caramel Nougat Bars made with Medjool dates and an almond flour nougat base. Dunk them in vegan chocolate for a Snickers dessert feel!

Lately, I’ve been a recipe-testing machine.

I’m *this* close to finalizing my recipes for the cookbook, so the fridge is loaded with leftovers and the freezer is nope-ing out on any additions.

Not to mention the usual creative chaos of recipe testing for my first love, this space on the internet.

I currently feel like my attention is divided between two needy children, and I oscillate between them like a bobblehead; not wanting to play favorites.

Trying to keep things even.

Such as, which recipes do I save for the book and which do I keep for the Internet?

I imagine it’s how my mom and dad felt divvying up gifts for my sister and I on our birthdays (exactly one week apart in the Spring).

Particularly because I kept numerical score, carefully counting the number of Rachel’s wrapped gifts to compare to my own loot tally the following week.

Haha.

M and I have a system of passing on decision-making for the evening, meaning the other person has to make any and all decisions, including, but not limited to: what to eat for dinner, which yoga class to stream, and which show to watch on Netflix.

Life decisions during COVID are hard.

Luckily, the cookbook is meal-prep focused, which narrows down my scope a bit.

And while these Date Caramel Nougat Bars are highly delicious and addicting, they’re not a meal prep essential, freeing me to share them with you now.

Oh, but they *are* essential; essentially delicious with just six ingredients and an easy no-bake method!

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Lentil Tomato Soup

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1-pot soup made with dry green lentils and tomatoes in a sweet spiced tomato broth. Perfect for meal prep and cozy winter dinners.

“Are we there yet?” I asked, after we stepped across the border into West Virginia on a snowy incline.

Last week, we hiked Raven Rocks in the snow!

The adventure came into being when I stated to M that I *needed*, not wanted, to get out.

It’s been nonstop winter precipitation here in Virginia, so when the forecast showed a clear, 45+ degree day, I cleared my schedule and packed my hiking bags.

So, Raven Rocks.

The path primarily follows the Appalachian Trail, with the peak overlook just past where Virginia and West Virginia converge on the Blue Ridge Mountain.

Seconds after I asked the obvious question the overlook appeared to our right, breathtaking and beautiful.

The sun came out and we ate protein bars and took silly selfies out over the expansive valley of fir trees.

We hadn’t intended on a snow hike setting out, but I guess the white stuff takes a lot longer to melt at higher elevation.

Luckily, it was a sunny day so the snow and ice softened into an occasionally slide-y slush that accompanied us to the top.

Still, it was chilly on the descent with the setting sun and I found myself dreaming of warm foods to create at home.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but is there anything cozier than a big pot of soup?

This Lentil Tomato Soup is made with dry green lentils and tomatoes in a sweet spiced tomato broth.

It’s the perfect cozy companion for chilly weather!

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Dark Chocolate Tahini

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Dark chocolate tahini made oil-free with just three ingredients. Blend it up and serve with baked apple chips for dipping!

During quarantine, I became irrevocably infatuated with a store-bought chocolate tahini spread.

I used it like I would a chocolate dessert syrup.

Then I got M on the chocolate tahini train, too.

And, well…sharing is hard.

With a chocolate tahini shortage imminent, I knew I had one of two choices.

I could either hoard and hide those sweet sesame seed butter jars, or learn to make dark chocolate tahini myself.

Obviously, I took the higher path.

Are you proud of me?

This Dark Chocolate Tahini requires just 3 ingredients and 30 minutes to be yours to hide and hoard.

Or, you know, to share.

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Triple Berry Granola

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Baked berry granola with three kinds of sweet berries and SunButter for an oil-free option. Perfect to make ahead for breakfast and snacking!

Granola doesn’t last long in my house.

It’s one of the staples that both M and I eat daily, piling it high on big breakfast bowls or grabbing a handfuls before an evening workout.

If you’re a bit of a granola connoisseur like I am, you know the good stuff it can be expensive.

So, for the past few weeks I’ve been making us homemade granola on a regular basis.

This is either the beginning of a granola series or the beginnings of a granola product line…ha!

Anyway, it’s been really fun testing new variations each Sunday.

I bake the mixture in the oven and then break it into cherished chunks before transferring it to an airtight bag for the week.

When I asked M what granola flavor he wanted this week, he requested “something fruity or tart.”

So I made this Triple Berry Granola and infused it with three kinds of berries for a perfectly sweet and chunky granola.

It’s totally gluten-free, oil-free, and naturally-sweetened with maple syrup and berries!

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Easy Almond Butter Cups

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Easy dark chocolate cups stuffed with creamy almond butter and sprinkled with sea salt. The perfect vegan, paleo, and refined-sugar-free treat!

Do you brush your hair, friends?

This past week I had a wicked knot in my hair.

For context, I don’t even use the word “wicked” in conversation; that’s how bad it was.

My fingers felt the resistance while I was shampooing and when I *still* couldn’t untangle it after conditioning, I knew I was in trouble.

I got out of the shower, dripping and downcast, sure I was going to have to cut out a massive chunk of my hair with scissors.

Instead, M sat me down with a brush and copious amounts of conditioner and we worked it out, one knotted strand at a time.

Bless him.

I sat criss-cross-applesauce like a child, arching my neck to counter against the pull of the brush, rejoicing every time the brush finished a clean stroke.

If you’ve seen me on Instagram you know that my hair is somewhere between straight and curly; falling in soft ringlets on a good day and sort of weirdly wavy on a not-so-good day.

Typically, I jump out of the shower, scrunch my hair a few times all over with styling gel, and, well, forget about it.

In my defense, brushing it tends to make my hair staticky, frizzier, and bigger.

As my quarantine hair gets longer and wilder, I’m debating adding a hair brush to my arsenal of self care tools!

Here’s something else that’s crucial for self-care: Easy Almond Butter Cups.

These sweet cups require just TWO ingredients for a vegan, paleo, and refined-sugar-free treat!

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Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha

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Oil-free baked Japanese yam rounds served with hummus and a drizzle of sriracha! This sweet and spicy combo is a great snack or appetizer!

It’s a big day here at F&V, guys.

Today, I’m getting a new dishwasher installed!

It’s true, I tend to be hard on dishwashers, demanding that they deal with dishes saturated from recipe testing.

However, in my defense, this dishwasher just wasn’t that great from the start.

It had a bit of a funky smell when I moved in that took ages to wear off and somehow the dishes managed to come out dirtier *after* a cleaning cycle.

Gross.

So here’s to hoping that the new dishwasher can keep up with me.

Anyway, the snack I’m sharing with you today is easy on the dishwasher, and on the assembly!

This oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan recipe is to assemble and even easier to devour.

The snack: Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha!

The situation: It’s the perfect game time snack whether you’re playing Jackbox Games this weekend or watching the Super Bowl.

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Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan raspberry cheesecake with a gluten-free almond-oat crust, dairy-free cashew coconut cream cheese filling, and a tart raspberry topping.

I’m writing to you today from bright snow-covered Virginia.

The snow started on Sunday and white stuff has been falling off and on since then for the last three days (it’s now Tuesday).

I dawned sapphire snowpants, my blue Northface down jacket, and a cerulean wool hat my sister knit me for Christmas to take my daily walk.

“The blueberry”, M and I fondly referred to the monochromatic ensemble, laughing as we made two sets of footprints in freshly fallen snow.

Yeah, you have to be pretty darn confident to rock that many shades of blue at the same time in public.

So I was feeling so conspicuous and cool that I decided to make my first snow angel in 15 years.

We staked out a fresh plot of snow away from the kids sledding and the half-built snowmen to imprint my likeness.

Have you made a snow angel recently?

I plopped down on my back and laid there for a second, feeling the cold clarity of the snow underneath me.

Guys, for a split second I wasn’t quite sure what to do.

Finally, I waved my arms and legs back and forth wildly, feeling snow shift around me in small mounds.

I stood up to admire my snow-art, giving M the thumbs up as he laughed, recording the ridiculousness on his phone.

It also snowed last week on M’s birthday!

Which brings me to my recipe for today; Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake.

It’s baked in the oven and made deliciously dairy-free with three layers!

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Chocolate Covered Raspberry Chia Cups

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy dark chocolate cups stuffed with a raspberry chia jam filling. Make them for a quick dessert or Valentine’s Day treat!

Lately, I’ve been contemplating love.

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and while I’m not out of the house much to see the teddy bears and flowers at the forefront of ever store, I feel the build up.

So my brain is all red roses, chocolate truffles, and candied hearts right now.

And I’ve been reframing and redefining what it means to truly love someone or something.

Because it’s more than the Oxford Dictionary’s “a great interest and pleasure in something” or “an intense feeling of deep affection”.

I think there’s a massive element of surrender involved, whether it’s to a hobby, a best friend, or a partner.

It’s to care endlessly and effortlessly without expectation, conditions, or control.

To adore just because; because you do, because you can, because you are…love.

Leaning into love doesn’t look or feel logical, whether it’s fondness for a passion, place, or person.

But then again, if we’re being honest, what did logic ever have to do with love?

It’s a hard but liberating thing to be that bold and unafraid with your heart of hearts.

What isn’t hard, however, is to fall truly madly deeply in love with this new dessert recipe.

You’re going to fall head over heels for these Chocolate Covered Raspberry Chia Cups.

Let’s be fearless with our feelings and make these easy dark chocolate cups are stuffed with a refined-sugar-free raspberry chia jam filling.

Ready to be totally Twitterpated?

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Vegan Meal Prep Recipe Round Up

By Flora & Vino 125 Comments

Simple and delicious vegan and gluten-free recipes that make plant-based meal prep easy, time efficient, and fun! Mix and match throughout the week!

Hi, friends!

January is stereotypically the time of year of start plans.

New workouts, new diets, resolutely resolving to break bad habits and add healthy routines.

By now, you might have heard me talking about the cookbook that I’m working on.

The theme is Vegan Meal Prep and includes mix and match recipes for how to be plant-based even when life is crazy (which it always is– right?).

It’s funny, because I feel like I’m carefully crafting a product that I would love to consume.

Meaning, that yes, I too, would covet a collection of vegan & gluten-free recipes that take the guesswork out of meal time.

So I’ve been working my way through the F&V archives, drawing inspiration from my favorite easy-to-prep plant-based recipes.

While making my meal prep list, I thought, why not share this resource with you guys, too?

If you’ve been here a while you know that all of the recipes on Flora & Vino are pretty darn simple with minimal ingredients.

Therefore, it could easily be argued that *all* F&V recipes are meal-prep-able.

However, there are definitely some that fit more conveniently into the meal prep lifestyle more than others!

In this Vegan Meal Prep Recipe Round Up you’ll find Grab & Go Breakfasts, Quick & Easy Lunches, Portable Snacks, Sheet Pan Meals, One-Pot Soups & Stews, Easy Dinners, and Fuss-Free Desserts.

Everything you need to make plant-based eating easy and fun all week long!

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Cracker Crusted Zucchini Fries

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Oven- baked zucchini fries coated in cracker crumbs! These oil-free, gluten-free, and plant-based fries make a delicious appetizer or snack.

Is it fry-day yet?

Wow, what a week it’s been.

Since we last spoke we have a new President of the United States.

It was snowing here while the Inauguration ceremony broadcast on my TV in all of it’s patriotic pomp and circumstance.

The giant white flakes flying across my peripheral vision felt symbolic of a brave new beginning.

My eyes welled up with tears as I watched Kamala Harris repeat the oath of office and become the first female, black, and south-Asian Vice President of the United States of America.

I squeezed M’s hand in recognition of such a pivotol moment of progress, for me, for us, for the world.

President Biden’s speech about unity left me optimistic and hopeful that we can get through all of this stuff- this heavy, hard, imperative, polarizing stuff- together.

If you’re feeling done with American politics and election coverage, that’s cool, because it’s snack time here at F&V.

Here’s to a new unity that I’ve been personally working on these past few week– crackers and zucchini.

Ditch the breading and make these Cracker Crusted Zucchini Fries that are grain-free and oil-free and made with just three ingredients!

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