Gluten-Free

Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

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!

Vegan apple cider donuts made with oats, almond butter, and apple cider finished with a refined-sugar-free cinnamon and apple chip dusting!

Did you learn any languages during quarantine this year?

For the past few weeks I’ve been learning German.

Well, for me, it’s actually a lot of re-learning because I took three solid year of German in high school.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

I’ve always struggled with languages, honestly.

I flunked out of Italian in college, and, to fulfill the language requirement, managed to pass two semesters of French that I have no memory of.

No, really, I must have tucked my knowledge of French in short term memory because it’s *all* gone now, down to the very last amour.

German must have stuck somehow, because words and phrases are starting to come back to me.

And, it’s fun having an app to motivate me with epic winning streaks.

Every night around 9 PM my DuoLingo app notifies me with a banner text message that it’s time to practice German.

I play until I have no “hearts” left, addicted to the “briiiiiing” signifying a correct answer and the wiggly dance the owl mascot makes when I hit a new goal.

I also retaught how to make donuts– because it’s been a second (and by a second, I mean years) since my last donuts recipe on the blog.

These Vegan Apple Cider Donuts are made vegan and gluten-free with oat flour, almond flour, almond butter, and apple cider.

Finish them off with a sweet refined-sugar-free dusting of coconut sugar and an apple chip crumble!

Sehr gut!

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SunButter Sugar Cookies

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

3-ingredient “sugar” cookies made gluten and grain-free with SunButter! Finish them with red and green sprinkles for a festive treat.

Have you started decorating for the holidays yet?

I usually have a hard and fast rule of taking things one holiday at a time.

Which means I’m still hard at work on my Thanksgiving menu, thank you very much.

But many of my friends have told me they’ve already got their Christmas trees out and ready to rock around.

Which I support 100% , especially this year.

With much of the world spending more time at home than ever before, why not making it as cozy and Christmas-y for as long as possible?

Even though I haven’t started decorating or gift-giving yet, I did get my annual snowman Christmas cards in the mail.

If you’ve been following me a while you might know that Christmas cards are my thing.

I tried to explain my tradition to M, recently, who laughed and shook his head.

Yes, I’ve been writing snowman Christmas cards since I was 16 and yes I will continue to do so forever and ever.

Because there’s something about the joy of gifting and receiving snail mail that nothing else can come close to trumping.

Except, maybe, baking Christmas cookies.

I have a really simple, healthy, and deliciously festive cookie to share with you today that’s totally grain-free, refined-sugar-free, and oil-free.

You can make these SunButter Sugar Cookies with just 3-ingredients for a festive holiday treat!

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Everything Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% my own.

The best roasted pumpkin seeds with sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Use this recipe for any winter squash seeds!

Hey you, how was your Halloween?

Mine didn’t involve any costumes or tricks or treats, but it was a fantastic day all the same.

My book club met in person for the first time since March.

I sat around the bonfire six feet apart from ladies I love and gushed about our October book, Rebecca.

It was a good read; a deeply psychological thriller with just the right amount of spookiness for the changing seasons.

Later that evening I virtually played Among Us with my cousin, sister, and friends.

M and I sipped on Pinot Noir across the table from each other, shielding our phone screens from view as we playfully accused each other of being “the Imposter”.

When it got dark, we adopted a no-contact trick or treating model by placing a platter with a smattering of health foods (not candy, hahah!) on the doorstep.

At midnight half of the nut butter packets and energy bars were gone!

I surmised that either kids are more health conscious than they used to be, or, said kids *thought* the goodies were candy under the glowing street lamps.

And that’s how we influence the younger generation, eh?

I hope I can influence you to try these Everything Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

This is my favorite way to roast pumpkin seeds with plenty of seasonings, spices, and sea salt.

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Butternut Squash Pie with Almond Flour Crust

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan and gluten-free butternut squash pie with an almond flour crust. Perfect for a fun holiday dessert alternative to pumpkin pie!

Hey, guys!

Tomorrow will officially be two weeks until Thanksgiving Day.

What do you have planned for Thanksgiving?

Ever since the severity and length of the pandemic was obvious, I started to stress about how the holiday season would pan out.

“But what about the holidays?”

The thought loomed in my mind all summer and fall.

As COVID continues to rage on in United States, the fourth Thursday of November will look a little differently for me.

I’ll be zooming my parents and sister to share our Thanksgiving plates instead of sitting across from each other at their dining room table.

But friends, the most wonderful time of the year can still be wonderful.

Let’s create new traditions this year, like this Butternut Squash Pie with Almond Flour Crust.

It’s vegan and gluten-free with a sweet and creamy squash filling and a flaky almond flour based pie crust.

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Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy 5-ingredient apple butter made with unsweetened applesauce. This fall spread is lightly sweet with maple syrup, apple cider, and a touch of kombucha.

I miss my extended family, guys.

Most of them are split between Indiana and North Carolina with a few scattered from coast to coast.

Our annual family reunion was canceled this year in an abundance of COVID caution.

We’re planning on connecting virtually over the holidays in a Zoom Room, but it’s not *quite* the same as exchanges hugs and laughs and food.

I texted my Aunt Janet on Halloween and told her how much I missed her apple butter.

I always coveted the little mason jars she sent to my parents and me, eating greedy spoonfuls on anything and everything.

It was brimming with fresh sweet apples, warm spices, and just the right amount of sweetness.

Feeling nostalgic, I decided to create my own apple butter this season that’s made super simple with applesauce.

You can make this Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter in under an hour with just 5 simple ingredients!

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Pumpkin Apple Bliss Balls

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

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 bliss balls made with oats, chia seeds, nut butter, pumpkin purée, and applesauce. Add baked apple chips and pecans for some crunch!

I’m writing this in my recliner next to windows so mottled with raindrops that the leaves on the trees look like an impressionistic painting.

The weather has been seriously gloomy this week.

Which is kind of a bummer because that means no outdoor adventures.

Well, unless you count braving the grocery store in sheets of rain.

The weather is a big switch from last week when I climbed Juliet’s Balcony at Great Falls National Park five times.

It was a good day of climbing; the rock felt grippy and malleable under my chalked fingertips and my feet found impossibly comfortable footholds.

At the top, I whooped and hollered and at the bottom I sat with M and we ate Pumpkin Apple Bliss Balls.

Usually when climbing outdoors pre-packaged bars are my go-to for refueling.

So it really was a treat to sink my teeth into these energy bites made with apple, oats, and pumpkin.

Make these Pumpkin Apple Bliss Balls in 10 minutes and take them with you anywhere you need a all boost!

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1-Bowl Orange Cranberry Bread

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

1-bowl orange cranberry bread bursting with cranberries and citrus. Naturally sweetened, oil-free, and gluten-free. Perfect for a festive breakfast!

Does anyone else burn their tongue like *all* the time?

Last night I burned my tongue on some seriously good chili and today I’m paying the price of being *so* impatient.

I could barely taste my matcha this morning as I sat on the couch to journal, running my tasteless tongue over my teeth in remorse.

Let’s hope I have some taste buds left to enjoy this 1-Bowl Orange Cranberry Bread that’s new on the blog today!

This zesty festive loaf is perfectly sweet and tart with fresh squeezed citrus and whole cranberries.

It comes together in one bowl in under one hour for a delicious breakfast, dessert, or snack.

Not only does it pack some powerful antioxidants and vitamin C, but it does so while being a total stunner.

Bright red cranberries and flecks of orange make for a beautiful bread that’s almost too pretty to eat.

Almost.

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Apple Pie Yogurt Bowl

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

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 blueprint breakfast yogurt bowl with warm berries, sautéed apples, yogurt favorite granola, nut butter, and baked apple chips for crunch!

I still remember the first time I *really* meditated.

It was a Friday night and I decided to stay after my normal vinyasa flow for the later meditation class.

Sitting cr0ss-legged, I tried not to fidget, alternating small micro-movements in my fingers and toes to prevent my phalanges from falling asleep.

I focused on the guided words of the instructor and my breath, anything to prevent my mind from an internal laundry list loop.

Afterwards, I blinked my eyes open, certain only ten or so minutes had passed since I closed them.

When I realized it had been a full thirty minutes I was astonished.

I conveyed this to a fellow yogi practicing beside me and he smiled knowingly and said, “That’s how you know you’re meditating.”

“Hmm,” I said, still sitting.

I stretched, assessing the waking world beyond my mat with bleary eyes, feeling as though I was returning from a really special place I didn’t know existed.

Guys, I miss that place.

Lately my meditation practice has been sorely lacking.

I’m the first to admit that I click the “X” out of my virtual pre-recorded yoga before the savasana party even begins.

But I’m trying to get back into it, practicing quieting my mind in the AM before making a big bowl of yogurt for breakfast.

This Apple Pie Yogurt Bowl is apple pie in yogurt form with sautéed apples, almond milk yogurt, and a crispy apple chip flourish.

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Vegan Ferrero Rocher Truffles

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan ferrero rocher truffle copycat candies made with dark chocolate, coconut milk, and hazelnuts lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup.

Pumpkin carving is *always* harder than I think it will be.

And messier.

The pumpkin pulp managed to find its way around my living room despite the blanket of newspapers I spread underneath the carving space.

M and I knelt in concentrated silence, working our paring knives back and forth to create triangular teeth and wide oval eyes.

His was scary and mine was silly.

We arranged the pumpkins on the doorstep and backed up six feet to admire them from the sidewalk.

Lit with a single candle, their faces flickered, flanking either side of my doorstep like spooky watchmen.

I snapped a few pictures to document our success, beaming with pride at our pumpkin carving abilities.

I’m also pretty proud of these Vegan Ferrero Rocher Truffles that will light up your holiday season.

You just need five ingredients to make a vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free version of this classic candy!

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Vegan Sweet Potato Dog Chews

By Flora & Vino 6 Comments

Treat your pup to 1-ingredient sweet potato treats made with sliced sweet potato slow baked at low heat for a delicious homemade dog treat.

Back when I lived with Harper I used to spoil her with store-bought sweet potato dog chews that I brought home after shopping at Mom’s Organic Market.

I loved getting them because they had only one ingredient listed on the back: sweet potato!

The treats were crispy, dried, and faintly sweet smelling.

I never tried one, but I always imagined that Harper appreciated the minimal ingredients as much as her mom did.

Harper only knew ONE speed when it came to eating, and that was *fast*.

So, naturally, she devoured these sweet potato chews way faster than my shopping trips (and my wallet) could keep up with.

I vowed to make a homemade version for her and I’m finally delivering!

These Vegan Sweet Potato Dog Chews are made with just sweet potatoes sliced and slow-baked to chewy perfection.

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