Gluten-Free

Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Bread made gluten-free with almond flour and oats. Super moist and chocolate-y with pumpkin puree and dark chocolate!

Don’t mind me while I ease into stew, casseroles, and baked goods.

This week we had Flora in the kitchen while I opened the oven and slammed the fridge and rattled pots and pans.

If there’s one thing you can count on me for, it’s to make a *lot* of noise while I’m baking.

Luckily, Flora seemed more curious about what everything was than scared by the clatter.

(Unfortunately, this recipe is not pup safe, but you can bet more homemade dog treats are coming!)

My first bread of the season turned out to be a wild success, and M and I have enjoyed slices all week long for breakfast and snacking.

It’s not chocolate, it’s not pumpkin, it’s Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Bread.

And if that wasn’t enough to entice you, I added dark chocolate chunks to really seal the flavor profile into something irresistible.

I *love* baking with pumpkin because it makes your baked goods moist and rich without a ton of oil.

In fact, this bread is baked with no-added-oils and instead relies on healthy fats from nut butter and almond flour.

This Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Bread is also made gluten-free with almond flour and oats!

It’s super moist and chocolate-y with pumpkin puree and dark chocolate for a healthy snack, breakfast, or dessert.

I love it sliced straight from the fridge as a mid-morning snack topped with peanut butter.

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Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip muffins with superfine almond flour, oat flour, and vegan chocolate chips. Perfect for a sweet snack!

I first made these Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins the day before we went to pick up Flora.

Luckily, I had the foresight to do some hefty meal prep because we brought the new pup home.

These muffins were a recipe founded on a craving in the midst of packing pee pads and toys and two sizes of crates (we weren’t sure which would fit!).

I had no idea how the muffins turned out as I threw them in the car for a healthy snack along with our Tupperware lunch and multiple Nalgene water bottles.

Our Aussie pup was a long 4 hour car ride away, but it was worth every mile.

About an hour before we scooped her up, I unwrapped a muffin from it’s liner and sunk my teeth in.

There weren’t a lot of things at this particular moment that could excite me more than the prospect of meeting my new doggie, but these muffins came close.

They’re fluffy, moist, and dotted with the perfect amount of dark chocolate.

“Oh my god. These are SO good!” I turned towards M in the driver seat, excitedly waving my muffin missing a big bite.

(M agreed later in the week that the muffins were indeed, delicious!)

It was a pleasant surprise and pick-me-up right before the biggest surprise of the year:

Meeting our Australian Shepherd girlie named Flora, who melted our heart at first glance, lick, and sometimes even now, affectionate nip.

I’m so excited to share these Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins with you this fall!

They’re the perfect sweet snack to fuel you for back-to-school adventures, whether that is with or without four legged fur babies.

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Black Bean Taco Salad

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Black Bean Taco Salad for one made with romaine lettuce, black beans, avocado, and raw veggies with a creamy garlic cashew dressing.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I am suddenly a fantasy (romantacy???) reader.

It all started when my bookclub selected ACOTAR for our April read and, like so many of you and the entirety of BookTok, I became obsessed.

The series quickly became my summer staple, and I devoured all 5 books in the series with a voracity that I haven’t felt since my Harry Potter days.

Since then, I moved on to the world of Fourth Wing, where I’m about half way done with Iron Flame (Book 2).

After realizing that Book 3 won’t be out for a while, I did my research and have another fantasy series lined up next, per your suggestions from Instagram.

When I asked what to read next, 100% of you said The Serpent & The Wing of Night.

I didn’t even question it; I downloaded the series on my Kindle immediately.

So, yeah…I like fantasy.

Who knew?

M, apparently, who is sitting smugly beside me while reading, saying, “I told you so!”

He’s always been a self proclaimed fantasy lover, while I’ve always been a self proclaimed fiction and non-fiction lover.

I always felt like if the story line wasn’t based in reality, it was hard for me to connect with the characters.

It was hard for me to IMAGINE.

But lately, all I want to do is pick up my Kindle and dive into a world of my mind’s creation, one that serves as a welcome escape.

Something else I’ve been escaping into lately is this Black Bean Taco Salad.

It’s so easy to meal prep for the week ahead made with romaine lettuce, black beans, avocado, and raw veggies with a creamy garlic cashew dressing.

This means you have more time for reading on the couch with your fantasy friends!

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Vegan Zucchini Bread

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Vegan zucchini bread made in 1-bowl with almond flour, oats, and grated zucchini. It’s the perfect late summer breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Friends, it’s crazy how fast a puppy grows.

It’s been just two weeks being dog mom to Flora, and already we can see her facial features changing, shifting, becoming.

Last night M looked at me and said mournfully, “Where did our puppy go?!”

It’s true, she is getting bigger and bigger every day, and it’s honestly getting a little difficult (for me) to carry her with one arm!

We’re loving every second of the chaos of being a new dog parent.

Luckily, she doesn’t seem to be bothered by my constant running around the kitchen or scared by my constant banging of pots and pans.

That’s good, because with my job and passion, I make a lot of food and make a lot of noise while doing it!

So far, the only “human food” we’ve given her is good ol’ peanut butter, which she laps out of her kong with alarming accuracy and speed.

Her current favorite *high value* treat are some peanut butter oat training bites that are GOLD currency in our house.

Whenever we need to get her to do something and do it fast, a peanut butter treat is the difference between the zoomies and obedience.

I’m sure Flora would love it if she could get her teeth on some of the smells coming from the kitchen, lately.

Like this Vegan Zucchini Bread that I’ve been making on repeat to use up summer zucchini!

This vegan zucchini bread is made in 1-bowl with almond flour, oats, and grated zucchini.

It’s the perfect later summer breakfast, snack, or dessert for my human friends!

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Caribbean Rice & Beans

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Cozy Caribbean Rice & Beans recipe made in one pot with Eden Foods Caribbean Black Beans! Serve as a side or add protein for a main!

To tell you the truth, I’m very excited for fall.

While I’ve always loved the heat, fall is my favorite season.

Honestly, this summer really wore me down with its multiple heat waves and intense humidity.

I’m pretty sure that Flora would be excited for fall, too, if she had seen the season before.

Based on how many dried up leaves she tries to grab and chew on our potty breaks, she’s going to have a blast.

I have a sneaky feeling she doesn’t appreciate the heat of the sun either, because she bows and turns her head when it beats down outside.

Either that, or she’s a vampire, which at this point with those puppy teeth, is an equally compelling theory.

So, I’ve already dreamed up our fall itinerary.

I’m dreaming of leash training in the cool crisp fall air, taking Flora to pick out a bright orange gourd, and making cozy 1-pot meals with her underfoot.

Starting with this Caribbean Rice & Beans dish that we made here recently pre-puppy.

It’s the perfect flavorful and cozy 1-pot meal to make this season to support back-to-school and the end of summer!

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Berry Baked Oat Squares

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Berry Baked Oat Squares with rolled oats, almond flour, No Sugar Added SunButter, and berries. Bake and slice into squares for meal prep!

I know that some of you out there are kindred spirits who also enjoy immersing yourself in some good trash reality TV.

And I say “trash” with affection, because I can’t stop watching the Love Island USA 2024 season.

Like, my jaw literally could not drop any lower and it does so every evening and I watch the new tea unfold as I literally drink tea (kombucha) on the couch.

The first season I watched of Love Island was back in 2020, which I excused because I was going through a divorce and a global pandemic while living alone.

Now, my life’s mission is to rope M into being as addicted as I am.

I know I am victorious when he starts glancing down at his phone less and less, and starts asking seemingly innocent questions more and more.

Aaaaand another one bites the dust.

Something else I’m currently addicted to are these Berry Baked Oat Squares.

They’re made with rolled oats, almond flour, No Sugar Added SunButter, and berries.

Bake and slice them into squares for an easy meal prep situation.

By keeping your oatmeal prepped, you ensure that your tea is hot, too.

And they’re the perfect back-to-school snack so you can get back into a routine this fall!

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White Wine Sangria

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Refreshing white wine sangria made with raspberries, peaches, lime, and a kombucha flair. Perfect for outdoor summer entertaining!

M and I have a wine cork holder on the wall in the shape of a heart that is *almost* full.

You put the corks in side ways so they complete the heart shape with hundreds of their bright red cork butts.

Well, at least, I think there are hundreds.

I bought it back in January to house the many many wine corks that we collected since we started dating back in 2020.

That’s a lot of wine bottles, friends!

But with a brand name like Flora & Vino, are you really surprised?

Initially I thought we *definitely* had enough corks to fill the holder that I purchased, but after stuffing them all in, we fell slightly short.

We decided to hang in on the wall anyway, as a literal work in progress.

The funny this is that now whenever we open a bottle of wine, I check to make sure it’s a bottle with a cork so we get credit.

No screw off wine caps in this house until this heart is complete, guys!

One way that we’ve been enjoying our wine this season is making it into sangria.

While I’m usually a red sangria drinker, a crisp white sangria during this heat wave *really* hits.

This Refreshing white wine sangria is made with raspberries, peaches, lime, and a kombucha flair.

It’s perfect for outdoor summer entertaining.

Bonus points if you start your own cork art project with this recipe!

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Fruit Spread Recipe Round Up

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A collection of my favorite fruit spread recipes from naturally sweetened berry jams to smooth fruit butters. Spread them on everything!

If you’re like me, you probably only think of making homemade fruit spreads when you have an excess of something.

You made all of the pies and tarts and crumbles you can handle so you resort to making jam or jelly to use up fruit.

But what if we made jams, jellies, and fruit butters the reason (for the season!)

I remember the first time that I made homemade jam I was astonished at how easy it was to yield delicious results!

Over the years, I’ve compile some favorites that I make with seasonal fruits.

As we head barrel towards late summer and early fall, it feels like a good time to share this Fruit Spread Recipe Round Up with you today!

This collection of my favorite fruit spread recipes has everything from naturally sweetened berry jams to smooth fruit butters.

That means you can find something homemade and spreadable here for any time of year.

And these jams are low maintenance and easy to make without pectins, artificial sweeteners, and canning required.

Spread them on everything!

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10 Cool Summer Meals

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

10 Cool Summer Meals that are chill to make and cool to consume. Ditch the oven and make these light and hearty recipes!

Back during 2020 I initiated a walking every day ritual to get out of the house, get some movement in, and breath some fresh air.

It was an easy, tangible goal that I could achieve even in the height of the uncertainty of COVID.

Walk away from the house and walk back.

My daily walk benefitted me *so* much, I’ve kept it up for the past four years.

Until this summer.

For shame, I really have fallen off of my daily walk ever since we got back from Wyoming in June.

I want to blame the intense heat wave we’ve experienced here in Maryland.

And while that totally contributes (I’m about to sound like a cliché here), it’s the *humidity* that really sends me running back into my air conditioned foyer.

M and I joke about this area being a swamp, because the air is thick, wet, and makes your nose and lungs work to suck it in for respiration.

So while I don’t want to say I’m ready for fall, I’m definitely ready for easier breathing, cooler temps, and walks that I enjoy.

Speaking of the heat and humidity, it’s the worst time of year to turn on your oven!

I made that mistake last week and the AC had to work double hard to cool down the kitchen.

If you, too, are looking for some chill meals to make this summer that don’t require an oven or much cooking at all, I got you.

Check out these 10 Cool Summer Meals that are light, fresh, and cool, but hearty enough to pass for the main meal.

Bookmark this recipe round up for a heat wave!

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10 Vegan Zucchini Recipes

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10 of my favorite vegan zucchini recipes that will get you excited for late summer! Incudes both savory cooked and baked sweet recipes!

PSA: This is *the* perfect page to visit after you’ve been to the Farmer’s Market and return home with WAY too much summer squash.

‘Cuz it’s squash season, friends!

If you have zillions of zucchinis, fear not.

I’m excited to share some of my favorite ways to use zucchini this summer and fall.

Zucchini is *such* a versatile vegetable with a mild flavor that lends itself to well, anything.

You can cook with it, bake with it, eat it raw, and even blend it into shakes and smoothies.

With the right seasoning and prep, zucchini can be the star of any late summer meal you prepare.

Bookmark this 10 Vegan Zucchini Recipes post to make whenever you feel like getting creative with zucchini.

This round up includes ideas for both savory cooked and sweet baked zucchini recipes!

Let’s squash some squash and get that zucchini recipe index from zilch to zillion.

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