Grain-Free

Everything Granola Bites

Protein-packed energy balled made with SunButter, chia seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, and a hidden granola crunch! Perfect for a quick portable snack!

This past week M and I built a tent in my living room.

A mass of lime green nylon, woven mesh, and sturdy poles erected into a dome in under ten minutes.

As the weather gets warmer, I’m dreaming of summer adventures.

It’s been forever since I slept away from home, and I’m itching to pack up the car with my new camping gear and explore.

Do you like camping?

M will tell you that I’ve never *really* been camping, which is partially true.

I guess I’ve been *glamping*, i.e. sleeping in a camp cabin, with four walls and a roof and a screened in door.

So maybe I’m romanticizing all of it– sleeping under the stars, s’mores, and basking in forest sunlight.

But I think there’s the chance to make a camper out of me, yet.

Everything is starting to feel more and more possible– as people become vaccinated, as the book comes closer to a close, as my camping set is complete.

I’ve also been thinking about easy food to make while in the great outdoors, starting with easy snacks.

These Everything Granola Bites are a great portable snack to make in advance for all of your adventuring this year.

They’re made no-bake with simple ingredients that will fuel all of your summer fun!

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Raw Walnut Cashew Butter

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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!

2-ingredient homemade raw walnut cashew butter made super creamy in under 10 minutes Serve it with Bare Snacks Banana Chips for an easy snack!

Did you pull any epic pranks on April Fools Day?

After one of my aloe plants fell out of it’s pot for the fourth (or fifth?) time last week (it was poorly potted and in a precarious position), I had a plant funeral and buried the evidence in my trashcan.

RIP, aloe.

As part of an April Fools day joke, I purchased a new plant and propped it up on the late aloe’s plant stand on April the first, waiting for M to notice.

I smirked while he ate his breakfast, finally asking, pointedly, “So, do you notice anything different???”

After doing a lingering living room scan, he finally picked out the monstera deliciosa sitting pretty near the window sill.

I laughed, assuring him I would keep my plant murderess tendencies contained.

I’m so infatuated with this little green plant and it’s smooth heart-shaped leaves already turning towards the sunshine.

Let’s see how long it survives…

Hopefully longer than this Raw Walnut Cashew Butter that I made last week and served with banana chips.

It requires just two ingredients and a blender without any added sugars or oils.

It’s true: I wouldn’t kid about something as serious as nut butter, not even on April Fools!

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Grain-Free Flatbread Wraps with Tandoori Chickpeas

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Grain-free flatbread wraps with crispy chickpeas, baked kale, dill hummus sauce, and your favorite toppings. Perfect for a date night dinner in!

This week one of my girlfriend’s asked in a group text to share one word that best summed up our week.

“Overwhelmed”, I found myself typing, grateful for the space to be open and honest.

It’s true, there is a lot going on here at F&V lately.

I finally started photographing for the cookbook this week; making all of the dishes pretty propped on a white marble backdrop.

I finished my taxes by myself for the first time in my adult life; squinting at a monstrous Excel spreadsheet to enter formulas and expenses and payments.

I created a resource for cookbook updates so anyone interested can sign up and receive updates on cookbook progress, pre-ordering, and publication.

I also presented to my cousin’s middle school class on what it’s like being a digital creator and entrepreneur.

The interesting thing about the word overwhelmed is that it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

You can be overwhelmed by joy, overwhelmed by love, overwhelmed by gratitude.

With this post, dear friends, I hope you are overwhelmed by deliciousness.

These Grain-Free Flatbread Wraps with Tandoori Chickpeas are an easy plant-based meal that is easy to create and fun to share!

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Carrot Cashew Queso

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Vegan queso made with steamed carrots, cashews, and plenty of nutritional yeast. Serve it with tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, chips, and veggies!

How was your Saint Patrick’s Day?

I forgot to wear green, but I didn’t forget to celebrate.

M and I opened a bottle of champagne that’s been hanging out in the fridge since New Years and toasted to the cookbook manuscript’s completion.

We even played a few Irish jigs (mostly rowdy drinking songs) while we attended our weekly virtual game night with my sister and cousins.

While shuffling pieces in Bandido, we talked dreamily about meeting up later this year, in person, in a post-COVID world, full vaccinated and ready for hugs.

I literally can’t wait.

But until then, I have a cookbook to finish birthing.

It’s been a bit of a transitional week here as I re-surface into the world after my manuscript submission and start to assess the next big hurdle–

The cookbook photos.

Dun dun dun.

Yes, the cookbook photos are due in less than two months and I’m equal parts excited and anxious to start photographing again.

Naturally, I’ve been procrastinating, waiting for the perfect daylight, the perfect feeling, the perfect gap in my schedule, to pick up my Canon camera.

But, you and I both know that there is will never be a perfect time, so I really just need to jump into the messiness.

Kind of like this Carrot Cashew Queso that I’m sharing with you today.

Well, it’s only messy if you blend it the way I did– with the Vitamix lid ajar on the highest setting.

I’m still finding blobs of cheezy carrot queso clinging to the cabinets and kitchen backsplash.

Lauren-error aside, this queso is super easy to make on the stovetop and in the blender for a quick savory dip!

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Tahini Date Caramel Dip

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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!

Tahini date caramel dip made with Medjool dates, pure maple syrup, and a tahini twist. Perfect as a sweet dip for fresh fruit, crackers, or apple chips!

In my early conversations M we talked a lot about food.

It’s good neutral ground for conversation, and, well, I *am* a food blogger.

One day I remember asking him if he liked dates.

“The fruit, not the…well, date, date,” I said, blushing behind my iPhone screen.

As it turns out he liked both examples of the word, but I’m here today to talk about one.

The ooey gooey edible dates.

Because I just rediscovered them this past week and I blended them into something special for you.

This Tahini Date Caramel Dip is made with just 5 ingredients in the blender for a sweet snack with apple chips!

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SunButter Hot Chocolate

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Creamy & decadent vegan hot chocolate made with cacao powder, dark chocolate, and Chocolate SunButter. Perfect for a cozy cold weather companion!

Friends!

I’m hurrying to share a Hot Chocolate post today with the hope that you’ll make it before Spring.

March 20th is the first “official” day of spring, but it’s been absolutely gorgeous here all week.

And today, naturally, I’m writing about hot chocolate today on the hottest day of the year.

I have all of the windows open around the townhouse to beckon the sunshine and breeze inside.

The gentle breeze is nice but when sitting in the direct sun or hanging out on the upper level (where heat rises), it’s downright warm!

But it’s never too hot for hot chocolate, right?

Say yes, because I developed this recipe a few (colder) weeks back and I just couldn’t wait until next winter to share it with you.

This SunButter Hot Chocolate is super decadent with just four ingredients mandatory ingredients and two optional add-ins!

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Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie for One

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

The perfect recipe when you need a single serve cookie fast. This almond flour cookie is grain-free, oil-free, and packed with vegan dark chocolate chips!

Hi friends, how’s it going?

My cookbook manuscript is due in exactly one week so the nerves here are palpable.

M got me a beautiful new standing desk as an early birthday present that honestly couldn’t have come at a better time.

It’s just my style– sturdy, wooden, and rustic, with a spacious top and a lever that adjusts the height.

It will be put to good use as I feverishly finalize my manuscript writing this week and prepare to photograph the recipes next week!

Yes, my birthday is coming soon (April 2nd!); the second birthday spent in quarantine.

This past weekend was my 1-year quarantine anniversary, marking one whole year since I started staying home.

I felt inspired to put together a post on Instagram with some of my thoughts after 365 days of quarantine life.

But despite the heaviness of the past year and stress of the book, I feel lightness on the horizon.

This week has beautiful weather forecast, I signed up for my vaccine, oh, and I perfected the art of making a single serve cookie.

This Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie for One is ready in 15 minutes for nights when you need a single cookie fast! …

Veggie Lover’s Flatbread Pizza

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Veggie lover’s pizza made grain-free with Bob’s Red Mill Flatbread Mix. Add sauce, vegan cheese, and your fav toppings for a fun plant-based pizza night in!

Story time: M and I have never been on a *real* dinner date; you know, the whole dinner and drinks thing.

Yes, dating during a pandemic is, well, less than ideal.

On our first date we went hiking, and I showed up in hiking boots, a loose olive green shirt, and yoga pants.

“You look ready to hike,” he said. I was.

Honestly, I found it a lot more fun to walk and talk than to sit and stare across a blank tablecloth, anyway.

It was nice to have something to do with my legs and arms while my mind was spinning like the tea cups at the amusement park.

But eating together is a fun way to connect, so it wasn’t long before we started sharing food at home.

On our second date I cooked for him at my place, the 1-Pot Pasta from the blog.

Since then, we’ve curated a collection of recipes that we enjoy making together, including but not limited to: tacos, spaghetti squash, and anything in a bowl.

Lately, one of the things we enjoy creating together is homemade pizza.

We ask Alexa to “shuffle songs by Alt-J” and start pizza prep across the gray granite kitchen island.

Together, we craft two personal pizzas, one for each of us, both similar but deliciously unique.

So today I’m sharing this Veggie Lover’s Flatbread Pizza with you that we made on a recent date night.

It’s ridiculously easy to make while being magically vegan, grain-free, and gluten-free!

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Date Caramel Nougat Bars

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Gooey 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 Caramel Almond 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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Dark Chocolate Tahini

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Dark chocolate tahini made oil-free and refined-sugar-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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Everything Granola Bites

Raw Walnut Cashew Butter

Grain-Free Flatbread Wraps with Tandoori Chickpeas

Carrot Cashew Queso

Tahini Date Caramel Dip

SunButter Hot Chocolate

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie for One

Veggie Lover’s Flatbread Pizza

Date Caramel Nougat Bars

Dark Chocolate Tahini

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