Grain-Free

Wintergreen Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Easy wintergreen salad with kale, cabbage, pepper, and avocado with two seeds and an enticing maple dijon vinaigrette. Perfect for a light lunch salad!

Are you doing all of the fall things?

This weekend I carved pumpkins with my sister, cousin, and M!

I’m not sure if the pumpkin will “make it” it to October 31st, but early October was the only time where all of our weekends synced up.

We sat on my living room floor, fingers covered in pumpkin pulp, listening to the monster mash.

I won’t win any pumpkin-carving awards anytime soon, but we had a blast anyway.

When it got dark we lined the pumpkins up on the front step and dropped a tea light candle in their orange concavity.

I still have 5 un-carved pumpkins of assorted sizes on the front step, waiting for their debut.

Strangely, I’ve been craving kale salads even though the weather is getting crisper and cooler.

Which is lucky, because kale is a wintergreen, after all, right?

Let’s make this Wintergreen Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.

It’s packed with fresh veggies, two kinds of seeds, and a delicious homemade dressing!

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Sweet Potato SunButter Brownies

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Super fudge-y brownies made with SunButter and sweet potato. Sweetened with maple syrup and dark chocolate chips. Perfect for a decadent fall dessert!

I love it when my friends are taste testers.

Whenever we have company over I always feel inclined to bake a special dessert, or re-create a star recipe from the blog.

You, know, live up to the whole food blogger title.

Luckily, my friends understand that since I do this for a living, I’m not always jumping to pull out my oven mitts on a Saturday and dirty up the kitchen.

Particularly after it’s *finally* clean for the first time all week.

So when one of my favorite couples came over last weekend they got an exclusive preview of these brownies made with sweet potato.

“Dessert, anyone?” I asked, extending a Tupperware jar of leftover brownies that I photographed earlier in the week.

My friends loved these Sweet Potato SunButter Brownies and I know you will too!

They’re made easily in 1-bowl with sweet potato, SunButter, and plenty of cacao.

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Vegan Zucchini Pizza Poppers

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The cutest plant-based pizza bites made with a zucchini base and loaded with more vegetables. Serve solo as an appetizer or over grains for a meal!

I just finished my bookclub book for the month!

It’s always a bittersweet feeling to read a book cover to cover and lose the characters after the epilogue.

During last month’s bookclub meeting, we had an epic discussion via Zoom.

I remember the meeting clearly, because I tested these zucchini pizza bites while on the Zoom call.

While talking motifs and heroines and historical context, I sliced zucchini and veggies and made mini vegan pizza poppers.

When the were done I plated them and proudly showed my friends my creation through the screen.

I quickly decided that they were absolutely fantastic and deserved a place on the blog.

I’m so excited to share them with you today!

These Vegan Zucchini Pizza Poppers are a delicious plant-based pizza alternative baked and served in under 30 minutes!

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Pumpkin Spice Chickpea Cookies

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

1-bowl pumpkin spice cookies made with chickpeas and almond flour, naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Perfect for a healthy snack or dessert!

Hey-o, is pumpkin your thing?

It’s definitely mine.

But it’s not so much M’s thing.

I joked with him this week, asking if he’s ready for the end of October so we’re not consistently eating my pumpkin recipes.

But he said he might just be warming up to my favorite orange winter squash.

Good answer, M, good answer.

Whether pumpkin is your favorite or your relationship is complicated, I need you to try these Pumpkin Spice Chickpea Cookies!

They’re totally vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free; made with chickpeas, almond flour, and plenty of pumpkin!

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Vegan Orange Chocolate Truffles

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Easy vegan chocolate truffles made with orange dark chocolate, coconut milk, and fresh orange juice and zest. Perfect for a chocolate-y citrus treat!

This past weekend I found a local nursery that sold seasonal plants and produce.

I texted M a string of happy emoticons because I was in my happy place.

There was a sweet corner of succulents where I picked three new additions to the plant family.

I also thought, well, what the heck, and bought two pumpkins for carving.

There’s something about the fall harvest that makes me want to wrap myself in green.

Maybe because I know everything is about to turn golden, orange, and maroon.

So, I have an orange recipe for you today that *isn’t* pumpkin!

These Vegan Orange Chocolate Truffles are sure to pick you in the October mood.

Let’s make orange chocolate truffles with orange dark chocolate, coconut milk, and fresh orange juice and zest.

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No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Plant-based and protein packed nuggets made with chickpeas and seasonings and baked to perfection. Serve with your favorite dip!

This past weekend M and I switched studio spaces.

We decided that, as much as I wanted my studio space to be separate and tucked away from “real life”, it just made sense logically to have me closer to the kitchen.

And M further from the noise of the kitchen.

So I lugged my photography boards, standing lights, and tiered shelves of props down to the main level while M disassembled and reassembled my standing desk.

For some reason it was emotional to leave my studio nook upstairs.

Yeah, that separation between personal and business life as a work-from-home entrepreneur is always hard.

Except lunchtime.

Lunchtime everything kind of falls into place.

Today I’m sharing these No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets.

They’re baked and are the perfect plant-based back-to-school snack for all ages!
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Zucchini SunButter Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Super moist and delicious vegan and gluten-free muffins made with zucchini, almond flour, dark chocolate chips, and SunButter. Perfect for snacking!

Zucchini SunButter Chocolate Chip Muffins by Flora & Vino

What are you going to miss the most about summer?

I’ll miss sitting on deck chairs on our new patio facing a thicket of trees.

I’ll miss the long sun-filled days that only tempt me to shut the blinds and curtains well after dinner time.

I’ll miss easy comfortable cotton summer dresses (mostly floral, but some solid colors, too).

And I’ll miss summer produce– right now I’m loving juicy tomatoes, figs, and zucchini.

So today I’m sharing with your my personal favorite zucchini recipe of the summer.

These Zucchini SunButter Chocolate Chip Muffins are made in 1-bowl– they’re grain-free, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free!

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Turmeric Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Turmeric Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies made with salted dark chocolate chunks, cashew butter, and almond flour. Bakes in 15 minutes!

This past weekend M and I woke up at 4 AM to drive to Shenandoah with two of our friends to hike Old Rag.

Arriving in the parking lot a little after sunrise reminded me of why I’m a morning person.

We beat the crowd and had the trail primarily to ourselves, and the weather temps were still in the lows and not the highs.

But the high of the hike was when, at the summit, Nate got down on one knee and asked Anna to marry him.

I’ve never witnessed a proposal in person, especially not one involving two of my favorite people.

These two amazing humans who so clearly bring out the best in each other.

When she said yes the onlookers from rocks above us cheered and clapped and M snapped photos on his camera.

On the descent I couldn’t stop smiling and in that moment I believed the universe really does bring people together for a reason.

Like, you, dear friend, are here to make Turmeric Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

These grain-free, gluten-free, and plant-based cookies are made in just 1-bowl in 15 minutes!

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Avocado Collard Greens Pesto Pasta

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Avocado Collard Greens Pesto Pasta with no added oil. Serve for an easy pasta dinner with juicy heirloom tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.

These past few weeks I’ve been getting back into meditating.

I sit cross-legged on the couch, eyes shut, listening to a guided meditation as I wait for my dark roast coffee to cool to the perfect drinking temperature.

It’s always hard at first– making the time, leaning into the discomfort of doing nothing, accepting the ferocious flood of mental activity.

But it feels good when I’m done, when I flutter open my eyes and feel a calm and clarity that I didn’t know existed beneath the chaos.

A few weeks back my fridge was in chaos too– due to an unexpected (or, rather, overlooked) produce delivery in addition to a full grocery visit.

I threw the plentiful collard greens in this plant-forward pesto with avocado, fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic.

It’s super creamy and flavorful without any added oils!

Let’s make Avocado Collard Greens Pesto Pasta as a final summer-y celebration of sweet basil and ripe tomatoes.

Grab your favorite legume-based pasta, some avocados, a handful of herbs, and let’s make pesto pasta!

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The Best Oil-Free Hummus

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Oil-free hummus with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and a splash of almond milk. Perfect to prepare for snacking, dips, and spreads!

Last weekend I got out for my first outdoor adventure in Maryland.

I made it to see Weverton Cliffs with one of my oldest friends from high school.

One of the definite perks to moving to Maryland is living in the same state as this lady who I’ve kept in touch with since the 7th grade!

The hike to the top is short but our conversation felt long as we caught up on life the past year.

We’ve both changed a lot since we last hugged in person, and in communicating “what’s new” that change felt like something to be pretty proud of.

We stopped at the overlook and took pictures, embracing, and posing against a breathtaking backdrop of tree canopy and blue sky.

Then we completed a breath work meditation, resting against slabs of rock with our eyes closed.

It was kind of magical.

Also magical is this The Best Oil-Free Hummus recipe that goes with…literally anything.

This hummus takes just 10 minutes to blend up without any preservatives or added oils!

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