Oil-Free

Tahini Date Caramel Dip

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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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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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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Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Blueberry almond protein cookies with almond butter, oats, and almond protein powder sweetened with banana. Perfect for meal prep!

Yesterday I went to a coffee shop for the first time since last March.

After a “best coffee in VA” google search and a 20-minute drive, M and I found ourselves at local roastery gem.

The minute I opened the door the rich smells of coffee beans washed over me like seeing a long lost friend.

And then, I did see a long lost friend.

I was examining the whole coffee beans in colorful bags when suddenly my friend Walt was there, too.

Walt graduated from yoga teacher training in the same group as me, so, we’ve been through a journey together far before the world was on fire from COVID.

It felt surprising and fortuitous to see a familiar face during a global pandemic at a shop I only popped in by chance.

Life is funny.

He looked different with a mask and longer hair but the easy conversation was the same and we talked about yoga, hiking, and of course, coffee.

I just started drinking coffee, again, guys, which I told Walt with raised eyebrows.

Lately I love getting up 6 AM and sipping on warm dark roast coffee with a splash of almond milk.

You know what’s absolutely fantastic with coffee?

Something a little sweet.

These Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies are the best way to start your day with a burst of protein!

You bring the coffee and I’ll bring the cookie recipe.

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Cherry Chia Pudding

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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!

Cherry chia pudding with protein that’s lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Top with fresh cherries, apple chips, and hemp hearts!

Hi, dear friends, and happy 2021.

Since we last spoke, we collectively said goodbye to the longest, hardest, weirdest year yet.

After I cheers-ed away 2020 with champagne and lots of cookies, I woke up on January first feeling a little forlorn.

Yeah, I was in a bit of a post-holiday funk, as is typical for me after New Years Eve.

I cried a little, almost bought a bunch of plants, decided against it (where to put them???), then watched a lot of feel good TV reruns.

Things started to shift after I hopped onto an impromptu video call with girlfriends to talk meal prep and workout goals for the coming week.

Making plans and getting back into a routine always does wonders for my morale.

It made my heart swell to see us all in our Brady brunch Zoom boxes, hurrying around our virtual spaces, cleaning, shopping, and doing respective Sunday tasks.

It’s those kinds of interactions that make this weird world feel normal and worth it.

So, maybe our 2020 feelings didn’t magically disappear come 2021.

But we can still plan for an amazing year, where literally anything is possible.

Get back into our back-to-work groove with this Cherry Chia Pudding that’s easy to mix up in advance for a sweet snack!

Because I’m cheering (cherrying?) you on this year.

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Thai Salad with SunButter Dressing

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegetable Thai salad with raw vegetables, baked tofu, cilantro, and an easy oil-free SunButter dressing. Perfect for an easy meal prep lunch!

Last week I impulsively decided to cut my bangs.

New year, new hair?

I haven’t done *true* bangs in almost 15 years, since I was obsessed with Anne Hathaway’s thick bang in the Devil Wears Prada.

Remember how chick she looked, guys!?

Well, I didn’t look like that at all.

The hacked locks stacked on my forehead like a massive mop, a hair helmet of sorts.

So yeah, I’ve been avoiding bangs for a bit.

But change is good, and I’m getting used to the feeling of movement across my forehead.

Aaand coming to terms with the fact that, if I actually want them to lay right, I need to style them.

Doh.

I’d much rather just style my salads…

I’m excited to share this Thai Salad with SunButter Dressing with you as a fresh option after post-holiday indulgences!

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Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Oil-free roasted spiced chickpeas for an easy protein-packed snack or addition to salads and bowls. Sub in your favorite seasoning!

And the countdown to the new year keeps marching on.

It’s the silent prayer on everyone’s lips…2021.

Last night I attended an intention setting and new year manifestation virtual yoga class.

The class was divided into three themed segments where we moved and breathed into our past, present, and future.

It was a beautiful 75 minutes, and looking backwards and forwards made me feel a lot more grounded in the here and now.

So, here we are, with days left in what many people are calling the hardest year of our lives.

In reflecting in an Instagram post this past week, I realized that while this year was so devastatingly hard in so many ways, it also inspired personal growth at an accelerated rate.

And most of it feels pretty good.

I’m also feeling pretty good about ending the year snacking on Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas.

They’re baked with your favorite seasonings and zero added oils for an easy protein-packed snack and make the perfect addition to salads and bowls!

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Pumpkin Apple Bake

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

//#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!

Pumpkin apple bake made with pumpkin puree and apples naturally sweetened with banana. Perfect for a breakfast or holiday side dish!

My laptop has about the same birthday as Flora & Vino, the blog, circa January 2017.

Which means they’re both just on the verge of their fourth birthday.

So it’s actually kind of a miracle that the glowing lettered squares on my keyboard *just* started sticking this week.

Since last weekend the “y” and “l” keys require aggressive tap-tap-tapping with my index finger before they grace the cursor with their appearance.

Which, naturally, led to a whole heck of a lot of typos this week.

Guys, do you know just how many words contain a “y” and an “l”???

Too many.

You’d think with all of the food I photograph that a sticky spill might be the culprit, but I can’t pinpoint any instance of spillage.

Hm. I guess I need to make a visit to the tech store sometime soon.

Well, you know what else is sticky but a lot sweeter?

This Pumpkin Apple Bake that’s made with pumpkin puree and apples, sweetened with banana.

It’s excellent to whip up for a unique cold weather breakfast or holiday side!

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Pistachio Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan and gluten-free sugar cookies dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pistachios and sea salt. Perfect for healthy holiday baking!

The Christmas countdown is officially on, with only *three* more sleeps until Christmas Day.

Do you have any creative Christmas plans?

Most of my social plans this year are virtual, aside from spending time with M on Christmas Day.

But the one thing I refuse to do any differently is the holiday baking.

With that in mind, I have *one* more Christmas cookie post for you to add to your holiday baking list.

These Pistachio Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies are the cutest cut outs you’ve seen all year!

Vegan and gluten-free sugar cookies dunked in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pistachios and sea salt.

They’re basically all I want for Christmas!

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Oil-Free

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