Oil-Free

Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls

Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls with quinoa, and roasted rainbow vegetables. Perfect for protein packed lunches and dinner.

Being entirely plant-based, I institute periodic self checkins where I ask myself (in very serious and stern self-monologue)…

“Are you getting enough protein?”

If my only recent food recollections are flashes of veggies dipped in hummus (oops), the response to myself is a bashful “no”.

Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls to the rescue.

I’m excited to share these Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls with you because it’s one of my absolute favorites.

Have you tried tempeh yet?

If you want to try tempeh, but aren’t sure what the heck to do with it, this recipe is for you.

If you’ve tried tempeh and decided you’re definitely not a fan, give this recipe a try and reassess.

This magical maple and balsamic marinade has a way of swaying even the most hard and fast of tempeh opinions.

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Greek Power Bowls with Tzatziki Sauce

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Classic greek veggies pair with hearty quinoa and kale, fresh herbs, chickpeas, raw veggies, and an oil-free cucumber yogurt tzatziki sauce.

In our old neighborhood, there was a killer kabobs place.

The small restaurant, part of a strip mall, was conveniently located right next to my gym.

I remember ducking out of class long enough to breathlessly place my order, running back in to finish off the last ten minutes of kickboxing with images of kabobs dancing in my head.

The place had this magical green sauce that I now recognize as tzatziki sauce, but at the time just thought of as magic green sauce.

I didn’t know what was in it, but I knew that dipping pita in it was a really good idea.

These Greek Power Bowls with Cucumber Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce remind me of that little gem.

Classic greek veggies paired with hearty quinoa and kale, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts, decadent herbed nut cheese, and a cucumber yogurt tzatziki sauce.

This isn’t Your Big Fat Greek Wedding’s average salad.

My number one tip for keeping bowls and basic meals interesting and fresh is to create a couple staple sauces that you can mix and match.

I hope this Cucumber Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce becomes one of yours.

While I totally wanted to drive back to the Kabobs place to compare notes, but I decided to share with you, instead!

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Cracker Crusted Cauliflower Steaks

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Creative veggie-centric “steaks” made with cauliflower and a crave-able cracker coating. Oil-free, gluten-free, grain-free and packed with flavor.

The other night Dan came home from a dinner raving about a juicy steak that he’d eaten.

For those of you who don’t know, my better half is decidedly not plant based, so we communicate our passion for our separate eats verbally to each other.

OK, so, actually it’s usually me babbling to Dan, just home from work, about all of the amazing things I made that day.

I lean over the kitchen island granite excitedly, waving colorful snapshots on my iPhone in his face.

So Dan’s steak stories got me thinking about steak.

Not about missing steak, but how it would be fun to do a veggie-centric dish where there is one veg star.

Friends, I give you Cracker Crusted Cauliflower Steaks, starring Cauli.

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Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Cauliflower rice tabbouleh bowls made with, herbed tofu, hummus, olives, and artichoke. Perfect for a warm weather nutritious lunch or dinner!

I think it’s the artichoke in these bowls that has me hypnotized.

Or maybe it’s the delicious herbed tofu cubes.

Or that big dollop of hummus and mess of veggie-packed cauli rice tabbouleh…

Your turn.

Even though we moved nearly six months ago (has it really been that long??), I still haven’t established local “spots” where I stop in for a meal.

Until I find a good Mediterranean restaurant near me, these Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls combine all of my favorites in one meal that comes together quickly and easily.

You’re going to love the way raw cauliflower “rice” acts as a rice substitute in this recipe.

This is the kind of bowl you mix up with satisfaction post-assembly and inhale.

These Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls are also the first tofu recipe I’ve shared on the blog so far.

Admittedly, when I first went vegan, I ate quite a bit of tofu to transition.

Lately though, I have to remind myself that I still have a package to use in the fridge.

Let’s use it to make these Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowls!

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Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

By Flora & Vino 10 Comments

Satisfy your chocolate cravings with these Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. You won’t believe they’re packed with fruits and veg!

If you’ve been hanging with me for a while, you know that muffins hold a special place in my kitchen.

(Read about me for my back story on my obsessions with all things muffin!)

Needless to say, I’m really excited to share these Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!

They’re kind of the superhero of muffins because they have special powers.

They take ordinary greens and transform them into mouth watering bites of chocolate.

Pretty cool, right?

I’m going through a serious “hidden greens” phase right now and these muffins are my latest experiment in their disappearing act.

They not only have one, but TWO greens hiding under their oatmeal exterior.

In the last phases of mixing, I remembered some extra spinach in the fridge and on impulse threw it in the blender with the zucchini to grate.

Double chocolate, double green.

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“Clean out the Fridge” Vegetable Chili

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

“Clean out the Fridge” Vegetable Chili starring all the veggies in the fridge! This plant-based soup is perfect to clean out your fridge and meal prep.

Does it ever happen to you that the projects you embark on with the least effort turn out the best?

It happened to me recently with my “Clean out the Fridge” Vegetable Chili, a wonderfully quirky blend of unexpected veg and flavors.

Spooning velvety chunks of rainbow veggies and beans into my mouth, I decided that this this soup is by far the best chili I’ve made yet.

I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve thought about chili this week. The cold front and last minute snow storm that hit most of the country has everyone reaching one last time for their crockpot and oven mitts.

But friends, have you ever tried cleaning out the fridge with your chili?

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Maple Sesame Tahini Cookies

By Flora & Vino 15 Comments

1-bowl 4-ingredient Maple Sesame Tahini Cookies. Enjoy the pairing of tahini and maple for an oil free, gluten free, satisfyingly sweet dessert.

It’s been a long week, and long weeks require easy cookies.

Something you can whip up one handed, absentminded, and dog-tired.

These Maple Sesame Tahini Cookies are super simple, requiring only four ingredients and one bowl.

And they stick with you long after you enjoy them.

Literally.

Days later and I’m still finding sesame seeds in my kitchen, a happy reminder to grab a cookie after sweeping the floor.

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Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Vegan caesar salad with crispy chickpea “croutons” and a creamy oil-free avocado tahini dressing. Perfect for meal prep and weekday lunches!

When I first delved into finer dining on dates and amongst friends, I got nervous ordering off of the food menu.

I always ordered a Caesar salad in those instances because it’s easy to pronounce and tasty to eat.

You know exactly what you’re going to get with a Caesar.

Plentiful salad green smothered in creamy white dressing with buttery croutons and flecks of parmesan.

My ordering anxiety is gone now, which is good, because this Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing isn’t as easy to say, but it’s easier to fall head over heels for.

I recreated this comforting classic in a salad that is plant based and healthy with just a few substitutions.

Okay, maybe everything is a substitution, but when you taste it you’ll agree you wouldn’t have it any other way.

It manages to still have that refreshing creamy “Caesar” feel without any of the dairy, oil, and gluten.

Plus, you get the added benefits of healthy fats and protein where your typical Caesar can sometimes be lacking.

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Quinoa Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Quinoa carrot cake cookies perfect for busy weekday mornings. Oil-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and high in protein to keep you fueled for hours.

Imagine cookies for breakfast. Are you with me?

Now imagine carrot cake for breakfast. Yes?

Picture those two spectacular scenes smushed together plus all of the health benefits of eating a bowl of oatmeal and then some.

These Toasted Quinoa Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies make all of those imaginings a reality next to your cup of coffee.

Fun fact: My first ever birthday cake was a carrot cake.

I remember seeing it in pictures, a yellow cake with the face of Big Bird smiling up at us under frosted yellow feathers.

Maybe just despite this, at an early age, I decided that I didn’t like carrot cake.

I cringed whenever someone selected it for their birthday.

It was too carroty, too nutty, too something.

Too much carrot and not enough cake.

I had a thing about texture in foods as a kid.

I didn’t do orange juice with pulp and I certainly didn’t do nuts in my breakfast cookies.

Apparently my younger self didn’t appreciate the beauty of sneaking vegetables in desserts (and everything).

My how times have changed, because I absolutely love the texture of these cookies.

They’ve got a little bit of everything.

They’re packed with creamy almond butter, nutty flax seed, hearty oatmeal, sweet raisins, crunchy walnuts, shredded carrots, and even a bit of banana and applesauce.

I didn’t want you to miss out on anything first thing in the morning, so I packed in all of the goods.

They’re full of fiber, protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats that will give you tons of energy for the day ahead!

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Peanut Butter & Basil Bliss Balls

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

4-ingredient raw energy balls with peanut butter, oats, dates, and fresh basil! Perfect to make ahead for snacking on the go when basil is in season!

Move over jelly, PB has a new lover.

Friends, I’m here to introduce you to my latest flavor obsession.

Have you tried the combination of peanut butter and basil?

If your face is all contorted in disgust, hear me out.

Because my face looked like that once too.

But now I’m chewing on these Peanut Butter & Basil Bliss Balls in pure peanut butter basil bliss.

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