Refined Sugar-Free

Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Greens

Collard greens with mushrooms and vegan grounds, smothered in marinara, and baked to perfection. Perfect for an elevated plant-based dinner!

Hi, friends.

Since we last spoke, I submitted my cookbook manuscript!

I hovered my computer cursor over the “send” button on the email to my publisher’s email, wavering.

When my index finger finally made contact with a *click*, sweet relief washed over me.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of edits, formatting, and measurement conversions to match the publishing style guide.

Not to mention mixing and matching 60 recipes into a 6-week meal plan.

I shifted recipes back and forth across the weekly grid like puzzle pieces, waiting for that perfect fit.

On a Zoom this evening, my friend Laura asked me what I was doing to celebrate my cookbook submission.

I’m honestly torn between going to sleep at 6 PM and popping open a bottle of champagne.

Here’s a plan C– make these Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Greens.

They feel fancy and elevated for a nice plant-based dinner at home with simple ingredients!

Let’s stuff some collard greens!

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Tahini Date Caramel Dip

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

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

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Creamy 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 6 Comments

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

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! …

Date Caramel Nougat Bars

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Date 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 Date Caramel 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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Lentil Tomato Soup

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

1-pot soup made with dry green lentils and tomatoes in a sweet spiced tomato broth. Perfect for meal prep and cozy winter dinners.

“Are we there yet?” I asked, after we stepped across the border into West Virginia on a snowy incline.

Last week, we hiked Raven Rocks in the snow!

The adventure came into being when I stated to M that I *needed*, not wanted, to get out.

It’s been nonstop winter precipitation here in Virginia, so when the forecast showed a clear, 45+ degree day, I cleared my schedule and packed my hiking bags.

So, Raven Rocks.

The path primarily follows the Appalachian Trail, with the peak overlook just past where Virginia and West Virginia converge on the Blue Ridge Mountain.

Seconds after I asked the obvious question the overlook appeared to our right, breathtaking and beautiful.

The sun came out and we ate protein bars and took silly selfies out over the expansive valley of fir trees.

We hadn’t intended on a snow hike setting out, but I guess the white stuff takes a lot longer to melt at higher elevation.

Luckily, it was a sunny day so the snow and ice softened into an occasionally slide-y slush that accompanied us to the top.

Still, it was chilly on the descent with the setting sun and I found myself dreaming of warm foods to create at home.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but is there anything cozier than a big pot of soup?

This Lentil Tomato Soup is made with dry green lentils and tomatoes in a sweet spiced tomato broth.

It’s the perfect cozy companion for chilly weather!

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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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Easy Almond Butter Cups

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy dark chocolate cups stuffed with creamy almond butter and sprinkled with sea salt. The perfect vegan, paleo, and refined-sugar-free treat!

Do you brush your hair, friends?

This past week I had a wicked knot in my hair.

For context, I don’t even use the word “wicked” in conversation; that’s how bad it was.

My fingers felt the resistance while I was shampooing and when I *still* couldn’t untangle it after conditioning, I knew I was in trouble.

I got out of the shower, dripping and downcast, sure I was going to have to cut out a massive chunk of my hair with scissors.

Instead, M sat me down with a brush and copious amounts of conditioner and we worked it out, one knotted strand at a time.

Bless him.

I sat criss-cross-applesauce like a child, arching my neck to counter against the pull of the brush, rejoicing every time the brush finished a clean stroke.

If you’ve seen me on Instagram you know that my hair is somewhere between straight and curly; falling in soft ringlets on a good day and sort of weirdly wavy on a not-so-good day.

Typically, I jump out of the shower, scrunch my hair a few times all over with styling gel, and, well, forget about it.

In my defense, brushing it tends to make my hair staticky, frizzier, and bigger.

As my quarantine hair gets longer and wilder, I’m debating adding a hair brush to my arsenal of self care tools!

Here’s something else that’s crucial for self-care: Easy Almond Butter Cups.

These sweet cups require just TWO ingredients for a vegan, paleo, and refined-sugar-free treat!

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Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Oil-free baked Japanese yam rounds served with hummus and a drizzle of sriracha! This sweet and spicy combo is a great snack or appetizer!

It’s a big day here at F&V, guys.

Today, I’m getting a new dishwasher installed!

It’s true, I tend to be hard on dishwashers, demanding that they deal with dishes saturated from recipe testing.

However, in my defense, this dishwasher just wasn’t that great from the start.

It had a bit of a funky smell when I moved in that took ages to wear off and somehow the dishes managed to come out dirtier *after* a cleaning cycle.

Gross.

So here’s to hoping that the new dishwasher can keep up with me.

Anyway, the snack I’m sharing with you today is easy on the dishwasher, and on the assembly!

This oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan recipe is to assemble and even easier to devour.

The snack: Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha!

The situation: It’s the perfect game time snack whether you’re playing Jackbox Games this weekend or watching the Super Bowl.

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