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Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies

Afghan inspired cookies made without flour! Instead, make them with chickpeas, nut butter, cacao, and dates finished with a walnut cacao frosting!

Are you a LOTR fan?

Let me tell you about my level of fandom circa early 2000s.

After purchasing the trilogy on DVD (I had the Director’s Cut–ha!) I watched The Fellowship of the Ring on repeat.

Because, you know, watching Frodo Baggins battle forces of evil on his quest to destroy the one ring as casual background noise is always good fun.

I was really interested in film studies at the time, and the cinematography and overall production of the films totally wowed me.

Not to mention, I was totally crushing on Frodo, er, Elijah Wood.

I mean, those blue eyes, though!

When I found out that the movie was filmed in New Zealand, I immediately wanted to pack my bags and take a trip to the South Pacific Ocean to stand on steep mountains and run across sprawling fields.

Props to my parents for sitting through the entire trilogy, from the long drawn out orc battles to the

You know what else I’m crushing on that has New Zealand roots?

These Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies that are made totally vegan and grain-free with less than 10 ingredients!

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Trail Mix Overnight Oats

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Meal prep trail mix overnight oats naturally sweetened with maple syrup and topped with dried fruit, nuts, and nut butter. Perfect for make ahead breakfast!

How was your fourth of July?

Did you see any fireworks?

I spent Independence Day from the comfort of my own home with good food and good company.

The only fireworks I saw this year were the sparklers that lit up the asphalt on my neighborhood streets.

Every time we heard a bang I ran to the window, craning my neck left to right for any trace of glowing sky.

You’d be proud to know that I took the entire weekend off work to really relax and commemorate the red, white, and blue.

It’s honestly been hard to get back into the swing of things this week after a long holiday weekend.

This past Monday I woke up and had to take a few hours to center myself back into the work and kitchen mindset.

Can’t I just eat leftover watermelon and plant-based burgers all week?

Well, maybe…

But one of the things that always makes me feel more grounded and prepared is make ahead breakfast.

These Trail Mix Overnight Oats are so easy to mix up and top with my favorite trail mix blend of organic nuts and seeds!

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Mango Sticky Rice Dessert Sushi

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Dessert sushi twist on mango sticky rice! Nori sushi wraps stuffed with sweet coconut rice and fresh sliced mango. Serve with optional date syrup!

Are you accident prone?

The statement “I am” is an understatement when it comes to me.

A few weeks ago a pasta jar fell from my pantry and hit me squarely on the lip.

I was trying to grab a bag of shredded coconut from the top shelf and the pasta sauce was, well, in the way.

Luckily, after a quick icing the swelling went down and I was left with little more than a mark.

Then, yesterday, after months of haphazardly hanging my pots and pans on the hooks in my kitchen, a pan fell on my head.

Yeah, OK, it’s a little funny.

But let me tell you, it wasn’t funny yesterday when one of my Green Pans collided with my temple at an alarming speed.

I’m taking it upon myself to child-proof my kitchen this weekend and remove some of these work place hazards.

So until then, let’s try to avoid the kitchen catastrophes and make some dessert sushi, OK?

These Mango Sticky Rice Dessert Sushi are stuffed with sweet coconut rice and fresh sliced mango serves with fresh mint and date syrup!

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Mango Blueberry Overnight Oats

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Mango Blueberry Overnight Oats with oats, fresh mango, blueberries, and a spoonful of SunButter. Perfect for summer workweek meal prep!

Last week I hung a rectangular printed canvas sign on my wall.

“Never Stop Exploring”, it reads.

All I did was press a push pin into the wall and steady the sign on it until it balanced, but it felt like a bold move.

My first intentional piece of artwork in my home.

Huzzah!

It’s funny how long I’ve gone with bare walls devoid of decorating.

To be honest, I’ve never been very confident in my indoor decorating choices.

Like, do I need a color scheme, a theme, a purpose, or do I just start throwing stuff on the walls?

I joked with a friend (who is amazing at decorating her home, I might add), that I need a design consultation. STAT.

Anyway, sometimes I catch glances of my sign while I’m eating breakfast in the morning.

Never stop exploring.

Are you ready to go exploring some new overnights oats?

These Mango Blueberry Overnight Oats are so easy to mix up in jars in advance with oats, fresh mango, and blueberries!

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Dark Chocolate Blueberry Macaroons

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

No-bake vegan macaroons made with blueberries, shredded coconut, and dark chocolate. Ready in under an hour for a quick and clean dessert!

Earlier this year, before COVID-19 rocked the globe, I decided that this was going to be the year I was going to get back into live music.

I booked five concerts spread across the calendar with friends who shared my musical taste.

When the pandemic changed life as we know it, the cancellations slowly started to trickle into my email inbox.

So much for the year of concerts, I thought.

I have recently, though, rediscovered my love of listening to music.

Like, *really* listening.

Lately, I’ve been putting on an album in my living room and listening in a way I haven’t done since I got my first Backstreet Boys CD back in the day.

You know, really absorbing the lyrics and the melody and feeling it run through you from finger tips to toe tips.

The same way one devours Dark Chocolate Blueberry Macaroons.

You just need 6-ingredients to make these Dark Chocolate Blueberry Macaroons that are packed with blueberries, coconut, and dark chocolate!

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Coconut Cream Cheese Bagel Sandwiches

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan bagel sandwiches for breakfast, brunch, or lunch! Grain-free bagels loaded with coconut cream cheese, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and sprouts.

Well, it certainly feels like summer here in Virginia.

As we enter Phase 1 of the reopening in northern Virginia, there’s a weird juxtaposition of summer sun against the uncertainty of the dog days before us.

Things are reopening but nothing feels as convenient or easy as it used to.

This new normal is strange, because with stay at home orders lifted, the decision to adventure or stay home ultimately is on us!

Everything requires masks, preparation, time, and social distance.

It makes me nostalgic for summer days growing up when getting out was as easy as stopping by the bagel bakery.

In the summertime growing up my mom used to take us to get bagel sandwiches at lunchtime.

I always ordered a bagel sandwich with a big smear of cream cheese and vegetables stacked so high they slid out the sides when you chomped down.

These Coconut Cream Cheese Bagel Sandwiches are made with a coconut based cream cheese and loaded with your favorite toppings!

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Vegan Almond Butter Tagalongs

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan “Tagalong” cookies with an almond butter twist! Made easily with almond flour, almond butter, maple syrup, and dark chocolate.

I’ve been heavy the past week with a weight that was always there but now is acutely painful, as if the backpack I’m wearing was suddenly filled with bricks.

Like you, I’ve been trying to carefully navigate current events with support, respect, and an open heart.

For me, this has meant pausing my Instagram feed through Sunday to allow food to take a backseat to change.

In a text message chain with my sister-in-law, we half cried and half laughed about what else 2020 could possibly throw at us.

“A tsunami? A massive hurricane?” she texted speculatively.

“Shhh,” I texted back. “You’ll jinx it.”

But have you ever noticed that most of the best conversations in life take place around food?

That’s because food brings us together.

I wanted to share these Vegan Almond Butter Tagalongs with you in hopes they can brighten your day.

You just need 5-ingredients to make them with a sweet almond flour nougat cookie, almond butter center, and dark chocolate encasing.

You’re going to want to tag along for this one.

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SunButter Date Squares

By Flora & Vino 6 Comments

5-ingredient SunButter Date Squares with sunflower seed butter, Medjool dates, oats, and almond flour naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

I’ve been seeing flashes of black out of the corner of my eyes for the past few days.

I chalked it up to glare in my glasses or a trick of the peripheral vision.

Last night as I was about to click off the lamp and head upstairs to bed, I saw the same flash of black with an accompanying tail scurry across my living room floor rug and behind the AC unit door.

The good news is that I’m not hallucinating after long days behind the camera and I don’t need to get my eyes checked.

The bad news is that it appears I have a mouse in the house.

Or a rat, to be honest, I didn’t get a good enough look to carefully categorize by species.

Having never cohabitated with anything bigger than a spider, you can imagine my shock to suddenly share my living room with a pet I didn’t purchase on all fours.

He’s probably scouring the house for any bits remaining from my recipe shoot yesterday with SunButter and dates.

While I’m dealing with rodents, you guys should probably make these SunButter Date Squares.

They’re made with just 5-ingredients in 30 minutes for an easy vegan and gluten-free breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Was this a smooth enough transition to go from the great mouse detective to breakfast bars?!

Let’s find out.

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Vegan Maple Baked Beans

By Flora & Vino 6 Comments

Easy vegan baked beans made with navy beans and simple seasonings naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. The perfect easy plant-based summer side!

On photoshoot days I immediately wake up and check my weather app to see if the light will be good for shooting.

I’m still shocked on mornings when I see the temperature will be soaring into the 80’s.

And even more shocked that this Sunday is the last day in May– excuse me?

Anyway, it looks like we’re well on our way to summer, so let’s bring in the summer staples.

One of my favorite summer staples growing up was baked beans.

The Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans were my absolute favorite as a kid.

We often opened a can to serve alongside chips, burgers, and coleslaw on messy paper plates on the deck overlooking the backyard.

I used to spoon them onto my plate and watch the mixture expand in a think syrupy puddle.

Sometimes I actually used to delight in dipping my potato chips in the puddle (don’t judge me!).

When I asked on Instagram what summer recipes you needed, baked beans was a top request!

These Vegan Maple Baked Beans don’t disappoint.

They’re sweet, a little tangy, and tomato-y.

They’re easy enough to whip up in 15 minutes for a sweet summer side without any refined sugars or thickening agents!

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Birthday Cake Batter Chickpea Balls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Celebrate with birthday cake batter balls made with chickpeas, maple syrup, cashew butter, and sprinkles! Yes, they taste like b-day cake!

How was your Memorial Day?

Yesterday was a special day for me because I taught my first virtual yoga class!

Before you get mad at me for not inviting you, don’t!

It was a private class for my cousin and her husband.

They’ve been asking me to teach them since the beginning of quarantine and I kept finding reasons why it wasn’t the right time…

Yesterday I finally ran out of reasons and realized that my main reason was fear.

So I threw together a quick 30 minute sequence, threw my hair up in a bun, and showed up on Skype to teach.

In those 30 minutes, for the first time, I felt like a true yoga teacher, virtually guiding them through postures and breath and finally, savasana.

And if that isn’t reason to celebrate with this sweet new snack I have in store for you…

These Birthday Cake Batter Chickpea Balls will give you a reason to celebrate snack-time!

They’re vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free while still tasking like cake.

Grab your blender, a can of chickpeas, and some sprinkles and let’s celebrate because…it’s somebody’s birthday somewhere.

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