Refined Sugar-Free

No-Sugar-Added Black Bean Brownies

Easy and nutritious brownies made with black beans and SunButter that are oil-free, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened with only bananas and dates.

Who else has been baking up a quarantined storm lately?

Actually, it was literally thunder-storming as I recipe tested this recipe this past week.

April showers bring May brownies, that’s how it goes, right?

If you’ve been following me for a while you know that I’m not a *huge* dessert person.

I’m the kind of girl whose idea of dessert is haphazardly dunking dark chocolate chunks (the darker the better!) into tubs of SunButter when the mood strikes.

I know, I’m fancy.

But when I do DO dessert, I like to do it right!

Since we’re all home, I set out to create something chocolatey that is allergen-free, nutritious, and super tasty.

Can we talk about this epic No-Sugar-Added Black Bean Brownie stack?

Actually, forget the talk, let’s MAKE them.

You need a blender, a can of black beans, and some spotty bananas!

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Breakfast Birds Nests (No Sugar-Added!)

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Breakfast birds nests made with oats and naturally sweetened with Medjool dates and banana. Fill them with almond milk yogurt and fresh fruit!

I realized today that Easter is coming and it’s coming this Sunday, quarantine or no quarantine.

To be honest, I don’t usually do a ton of planning for Easter.

Historically it’s been a holiday where I sat back and waited for my invitation to a family dinner or a celebratory brunch.

However, with none of those items on the drop down menu this year, I thought we could use some plans.

Plans besides “nesting”, which is basically what I’ve been doing the past few weeks.

Tidying every square inch of my townhome to make it comfortable and livable for the foreseeable future.

But these plans do require nests.

Here’s an easy Easter inspired brunch recipe that would be so fun to make with your kids, your family, or your zoomies.

These Breakfast Birds Nests (No Sugar-Added!) are ready in just 10 minutes with 5 ingredients!

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Purple Sweet Potato Cashew Butter Eggs

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Dessert eggs made with Stokes Purple® sweet potato purée, cashew butter, and dark chocolate. Perfect for an Easter treat or candy substitute.

Hey guys, it’s April.

And it’s my birthday!!!

This honestly might go down as the strangest birthday in my personal history.

I made a point to get up and get dressed today to carpe diem the sh** out of the big 3-2.

After being serenaded by my virtual yoga class via zoom, I dawned the blue polka dot dress that I originally had purchased for a vineyard celebration.

So I’ve been sashaying around the house all day, literally all dressed up with nowhere to go.

I figured since we’re all staying home, we could practice some easy recipes for Easter with pretty colors!

These Purple Sweet Potato Cashew Butter Eggs are pretty in purple, packed with Stokes Purple® sweet potato purée, cashew butter, and dark chocolate.

No baking required, these easy eggs are perfect to make to share both physically or virtually this Easter!

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Lemon Chia Bliss Balls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Energy balls made with almond flour, dates, cashews, chia seeds, and plenty of lemon. Mix them up for a clean spring snack!

Guys, it’s been a long freaking month.

I think it’s safe to say that March came in like a lion and went out like…a bigger lion.

I’ve been trying to prioritize making my home my sanctuary for the foreseeable future.

But, F&V wouldn’t be in business if there wasn’t a huge kitchen mess.

The towering kitchen mess today looked completely disproportionate to the sweet little bites it produced.

But hey, at least I have a stash of these Lemon Chia Bliss Balls to munch on in said sanctuary, yeah?

These sweet citrus energy bites are perfect to make ahead for a spring inspired snack!

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Toasted Coconut Bird’s Nests

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan “bird’s nests” made with dark chocolate, toasted coconut, and your favorite oval shaped candy. Perfect for a sweet Easter treat!

Last night during a virtual game night with my friends, I recalled my career trajectory to where I am now.

From the time I was old enough to be asked, I told people that I wanted to be a writer.

After deciding that I wanted to be a writer, I couldn’t wait until I was older to have more life experiences.

I decided that I needed to do lots to be able to write lots and write it with authority, you know?

For the most part, this tended to be true.

Doing new things always inspired me to go home and scribble about them in my composition notebook journal.

Lately, though, being forced to stay in, I’m going inward to grab stories instead instead of going out.

And looking inward at my cabinets for pantry items to make sweet things with!

Luckily, you don’t need a lot of experience OR a lot of ingredients to make these Toasted Coconut Bird’s Nests.

They require just 3-ingredients for a simple sweet Easter treat!

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Homemade Vegan Chocolate Bunnies & Eggs

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

,Vegan dark chocolate bunnies and eggs made with fun silicone molds for an easy 1-ingredient refined sugar-free Easter treat!

How is everyone doing?

I ask this a lot now, and I know I asked it before, too.

But now I ask it with more urgency, because I think we all need to ask and be asked that simple question right now.

I’ve been keeping myself busy making plans to see faces even when I can’t give hugs.

My Skype and Zoom calendar is booming with virtual yoga classes, virtual girls night, virtual game night, and even virtual happy hours.

It’s such a weird time to navigate, feeling simultaneously extremely isolated yet connected to everyone around the globe.

I’m definitely making more of an effort to show up in different ways for my friends, family, and community.

Today I went live on Instagram for the first time in years to talk pantry staples and getting back to the basics with plant-based cooking.

And it doesn’t get any more basic than the Easter dessert idea I’m sharing today.

Luckily, social distancing doesn’t require me to stay away from dark chocolate.

These Homemade Vegan Chocolate Bunnies & Eggs are the perfect quick and easy Easter treat you can make from home!

All you need is some seriously delicious dark chocolate and your favorite silicone molds.

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Coconut Sugar Cream Pie

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Healthier sugar cream pie made with a date-nut crust, young coconut cream filling, and whipped coconut topping. Perfect for a decadent dessert to share!

When I was growing up my mom made a mean sugar cream pie.

What’s a sugar cream pie, you might ask?

Well, it’s sweet, rich, and decadent, with a creamed custard filling and a buttery pie crust.

My parents both grew up in Indiana where sugar cream pie is also known as Hoosier pie.

Sometimes when I get homesick (AKA RIGHT NOW) I crave that pie that my mom served in tiny slivers.

“A little bit will do you,” she’d say.

But I could go for a LOT right about now, how about you?

Why don’t we make this cozy Coconut Sugar Cream Pie that’s totally vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweet?!

It’s made with just 8 ingredients for a sinfully sweet no-bake dessert made with fresh young coconut milk, coconut sugar, and a no-bake crust.

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No-Bake S’mores Cups

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

No-bake s’mores cups with an oat-date crust, dark chocolate center, and cashew marshmallow top. A vegan and gluten-free dessert with no campfire necessary!

This week has been weird.

A lot happened and yet nothing happened.

My trip to the west coast was canceled, so I stayed home and caught up on work, life, and sleep.

I felt a weird internal conflict between wanting to spring-clean my entire home top to bottom and wanting to lie in bed all day.

To be honest, I did neither.

I binge-watched Love Is Blind (have you watched???). in an embarrassingly small number of days by night and continued to show up in my studio and work during the day.

I did start a new habit of walking outside for 15 minutes every day; one that I hope will stick as we continue into spring.

Also, I made s’mores indoors in compact edible cups for serving and I think you’re going to want to make them too.

These No-Bake S’mores Cups come together with just 6 ingredients for a decadent refined sugar-free treat without the campfire or the oven!

Please sir, I want s’more.

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Applesauce Banana Bread (Oil-Free!)

By Flora & Vino 7 Comments

Vegan and gluten-free banana bread made oil-free with strawberry apple sauce! Naturally sweetened with bananas and a hint of coconut sugar.

Yesterday I looked up from photographing banana bread to see giant balls of white drifting across the view of my deck door window.

I did a double take, taking my attention away from the loaf on my cream backdrop board to stare at snowflakes.

I guess it’s not weird, considering that it’s February and all, but it was also 43 degrees outside with zero chance of accumulation.

But it’s been an unseasonably warm here in Virginia, with more days in the mid 50’s than days in below freezing.

Sometimes it feels like we skipped the whole winter thing and went straight to a pseudo-spring situation.

I’m not really complaining, because when it comes to winter I prefer more of a highlight reel than the real real, you know?

Anyway, I’m still baking indoors like it’s winter outside to stay seasonal.

And you’re going to want more than the highlight reel on this new vegan and gluten-free banana bread I have to share.

This Applesauce Banana Bread (Oil-Free!) is packed with spotty bananas and real-fruit applesauce.

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Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

Vegan and gluten-free chocolate molten lava cake for two! Made with an almond-flour base and plenty of oozing dark chocolate. Perfect for a date night in!

I’ll never forget that time on Instagram when I was reporting back on my time on the West Coast, fondly referring to California as “Cali”.

Which I thought was totally cool and hip, ya know?

Like Cali was my bestie and we referred to each other on a nickname basis and such.

“Just so you know, only people who don’t live in California call California “Cali”, the text popped up in my DMs.

“Just to help you out,” they said.

My relationship with “Cali” instantly felt a little less special and intimate.

Since then I’m very careful to say Cal-i-for-nia, in all it’s five syllable glory, just so you won’t know I’m secretly *that* wanna be beach babe.

But I am.

I’m excited to be spending some time in good ‘ole Cali, soon, though.

I have an upcoming business trip there at the beginning of March– one I’m taking with my little sister.

She’s never been to California so I’m really excited to show her my favorite spots on the West Coast.

Also, it’ll be the first *real* sister trip we’ve taken as adults.

Sure, we went to New York together a few years back but we did the trip in 24 hours so it was a blur of grabbing Ubers and Times Square chaos and SO MUCH pollen (it was May– allergy season!).

So I’m excited to take a full week with her and fully settle into PST before getting back to EST.

We’re already planning our meals and restaurant stops.

I can only hope we have a dessert as delicious as this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for two.

It’s made easily with an almond-flour base, Frieda’s Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes (also from California!), and plenty of oozing dark chocolate for a delicious dessert to share!

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Refined Sugar-Free

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