Refined Sugar-Free

Avocado SunButter Swirl Brownies

Avocado SunButter Swirl Brownies made with avocado and SunButter. Perfect for a clean chocolate-y dessert packed with healthy fats.

Hey you, how was your weekend?

I had girlfriends over for brunch on Saturday with an F&V inspired spread, followed by an epic trip to Target (does an un-epic version even exist?), and some serious fall cleaning around the house.

The usual combination of fun and mundane before the workweek begins again.

Oh, and most importantly, I made these Avocado SunButter Swirl Brownies!

They require only eight ingredients and are packed with healthy fats, protein, and plenty of fudgy chocolate flavor.

Are you team chewy or team fudgy brownie?

My high school boyfriend used to eat around edges of the big brownie sheet pan his mom made, enjoying the crispy edges, so when I came over only the haggard center remained.

Which was fine by me, because I’m more of a center brownie-pan kind of a girl.

You know, the ooey gooey center part that’s kind of half-baked, intensely chocolatey, and amazing?

That’s what these Avocado SunButter Swirl Brownies are– for the WHOLE pan.

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Maple Tahini Overnight Oats

By Flora & Vino 8 Comments

Overnight oats with a spoonful of tahini lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Prep several jars in advance for easy weekday breakfast on the go!

A friend of mine recently pointed out to me laughing over the cellphone that I tend to do things either all the way or not at all.

Yes, that’s about right.

As much as I strive for balance, my brain thrives on that black and white, 100% or 0% mentality.

This week, for instance, I was ALL IN with reinstating some structure into my mornings to make for smoother day-sailing.

This translated to getting up before the sun, sipping on a cinnamon almond matcha latte, and shuffling through a quick home workout before the world wakes up.

I flirt with being a morning person, but I think I’m finally ready to commit.

Spending that time for me myself and I makes me feel invincible all day long.

Like, throw all of the poorly lit photography days and major recipe fails at me, because I can TAKE IT.

And because I was 100% committed to making my mornings the sturdy foundation for a high-vibe day, I made breakfast for days.

I decided to prep for success with some super simple overnight oats.

Hi there, Maple Tahini Overnight Oats, my most special 5-ingredient friend and fuel.

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Vegan Chocolate Nougat Bars

By Flora & Vino 69 Comments

Vegan Chocolate Nougat Bars with an almond flour base, date caramel center, and dark chocolate topping. Gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free.

If you were planning on waking me up when September ends, the time is NOW.

I actually couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw on my big tear-off calendar that today was the last little block in September.

Do you derive that instant satisfaction from ripping off the old month to reveal the new like I do?

All of those fresh numbers and lines waiting to be filled with too many things.

Oh, hi, October dates, I’m going to fill you with pumpkin everything, warming soups, and sweet candy.

You’re definitely going to want to sink your teeth into these Vegan Chocolate Nougat Bars that require only SIX whole foods ingredients!

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Chocolate Fig Hazelnut Mini Muffins

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Chocolate Fig Hazelnut Mini Muffins with dried figs and smashed banana. The perfectgrain-free easy bite-sized snack for fall!

This week has been rainy and dark and wet, guys.

It’s the kind of rain that really sets in, the damp dank that latches onto your heartstrings and threatens to color ’em gray.

Instead of wallowing in the gloom, Harper and I have kept ourselves busy in the kitchen!

Well, we also took a long flooded walk this evening that left us both dripping, but if you have to choose your rainy day therapy, definitely go with baking.

Especially since I’m excited to share a new fall baked good with you that’s figgin’ delicious.

These Chocolate Fig Hazelnut Mini Muffins have a short ingredient list and even shorter stature, but a BIG taste.

Who’s ready to get figgy with it?

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Peanut Butter Date Caramel

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Peanut Butter Date Caramel made with no added sugar and just three ingredients! Super drizzly and sweetened with Medjool dates.

Do you say care-a-mel or car-mall?

I’m a care-a-mel kind of a girl, myself, but I’ll respond to either, especially when peanut butter and dates are involved.

This Peanut Butter Date Caramel is the perfect fall dip that you can whip up in 5 minutes to transform your fall snacking!

It’s naturally date-sweetened sweetened, peanut protein-rich, and oil free, all with major drizzle potential.

You might have heard of date caramel before, yes?

This recipe was inspired by my very own Easy Date Caramel, which you should also check out.

This recipe mimics my original recipe with a very important addition– creamy peanut butter.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore my original date caramel recipe and how easy it is….I just might love this one ever so slightly more.

Creamy peanut butter adds in healthy fats and sort of takes the “edge” off sometimes super-sweet dates.

Plus, peanut butter and dates just GO together.

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Apple Butter Stovetop Oats

By Flora & Vino 5 Comments

Easy apple butter stovetop oats sweetened with apple butter and dressed up for fall with a crunchy seed and nut blend. Perfect for an easy breakfast.

Happy Fall, officially.

I wore long sleeves for the first time yesterday while Dan and I walked around Old Town Alexandria for a Wellness + Fitness Festival and when the wind picked up on the waterfront I felt that deep sense of renewal that comes with changing seasons.

Also that stubborn resilience of the human condition.

Chilly weather, come at me, I’m wearing a long sleeved shield, yo.

Other things that make me feel nourished and warm on colder mornings (like today– 59 degrees and rainy!) are big bowls of warm oatmeal.

I enjoyed overnight oats all summer long for a quick grab and go breakfast, but now I’m ready to stand over the stove top for a few to get warm, how about you?

These Apple Butter Stovetop Oats are the perfect naturally sweet fall breakfast to keep the chill out and the cheer in.

This fresh fall mix of seasonal apples, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds comes together in just 10 minutes to fuel your day!

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Pumpkin Pie “Cheesecake” Bars

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Pumpkin pie “cheesecake” bars made with cashews, coconut butter, and an easy no-bake granola bar crust. Store these in the freezer for a fun fall dessert!

During the Thanksgiving season my elementary school cafeteria started serving pumpkin ice-cream.

This highly sought after frozen treat was a macaroni and cheese yellow that we ate out of tiny cup with tiny wooden spoons.

You bet I spent all of my lunch card money on them, because even at a young age I knew pumpkin variations of anything made them better.

Kind of like cheesecake.

It’s here.

The first pumpkin recipe on the blog this season!

But really, aren’t you a little proud of me for making it this far into September to post all of the pumpkins?

These Pumpkin Pie “Cheesecake” Bars are low in sugar with an easy 2-ingredient granola bar crust and a creamy dairy-free pumpkin pie cheesecake filling!

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Baked Breakfast Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free!)

By Flora & Vino 17 Comments

Baked Breakfast Apple Crisp that’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup and dates. Perfect with yogurt for breakfast or ice cream for dessert.

Autumn called and said it’s showing up Sunday, ready or not.

But I’m ready, are you?

I’ve been getting so excited about warm and cozy fall breakfasts; the kind that make you want to jump out of bed even when it’s chilly outside of the covers.

I’m even more excited about the ones that look and taste like dessert…for breakfast.

This Baked Breakfast Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free!) is exactly how I want to start every fall morning.

It’s packed with sweet seasonal apples and a hearty and nutritious almond oat crumble topping.

This Baked Breakfast Apple Crisp might look like dessert, but it’s actually packed with good for you things to fuel your fall!

It’s naturally sweetened with apples (duh!), maple syrup, and Medjool dates.

The oat and almond crumble combination is a great source of protein on its own– plus a spoonful of protein powder to the apple pie filling, too.

Protein powder acts as a thickening agent instead of cornstarch AND gets you a little extra boost.

Almond butter and raw almonds add healthy nutty fats while keeping the recipe oil free.

Shall I continue?

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Healthy Trail Mix Cookies

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

Healthy Trail Mix Cookies that are nut-free, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free. Perfect for a healthy breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Happy Sunday, buds.

This past week on the phone with my parents we laughed about the family excursions we used to take on Sundays to Costsco.

You might not think Costco is a very exciting place for kids, but for my sister and I, it was a wild brunch extravaganza.

Every aisle we turned onto was brimming with major sample potential, and those little white portion cups got us through the most trying of trips.

They also had the best signature trail mix– a sweeeet mix of almonds, peanuts, cashews, raisins, and M&Ms.

It was a back-to-school staple that could almost always be found somewhere in the dark recesses of my overly stuffed backpack.

I was thinking about that mix this weekend when I whipped up these Healthy Trail Mix Cookies.

They’re the perfect back-to-school snack– a lil sweet, a lil salty, and packed with 5x the seed-y healthy fats and protein.

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Zucchini Tahini Breakfast Cookies

By Flora & Vino 9 Comments

Oat-based breakfast cookies with zucchini and tahini. Gluten-free, oil-free, and sweetened with dates. Perfect for easy breakfast on the go.

Zucchini Tahini, Zucchini Tahini, Zucchini Tahini…say that ten times fast.

Did I ever tell you that I was an English minor in college?

Yep, I graduated with an Art History major and a double minor in English andArt & Visual Technology.

That’s why this whole blogging thing works for me– it’s the perfect harmony of words and images (and yums, duh).

Occasionally I like to dust off all of those learned literary devices and apply them lovingly to my creations.

I’m currently taking a break from plant-based alliteration to bring you…plant based rhymes.

And cookies for breakfast, obviously.

These Zucchini Tahini Breakfast cookies are even more fun to eat than they are to chant– coming from experience.

Grab a zucchini and your favorite jar of tahini and let’s make healthy cookies for breakfast!

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