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Black Bean Taco Salad

Black Bean Taco Salad for one made with romaine lettuce, black beans, avocado, and raw veggies with a creamy garlic cashew dressing.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I am suddenly a fantasy (romantacy???) reader.

It all started when my bookclub selected ACOTAR for our April read and, like so many of you and the entirety of BookTok, I became obsessed.

The series quickly became my summer staple, and I devoured all 5 books in the series with a voracity that I haven’t felt since my Harry Potter days.

Since then, I moved on to the world of Fourth Wing, where I’m about half way done with Iron Flame (Book 2).

After realizing that Book 3 won’t be out for a while, I did my research and have another fantasy series lined up next, per your suggestions from Instagram.

When I asked what to read next, 100% of you said The Serpent & The Wing of Night.

I didn’t even question it; I downloaded the series on my Kindle immediately.

So, yeah…I like fantasy.

Who knew?

M, apparently, who is sitting smugly beside me while reading, saying, “I told you so!”

He’s always been a self proclaimed fantasy lover, while I’ve always been a self proclaimed fiction and non-fiction lover.

I always felt like if the story line wasn’t based in reality, it was hard for me to connect with the characters.

It was hard for me to IMAGINE.

But lately, all I want to do is pick up my Kindle and dive into a world of my mind’s creation, one that serves as a welcome escape.

Something else I’ve been escaping into lately is this Black Bean Taco Salad.

It’s so easy to meal prep for the week ahead made with romaine lettuce, black beans, avocado, and raw veggies with a creamy garlic cashew dressing.

This means you have more time for reading on the couch with your fantasy friends!

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Vegan Zucchini Bread

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan zucchini bread made in 1-bowl with almond flour, oats, and grated zucchini. It’s the perfect late summer breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Friends, it’s crazy how fast a puppy grows.

It’s been just two weeks being dog mom to Flora, and already we can see her facial features changing, shifting, becoming.

Last night M looked at me and said mournfully, “Where did our puppy go?!”

It’s true, she is getting bigger and bigger every day, and it’s honestly getting a little difficult (for me) to carry her with one arm!

We’re loving every second of the chaos of being a new dog parent.

Luckily, she doesn’t seem to be bothered by my constant running around the kitchen or scared by my constant banging of pots and pans.

That’s good, because with my job and passion, I make a lot of food and make a lot of noise while doing it!

So far, the only “human food” we’ve given her is good ol’ peanut butter, which she laps out of her kong with alarming accuracy and speed.

Her current favorite *high value* treat are some peanut butter oat training bites that are GOLD currency in our house.

Whenever we need to get her to do something and do it fast, a peanut butter treat is the difference between the zoomies and obedience.

I’m sure Flora would love it if she could get her teeth on some of the smells coming from the kitchen, lately.

Like this Vegan Zucchini Bread that I’ve been making on repeat to use up summer zucchini!

This vegan zucchini bread is made in 1-bowl with almond flour, oats, and grated zucchini.

It’s the perfect later summer breakfast, snack, or dessert for my human friends!

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Berry Baked Oat Squares

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Berry Baked Oat Squares with rolled oats, almond flour, No Sugar Added SunButter, and berries. Bake and slice into squares for meal prep!

I know that some of you out there are kindred spirits who also enjoy immersing yourself in some good trash reality TV.

And I say “trash” with affection, because I can’t stop watching the Love Island USA 2024 season.

Like, my jaw literally could not drop any lower and it does so every evening and I watch the new tea unfold as I literally drink tea (kombucha) on the couch.

The first season I watched of Love Island was back in 2020, which I excused because I was going through a divorce and a global pandemic while living alone.

Now, my life’s mission is to rope M into being as addicted as I am.

I know I am victorious when he starts glancing down at his phone less and less, and starts asking seemingly innocent questions more and more.

Aaaaand another one bites the dust.

Something else I’m currently addicted to are these Berry Baked Oat Squares.

They’re made with rolled oats, almond flour, No Sugar Added SunButter, and berries.

Bake and slice them into squares for an easy meal prep situation.

By keeping your oatmeal prepped, you ensure that your tea is hot, too.

And they’re the perfect back-to-school snack so you can get back into a routine this fall!

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White Wine Sangria

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Refreshing white wine sangria made with raspberries, peaches, lime, and a kombucha flair. Perfect for outdoor summer entertaining!

M and I have a wine cork holder on the wall in the shape of a heart that is *almost* full.

You put the corks in side ways so they complete the heart shape with hundreds of their bright red cork butts.

Well, at least, I think there are hundreds.

I bought it back in January to house the many many wine corks that we collected since we started dating back in 2020.

That’s a lot of wine bottles, friends!

But with a brand name like Flora & Vino, are you really surprised?

Initially I thought we *definitely* had enough corks to fill the holder that I purchased, but after stuffing them all in, we fell slightly short.

We decided to hang in on the wall anyway, as a literal work in progress.

The funny this is that now whenever we open a bottle of wine, I check to make sure it’s a bottle with a cork so we get credit.

No screw off wine caps in this house until this heart is complete, guys!

One way that we’ve been enjoying our wine this season is making it into sangria.

While I’m usually a red sangria drinker, a crisp white sangria during this heat wave *really* hits.

This Refreshing white wine sangria is made with raspberries, peaches, lime, and a kombucha flair.

It’s perfect for outdoor summer entertaining.

Bonus points if you start your own cork art project with this recipe!

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Fruit Spread Recipe Round Up

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

A collection of my favorite fruit spread recipes from naturally sweetened berry jams to smooth fruit butters. Spread them on everything!

If you’re like me, you probably only think of making homemade fruit spreads when you have an excess of something.

You made all of the pies and tarts and crumbles you can handle so you resort to making jam or jelly to use up fruit.

But what if we made jams, jellies, and fruit butters the reason (for the season!)

I remember the first time that I made homemade jam I was astonished at how easy it was to yield delicious results!

Over the years, I’ve compile some favorites that I make with seasonal fruits.

As we head barrel towards late summer and early fall, it feels like a good time to share this Fruit Spread Recipe Round Up with you today!

This collection of my favorite fruit spread recipes has everything from naturally sweetened berry jams to smooth fruit butters.

That means you can find something homemade and spreadable here for any time of year.

And these jams are low maintenance and easy to make without pectins, artificial sweeteners, and canning required.

Spread them on everything!

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10 Vegan Zucchini Recipes

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

10 of my favorite vegan zucchini recipes that will get you excited for late summer! Incudes both savory cooked and baked sweet recipes!

PSA: This is *the* perfect page to visit after you’ve been to the Farmer’s Market and return home with WAY too much summer squash.

‘Cuz it’s squash season, friends!

If you have zillions of zucchinis, fear not.

I’m excited to share some of my favorite ways to use zucchini this summer and fall.

Zucchini is *such* a versatile vegetable with a mild flavor that lends itself to well, anything.

You can cook with it, bake with it, eat it raw, and even blend it into shakes and smoothies.

With the right seasoning and prep, zucchini can be the star of any late summer meal you prepare.

Bookmark this 10 Vegan Zucchini Recipes post to make whenever you feel like getting creative with zucchini.

This round up includes ideas for both savory cooked and sweet baked zucchini recipes!

Let’s squash some squash and get that zucchini recipe index from zilch to zillion.

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Homemade Electrolyte Water

By Flora & Vino 3 Comments

Homemade Electrolyte Water with Eden Foods French Celtic Sea Salt and lemon and lime sweetened with maple syrup. The perfect way to hydrate!

If you’ve been following me a while, you know that I’m *pretty* active.

I keep myself moving with daily walks plus a mix of pilates, yoga, dancing, rock climbing, running, and hiking.

Sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough days in the week to fit all of my desired workouts into.

I’ve always used water to hydrate and replenish during workouts, but during my marathon training, I realized that wasn’t going to cut it.

So I started using electrolyte tablets in my water to ensure I’m getting proper hydration to replenish both water and salt.

It took me a while to recognize and understand that water alone isn’t enough to keep you hydrated….you need some salt, too!

M and I both started using them in situations where we sweat and noticed the difference right away in the way we felt during and after sport.

While the electrolyte tablets are convenient, some of them have off-putting flavors, added sugars, and questionable ingredients.

I realized how easy it is to make Homemade Electrolyte Water at home and I can’t wait to share it with you.

This Homemade Electrolyte Water is made with Eden Foods French Celtic Sea Salt and lemon and lime sweetened with maple syrup.

Mix it up this summer for the perfect way to hydrate!

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Peaches ‘N’ Cream Overnight Oats

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Peaches ‘N’ Cream Overnight Oats with vegan yogurt, rolled oats, and peaches. Perfect to make in advance for a healthy breakfast!

Life has been decidedly and deliciously slower the past two weeks.

After a busy week of travel, M and I took an unplanned “staycation” to catch up on sleep, life, and work.

Aside from going out for the necessities, AKA groceries, indoor rock climbing, and Nagadi coffee, the car has remained watchful in its parking spot.

At first I fought the rest, trying to find productivity in the stillness, achievement in the sleep, and accomplishment in the quiet.

But then I settled into these long and languid summer days.

Reading ACOTAR with M nestled into the couch, playing card games with our new Yellowstone deck, eating ice cream until my tongue is numb and tasteless.

It seems like since we got back into town the summer produce scene exploded overnight.

The zucchini looks greener, heirloom tomatoes are bigger, and the peaches are juicier.

Today’s recipe is one that I developed before our trip, but one that I came back to afterwards because it’s easy, filling, and screams summer!

AKA perfect for our summer vacation, staycation, and everything in between.

These Peaches ‘N’ Cream Overnight Oats are made with vegan yogurt, rolled oats, and peaches.

It’s perfect to make in advance for a healthy breakfast to fuel you for whatever summer has in store for you.

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Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake with a gluten-free oat crust, dairy-free coconut cashew cream cheese filling, and a blueberry topping.

We just home after a grand adventure through Wyoming!

M’s coworker just got married there, so we decided to make a trip out of it and visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park.

After living out of an RV for a week, I’m so very tired and excited to be back home.

Here’s an indication of just how exhausted I was after our travels; the first night back I slept 14 hours (yes, you read that correctly)!

It was a hard trip in the sense that we were on the go constantly.

While living in a camper allows you to have everything you need with you, there’s also a *lot* of maintenance and responsibility involved with keeping the van functioning that I wasn’t exactly prepared for.

You’re constantly filling water, dumping (gross) water, securing the van for driving, opening and closing windows, flipping switches, organizing, reorganizing, losing shit, losing your shit, rinse, repeat.

HOWEVER.

The RV did allow us access to the parks in a way that other accommodations wouldn’t have.

We were able to see everything we wanted to within Yellowstone, which is saying a lot, because Yellowstone is SO much bigger than I could comprehend.

My favorite Yellowstone highlights were the Upper and Lower Falls hike at the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, Mammoth Springs, and watching a playful bison take a dirt bath off the side of the road.

Grand Teton was probably more my style, with the beautiful backdrop of the Tetons ever present on the skyline.

My Grand Teton highlights were watching the sunset at Schwabacher Landing and doing the hike to Inspiration Point at Jenny Lake.

We saw moose, elk, bison, and lots of chipmunks, but no bears, much to my relief and M’s disappointment.

It was a hard beautiful trip that I won’t forget anytime soon.

Another recent unforgettable is that Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake.

It’s made with a gluten-free oat crust, dairy-free coconut cashew cream cheese filling, and a blueberry topping.

This beautiful dessert is guaranteed to be etched in your memory this summer!

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SunButter & Jelly Quesadilla

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

SunButter & Jelly Quesadilla made on the stovetop with grain-free tortillas for a portable on-the-go snack for outdoor adventures.

Summer is for adventuring.

I live for the weekends we pack up and go camping, the Fridays I take off early to climb outdoors, and the day hikes with friends that are always longer than anticipated.

Being a planner, I always like to have my gear laid out, my clothing choices fully supported by the weather, and my food options readily available.

The next big adventure we have coming up is a week long tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks!

If you’ve done your share of hiking, camping, and adventuring, you know that the food can be, well, underwhelming.

It’s hard to find something that’s lightweight, portable, doesn’t require immediate refrigeration, and is delicious (that isn’t already a prepackaged bar or bite)!

Back in the day I used to survive on protein bars, trail mix, and veggie slices and then devoured a massive meal afterwards.

And while there’s nothing wrong with the snack-y approach, I found something hugely delicious and satisfying that also happens to be gluten-free and vegan.

Enter the SunButter & Jelly Quesadilla, a now staple in my outdoor adventuring meal plan.

So much so, that all of my friends ask me about it expectantly at the summit, laughing as I pull out my thin and concise aluminum wrapped lunch.

You just need three ingredients to make this SunButter & Jelly Quesadilla and it’s bound to be your new favorite hiking meal.

No more sad smashed sandwiches, soggy bagels, or lukewarm protein shakes!

This is the protein-packed portable meal you can slip into your hiking pack and enjoy hours later on the trail, rock, or campsite.

You can rest assured I’ll be making one daily while I’m in Wyoming!

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