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Chocolate Banana Blender Pancakes

Chocolate Banana Blender Pancakes with oats, cacao, and banana blended into fluffy pancakes. Perfect for weekend breakfast or meal prep!

This past weekend we built a 36″ dog crate in our living room.

We’ve slowly been gathering things for a future puppy!

A lot of you have been asking for details, and the truth is there are still a lot of questions!

We know we want to do a rescue, but don’t currently have a dog picked out.

I’m partial to Australian Shepherds, but am open to a dog of similar size/temperament.

So, it’s a lot of TBD, but by planning in advance, we can be ready to scoop up the right pup at the right time.

I might be a little more excited than M about all of the dog gear, but I think when the time comes he’s going to be the most attentive dog-dad.

With everything from leash, collar, dog bowl, and squeaky toy, I feel a little closer to manifesting the ball of the fluff that I’ve been waiting for.

I’ve had a lot of time to consider why I want a dog so badly, so immediately.

It seems like a tangible step forward towards the life I want to wake up to.

Sure, a puppy won’t fix all of my problems, answer all of my questions about the future, or remove worry for my day to day.

But it will be so loved and that in itself is worth the journey, right?

These Chocolate Banana Blender Pancakes were also loved at F&V this past week.

They’re made with oats, cacao, and banana blended into fluffy pancakes loaded with chocolate chips.

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Lemon Almond Flour Macaroons

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Lemon Almond Flour Macaroons made with shredded coconut and super fine almond flour ready in under an hour for a spring dessert.

Friends, I miss having a dog.

Lately in the evenings I’ve taken to scrolling through local rescues and looking at the furry faces.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since I was last a pet owner!

I wanted you to hear it from me, first, that we’re casually looking for a four legged friend to join the family.

We have a few requirements, yes, but mostly I just want something fluffy to give my heart to.

In the past, I’ve used local breeders to get my pups, but this time M and I would love to do a rescue dog.

So, we’re in the very preliminary research phases of learning all we can about puppy adoption and how a new pup might complement our life.

I’m educating myself on the adoption process and looking into how to dog-proof our space.

Most importantly, how to keep a new dog baby away from my plant babies, and visa versa!

I’m excited and so tentatively hopeful that this could be the year I could become a dog mom again.

These Lemon Almond Flour Macaroons smell (and taste) like a fresh start, too.

They’re made with shredded coconut and super fine almond flour and ready in under an hour for a spring dessert.

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Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

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Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble with an oat and almond butter crumble topping sweetened with maple syrup. Serve with vegan ice cream!

Growing up, my mom made a *mean* rhubarb pie.

The recipe was first my grandma’s, who passed it down to my mom, who made it hers.

She made it delightfully tart and sweet by reducing the sugar by 1/2 of the original recipe, with a light buttery crust.

I love cutting into it warm and watching the sweet pink filling ooze out the sides, only to be scooped up by my spoon.

We didn’t have to eat it very often, because fresh rhubarb isn’t something that we found very often at the store.

So it was indeed a real treat whenever mom found the ingredients to make it.

I’m channeling that pie in today’s rhubarb recipe.

I asked my mom recently for the full recipe to adapt, and she commented that lately she’s been turning the pie into a crumble.

Perfect, I thought, because I can make a *mean* vegan crumble.

This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble is made with an oat and almond butter crumble topping sweetened with maple syrup.

Serve it with vegan ice cream for dessert or plant-based yogurt for breakfast!

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Superfood Pitaya Bowl

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Superfood Pitaya Bowl with frozen dragonfruit, berries, banana, and Navitas Organics Superfood + Sea Veggie Blend for an energizing breakfast!

This past weekend M and I saw our first hummingbird on the deck.

We’ve been noticing a lot of bird traffic on the deck lately, which we fondly refer to as “fake hummers”.

You know, the aerial movement, flutter of wings, and flash of color that catches your eye but ends up being a sparrow, crow, or pigeon.

We’d taken to sitting on the couch, sipping wine and talking about upcoming travel plans while sporadically glancing at the deck.

We’re on hummingbird watch.

It was during one of these sessions that I saw something.

I clutched M’s arm slowly but firmly so as not to scare her, while I whispered excitedly, “Hummer, hummer, there’s a hummer!”

And there she was.

The lady hummingbird that perched on our new feeder to suck up nectar was so much smaller than I remember from last year!

With those fast wings and small green body, they’re visually striking and yet easy to miss.

After our first sighting, M immediately cleaned the feeders and changed the sugar water supply, because our hummingbirds deserve the freshest.

And so do you, friends.

Which is why I’m sharing this Superfood Pitaya Bowl with you today.

It’s made in a blender with frozen dragonfruit, berries, banana, and Navitas Organics Superfood + Sea Veggie Blend for an energizing breakfast!

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Vegan Strawberry Brownies

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Vegan Strawberry Brownies with fresh strawberries, and dark chocolate chips. A fun dessert to combine strawberries and chocolate!

Have you ever stopped and actually done those “10 Questions for Your Girlfriend” quizzes that you swipe through on TikTok?

M and I have, because I think they’re fun.

It’s a welcome reprieve from doomscrolling an endless “For You” page of trending sounds and videos and an opportunity to interact in an otherwise antisocial sport.

So, anyway, back to the quizzes.

I mean, who doesn’t want to decide which dog their boyfriend is out of 10 different options or whether they’d choose cookies or brownies for dessert?

These are important questions that demand answers.

It was during a food-themed quiz that M informed me that he would rather eat brownies over cookies.

“WHAT?!” I shrieked, totally flabbergasted.

“Yes, over cookies, I would!” he vehemently argued.

This honestly doesn’t mean a lot coming from my dessert-opposed boyfriend who can eat raw rhubarb and think it’s sweet enough.

Friends, I don’t think I’ve seen M eat a single brownie during our four years of dating.

But, apparently he’s a brownie guy.

So, this brownie recipe is dedicated to the boy I live with who hasn’t touched this pan since I made them.

That’s OK, because these Vegan Strawberry Brownies are too good to share.

These vegan and gluten-free brownies are made with fresh strawberries and dotted with dark chocolate chips.

They’re essentially a chocolate covered strawberry in brownie form!

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Vegan Sourdough French Toast

By Flora & Vino 3 Comments

Vegan French Toast made with gluten-free sourdough bread topped with berries, maple syrup, and SunButter. Perfect for an easy breakfast!

TBH I’ve never been the biggest French Toast gal.

I would previously take pancakes or waffles over french toast most days of the week.

But that was before I discovered the *best* vegan and gluten-free sourdough bread that I’m now using in all of my recipes.

Finding this bread has sent me down a wonderful recipe rabbit hole of toasts, sandwiches, and “bread-y” remakes.

After years of vehemently avoiding bread and in the process kind of starting to believe that I didn’t LIKE bread, I’m very grateful to be proven wrong.

Bread is delicious and vegan and gluten-free bread is even better.

And let me tell you, friends, Vegan Sourdough French Toast just hits differently.

This Vegan French Toast is made with gluten-free sourdough bread topped with fresh berries, maple syrup, and a generous drizzle of SunButter.

This is the kind of recipe to make and share for a decadent plant-based weekend breakfast or brunch.

Once you try it once, you’ll want Vegan Sourdough French Toast every day of the week!

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with almond and oat flour, SunButter, and dark chocolate chips. Perfect for a birthday or any celebration!

What are you growing this year?

Last weekend M and I planted our first seeds on the deck.

Each day since I peer outside first thing, searching for signs of green sprouts.

This is our second year trying our hand at outdoor planting, and I both love and hate the variability of it all.

It always feels a bit chaotic throwing seeds in dirt with water and hoping that they germinate and grow.

But despite all of my doubts and fears, something grew from nothing last year, and it was both beautiful and amazing.

I’m excited to be in for the journey again this spring.

Here’s what we planted:

Flower flowers, two kinds of both zinnias and nasturtiums.
For herbs, we have chives, Thai basil, and parsley seeds in the ground; herbs I hope will appear in a recipe this summer.
I’m waiting to plant my sunflower seeds for a few weeks!

Our indoor plant babies also got some love with the warmer weather!

Here are some highlights:

Our Bird of Paradise got a Neem Oil shower to remove some pesky mealy bugs.
My Swiss Cheese plant got a new stake that she’s climbing faster than I can complete a 5.7 at the climbing gym.
A few of my root bound cactuses and snake plants also received a new bigger pot so they can take off.

If you’re also waiting for seeds to grow, buds to blossom, and the stress of tax day to disappear, might I suggest baking?

I created this Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake around my birthday in early April, but am just getting around to sharing it with you.

This Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is made with almond and oat flour, SunButter, and dark chocolate chips.

My version is totally vegan, gluten-free, and no-oil-added, finished with a 1-ingredient frosting.

It’s the perfect easy dessert to make and decorate for any occasion.

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Kale Caesar Salad

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Kale caesar salad with crispy chickpeas and vegan caesar dressing. Serve with cherry tomatoes, hemp hearts, and cheezy white bean dip!

I’m hard to please when it comes to eating out.

That’s facts.

It’s something that I’m working on accepting about myself, because my whole life I’ve wanted to be easy going, relaxed, and go-with-the-flow.

But many times when I purchase food out, I take a few bites and would honestly rather be eating something at home.

Now, in my defense, that’s because I’m super sensitive to salt, garlic, and spiciness, three things that people love to dump on vegan food to make it “tasty”.

Yeah, it’s kind of like I’m allergic to flavor (HA!), but I truly believe that plants taste delicious as they are.

Can anyone else relate?

Anyway, there used to be a kale caesar salad from my local Greenheart Juice Shop that I always grabbed for a healthy lunch along with a juice or smoothie.

It was delicious and flavorful and made you feel a bit like you’re glowing from the inside out after consumption.

I’ve spent a long time trying to recreate that salad at home, because they don’t sell the salad anymore!

Now, I haven’t had the salad in years, but I think what I came up with is pretty darn near perfect.

For my picky eater-outers, this is a salad that doesn’t compromise flavor but also won’t knock you over with the big three!

This kale caesar salad is made with crispy chickpeas and a creamy vegan caesar dressing.

I highly recommend it with cherry tomatoes, hemp hearts, and my latest cheezy white bean dip!

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Cheezy White Bean Dip

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Cheezy White Bean Dip made with white beans, nutritional yeast, and tahini. Serve with vegetables or crackers or added to salads and bowls.

This past week I gave M the prestigious role of being my accountability buddy for my writing course.

His job is to check in me with daily and ask, “How is your writing going, Lauren?”

Lately he’s taken to asking as a snarky retort to a conversation.

For example, I’ll ask if he did the dishes yet, and he will respond with, “No, but how is your writing going?!”

Well, you got me there.

I think we can agree that while this isn’t the best delivery, but the man is doing a good job of keeping my accountable, friends.

The goal of the class is to have “sitting in the chair” for at *least* one hour every day, practicing our writing.

Luckily, I do a lot of writing for my blog, social media, and correspondence with brands and the F&V community.

But, does that count?

And I’m asking for myself, not expecting you to have a response, friend.

I’m still working on what I want to write, what I want to say, and whether or not that can be found inside of the tiny niche I have created in the vegan food scene.

But today we are very much inside of the vegan food scene, and I’m glad to be here with you.

Today I’m sharing a dip that is to die for.

This is a dip that hands down makes everything taste better, elevated, …MORE.

This Cheezy White Bean Dip is made with white beans, nutritional yeast, and tahini for a delicious dip that’s as versatile as it is delicious.

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Tahini Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Tahini Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls that taste like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in energy ball form! Perfect for a meal prep snack.

Last week I wore shorts outside on a warmer day for the first time this season.

As is annually customary, I felt naked pretty much the entire walk.

I kept a good pace so as not to blind neighbors with my ghostly legs and managed to stress-walk the 30 minute walk in about 20.

Since it’s warming up, I’ve stopped baking as much and am focusing more on hand-mix snacks and bites.

These Tahini Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls are my favorite fuel right now.

They taste like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in energy ball form!

If you’ve been here a while, you know that I’m tahini obsessed.

When I realized I didn’t have a bliss ball made with tahini, I was disappointed in myself.

So, please enjoy this post and consider its deliciousness as an apology for keeping you waiting for so long!

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