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Sides

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Almond Butter “Gravy”

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Lightened up mashed potatoes made with a mix of Yukon potatoes, cauliflower, and a creamy almond butter “gravy”. Perfect for a plant-based holiday side!

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Almond Butter “Gravy” by Flora & Vino

Thanksgiving is in one week, friends! 

Last night during my virtual family game night, we plotted and planned all of the fun things we’re going to do to celebrate in person next week. 

Including but not limited to: our annual Thanksgiving walk, GAMES, movies, and food. 

Lot’s of food.

My parents oh so gently steered me away bringing the sweet potato casserole to our holiday feast this year. 

Because I think I might be one of the only sweet potato lovers at the table. 

My love for sweet potatoes isn’t exactly a secret, and I often use them in place of regular potatoes in recipes. 

But perhaps there is a time and place for regular potatoes in a potato-dish, eh? 

Like Mashed Potatoes. 

How about Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Almond Butter “Gravy” ?!

Hey, no one said I couldn’t add cauliflower. 

These Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes are bound to be a hit with everyone at your holiday table this year!

These lightened up mashed taters are made with Yukon potatoes and cauliflower, mashed up and served with a creamy almond butter-based gravy. 

Let’s get excited for all of the sides!

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No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Plant-based and protein packed nuggets made with chickpeas and seasonings and baked to perfection. Serve with your favorite dip!

No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets by Flora & Vino

This past weekend M and I switched studio spaces. 

We decided that, as much as I wanted my studio space to be separate and tucked away from “real life”, it just made sense logically to have me closer to the kitchen.

And M further from the noise of the kitchen. 

So I lugged my photography boards, standing lights, and tiered shelves of props down to the main level while M disassembled and reassembled my standing desk. 

For some reason it was emotional to leave my studio nook upstairs.

Yeah, that separation between personal and business life as a work-from-home entrepreneur is always hard. 

Except lunchtime. 

Lunchtime everything kind of falls into place. 

Today I’m sharing these No-Chicken Chickpea Nuggets.

They’re baked and are the perfect plant-based back-to-school snack for all ages! 
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Cherry Tomato Salsa

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Fresh homemade salsa made with sweet cherry tomatoes! Enjoy as a dip with your favorite crackers or as an addition to tacos, burritos, and bowls.

Today I had a coffee date with a girlfriend that I haven’t seen in over a year.

We parked our cars outside of the Starbucks drive-through and socially distanced sipped on coffee, bridging the gap between our cars with conversation. 

Guys, I had forgotten how nice it is to be in the company of another woman and catch up on life as we know it. 

I came home with an empty coffee cup and a full heart, ready to take on a photo shoot and blog post writing. 

Lately I’ve been all about mixing up my routine; making small changes to embrace an awakening world. 

I’m currently enrolled in not one but TWO 7-day free trial via workout apps. 

Which kind of goes hand in hand with the 6 AM alarm that startled me into waking up after the third snooze this morning.

I feel like I’ve been in a deep sleep or meditation for the past year and I’m just starting to regain consciousness. 

Like, Rip Van Winkle level sleepiness. 

An in-person game night with my cousins and sister is planned for two weeks out; the first date we’re all fully vaccinated.

We joked that no games would be played– the entire night will probably revolve around hugging.

So much hugging. And food! 

What better way to embrace summer celebrations, in person and afar, then with a fresh dip?

This Cherry Tomato Salsa is made with just six ingredients and served with my favorite grain-free crackers! 

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Raw Walnut Cashew Butter

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

#ad// This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

2-ingredient homemade raw walnut cashew butter made super creamy in under 10 minutes  Serve it with Bare Snacks Banana Chips for an easy snack!

Raw Walnut Cashew Butter by Flora & Vino

Did you pull any epic pranks on April Fools Day?

After one of my aloe plants fell out of it’s pot for the fourth (or fifth?)  time last week (it was poorly potted and in a precarious position), I had a plant funeral and buried the evidence in my trashcan.

RIP, aloe. 

As part of an April Fools day joke, I purchased a new plant and propped it up on the late aloe’s plant stand on April the first, waiting for M to notice.

I smirked while he ate his breakfast, finally asking, pointedly, “So, do you notice anything different???”

After doing a lingering living room scan, he finally picked out the monstera deliciosa sitting pretty near the window sill.

I laughed, assuring him I would keep my plant murderess tendencies contained. 

I’m so infatuated with this little green plant and it’s smooth heart-shaped leaves already turning towards the sunshine. 

Let’s see how long it survives…

Hopefully longer than this Raw Walnut Cashew Butter that I made last week and served with banana chips. 

It requires just two ingredients and a blender without any added sugars or oils.

It’s true: I wouldn’t kid about something as serious as nut butter, not even on April Fools! 

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Cumin Roasted Carrots

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Roasted carrots simply seasoned with ground cumin, garlic, and fresh herbs. Enjoy as a colorful side on your plant-based plate!

Cumin Roasted Carrots by Flora & Vino

Yesterday I completed a socially distant gift drop off at my parents’ house. 

I piled brown paper bags to their full capacity with wrapped presents and managed to corral them into the car with only one red bow jumping ship.

Huzzah. 

I felt a bit like Santa Claus, humming to classic Christmas music with gifts in tow, driving down highways to where I used to live.

I dropped their gifts perched on my old front porch and scooped up gifts addressed “To: Lauren” in their stead. 

I inwardly laughed, because they had used the same Whole Foods brown paper bags to transport the gifts as I had. 

It was a bit strange, waving at my parents behind a mask and a storm door, but I know they could tell I was grinning. 

When I got home, M said that the mini tree was too small; the sea of new gifts dwarfed its green needled stature. 

It’s going to be a good Christmas, friends. 

Do you typically have your big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? 

Typically, we’ve always done the “nicer” dinner on Christmas Eve and saved leftovers for Christmas Day. 

This year, let’s try roasting carrots as a colorful side! 

These Cumin Roasted Carrots are so easy to roast and serve with your plant-based main. 

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Miso Mushroom Soup

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Simple vegan and gluten-free miso soup made with mixed mushrooms, tofu, organic shiro miso and greens. Serve as a side soup or light dinner!

Miso Mushroom Soup by Flora & Vino

Happy December, friends. 

How was your Thanksgiving? 

It was different this year, yeah? 

I definitely teared up when I saw the Macy’s parade broadcast on the TV on Thanksgiving Day. 

It’s the most ordinary and normal things that make my heart swell and my heart ache, lately. 

But I had a really special holiday with the best food and company that I’m oh so grateful for. 

I’m still working my way through leftovers and coming down from that holiday high. 

We won’t be down long, though, because Christmas is just 25 short days away. 

My evergreen wreath is already hanging against my brick red front door in a festive complementary color scheme. 

I’m getting a miniature Christmas tree sometime this week to perch in my living room and cover in all of my childhood ornaments. 

I’ve been craving some simpler, lighter meals to balance things out after a heavier holiday feast.  

It’s getting colder here in Virginia, so I thought we could cozy up to a bowl of Miso Mushroom Soup.

This vegan and gluten-free take on the classic ensures each spoonful is teeming with umami flavor and mushrooms.

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Garlic & Lemon Roasted Broccoli

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy oven roasted broccoli seasoned with lemon and garlic on a parchment lined sheet pan. Serve as a delicious side to your plant-based meal!

Garlic & Lemon Roasted Broccoli by Flora & Vino

My quads are *still* sore from hiking Old Rag Mountain this past Tuesday. 

The last time I hiked this 10.2 mile loop trail was back in 2015 and I don’t quite remember my quads screaming at my in this acute fashion. 

My one goal in setting out was to stay well hydrated because last time I trekked up 3,284 feet I ran out of water at the tippy top. 

Luckily, a fellow hiker tossed me a spare bottle that I chugged with Dan before the descent. 

So this time I vowed to have plenty of  H20. 

I took multiple bottles, which ended up being a *really* good idea. 

In the first 10 minutes, I unscrewed my purple Lifefactory glass bottle and, in a tragic slip, dropped it on the ground; 22 oz of filtered water watering the leaves around my hiking shoes. 

It ended up fine because my 48 oz Nalgene magically sustained me for the remainder of the climb. 

I even passed some energy bars to a hungry hiker on the way up, to give back that Old Rag good karma that I received last time. 

The autumn colors at the top were absolutely beautiful, guys! 

M and I sat shaded by a boulder, eating food smashed for our packs and looking out over a sea of burnt sienna, evergreen, and amber tree tops. 

The only thing missing on a long hike are the greens.

This Garlic & Lemon Roasted Broccoli is my current favorite side dish that’s sure to ehance any of your plant-based meals! 

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Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Nut-free macaroni and cheese made in one pot with your favorite pasta, steamed root vegetables, SunButter, and a crunchy sunflower seed topping.

Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese by Flora & Vino

Friends, I finally picked my pumpkins for Halloween. 

And by “picked” I mean I ordered two pumpkins on the Target app and picked them up in the Curbside pick up spot on the way home from outdoor climbing yesterday. 

There was something so calming about a nameless Target employee in a red bullseye shirt picking out my gourds this season. 

Picking out the “perfect” pumpkin can be a bit frustrating, can’t it? 

Darting from pumpkin to pumpkin in the patch, grabbing them by the stem and rolling their bulbous body over only to find a rotting or flattened backside. 

Gah. 

Since all forms of decision making feels hard right about now, I was more than ready to let a stranger decide the fate of my front step decor. 

Luckily, whoever it was picked me out two really solid pumpkins; round and red-orange with a stocky sturdy stem. 

I literally can not wait to carve them up this weekend! 

I also can’t wait to share this Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese with you.

It’s the perfect cozy companion for your table this fall made with veggies and seeds. 

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Easy Vegan Potato Salad

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Vegan potato salad made with yukon potatoes and chopped vegetables in a creamy vegan mayonnaise. Perfect to make in advance for summer entertaining.

Easy Vegan Potato Salad by Flora & Vino

The past few weeks I’ve been watching the Star Wars movies.

“Which Star Wars movies?” you might be wondering.

Well, all of them.

It still amazes how I made it to the age of 32 without having seen any of them.

I mean, I even took film studies in high school, guys.

So when Darth Vader bellows, “Luke, I am your father,” my jaw just about dropped down to my pajama bottomed booty.

Basically, I was shook, and so was the ginger kombucha in the glass I gripped tightly between my hands.

I know I’m about 30 years late to jump on this worldwide pop-culture phenomenon, but the story has me hooked.

It really is an epic love story spanning across space and time, isn’t it?!

Kind of like the kind of love story I would write myself into with this Easy Vegan Potato Salad.

It’s so easy to throw together with boiled potatoes, fresh chopped vegetables, and a creamy vegan mayonnaise!

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Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy summer roasted vegetables baked with simple seasonings baked in a parchment roasting bag. Serve as a summer side to your main dish.

Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables by Flora & Vino

Where did summer go, friends?

Yesterday was a gorgeous 75 degree day and I was walking around the neighborhood with a friend.

It’s the same streets I’ve been walking since quarantine, but it’s amazing how they look a little wider and sunnier with someone by my side.

“It feels like fall,” I remarked to him, astonished.

Then I realized that we’re somehow halfway through August, and, well, Fall is upon us.

Crazy.

I proceeded to share my theory with him: One in which time froze when COVID hit in March this past Spring and therefore it can’t possibly be Summer, let alone almost Fall.

A sound argument to explain my mental space surrounding most of 2020– PAUSED.

“But then, how do you explain all of the 93°F+ days we’ve had recently?” he teased.

Yeah, well, that’s hard to explain away.

And even harder to explain or wish away the bounty of summer produce in my fridge.

So why don’t we celebrate what’s left of Summer 2020 and make Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables.

You bake them easily in one pan in the oven for a colorful and nutritious summer side!

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Hi, I'm Lauren!
You can find me in the kitchen making healthy and creative plant-based dishes with whole foods, on my yoga mat stretching it out, or curled up with a good book and a glass of red. Searching for balanced living in an unbalanced world. I live it, eat it, drink it, write it, photograph it, and share it all here.

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