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Quinoa Cakes with Oil-Free Basil Pesto

Easy plant-based patties packed with protein and leafy greens! Perfect for meal prep and easy weeknight meals. Serve with a nutty oil-free basil pesto!

Are you in a food rut?

I was Marco-Polo-ing with a friend today discussing our food rut probs.

Mine came on slowly with building disdain, like playing a song on repeat during a workout when each chorus inspires a little less feeling.

When I realized that I had consumed a variation of steamed vegetables + plant protein + tahini for every dinner in recent memory, I knew I needed a menu intervention.

And don’t get me started about dishes. (They’re never-ending!!!)

So, what kind of quarantine cook are you?

Are you unleashing you creativity or are you sticking to the tried and true basics?

Either way, you’re going to love these Quinoa Cakes with Oil-Free Basil Pesto.

They’re made with cooked quinoa, leafy greans, and tahini with a nutty oil-free basil pesto!

Schedule out a day next week in your menu to make this lean clean quarantine cuisine.

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Red Carrot, Apple, & Beet Detox Salad

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Easy raw detox salad with shredded red carrot, tart apple, and red beets. Reset and fuel your body with fruits, veggies, and healthy fats.

Hey, everyone!

It’s half way through January and we are making moves.

Did I tell you that I’m enrolled to take a course in plant-based nutrition starting in February?

I’m really excited to learn more about how eating more veg can impact your overall health and wellness and share that with you!

I know we talk a little about nutrition here on the blog, but I try to keep it vague and unspecified because, DISCLAIMER, I am not a medical professional or licensed nutritionist/dietician.

Usually I like to frame my recipes in the context of what works for me and what makes me feel my best in hopes that it might do the same for you.

I definitely have a “feel good” recipe to share with you today that’s packed with fresh produce, healthy fats, and cleansing qualities.

This Red Carrot, Apple, & Beet Detox Salad requires just 6 ingredients you can mix on the spot to feel fresh and rejuvenated.

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Creamy Cauliflower Rice Risotto

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Gluten and grain-free cauliflower rice with a coconut milk base and simple seasonings. Perfect as the base to your plant-based meal or as a cozy side.

Well it’s been an interesting past few days being phone-less, friends.

My iPhone started displaying some troubling signs on Sunday but I ignored them.

On Monday the touch screen was fickle and only worked about 50% of the time.

Yesterday (Tuesday), the screen was frozen for the entirety of the day, save a few 10 minute pockets of time where I managed to put up a few Instagram stories and backup my phone to the Cloud.

Today I finally made my way to the Apple store and received a shiny new phone for my faulty display troubles.

So now I’m getting settled with a full iCloud restore and getting reacquainted with being “in touch”.

I joked that the technical difficulties were the universe’s not so subtle way of telling me to take a break already.

Which I fully intend to…after I share this Creamy Cauliflower Rice Risotto with you.

This plant-based version of risotto with cauliflower rice and mushrooms will keep you cozy and satisfied this winter!

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Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad

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Roasted butternut squash salad with squash noodles, yellow onion, fresh sage, and dried cranberry. Perfect for a vegan and gluten-free holiday side dish!

A few years ago my parents served a warm butternut squash cranberry salad for the Thanksgiving Day spread.

One fateful forkful and I was in love and obviously I went back for seconds.

It was simple and elegant; equal parts sweet and savory.

After our plates were cleared I asked my mom about the recipe and she admitted that it was a Whole Foods pick up.

No shame in the catering game, friends.

Anyway, years later, (this year, to be exact!) I discovered the same squash dish at Whole Foods in the hot foods section.

I picked it up and checked out the simple ingredients: butternut squash, cranberries, onion, sage, and seasonings…etc.

Cart frozen in action, blocking the hot bar, I had an epiphany.

“Hey, I can make this. And I might be able to make it even better.”

Tis Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad is quick and easy with naturally sweetened dried cranberries, succulent squash, and savory sage.

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Golden Sesame Squash Fries

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Butternut squash “fries” seasoned with turmeric and cumin with a sesame seed twist! Bake a pan for a healthy snack or side paired with your favorite dip.

Let’s commiserate on cold weather for a minute, because it’s cold here in Virginia and I’m cold right along with it.

My townhouse isn’t well insulated and when I open the cabinets and dishwasher a rush of cold air hit me and the dishes I remove are icy cold and uninviting to the touch.

So I blast the temperature on my Nest thermostat up up up in hopes that the bottom two floors defrost while the top floor rests at a balmy eighty degrees.

Are you chilly too?

I love the changing seasons, but colder weather has never really been my cup of tea.

It requires so much work, you know?

All of the layers, heavy socks, and moisturizer — bonus points if you get a little Vitamin D for the day.

Anyway, I’ve got a recipe today that will warm your house and your heart and your insides.

These Golden Sesame Squash Fries are oven-baked with warm turmeric and a crunchy seeded exterior!

Open, sesame.

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Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Quick and colorful 1-pan cauliflower side roasted to perfection with simple seasonings and herbs. Enjoy as a holiday side or add protein for a cozy entrée.

Can we talk for a second about how close the holidays are?

Today is two weeks until Thanksgiving and yesterday was six weeks until the new year.

Not that I’m counting or anything.

To be honest, I haven’t even fully acknowledged that it’s November, let alone the side I’m going to bring to Thanksgiving Day dinner at my parents’.

Luckily, I hope this Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad can help us with our holiday dish scramble.

It’s the perfect side dish to add some cozy color to any plant-based plate!

You just need one pan, three heads of cauliflower, the perfect neutral, high-heat cooking oil, and your favorite fresh herb to bring this salad to your dining room table.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Butter Sauce

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy oven-roasted brussels sprouts served with a spicy oil-free hazelnut butter-based sauce and sesame seeds. Perfect for a delicious fall/winter side dish.

This weekend I became a plant mom.

The main level in my new townhouse has a bright white vibe with three sets of windows that let in lots of natural light.

With the moving boxes finally gone, I started to dream up ways to customize the space.

I don’t have any art on the walls yet, and my furniture budget is at a definite minimum.

What I do have, though, is space for a few plants.

Naturally, as with most big decisions, I polled Instagram first, asking what indoor plants are low maintenance.

Or, in other words, which plants do you really think I can keep alive?

Equipped with responses, I drove to the nursery with my friend and adopted three succulents, a snake plant, an aloe plant, and a croton!

They’re perched on plant-stands as I type this post, both calming and comforting in their stoic stillness.

To echo all of my newfound green, I made these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Butter Sauce today.

You just need a bag of brussels and a jar of hazelnut butter to get started!

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Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad with Zoodles (Oil-Free)

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy raw summer salad with corn, tomato, avocado, cucumber, and zucchini noodles. Oil-free and simply dressed. Perfect as a light nutritious summer side!

This has been the summer of corn for me.

For a long time one of my “fear foods” was corn.

“But Lauren,” you might say, “Corn is a veggie, at honestly it’s not very scary…what gives?”

Well, at some point I decided (probably due to misconstrued messages from diet culture) that corn wasn’t good for me and should be avoided at all costs.

This went on for several corn-on-the-cob-less years, until, in my recent healing I decided to add all of the corniness back in my life.

This summer I decided that, actually, in fact, corn is delicious and I’m going to eat it in all of the things.

Who’s with me?

At our last book club my friend served up a corn-centric summer salad that was so simple and delicious!

I’m excited to share my own version with you– packed with summer produce and an unexpected zucchini noodle twist.

This Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad with Zoodles (Oil-Free) is the summer side you’ve been waiting for.

It’s light, refreshing, and ready to serve less than 10 minutes for any summer occasion!

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Watermelon Quinoa Kale Salad

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Fresh light summer salad popping with juicy watermelon, heirloom tomato, cucumber, quinoa, mint, and roasted sunflower seeds. Perfect for summer lunch!

Guys, I really can’t believe it’s July.

Summer always leaves me scratching my head wondering where all of the sunny days went.

I’m hurrying to get my favorite summer recipes in before we blink and turn into fall pumpkins.

This Watermelon Quinoa Kale Salad might have the power to make summer last forever.

Or at least as long as you like within your kitchen.

You’re going to love this easy summery mix of sweet watermelon, hearty kale, nutty quinoa, bright mint, and toasted sunflower seeds.

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Vegan Pineapple Coleslaw with Cherries

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Creamy plant-based coleslaw without oil or dairy! Cabbage and carrot mixed with an almond milk yogurt dressing with pops of pineapple and dried cherry.

Happy Friday Eve!

Last weekend on our camping trip we took Harper hiking along Lake Anna.

I love the feeling of being swallowed up by the woods; only green trees and wet dirt and Harper’s fluffy white frame for as far as I could see.

Starting the day outdoors always leaves me feeling more grounded and at peace, almost childlike, you know?

And that, dear friends, is what summer is all about.

But enough about me– let’s talk about you.

Is anyone attending a cookout or barbecue this weekend?

This Vegan Pineapple Coleslaw with Cherries is the perfect go-to plant-based slaw to add to your summer spread!

Add some pineapple and cherries and it’s a freakin’ party.

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Quinoa Cakes with Oil-Free Basil Pesto

Red Carrot, Apple, & Beet Detox Salad

Creamy Cauliflower Rice Risotto

Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad

Golden Sesame Squash Fries

Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Butter Sauce

Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad with Zoodles (Oil-Free)

Watermelon Quinoa Kale Salad

Vegan Pineapple Coleslaw with Cherries

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