Sides

Baked Oil-Free Almond Flour Falafel

Healthy oil-free, gluten-free baked falafel with a fresh cucumber tahini tzatziki! Enjoy this baked falafel in a lunch wrap, in a bowl, or on its own.

What do you think of falafel?

My first introduction to this typically deep-fried chickpea patty came from a Middle Eastern Eatery down the street from my house in high school.

I used to call ahead and order the “Hummus Falafel Rolled” and pick it up in my parents’ blue Honda Civic. I was practically drooling when I unwrapped it on the way home to reveal the golden brown pita stuffed hummus, greens, veg, and the crispiest brown falafel patties.

Too tempting to wait.

And it was messy, because the best foods are. I’m talking major hummus and falafel landslide messy.

Probably not the best thing to eat in your parents’ car when you’re 16.

Sorry, mom and dad.

…

Oil-Free Purple Sweet Potato Fries with Beet Ketchup

By Flora & Vino 3 Comments

Crispy oil-free baked purple sweet potato fries paired with sweet beet ketchup. Slice, bake, and season, then dip in naturally sweetened beet ketchup.

It’s Friday and I think we all deserve some fries dipped in ketchup.

I remember back when I considered fries a junk food, something I ordered from the fast food drive-through window with equal anticipation and regret.

How about a plant-based pairing that makes you feel as fantastic after you them as it does while you’re eating them?

In my house, fries and dip is considered health food.

You really can’t argue with that logic when you’re stuffing your face with Oil-Free Purple Sweet Potato Fries dipped in Beet Ketchup.

Plants on plants for the win.

…

Spring Lemon-y Leek Soup

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

Easy 1-pot soup with an oil-free broth packed with spring vegetables and leeks. Perfect to cozy up to when the weather turns brisk on spring evenings.

You guys, I can’t believe it’s May.

When did that happen?

The weather is warmer here, but sometimes the evenings still have a bit of nip to them.

I always attend spring evening events optimistically jacket-less, only to find myself shivering once the sun has gone down.

This Spring Lemony Leek Soup is perfect for such evenings when you want a little bit of comfort and warmth (or a jacket) until the sun comes up again.

…

Strawberry Quinoa Salad with Zesty Lime Tahini

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Fresh and light 1-bowl quinoa salad celebrating strawberry season and spring vegetables with a zippy oil-free lime tahini dressing.

Did I ever tell you about that time I went strawberry picking?

I showed up at the farm with my sunhat and gardening gloves, ready for the romance of picking beautiful red fruit from the ground while seated daintily in the shade.

Well, let me tell you, strawberry picking is not that picturesque.

I stood hunched over under the beating sun, squinting through the shrubbery for flashes of red berry, sweat collecting in the rim of my sunhat, my basket of berries only a quarter full.

Every berry into the bucket was a success, and every berry chucked onto the ground…was probably overripe and buggy.

But friends, the good ones were SO GOOD.

…

1-Pan Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts & Chickpeas

By Flora & Vino 9 Comments

Easy 1-pan meal with chickpeas, brussels sprouts, and red onion in an easy maple balsamic sauce. Enjoy as sweet side or hearty main meal.

Hi, everyone!

I’m here to share another 1-pan meal with you that is delicious as it is pretty.

It has all of the sweetness and romance you need this Valentine’s Day.

You and your 1-pan.

If you’re not a fan of brussel sprouts, I can promise you that you’ll be one by the end of this recipe.

So go warm a skillet and let’s make 1-Pan Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts & Chickpeas.

…

Tri-Spiced Yam Fries & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Oil-free yam fries perfectly seasoned and served with oil-free roasted red pepper hummus. Ready in 30 minutes for an easy snack or healthy side!

In high school, I attended our school football games solely for the food.

OK, for my friends, too.

There was track at my high school that ran around the football field, and my friends and I walked it in lingering laps, gossiping and scanning the stands, really hoping we might see that cute boy from 5th period.

We passed the marching band, the cheerleaders, and the stands, over and over, never actually watching the game.

(Who watches football at a football game?)

…

Lentil Walnut Beet Balls with Spicy Tahini Dressing

By Flora & Vino 5 Comments

Beet balls that are vegan, gluten free, an oil-free. Serve as an appetizer or in a big bowl of your favorite roasted veggies. Drizzle with oil-free tahini dressing!

Whenever we go out, there’s always something I can eat.

It might not be the most appealing thing in the world, and more often than not it will be plain greens, raw veggies, or fries, but it’s something I can munch on to be social while I’m daydreaming about the giant glow bowl waiting on me for when I get home.

…

Chunky Chickpea Noodle Soup with Brussel Sprouts

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

1-pot chickpea noodle soup in 30 minutes! A healthy take on the classic packed with veggies to keep you well. A comforting soup for all year round.

I used to love getting sick as kid, because it meant I could eat all the Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup I wanted, washed down with Fruit Punch Gatorade that turned my tongue and lips redder than my stuffy nose.

Fighting my first cold as a vegan, I definitely daydreamed about those sodium laced red and white Campbells soup cans.

There is something so healing and restorative about broth.

…