Healthy Snacking

Dark Chocolate Tahini

Dark chocolate tahini made oil-free and refined-sugar-free with just three ingredients. Blend it up and serve with baked apple chips for dipping!

During quarantine, I became irrevocably infatuated with a store-bought chocolate tahini spread.

I used it like I would a chocolate dessert syrup.

Then I got M on the chocolate tahini train, too.

And, well…sharing is hard.

With a chocolate tahini shortage imminent, I knew I had one of two choices.

I could either hoard and hide those sweet sesame seed butter jars, or learn to make dark chocolate tahini myself.

Obviously, I took the higher path.

Are you proud of me?

This Dark Chocolate Tahini requires just 3 ingredients and 30 minutes to be yours to hide and hoard.

Or, you know, to share.

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Triple Berry Granola (Oil-Free!)

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Baked berry granola with three kinds of sweet berries and SunButter for an oil-free option. Perfect to make ahead for breakfast and snacking!

Granola doesn’t last long in my house.

It’s one of the staples that both M and I eat daily, piling it high on big breakfast bowls or grabbing a handfuls before an evening workout.

If you’re a bit of a granola connoisseur like I am, you know the good stuff it can be expensive.

So, for the past few weeks I’ve been making us homemade granola on a regular basis.

This is either the beginning of a granola series or the beginnings of a granola product line…ha!

Anyway, it’s been really fun testing new variations each Sunday.

I bake the mixture in the oven and then break it into cherished chunks before transferring it to an airtight bag for the week.

When I asked M what granola flavor he wanted this week, he requested “something fruity or tart.”

So I made this Triple Berry Granola (Oil-Free!) and infused it with three kinds of berries for a perfectly sweet and chunky granola.

It’s totally gluten-free, oil-free, and naturally-sweetened with maple syrup and berries!

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Easy Almond Butter Cups

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Easy dark chocolate cups stuffed with creamy almond butter and sprinkled with sea salt. The perfect vegan, paleo, and refined-sugar-free treat!

Do you brush your hair, friends?

This past week I had a wicked knot in my hair.

For context, I don’t even use the word “wicked” in conversation; that’s how bad it was.

My fingers felt the resistance while I was shampooing and when I *still* couldn’t untangle it after conditioning, I knew I was in trouble.

I got out of the shower, dripping and downcast, sure I was going to have to cut out a massive chunk of my hair with scissors.

Instead, M sat me down with a brush and copious amounts of conditioner and we worked it out, one knotted strand at a time.

Bless him.

I sat criss-cross-applesauce like a child, arching my neck to counter against the pull of the brush, rejoicing every time the brush finished a clean stroke.

If you’ve seen me on Instagram you know that my hair is somewhere between straight and curly; falling in soft ringlets on a good day and sort of weirdly wavy on a not-so-good day.

Typically, I jump out of the shower, scrunch my hair a few times all over with styling gel, and, well, forget about it.

In my defense, brushing it tends to make my hair staticky, frizzier, and bigger.

As my quarantine hair gets longer and wilder, I’m debating adding a hair brush to my arsenal of self care tools!

Here’s something else that’s crucial for self-care: Easy Almond Butter Cups.

These sweet cups require just TWO ingredients for a vegan, paleo, and refined-sugar-free treat!

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Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha

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Oil-free baked Japanese yam rounds served with hummus and a drizzle of sriracha! This simple sweet and spicy combo is a great snack or appetizer!

It’s a big day here at F&V, guys.

Today, I’m getting a new dishwasher installed!

It’s true, I tend to be hard on dishwashers, demanding that they deal with dishes saturated from recipe testing.

However, in my defense, this dishwasher just wasn’t that great from the start.

It had a bit of a funky smell when I moved in that took ages to wear off and somehow the dishes managed to come out dirtier *after* a cleaning cycle.

Gross.

So here’s to hoping that the new dishwasher can keep up with me.

Anyway, the snack I’m sharing with you today is easy on the dishwasher, and on the assembly!

This oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan recipe is to assemble and even easier to devour.

The snack: Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha!

The situation: It’s the perfect game time snack whether you’re playing Jackbox Games this weekend or watching the Super Bowl.

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Cracker Crusted Zucchini Fries

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Oven- baked zucchini fries coated in cracker crumbs! These oil-free, gluten-free, and plant-based fries make a delicious appetizer or snack.

Is it fry-day yet?

Wow, what a week it’s been.

Since we last spoke we have a new President of the United States.

It was snowing here while the Inauguration ceremony broadcast on my TV in all of it’s patriotic pomp and circumstance.

The giant white flakes flying across my peripheral vision felt symbolic of a brave new beginning.

My eyes welled up with tears as I watched Kamala Harris repeat the oath of office and become the first female, black, and south-Asian Vice President of the United States of America.

I squeezed M’s hand in recognition of such a pivotol moment of progress, for me, for us, for the world.

President Biden’s speech about unity left me optimistic and hopeful that we can get through all of this stuff- this heavy, hard, imperative, polarizing stuff- together.

If you’re feeling done with American politics and election coverage, that’s cool, because it’s snack time here at F&V.

Here’s to a new unity that I’ve been personally working on these past few week– crackers and zucchini.

Ditch the breading and make these Cracker Crusted Zucchini Fries that are grain-free and oil-free and made with just three ingredients!

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Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies

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Blueberry almond protein cookies made with almond butter, oats, and almond protein powder sweetened with banana and blueberries. Perfect for meal prep!

Yesterday I went to a coffee shop for the first time since last March.

After a “best coffee in VA” google search and a 20-minute drive, M and I found ourselves at local roastery gem.

The minute I opened the door the rich smells of coffee beans washed over me like seeing a long lost friend.

And then, I did see a long lost friend.

I was examining the whole coffee beans in colorful bags when suddenly my friend Walt was there, too.

Walt graduated from yoga teacher training in the same group as me, so, we’ve been through a journey together far before the world was on fire from COVID.

It felt surprising and fortuitous to see a familiar face during a global pandemic at a shop I only popped in by chance.

Life is funny.

He looked different with a mask and longer hair but the easy conversation was the same and we talked about yoga, hiking, and of course, coffee.

I just started drinking coffee, again, guys, which I told Walt with raised eyebrows.

Lately I love getting up 6 AM and sipping on warm dark roast coffee with a splash of almond milk.

You know what’s absolutely fantastic with coffee?

Something a little sweet.

These Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies are the best way to start your day with a burst of protein!

You bring the coffee and I’ll bring the cookie recipe.

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SunButter Cinnamon Smoothie

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Quick and easy shake with SunButter and plenty of cinnamon. Fruit-free and low-sugar option included. Perfect for a post-workout snack or light breakfast.

What are you watching right now?

I just started watching Bridgerton on Netflix and I’ve got to say; I’m kind of obsessed.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the best description I’ve heard so far is that it’s a mix between Gossip Girl and Jane Austen.

You’re intrigued now, aren’t you?

It takes place during the Regency era in England, where siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family search for love.

And drama ensues, of course.

Check it out!

It’s nice to have a new show to cozy up to at the end of short cold January days.

But during the daylight, let’s stay energized for the next Netflix marathon, OK?

This SunButter Cinnamon Smoothie is perfect to make for a light breakfast or quick snack!
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Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

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These oil-free roasted chickpeas are an easy protein-packed snack and make the perfect addition to salads and bowls. Sub in your favorite seasoning!

And the countdown to the new year keeps marching on.

It’s the silent prayer on everyone’s lips…2021.

Last night I attended an intention setting and new year manifestation virtual yoga class.

The class was divided into three themed segments where we moved and breathed into our past, present, and future.

It was a beautiful 75 minutes, and looking backwards and forwards made me feel a lot more grounded in the here and now.

So, here we are, with days left in what many people are calling the hardest year of our lives.

In reflecting in an Instagram post this past week, I realized that while this year was so devastatingly hard in so many ways, it also inspired personal growth at an accelerated rate.

And most of it feels pretty good.

I’m also feeling pretty good about ending the year snacking on Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas.

They’re baked with your favorite seasonings and zero added oils for an easy protein-packed snack and make the perfect addition to salads and bowls!

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Vegan & Gluten-Free Appetizer Round Up

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

A collection of simple and delicious vegan and gluten-free appetizers that are perfect for at-home celebrations, dinner parties, and between meal munchies!

I can’t quite believe there is less than one week left in 2020.

It feels like the year simultaneously took *forever* and yet no time time at all, doesn’t it?

Half of me still feels frozen in March, hunkered down at home, canceling plans, hoarding frozen foods, and obsessively watching the news.

I’m starting to organize virtual plans for New Years Eve; maybe a game night or maybe just enjoying some bubbles and conversation with friends.

This time last year I was coordinating my dress, shoes, and hair for a girls night out with a group of fun gals in the city.

But just because the wild NYE parties are cancelled this year doesn’t mean the eats are.

This is the perfect opportunity to throw together a bunch of plant based apps to ring in the new year healthy and satisfied!

The *one* thing I always struggled with at parties or gatherings was a lack of vegan appetizers.

I love creating them for the blog to show how easy it is to make plants, well…appetizing!

I’ve divided this listing into four categories: Dip & Spreads, Finger Food, Munchies, Small Plates, & Sweet Snacks so there’s something for everyone and ever occasion.

Many of the recipes are also oil-free, grain-free, and refined-sugar-free.

In this Vegan & Gluten-Free Appetizer Round Up you’ll find a listing of creative plant-based bites that you can snack on while socializing!

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Homemade Christmas Chocolates

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Homemade vegan dark chocolate Christmas candies made with fun holiday silicone molds for an easy 1-ingredient refined sugar-free Christmas treat!

Does it snow where you are, friends?

Today we got our first snow of the season in Virginia.

The white stuff started coming down around 10 AM and by 11 AM the grass, asphalt, and neighboring rooftops all had a fluffy frosting.

I don’t care what anyone says…I *love* snow.

Snow days always make me feel giddy with childlike anticipation and energy.

I plowed through a holiday shoot in the studio today, powered by holiday hits and the gorgeous light reflecting off my snow-saturated deck.

Afterwards, I dawned my Sorel snow boots, fuzzy hat, and heavy duty gloves to explore the winter wonderland.

If you’re home for the holidays, maybe you’re in the mood for a sweet homemade present.

These Homemade Christmas Chocolates are the perfect DIY Christmas treat that you can make from home!

All you need is some seriously delicious dark chocolate and your favorite holiday silicone molds….

Dark Chocolate Tahini

Triple Berry Granola (Oil-Free!)

Easy Almond Butter Cups

Japanese Yam Rounds with Hummus & Sriracha

Cracker Crusted Zucchini Fries

Blueberry Almond Protein Cookies

SunButter Cinnamon Smoothie

Oil-Free Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Vegan & Gluten-Free Appetizer Round Up

Homemade Christmas Chocolates

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Healthy Snacking

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