Category Archives: QUICKIES!

Only have 30 minutes or less or maybe a lunch hour. Here is what to make or bring!

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Cupcakes

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So during the Superbowl (that I was not impressed at all with, Go Pats!). I decided to experiment on my two favorite people who will eat just about anything. My lovely husband and my very good asian male friend. Both will eat vegan food without any fuss. My husband because he will eat anything, and in bulk. My friend because he grew up in a Chinese family where “vegan” isn’t a foreign or scary but very normal and part of the culture. That being said I decided I would make a chocolate cherry cupcake that was half homemade. Basically an adaptation of the boxed variety. I also figured this could be a great treat for potlucks, birthdays, and the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday!

So I got to work looking for a good boxed brownie mix that was vegan. I found Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie mix which is really just brownie mix with chocolate chips and that seemed perfect. The reason I say that is because a.) the chocolate chips in the mix were vegan and B.) generally if chocolate cake/brownie mixes do not have chips in them I will add them to add a light flavor mask over any vegetables I toss in and their potential after taste. That being said… enter pumpkin. I know you can add a can of pumpkin to cake mix in lieu of oil/water/eggs but brownies I always hear “add black beans and puree them”. This has never sat well with me as I am part mexican and think refried beans don’t go with my dessert they only touch chocolate in mole, so I went back to my trusty canned pumpkin. Also let me note that you should NEVER add the egg replacer powder with your oil/water to brownie mixes the batter will separate during baking and you will be left with a rubbery batter covered in an oil slick. Oh and my husband will still eat it FYI.

So I added pumpkin to my brownie mix and then stirred forever. Once combined I placed batter equally in 12 paper cups in a cupcake pan. I then microwaved bagged frozen cherries from Whole Foods and placed one squished down in the center of each cupcake. They will be a little runny but that is totally ok. Then I covered half the cherries with a little more batter and half I left exposed. This was just to see what was a better method. Both came out fine so it is really up to you! I liked the batter topped a little better because it seemed like a hidden treasure but the exposed cherry is aesthetically more pleasing unfrosted. I then baked it according to the pan brownie suggestions on the box.
 

brownie batter

Mini Recipe:

Ingredients: Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix, (1) Can pumpkin, Whole Foods Frozen whole cherries, Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting, Sliced Raw Almonds, Vegan Chocolate Chips (12chips).

Instructions: Add canned pumpkin to mix. Stir. Place in cupcake papers inside cupcake pan. Add defrosted cherries to center. Bake at 325degrees for about 40minutes. Take out. Let cool. Add frosting a sprinkle of almonds and one chocolate chip!

 

brownie cupcake

 

The end result. They came out so yummy! They are better cooled however. Gives the cherry juice a chance to settle into the cake.

They were lighter than a fudgy brownie but more dense than a box made cupcake. I thought they were perfect. I added a dollop of vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker from the aerosol decorator can) and then sprinkled with raw sliced almonds and one vegan semisweet chocolate chip. However for Valentine’s Day I am thinking red sparkly sprinkles and a heart-shaped dollop or maybe a blue frosting heart? Any suggestions?

Well anyway the almonds are the perfect addition. I am actually thinking I may add a shake of almond extract to the batter next time to increase that sweet cherry flavor. I will tell you all how it “pans” out 😉 … pun intended!

Happy Valentine’s Day folks! Enjoy the chocolatey love with your sweet!

XOXOX, The Hippie Gypsy

Magical Stuffed Mushrooms with a Sundried Tomato Bechamel Sauce

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan

I am a sucker for stuffed mushrooms. Over the holidays I was on crutches after a nasty fall down a flight of stairs days after Thanksgiving. I had torn 3 ligaments and had multiple contusions and was just a big lumpy mess. I couldn’t walk even on crutches for about a week and then it was only as needed for weeks. When Christmas rolled around I was on crutches but I had to sit in order to cook. Stuffed mushrooms were something I could sit on a stool at the counter and make without too much moving around. So I decided to make the most wonderful indulgent ones I could for the Family Christmas party. I also planned on torturing my husband with recipes of it in the meantime. After multiple, and sometimes dry or bland, attempts at these. I found that this sauce I prepared, makes everything about the stuffed mushroom a million times more delicious. So don’t skimp and not add the sauce you will need it!

I brought them to the Christmas Party along with Chef Chloe’s Pumpkin Tiramisu for dessert. They were both a hit. The mushrooms were so well-loved that I overheard my cousin’s wife telling him he had to try the mushrooms they were ridiculous. (Which is good). He at them and was like these are awesome, who made them. Then I had to fess up that I made them and they were vegan and he said “Then I probably don’t want to know what is in them”. His wife said she did and to email her the recipe. The recipe was mailed out to several people and everyone went home happy!

RECIPE
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Sundried Tomato Bechamel Sauce: Preparation

1/3-1/2 of a small jar of sundried tomatoes in olive oil
Olive Oil
2 tbsp dehydrated Onions (or you can use onion powder or fresh if you choose)
1 tbsp Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Basil
1 8oz tub of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
1/2 block of Daiya Garlic Havarti Cheese (or Daiya Cheddar and add garlic to taste)
1/3 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme Sour Cream

Place saucepan on medium low. Add Sundried Tomatoes with oil, onions, and salt to a sauce pan until onions brown lightly (add extra olive oil if needed to cover bottom of pan thinly). Then add all other ingredients slowly (sour cream first the block cheese will splatter) and whisk until combined and melted. Chopping cheese will aid this process.

Stuffed Mushrooms: Preparation

9 large Portobello caps
1 package of Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing
2 cups hot water
2 tsp Thyme
2 tbsp salt ( I use Kosher)
Olive Oil Spray or Cooking Spray
Optional: Galaxy Foods Vegan Parmesan and Pecans/Walnuts

Spray a large lasagna pan with oil spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take a spoon and scrape the black insides of 6 mushrooms into a large mixing bowl. Also use the stems and dice them and toss into bowl. Scrape the other 3 but you can toss out the insides so they don’t overwhelm the stuffing.

Place the mushrooms in the lasagna pan sprinkle with a pinch kosher salt and then spray with oil. Place in oven to soften them. It will take about 10 minutes or well they start to sweat into the bottom of the pan and create juice. Take out, drain, set aside.

Next add stuffing to the mushroom insides in mixing bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp salt and 1 tsp thyme. Add 2 cups of hot water.Toss until combined and all stuffing is wet and soft. You can add nuts here if you would like them for crunch.

Use a 1/2 cup scoop and add stuffing to the mushrooms. It will take between 1/2 and 1 cup to fill each.

Place in oven until crispy on top about 15-20 minutes. (Make sauce while they are in the oven to save time)

Take out, add sauce, sprinkle with thyme and parmesan, and serve.

XOXOX, The Hippie Gypsy

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins: The Joy of Vegan Baking Adaptation

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So I love muffins and chocolate and bananas and my “Joy of Vegan Baking” Cookbook so when I saw a recipe for Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins I passed out in a heavenly rush on my kitchen floor! All jokes aside the recipe was easy and yummy and hit the spot. I could make a ton of them for a work related early morning meeting or just to snack away at throughout the week for the whole family. I even brought some to my neighbor’s house last night for the kids and they became the “best muffin I ever ate” by the 8year old omnivore at the house. So that being said, I knew I had to throw the adapted recipe up. The “Joy of Vegan Baking” calls for more chocolate chips which I am usually game for but in this case they were crumbling apart from the chips so I cut them in half and it was perfect. I also added a little more vanilla and some flaxseed powder. The muffins keep well and are pretty good ingredient wise with nuts, seeds, and 4 bananas. Can’t beat a semi-healthy muffin! Enjoy!

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INGREDIENTS:

2cups All Purpose Flour (I use unbleached from Trader Joe’s)

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

Pinch of Kosher Salt

1 Cup Vegan Sugar (Whole Foods has a good one)

1/3cup Canola Oil (Vegetable will work but Canola is better)

4 Bananas ripe or brown (deep yellow work best although brown are a little sweeter)

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp Mexican Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Vegan Semisweet Chocolate Chips (green package at whole foods)

1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts

OPTIONAL: Add 2 tbsp powdered flaxseed for a little extra goodness, it won’t effect the flavor or texture!

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LET’S BAKE!

Place paper in muffin tins. You can use folded parchment or just any good old cupcake paper wrapper. I have tons of old Christmas ones so red and green it is!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Get two bowls to mix in. One for wet ingredients one for dry. The larger one for the wet ingredients as you will add the dry to this mixture later.

Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt in on bowl (optional flaxseed powder). Lightly whisk to combine everything well.

Next, in the larger bowl or the “wet” bowl mix the oil and sugar until it looks like a yellow slushy.

Mash in the bananas to the “slushy” mix. Then add water and vanilla. Combine well.

Now sift the dry mix into the wet mix slowly. I would add about 1/8 at a time then stir in completely and sift in the next bunch to avoid those bubbles of lumpy dry mixture.

Once all is combined well stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

I did not add walnuts to one batch at the request of my neighbors kids the other day and the muffins were still deemed the “best muffin she has ever had”. 8 year old approval is a good thing especially an 8 year old omnivore! So nuts or no nuts they are A-OK. Moving on…

Scoop mixture into cupcake pan/cups. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup if my Ice cream scoop is unavailable.

Back for 25minutes in a gas oven it may take closer to 30 in an electric oven.

Take out, cool, and eat.

Half Homemade: Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cupcakes

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So today is my husband’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!

Excitement aside. We had a mostly vegan BBQ, my husband is an ominivore so I let him have his steak tips and hamburgers (because everything else he ate was vegan and he was very forgiving of my mood swings when I was detoxing off dairy and meat, I cried over Mac n Cheese once, It was pathetic).  But vegan-wise…  I made vegan beer brats, vegan hot dogs, chili, rice, baked russet potatoes, steamed veggies, a nacho dip, and a spinach artichoke dip with all the edible dipping tools one could ask for. I will try to post my recipes for those dips later this week as they are delicious!

So for dessert, what room there was left for dessert, was filled with the smell of warm milk chocolate and freshly chopped strawberries. I usually add guava with his chocolate cake and a dash of cinnamon but the store didn’t have any. So, I made a delicious half homemade milk chocolate cake with a spruced up strawberry frosting. I took plain white frosting that was “accidentally vegan” and added strawberry preserves from a local farm and freshly chopped strawberries.

The only issue I ran into was I could smell them baking in the oven nearly tasting the melted chocolate chips when I snuck a peak and saw the tops of them exploding and chocolate chips oozing over the top. I panicked for about 10 seconds contemplating pulling them out as they seemingly deflated and then said to my inner self “just wait until the time is up and they are cooked and test them”. When I brought them out it was like magic! The chocolate had formed a crunchy layer across the top similar to a carmelized creme brulee and the inside was soft and moist with little pockets of melted chocolate. The best mistake ever.

S0, I will now share the recipe of my delicious mistake with you!

Cake Ingredients:

Organics Chocolate Cake Mix by Dr. Oetker (follow recipe on back with below substitutions):

  • 2tbs powdered flaxseed (to sub for 2 eggs)
  • 1 egg worth of egg replacer mixture (1 1/2tsp egg replacer powder whisked with 2 tbs warm water)
  • 2tbs Water for egg replacer
  • Soy Milk instead of Dairy Milk (according to box directions)
  • Canola Oil for “Oil”

1/2cup- 2/3cup of vegan chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients:

1 large container of white frosting (vegan or accidentally vegan options are at every grocery store it seems, just read the label)

1/2 cup small diced fresh strawberries

3/4  container of strawberry preserves 

COOKING:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

So I started by making the frosting which one would think would be the last step since the cupcakes take about 25 minutes however, due to the heat lately, I needed to refrigerate the frosting so it would firm up.

First combine the white frosting and the preserves then after it has a good flavor (testing is the best part) and is well mixed add the fresh cut strawberries until they are evenly mixed in. Refrigerate. The flavor will intensify as it sits.

Next, make the egg replacer mixture in a small teacup or mixing bowl.

Then in a large mixing bowl place in Chocolate Cake powder mixture.

Grind the flaxseed powder in a coffee grinder and add to the Cake Mix.

Next, add soy milk and oil to the cake mix.

After it starts to get wet and combined add the egg replacer mixture to the cake mix.

Once everything is well combined and a little thick, add the chocolate chips. Mix well.

Finally start placing the cupcake batter into the lined tins. I use cupcake paper cups so that the chips don’t stick to the pan and make my cupcake fall apart.

Place first tray of cupcakes in the oven for between 20-25 minutes.

When taking them out use a fork to slide down the side of the cupcake between the paper and the pan to lift them out and place on a cooling tray or rack.

 Let cool at least an hour before frosting as the chocolate chips will explode onto the top forming a delicious crunchy layer that is more like lava at first! My cupcakes got a little melty with the frosting because of the weather being about 95 degrees and the cupcake being warm still.

Frost and Enjoy!

 

PS If you want to get fancy for a holiday add a heart-shaped strawberry slice on top for Valentines Day or a Chocolate Dipped Strawberry for an Anniversary or a Strawberry Lollipop in the Center for a Little Girls Birthday or Baby Shower!

Traveling Vegan: Snacking your Way to Athleticism

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was athletic prior to my vegan days. I ran a half marathon just months before being given, what I felt at the time was, a life sentence of veggies. My life has turned around for the better since that event over a year ago and it is about to change again! This week I will be allowed to begin my athletic streak again! The doctors gave me the A-OK to start running or cycling or whatver-ing! I was so excited I joined a gym with free spin classes and yoga! Then I got a call from my new trainer and her question about my diet hit home. I have never been an athlete while vegan. No more lean chicken breast or broiled fish or hard boiled eggs. What should I be eating before my Saturday training session?

So I started first by cutting my calories this month. I was consuming far too many. I use the Calorie Count app on my phone www.calorie-count.com and it is great, Weight Watchers is another great option www.weightwatchers.com but costs about $15 a month for their online food logging service. I prefer the free  calorie count online or app service, it even gives you a letter grade on your eating habits. Now the tough part is what calories are good for this new athletic lifestyle? I have talked to some friends, fellow runners, my old trainer, and referenced some sites. The best advice I was given: more protein less oil. So I went on a hunt for a new protein shake and since I tried one I liked at “The Seed” conference in NYC, I am going to start there and itemize how my training goes or adapts with it. So here is my recipe for the protein smoothie that will start of my travels to the gym, pre-run, and anywhere else I go!

1 packet or serving Vega Vanilla Chai Protein Powder (available at Whole Foods or online)
1 serving frozen tropical fruit blend (again whole foods has a banana, strawberry, mango mix I love)
1 banana
1-2 cups of milk (the suggestion was Rice but I only had unsweetened almond milk or vanilla coconut)
1 tbsp freshly ground flaxseed powder

I place it in the blender with the milk, powder, flax, and banana on the bottom and the frozen fruit is like ice on top. I like a little more milk because it is not as thick but my friend likes it thick so it melts over a period of time in the morning. This is a dense treat so remember it is a whole meal not just a snack! Enjoy!

PS I will keep you updated on how this works at Saturday’s training session!

Traveling Vegan: Fourth of July Trifle

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In preparation of the Fourth of July I have found I need two things 1. Produce and 2. A Sharp Knife.

It has been a hot summer here in the Boston area and knowing this I always prepare lots of cut fruits and veggies that are placed in glass containers in my fridge for snacking or for easy food preparation. After going to the grocery stores and Costco yesterday I came home to chop all my new finds up. I have 3 containers of cucumbers, 1 very large container of tomatoes, 12 chopped apples in a mixing bowl with lemon juice for pie, and 3 containers of strawberries. I felt good about this because when traveling over the fourth of July and surrounding days I see a need for cool raw items like fruit and cutting it up just makes it more accessible. The other day I went through 2 cartons of chopped strawberries from Saturday’s farm stand because of a Graduation party. If they had not been so accessible I may have just gone and lazily bought something. Instead my vegan version of a Fruit Trifle went over so well it was empty within 1 hour. The grocery store cake was barely missing a third of its frosting. So with that I am going to give you my trifle recipe and hopefully you will take that to the next fiesta you get invited to this summer as well as my tips to remember to “chop, contain, and take away” all those delicious fruits and veggies you buy each week. The 30 minutes it takes to do them all after shopping saves so much time later that week when you are in a hurry!

 

Ingredients for Marscapone:

1 8oz container vegan cream cheese

1/3cup vegan sour cream

1/3cup vegan powdered sugar

Ingredients for Whipped Cream:

2 cans chilled Coconut Milk

4 tablespoons Coconut Flour

1tbs Vanilla Extract

1-2cups Vegan Powdered Sugar

Ingredients for Cake:

1 lemon cake mix (try Organics by Dr. Oetker)

2 tablespoons freshly ground flaxseed powder

1 egg worth of egg replacer (I use Ener-gee Egg Replacer and buy it at Whole Foods)

Vegetable/Soybean Oil

Water

Ingredients for Fruit Filling:

4 cups chopped fresh strawberries

4 cups fresh blueberries

START: Make the yellow cake per the box specifications adding 1 egg worth of egg replacer and 2 eggs worth of powdered flaxseed (2tbsp). I use two circular cake pans and fill each half way. Bake until slightly browned and allow to cool before starting trifle.

 

CREAMS: In separate bowls, begin mixing the ingredients outlined above for each of the marscapone and whipped creams. For the whipped cream take only the white coconut cream substance from the can draining away any liquid before it goes in the bowl.  You can double either recipe for more thick creamy layers to the trifle if you have a larger trifle bowl. Whip both until thick and place into the refrigerator while you wait to prep the  rest of the trifle.

 

FRUIT: Chop the strawberries into small squares about the same size as a large blueberry. Blueberries can remain as is for layering.

 

MAKING THE LAYERS: I start the bottom layer with lemon cake. I trim the edges that are crusty off first and then slide to the bottom of the trifle bowl. I then top it with 1/2 of the marscapone cream. The next layer is of 1/2 of the blueberries. Then 1/2 of the whipped cream on top and last a layer of 1/2 of the chopped strawberries. Then repeat the whole set of layers. I save a few blueberries to sprinkle with the strawberries on the top layer as well since it is exposed.

Refrigerate until it is time to serve. Enjoy!

 

PS: This was a crowd pleaser to even non-vegans (since I am the only one that was at this party). They were whispering about it outside and talking to my mother about how talented I was. It is too simple to be talent so sneak around telling everyone you are an amazing chef and whip this up tomorrow morning for your Independence Day party!

Quick Lunch: Oriental Ramen with Veggies

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

When I go to work I always keep a few standby items in my drawer. One is everyone’s favorite college favorite: Ramen noodles. I get the “Oriental” flavor of Ramen and leave the dehydrated bricks in my drawer for a fast lunch. However, I am ever so aware of the sodium content and lack of veggies so I usually grab leftover veggies from my fridge and bring them into work so I can make myself a quick ramen lunch. My favorite veggies with the ramen are broccoli and edamame. I will be honest about the fact I do not LOVE edamame but when you can grab it from the freezer and toss it in a microwave so easily and it is filled with protein, I am in. So here is what I had for lunch yesterday. I encourage you to add any veggies you want and maybe even spice it up with some sesame seeds or peanuts or bean sprouts or shredded carrots and make a proper ramen soup (but on the go)!

Ingredients:

Ramen Noodle Soup (Oriental Flavor)
1-2cups leftover veggies or 1/2-1 cup of frozen veggies
water

Break up ramen noodles and place in bowl with water.
Place frozen veggies with some water or leftover veggies with no water into a bowl.
Place both bowls in microwave for 3-4 minutes.
Dump veggies into ramen noodle soup and enjoy!

Optional additionals: lemongrass, peanuts, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, cabbage, bokchoy, or whatever else you can find in the fridge!

Quick Meals: Roasted Garlic and Cherry Tomato Couscous

Posted by LD in Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , ,

I am always on the run. Sometimes I have no idea how I am going to feed my face in the 20 minutes I have until I need to run out the door. I work late most days and after over an hour drive home sometimes nearly 2 hrs, I would rather sleep or just eat crackers instead of cook a meal. Alas, I said to myself at lunch the other day. I know you don’t want to cook anything darling but it is lunch and you need veggies not just carbs. SO I started looking through the cabinets and noticed we had Near East Couscous and grape/cherry tomatoes that were starting to wrinkle before completely going to rot. So here is what I made and plan to continue making as it was delicious.

Ingredients:

Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous

1 1/4 cups water

Near East Flavor Packet (comes with couscous)

1 tbsp earth balance butter

5-10 grape/cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp crushed garlic in oil

2 tbsp dry basil

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp olive oil

  1. Start by placing water, butter, and flavor packet in sauce pan.
  2. Bring to boil stirring occasionally.
  3. In a separate sautee pan place olive oil, garlic, and salt.
  4. Cook until garlic browns slightly.
  5. When saucepan is boiling add dry couscous, cover, and remove from heat.
  6. Slice tomatoes into 4 pieces longwise making diamond-like tomato slices. Toss with basil and add to sautee pan.
  7. Sautee tomatoes until bright red and basil is browned appearing almost black.
  8. Remove sauce pan lid, fluff couscous and place into a bowl.
  9. Serve with tomatoes on top.
  10. Add a vegan parmesean for an extra kick. I use Galaxy brand. ENJOY!

Quick Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie for Beginner Vegans

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

So I love to travel and I love to eat but last year my surgeon came up to me and said I couldn’t eat what I had been eating and veganism was my new way of life. So after I cried over the loss of my mac n’ cheese and bacon cheeseburgers I took a deep breath and started checking out every Vegan cookbook and blog I could read. Today here I am, over a year later, less tears, and a few tricks up my sleeve. One is making a quick pie for those moments when you forgot you had to bring a dessert…

Lemon Meringue Pie is a party staple. My husband loves lemon and I love pie so it works in our house. Here is my trick Grab frozen vegan pie crust from Whole Foods, some lemon pie filling from just about any grocery store (just check for egg and gelatin most will not have this and be accidentally vegan), dump into the crust and bake to the requirements of the pie mix can. Sometimes you just need to bake the crust so fill it with dried beans to keep it from bubbling on the bottom. Then cool and add filling. Last step is the only real “cooking” part of this. Make a homemade coconut whipped cream topping.

2 cans of cold full fat unflavored coconut milk. (I always keep 2-4 in the fridge these days).

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar (use organic or vegan, easy to find at Whole Foods)

3-4tbsp of tapioca flour

1tbsp of Soy Powder

First I seperate the coconut water from the thick cream in the coconut milk cans and discard the wet stuff, thick cream only please! Then, I dump the coconut cream and all the other ingredients in a bowl and whip with a whisk until it is thick. Feel free to add more flour if needed. Some people sub tapioca for coconut flour but I don’t usually have that in my pantry so tapioca will have to do. Last spread onto the pie curd and whip little curls over the top. Freeze for about 30-60minutes and then throw into the fridge until you leave for the party!

Veganized Spinach Artichoke Dip

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Appetizers, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I missed spinach artichoke dip. The yummy kind you had at the chain restaurants when you went out for a girl’s night and a movie or a date in your early 20’s. It was always gooey fun and my stepkids love it also… so why not veganize it? My first instinct was because it is too hard without the dairy but no no no, it is not! This is an easy dump and go recipe for even the most novice! So beginner vegans enjoy your chips and dip! I have served this to a bunch of my husband’s friends and they never new the sneaky truth. Nor did I tell them. And it will stay that way.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 4 tbsp Garlic
  • 2 tbsp Onion
  • 2-4tbsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tbsp Basil
  • 1 can Artichoke Hearts (drain & dice)
  • 1 block frozen spinach (thaw)
  • 5oz Block Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (diced) (I use Cross Your Heart)
  • 1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
  • 8 oz. tub Vegan Cream Cheese (Tofutti or Galaxy)
  • 4 tbsp Vegan Parmesean (I only use Galaxy brand for this recipe)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)

TIME TO COOK!

Take 4tbsp olive oil in bottom of saucepan and throw in garlic (i use alot lke 4 tbsp and the frozen kind in the little cartons is the best to use), some onion I use about 2 tbsp of dehydrated onions, kosher salt to taste (at least 2-4tbsp i use more), and basil at least 1 tbsp.

Heat until it starts to get a touch of brown on the garlic and then dump in a drained can of finely diced up artichoke hearts that were in water; mix. Then dump in the following after the mixture is warm:

  • 1 thawed frozen block of spinach,
  • 5oz or a half of a block of mozzarella flavored cross your heart vegan cheese diced into smaller cubes;
  • 1/4 cup tofutti sour cream (its vegan),
  • 1 whole 8oz container of tofutti cream cheese (its vegan); and
  • 4tbsp of vegan parmesean cheese.

Mix until mozzarella melts. I add more salt and basil at the end and a bit of red pepper (2 shakes) and 1 tsp of smoked paprika.

ENJOY!

NOTE: The nutritional is as follows (I did this myself so it may be a little off). For the whole thing (17.75 servings at 2oz a serving or 1/4cup) It is 35.5oz; 1670 calories, 136grams fat; 61.5 cabrs; 11.5grams fiber; Now by serving it is 94 calories, 7.7grams of fat; 3.5 carbs; 0.65 grams fiber; 1.9 protein, and 3 ww points (it can be 5pts for 2 servings so you save by eating in bulk lol). I eat it with corn chips and find one serving works with one serving of 10 round chips. Enjoy!