Quick Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie for Beginner Vegans

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

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!