Veggie Craving

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Vegan Buffalo Dip (Dairy-Free)

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I have a love affair with hot sauce and I love putting it on….well, everything. I used to love the buffalo chicken dip people brought to parties, you know the stuff–so I decided to figure out if I could make a similar dip in a healthier, veganized form. I commenced to look up recipes and couldn’t believe the–excuse the French here–CRAP that is in that dip! I can’t believe I used to eat that stuff–but it was delicious crap so I decided to see what I could come up with and boy am I glad I did!

In the recipe below, I mention that I make my own yogurt, which really is super-easy, but if you don’t, no worries, you can buy some non-dairy plain yogurt and I’m sure that will be fine. When it comes to the yogurt and tofu, I’ve used a little bit less of each and it’s been just fine, so don’t sweat the measurements too much–this recipe is pretty forgiving.

Another bonus of this dip is that it’s good hot and cold. The first night I made it, we enjoyed it hot and then I put the leftovers in the fridge. I couldn’t wait to have the leftovers the next day and was thinking I was going to heat it up. I had set it on the counter and walked out of the room and when I came back my husband was eating it cold. I was like, “Ewww, is it any good cold??” His response, “Yep!”, as he munched away. It was thicker and completely tasty, so enjoy it either way!

I’ve eaten this dip with chips, pretzels, cracker and on a wrap–I can’t wait to hear how you enjoy it! You could add some jackfruit or some other meat replacer if you wanted, but all my taste-testers liked it just fine by itself.

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Vegan Buffalo Dip
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Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup cashews
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • ¾ cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ cup plain non-dairy yogurt (I make my own in the InstantPot or you can use store-bought)
  • 6 oz. firm tofu (drained and squeezed, or pressed if you are ambitious)
  • smoked paprika
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
  2. Add all ingredients, except smoked paprika, in blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have a high-powered blender, you may want to let the cashews soak for a couple hours, rinse and then use. You can also boil the cashews for 10 minutes, drain and then use.
  3. After blending, put in oven-safe pan, sprinkle with smoked paprika.
  4. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until it's lightly browned and has become somewhat solid when you wiggle it.
  5. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before eating (please don't burn your mouth in your hurry to taste it!)
  6. Leftovers should be good for about a week in the fridge.

I always loved Buffalo Chicken Dip–and I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. I hope you feel the same!

Dairy-free Spinach Artichoke Dip

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Recipe type: Appetizer
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Serves: 4
 
Spinach Artichoke Dip is a pretty irresistible snack, until you really figure out what's in it....oh wait, maybe that's just me. When I cut dairy out of my diet, that didn't mean I lost a complete taste for a good spinach artichoke dip.....so I set out to come up with a great, new recipe that would satisfy this craving. I think this recipe does a pretty good job of doing just that. Be sure to eat it right out of the oven.
Ingredients
  • ¾ cups cashews
  • ¾ cup nondairy milk
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 - 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • half an avocado
  • 1 13.75 can artichoke hearts
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a blender, thoroughly blend cashews, milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder and avocado.
  3. Blend until creamy, smooth and cashews are thoroughly blended. This may take a few minutes.
  4. Once blended, add artichoke hearts and spinach and pulse until the artichoke and spinach are blended, but it's OK to have some yummy chunks.
  5. Scrape into oven-proof dish or pan and bake for approximately 15 - 17 minutes.
  6. Serve with tortilla chips or bread....and enjoy!

 

Spicy Sriracha Hummus

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If you hear a man yelling about how this recipe is stolen, just ignore him–that’s just my husband and I think he doth protest too much! Seriously–if he was so concerned about it being snagged, he should have gotten a copyright on it or something, and he certainly shouldn’t have made it so delicious so that all our friends wanted the recipe. I mean, if you want to keep a recipe to yourself, make it horrible so nobody else wants it. The way I see it, I’m doing my civic duty by sharing this recipe with the masses. Not only is it incredibly delicious, but it’s oil-free so it’s super-good for you…which is kinda convenient because you’re going to be eating a lot of this stuff once you make it. Now, if you’re not into spicy recipes, that’s cool, but don’t make this and then complain to me that it’s too spicy because consider yourself warned–it’s got some heat, but not so much that you can’t appreciate the awesome flavors!

 

hummus vitamixCloseup Vitamix hummus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a long time, we made it in our food processor, but then we got a Vitamix and it makes it so nice and smooth. Either way, it’s very versatile and is good with pita chips or veggies, or a great base for a veggie pizza! Enjoy! If your house is anything like ours, it won’t last long!

Hummus closeup

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Recipe type: Snack
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The wonderful thing about hummus is there are so many ways to make it--so many flavors!! This is a family favorite--my husband's creation and for awhile, the only hummus my daughter would eat. We hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
  • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, reserve the juice
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • a pinch or two of cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Drain the cans of chickpeas but be sure to reserve the juice--you will use this later to smooth out your hummus and help to process it.
  2. Peel garlic cloves.
  3. Add all ingredients to a food processor, blending until smooth. Add chickpea juice as needed to get to the perfect hummus consistency.
  4. Spoon into a bowl and enjoy with pita chips, tortilla chips, carrots, pretzels, your finger....take your pick!