Tag Archives: dips

Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Lately, I’ve been making a lot of brown rice and mixed (frozen) vegetables because it’s a quick dinner. I got tired of just adding Bragg’s so I made a quick spicy peanut sauce. You don’t really need that much on a couple servings of rice and veg, so you can adjust and make more for noodles or whatever else. You can also thin it out more, which is what I did. I think it’d be a nice veggie dip alternative to say, plant-based (or regular) Ranch dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1/4C natural peanut butter
  • 1/2C boiling water
  • 1 tsp agave
  • 2-3 tsp of hot sauce (or more!)
  • dash of crushed red pepper flakes
  • dash of Bragg’s (or soy or Tamari sauce)

Put peanut butter and condiments in a small bowl, then slowly add boiling water. I whip it up with a fork rather than a spoon. Get it to the consistency you desire and adjust the spice level. Drizzle over rice and vegetables. A little goes a long way!

Vegan Ricotta “Cheese”

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I wanted to make some vegan lasagna for my Christmas dinner and this recipe is the perfect consistency of ricotta cheese (from what I recall. I rarely ate it to begin with.) You can adjust ingredients to your taste as the recipe is easily adaptable.

  • 1 14oz pkg extra firm tofu
  • juice of 1/2 -1 lemon
  • 4TB nutritional yeast
  • basil, oregano to taste

  1. Make sure you fully drain and press out the liquid from the tofu. I placed the block in a fine mesh strainer and placed that over a bowl, then covered the tofu with a paper towel and pressed out a lot of liquid, more so than just draining the water out of the package.
  2. Transfer tofu to bowl and mash up with a fork.
  3. Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast and seasonings. I don’t think you need salt because the nutritional yeast is salty enough, but, that’s up to you!
  4. Mix until combined. You’re done!

I really love this “cheese” and I would even eat it on crackers as a cheese dip.

Next up: add this to the lasagna!

Avocado Tomatillo Salsa

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Why buy salsa when you can make your own? Well, at least, that’s what I think. I haven’t really found a good enough (IMO) tomatillo salsa at the store, so, I made my own. Bring this to a BBQ and you’ll make some new friends and keep your old ones.

  • 4-5 medium size tomatillos
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 1 avocado, mashed
  • handful of cilantro
  • dash of salt (optional)

Directions:

-Remove the husks from the tomatillos and thoroughly rinse off the sticky residue.

-Place tomatillos and jalapeño in medium-sized pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let them simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or, until the skins wrinkle a bit and they are soft.

-Drain in a colander and let sit for a few minutes so they cool off a bit.

-Place tomatillos and pepper in a blender or food processor, along with a dash of salt, lime juice and cilantro. Process until blended.(It won’t take long). A word of caution: be careful and don’t stick your face over the bowl/blender after you’ve removed the lid to smell the salsa because one will be hit with the full on power of the jalapeño scent like a brick wall (my eyes were burning, lesson learned!).

-Put salsa in container and in the fridge to cool off even more. Once chilled, add the mashed avocado & stir. All done.

Now, go grab a beer, or a glass of rosé and some chips and enjoy.

tomatillos and peppers

So pretty!

salsa, pre avocado

Hummus

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I like snacky foods and appetizers. I often make a meal of them. I could probably live on guacamole, chips, salsa and hummus and pita. So, you see, I make a great party guest…because odds are I will make one of the above items and bring it to your next party.

I should mention that I really don’t have an exact recipe for hummus. I actually experiment and go by taste. Personally, I like spicy hummus. So, when you make it—and it’s incredibly easy–go according to what you like. Remember, cooking and baking is about having fun and experimenting. Hummus is also a quick and easy appetizer to bring to parties, along with some toasted pita chips.

There’s one store brand of hummus that I like: Sabra. When I’m feeling lazy, I’ll buy it, otherwise I make my own. I should also note, that another hummus that I would kill for is Sahadi’s hummus. If you’ve never been to Sahadi’s GO!! At the back of the store, as you weave your way through the masses, you’ll find a deli counter. Order some hummus and some babaganoush. They are by far the most flavorful you’ll ever experience. Oh, and pick up some fried cauliflower too…then invite me over.

Anyway, back to making hummus. Lately I’ve been making mine pretty spicy with the addition of harissa, which you can purchase pretty much anywhere, or, you can make your own. I suppose you could make your own tahini too, by toasting sesame seeds and grinding them, which would add a different element to the flavor of the hummus, but I just buy tahini in a jar as well. If you don’t have garbanzo beans on hand, try white beans (canellini), black beans or even cooked edamame. When I make black bean hummus I like to skip the chili powder and add chipotle chili powder.

Lisa’s Hummus

1 can of garbanzo beans (I use organic)
2-3 TB Tahini
1 small garlic clove (or, you don’t have to add it)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2-1 tsp. chili powder
1-2 TB Harissa
Dash or two of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans

Combine all ingredients in food processor and mix until creamy. You may have to add a tad more tahini and olive oil to get the exact consistency. If you don’t want to add to the fat calories, a little bit of water will also help achieve smooth hummus. Adjust to your liking.