White Bean and Basil Dip

What's easier than pie and tastier than hummus? White bean dip. It goes with everything from BLTs (tempeh bacon, lettuce and tomato) to carrot sticks and crackers. If the texture of garbanzo bean hummus leaves you queasy, this might be the substitute you've been looking for.

If soaking beans terrifies you, just read through and see how easy it really is.

1 lb dry white beans (or 3 cans of canned white beans)

4-10 cloves of roasted garlic
1 12 oz can of artichoke hearts
several basil leaves (or 1-2 T dried basil)
salt
lemon juice
olive oil
water
1. Pour the dry beans into your crock pot and fill the crock pot with water. Cover and leave unplugged all night long (or at least 8 hours).
2. In the morning, rinse the beans and return them to the crock pot. Cover them with plenty of water (near the top of the crock pot), plug it in, and set it to high heat. Cook for several hours... like 6. If you will be out of the house all day, cook them on low instead.
3. Drain the beans and rinse well.
4. Combine all ingredients into a blender or Vitamix. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and maybe a little lemon juice. Add enough water so that the liquid covers half of the beans. Puree.
5. Taste, add salt and possibly more oil, juice or water. This isn't a science, you just work until you get the texture you want. If the beans are warm when you do this, you may want to make the mixture a little thinner as it will become firmer once it cools in the refrigerator. Also, if you are soaking beans you will need to add a significant amount of salt. Canned beans are already quite salty, so add gradually but don't lose your mind if you add a tablespoon of salt.

Serve as a spread on a sandwich, a dip with garlic-y chips or veggies, or even use it as a salad dressing. If you have an abundance of tomatoes right now, you can chop them up and serve them coated in the dip on a bed of lettuce.

Peanut Dressing

Yes, this is for salads. And yes, it is fantastic and easy. Also high in protein and not affected too terribly by time outside of the refrigerator.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/4 c natural peanut butter
1/2 T tamari soy sauce
1-3 T rice wine vinegar
ginger paste (optional, to taste)

There's only one step!: Combine with a whisk and toss with the veggies.
I recommend the following toppings for your salad along with this dressing:
- grilled tofu
- carrot slices
- radishes
- green beans

To make ginger paste, peel a piece of ginger using a teaspoon. Hold the ginger in front of you and place your thumb into the bowl of the teaspoon. Drag the edge of the spoon towards you along the peel and it comes right off! Then you can puree the ginger with some water or simply chop it finely.

Quinoa Caprese (vegan style)

We're just at the end of summer and the tomatoes and basil are ready for caprese salad! If you're interested in a high-protein, vegan, delicious meal version, you're in the right place. No funny dairy alternatives here, just a tasty meal that is good hot or cold. I like sea salt on this recipe, so if you have it, this is a great time to bring it out!

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (zucchini is good, too!)
3 large tomatoes
1 c quinoa
1 bunch basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic (or more to taste)
4 T hemp seeds (or pine nuts)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a baking sheet inside to warm.
2. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices and brush or spray with olive oil. Place on preheated pan in the oven. Flip after about seven minutes.
3. Bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil, add quinoa and a little olive oil (like 1/2 T). Reduce the heat and cover, cooking for about seven minutes or until you can eat it.
4. Press garlic and sauté in olive oil over medium heat until golden brown.
5. Dice tomatoes and slice basil leaves into thin ribbons (roll many inside of a larger leaf and then slice like you're cutting sushi). When eggplant cools, dice it as well.
6. Drain any water remaining in quinoa and mix with diced veggies, sauteed garlic and basil. Mix in hemp seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with balsamic vinegar and oil or balsamic reduction.
Fancy option: reduce balsamic vinegar by heating it on the stove to medium heat until it is reduced by half.

Almost Pudding: PB & Chocolate

Do you need an intro for this one? I think we should just cut to the chase.

More nutritious than that shelf-stable stuff you can buy, easy to make, and super delicious. Lots more protein, too!

Ingredients:

4/5* of a package of firm SILKEN organic tofu

1 chocolate bar (of your choosing)

1 c natural peanut butter

1/2 c organic soy milk

1. Melt the chocolate bar in a microwave or double boiler.

2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, or mix with a hand mixer.

3. Pour into individual-sized serving containers.

4. Chill.

Makes 4 3 ounce servings.

*This recipe compliments any vegan salad dressing or soup recipe that involves a little silken tofu. If you have to use the whole package, I think you'll be fine, but it is what I do when I have used 1/5-1/4 of a package.

Hurry, Curry! (Lentil Dip)

I love hummus, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I find it boring. And sometimes I find that we have no cooked, soaked garbanzos. Or worse, no garbanzos at all.

So, what's a vegan yogini with a GF husband to do?

Improvise.

Introducing a flavorful dip that is just a bit different from anything else (and the only recipe I will EVER write that contains "curry powder".

1 cup dry lentils (any brown, green, or black variety will do, just not the dainty red lentils).

1 vegan Not-Chik-n bouillon cube

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 T toasted sesame seed oil

1-2 t curry powder (depending on your taste) salt to taste

additional water

1. Cook the lentils in the water, bouillon and bay leaf in a covered pot over low/medium heat. They should get mushy, so between 20-30 minutes should be perfect. You may need to add additional water if the lentils are still not mushy but the water has evaporated. I have mistakenly made burned lentil patty this way, and there's a reason that isn't the featured recipe.

2. Discard bay leaf and pour contents of pot into a food processor. Add oil, salt, and curry powder. Pure like the dickens. Thin with water as necessary to achieve a "dip" texture to your liking.

3. Serve with corn chips, rice crackers, or crudite. Great for a pot luck, but be sure to label it so people aren't horribly surprised when it isn't guacamole.

Easy. Delicious. Nearly impossible to mess up, unless you let the water boil off of the lentils or puree the spatula with the dip (Someone in our house who still owes me a new spatula may have also done this once).