CHAPTER 7
Savory Treats

With a Touch of Sugar and Spice

Pretzel Bars

Salty, sweet, and crunchy! Consider yourself forewarned: These disappear fast.

SERVES 6

1 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 cup vegan margarine

1 teaspoon salt

11⁄2 cups crushed pretzels

1⁄2 cup peanuts or almonds, chopped

1⁄4 cup vegan chocolate chips

  1. Grease an 8" × 8" baking dish.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring brown sugar, margarine, and salt to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir pretzels and peanuts together. Pour on brown sugar mixture.
  4. Press into prepared baking dish.
  5. While hot, press chocolate chips into the top and spread evenly after they melt. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Mexicali Fondue

Soyrizo is a vegan version of traditional chorizo, which is a spicy sausage that hails from Spain but is also very popular in Mexico. Several manufacturers offer Soyrizo, so shop around to see which has the spiciness you desire. If you can’t stand the heat, you may want to steer clear of this dip.

SERVES 4–6

1 tablespoon oil

3⁄4 cup Soyrizo (about 6 ounces)

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups nondairy milk

2 cups vegan Cheddar shreds

1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast

Tortilla chips

  1. Preheat oven to broil. Lightly grease a 1-quart baking dish.
  2. In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté Soyrizo and red pepper in oil. Cook until red pepper is tender, about 5 minutes.
  3. Using a whisk, stir flour into Soyrizo mixture and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add milk, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Add nutritional yeast and 1 cup vegan cheese.
  5. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.
  6. Place under broiler and bake for about 5 minutes or until top is golden.
  7. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cheesy Popcorn

If you like Smartfood popcorn, you’ll like this even better. But don’t bother making it if you don’t have nutritional yeast—it’s the magical ingredient that turns this cheesy.

SERVES 4

1⁄2 cup corn kernels

2 tablespoons oil

1⁄2 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon mustard powder

  1. In a large stockpot with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat, with a few kernels of popcorn in it. When those kernels pop, remove pot from heat, pour in the rest of the corn, and put the lid on. Warming all the kernels ensures that most will pop.
  2. Wait about 30 seconds. Return pot to heat and shake pan as kernels begin to pop. When the popping slows to just one or two pops, remove from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, toss hot popcorn with nutritional yeast, salt, and mustard powder.

Cheesy and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Nutty, crunchy yumminess is what you have here. Better start buying garbanzo beans in bulk because these tasty snacks are truly addictive!

SERVES 4

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon chili powder

1⁄2 teaspoon cumin

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together garbanzo beans, olive oil, nutritional yeast, chili powder, and cumin.
  3. Pour out onto prepared cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for 20–25 minutes, stirring about halfway through.

Baked Curried Sweet Potato Fries

I adore sweet potatoes and eat them no fewer than four times a week, no joke. But I’ve never had a batch of sweet potato fries while eating out that meet my high expectations the way these do. The potatoes bake up soft inside, crisp outside, and you get a fragrant hint of curry. Man, are these good!

SERVES 2

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin sticks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon curry powder, spicy or mild

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon coriander powder

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil, curry powder, salt, and coriander powder. Arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 35 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
Baked Curried Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Curried Sweet Potato Fries

Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips

The combo of crunchy potato chips plus melted chocolate yields a sinful result that belongs in the Junk Food Hall of Fame. (If only there was such a place….)

SERVES 2

1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips

1 teaspoon coconut oil

About 20 ruffled potato chips

Vegan sprinkles (optional)

1⁄2 cup coconut (optional)

1⁄4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil, stirring constantly, and remove from heat when most but not all chips are melted. Continue stirring until smooth.
  3. Being careful not to break potato chip, place one chip at a time in chocolate and using two forks, turn chip in chocolate and lift, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Place each chip on prepared baking sheet. Alternatively dip only half of chip into chocolate. Dip in sprinkles, coconut, or nuts (if using) while chocolate is still melted.
  4. Allow to cool on baking sheet until chocolate is set. Speed up process by refrigerating for 5 minutes.

Microwave Sea Salt and Vinegar Chips

Yep, you can pop these babies in the microwave and nuke for a mere 3 minutes and you’re well on your way to noshing. Not too shabby.

SERVES 2

1 large potato peeled, sliced paper-thin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1⁄2 teaspoon sugar

  1. In a medium bowl, toss potatoes, olive oil, vinegar, and sea salt until evenly coated.
  2. Line microwave-safe plate with parchment paper.
  3. In small batches, arrange potatoes in a single layer on plate.
  4. Microwave uncovered for 3–5 minutes, turning with tongs halfway through. Cooking time will depend on your microwave. Look for even browning. Remove from microwave; chips will crisp as they cool.

Cheesy Kale Chips

I’m sure you wouldn’t believe me if I told you these kale chips actually have a flavor somewhat reminiscent of tortilla chips, so I think you should bake up a batch and see for yourself.

SERVES 4

1 bunch kale, rinsed and dried

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup nutritional yeast

1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Remove stems and spines from kale and cut larger kale pieces in half.
  3. In a large bowl, toss kale with oil, salt, nutritional yeast, and cayenne, using hands to rub seasoning into leaves.
  4. Place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet; you might have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your bunch of kale.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Kale should be crisp but not brown.

Layered Pizza Dip

Perfect for when you can’t be bothered with making dough for pizza, this warm, flavorful, multilayered dip (which feels more like a casserole) can be sopped up with big hunks of fresh French bread.

SERVES 4–6

1 8-ounce container vegan cream cheese

1 3-ounce package sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1 cup marinara sauce

1⁄2 cup vegan pepperoni slices

1⁄4 cup mushrooms, sliced thin

1⁄4 cup bell peppers, sliced thin

1⁄4 cup onions, sliced thin

1 cup vegan mozzarella shreds

French bread baguette

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9" × 9" baking dish.
  2. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and oregano. Spread in the bottom of prepared dish. Top with marinara.
  3. Layer pepperoni slices, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions on marinara. Top with mozzarella cheese.
  4. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until vegetables are tender and mozzarella is melted.
  5. Serve with French bread torn into pieces.

Easy Candied Almonds

Crunchy, sweet, nutty, and FAST. You’ll be chowing down in no time.

SERVES 4

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons vegan margarine

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raw almonds

  1. Line a cookie sheet with lightly greased foil.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together brown sugar, margarine, and salt until sugar melts. Stir in almonds. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
  3. Cook until mixture is golden. Remove from heat.
  4. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and allow to cool. Break into bite-sized pieces.

Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix

In the mood for something hot and sweet? In this recipe, wasabi peas and cayenne provide the former and brown sugar provides the latter. It’s an unbeatable combo!

SERVES 2–4

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 tablespoon vegan margarine, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup raw nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, or any combination)

1 cup pretzels

1⁄2 cup wasabi peas

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, melted margarine, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Add in nuts, pretzels, and wasabi peas. Stir to evenly coat.
  2. Place nut mixture evenly spread out on a cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up clusters. Allow to cool completely.

White Chocolate Potato Chip Clusters

If there’s any dark or milk chocolate around, I almost always go for that over the white variety. That is, except when white chocolate is melted and mixed with crushed chips and peanuts, as they are in this brilliant recipe.

SERVES 4

3 cups plain potato chips, crushed

1⁄2 cup peanuts, chopped

1 cup vegan white chocolate chips

  1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss together potato chips and peanuts.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add white chocolate. Take chocolate off the heat while some chips are still melting and stir until smooth.
  4. Pour melted chocolate over chips; toss with 2 spoons to coat chips and nuts.
  5. Drop by the heaping tablespoonful onto prepared cookie sheet. Cool completely before eating.

Caramel Popcorn

This honestly rivals the delicious stuff you can buy by the bucketload at the carnival. Perfect for the cravings that strike when the fair isn’t in town.

SERVES 4

1 cup sugar

1⁄2 cup corn syrup

1⁄2 cup water

2 tablespoons vegan margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 quarts popped popcorn

  1. Line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly grease it. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring to a rapid boil, turn heat down to medium, and allow to cook for 10 minutes, watching for it to turn a golden color or to reach 300ºF on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.
  2. Stir in margarine and vanilla; pour over popcorn and toss with 2 wooden spoons to coat evenly.
  3. Place popcorn on prepared cookie sheet to cool.
Caramel Popcorn

Caramel Popcorn