There might be a few things vegans aren’t good at… like hunting boar and eating those five-pound hamburgers designed as dares. But for every “all-you-can-eat ribs” contest vegans skip, there are five vegan parties or potlucks being held on any given day with spreads so impressive they’d put any gourmet buffet to shame. The best part is that every one of these cruelty-free events offers a great opportunity to prove that vegan food is not only better for you, for the animals, and for the planet—but it’s also frakking delicious.
That’s why it’s always important to invite not-yet-vegans to your potlucks and parties and maybe even include some suggestions on what they can bring. It’s also a great excuse to share some of your favorite recipes too.
This chapter is full of appetizers, starters, and snacks that that will level up any get-together from forgettable to fabulous!
Appetizers really shine when you’re entertaining—when they put on their fancy clothes and insist that you call them “hors d’oeuvres.” Nothing sparks good conversation like sharing great food—and nothing shows off one’s culinary skills better than plate after plate of delicious finger foods. Everyone gets a bite or two, remarks on how wonderful they are, and starts fantasizing about how delicious dinner is going to be.
Thankfully, many traditional dips and appetizers are already vegan. From the holy trinity of chips/salsa/guacamole to your classic bean dip, most hosts are already serving vegan appetizers without even thinking about it. But we’re here to expand your repertoire. Who doesn’t want to throw a great party? These recipes can help make your next one even greater.
This dip is heavy on the onions, so vegan Bettys on hot dates might want to skip it. But it’s fine for those of us who are married and don’t have to worry about avoiding bad breath because of that unconditional love thing. Life’s too short to not eat what you love.
You’re going to want to start making this recipe the night before your party. So plan ahead.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon diced red onion
4 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
Crushed pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black peppercorns
Soak your cashews overnight in enough water to cover them. Drain any extra water out in the morning and pat dry.
Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients until smooth. Scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula to make sure there aren’t any clumps. Pour the dip into a serving bowl and cover with foil. Chill for 3 hours and serve with baby carrots and celery sticks and all kinds of raw vegetable awesomeness.
This is one of those recipes that make you RSVP to parties you don’t actually want to go to so that you have an excuse to make this dip. If you’re reading this and recognize this recipe as something I brought to a potluck you held… I wasn’t talking about your potluck. Of course I wanted to go to your potluck.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh salsa
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups shredded Daiya vegan pepperjack cheese or your favorite vegan cheese
2 tomatoes, diced
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons black olives, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In your favorite food processor or blender, mix the black beans, kidney beans, chilies, liquid smoke, Bragg’s, and garlic. Move your bean mixture to a large mixing bowl and use a spoon to mix in the salsa, cilantro, bell pepper, and 1 cup of the vegan cheese. Spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish and spread an even layer of the remaining 1 cup vegan cheese over the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until your vegan cheese is melted.
Serve warm with fresh tomatoes, green onions, and black olives over the top and with a side of tortilla chips and some limeade… seriously, it’s kinda hot but in the right way.
Vegans and not-yet-vegans all love hummus. It’s the great equalizer.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
3 (14-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup olive oil (you’ll want another 1 to 2 tablespoons to pour over the top)
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons lemon zest
1½ teaspoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1½ teaspoons tahini
Put all your ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree on the highest setting. You’ll want to stop the machine a few times to scrape the sides and then blend some more. Your hummus is done once you have a nice, smooth paste.
Spoon into a serving dish and pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Serve with pita and fresh vegetables.
This recipe headlines one of my very favorite vegetables: a charming fellow known to all as the artichoke. It’s a delicious, spiky flower that I would eat every day if I could. I’ll be honest: this is kind of a rich dip. But if you have had the non-vegan version of this classic, you know it’s even richer. Actually, our vegan Artichoke Dip isn’t even close to being as rich as Betty Crocker’s “lighter” version, but put this on a thin cracker or pita… this dip is pretty much divine.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 cup Vegenaise
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese
4 green onions, diced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup chopped raw spinach
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, blend the Vegenaise and nutritional yeast with an electric handheld mixer. Stir in ½ cup of the vegan cheese and the green onions, artichoke hearts, spinach, lemon pepper, and onion powder. Spoon into an ungreased glass baking dish or ceramic casserole dish.
Cover with the remaining ½ cup vegan cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown and the vegan cheese is melted. Serve warm or at room temperature with crackers or bread.
For when 7 layers just aren’t enough.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Olive oil cooking spray
1 can vegan refried black beans (most are labeled “vegetarian” but when you read the label you’ll see they are actually vegan)
Dash of liquid smoke
Dash of hot sauce
1 teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 (4.5-ounce) can jalapeños, diced
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
¼ green bell pepper, diced
2 cups shredded Daiya vegan cheddar or pepperjack cheese or your favorite vegan cheese
½ cup Salsa Verde (here)
½ cup pico de gallo
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup sliced black olives
1 fresh jalapeño, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Coat an oven-safe platter with olive oil cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, blend the beans, liquid smoke, hot sauce, and Bragg’s with an electric handheld mixer until smooth.
In another mixing bowl, blend the vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast, and canned jalapeños until smooth.
Drain any excess water from your defrosted corn and mix with the green bell pepper in a bowl with a spoon. Now you’re ready to build your dip!
Spread your beans evenly over your coated oven-safe platter. Spread the vegan cream cheese over the beans in an even layer. This part can be tricky to do without messing up the beans. We recommend gently spreading one-third of your vegan cream cheese at a time and starting at one end of the plate and then the other. The last third of your vegan cream cheese goes in the middle. Use a butter knife to gently spread the vegan cream cheese until it meets and you have one even layer.
Using a slotted spoon, sprinkle your corn and pepper mixture over the cream cheese in an even layer. Sprinkle the vegan cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until your vegan cheese melts.
Pour your Salsa Verde over one half of pan the and pico de gallo over the other half. Top with tomatoes, cilantro, black olives, and fresh jalapeño.
You’re going to want to invest in some good tortilla chips and Mexican beer. This recipe makes a lot of food and is like the Swiss army knife of dips. Good for any occasion and has something for everyone.
Once I figured out how to get a seafood-y taste by using seaweed and kelp (also a great source of iron, vitamin C, and iodine), I was thrilled. It expanded our universe of food exponentially.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 to 3 ripe avocados, dark patches removed, peeled, pitted, and mashed
½ cup vegan sour cream
½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
1½ teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea kelp or seaweed granules
2 small fresh zucchinis, shredded (about 1 cup)
Crushed sea salt
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon vegan bacon bits
3 green onions, diced
In a large bowl, whip your avocados, vegan sour cream, horseradish, garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, nutritional yeast, and sea kelp with an electric handheld mixer until smooth. Using a large spoon, fold in the zucchini. At this point give your dip a taste test and add the needed salt and Old Bay seasoning.
Once you like the flavor, pour your dip into a serving bowl and sprinkle vegan bacon bits and green onions over the top. Serve with toasted baguette slices or schmancy crackers.
The first time we made this recipe we started a fire. Even with blurry burned photos, it remained one of the most popular recipes on our blog from the day we posted it. We get emails all the time from people who love this campy, “cheesy” dip and have welcomed it into their Friday night movie dates and birthday parties with open arms.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
½ cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella
10 slices Lightlife Smart Deli pepperoni
cup diced red pepper
cup diced green bell pepper
cup diced red onion
Handful of black olives, sliced
Handful of fresh basil
Set the oven to broil or turn on your broiler.
In a bowl, mix the vegan cream cheese, pizza sauce, garlic, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and oregano with an electric handheld mixer. Spread into a 9-inch glass pie dish. Then layer your dip in this order on top of the cheese mixture: small handful (about one-quarter) of vegan cheese, vegan pepperoni, another small handful of vegan cheese, peppers and onions, more vegan cheese, olives and basil, and then the last of your vegan cheese.
Put in the broiler until your vegan cheese is melted. This should take 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve immediately with slices of baguette or vegan breadsticks.
This is basically a recipe for Creole tabbouleh—which combines two of our favorite flavor profiles in one amazing dish.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 cups large green Spanish olives, pitted, drained, and diced
1 cup large kalamata olives, pitted, drained, and diced
¼ cup roasted red peppers in oil, drained
2 tablespoons capers, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 celery stalks, diced
¼ red onion, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped pimientos
2 green onions, diced
3 tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Combine all your ingredients in a bowl and toss thoroughly. Pour your salad into a large container with a resealable lid. Refrigerate overnight.
You can serve your salad chilled over a bed of mixed greens or with some crackers or pita.
Ah, spinach dip. A potluck classic. We jazzed this dish up a bit with some fresh herbs—everything’s better with fresh herbs.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 round loaf of bread (we recommend vegan sourdough bread if you can find it)
1 cup chopped baby spinach
2 stalks celery, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) package vegan sour cream
1½ cups Vegenaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2½ teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons fresh dill weed, diced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon capers, drained
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 diced tablespoon pimientos, drained
Crushed pink Himalayan salt and crushed black peppercorns to taste
Olive oil cooking spray
Cut and hollow out to within 1 inch of the bottom a 3-inch-wide ring on top of the bread loaf, leaving the center of the loaf intact.
Combine the vegetables, vegan sour cream, Vegenaise, lemon juice, lemon peel, celery seed, fresh herbs, capers, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and pimientos in a large bowl and give it a taste test. Add whatever salt and pepper you feel like it’s missing. Cover your bowl with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours to blend the flavors.
Use your hands to gently break off the center of the bread loaf that you cut out with your knife. You don’t want to dig out the loaf. Just remove the center part that was cut out with the knife. Then use a bread knife to cut the top part of the bread so that it makes a little cap. You want the bread to look like a little pot with a lid.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut the bread you removed from the loaf into bite-size cubes. Spread them out in a glass baking dish and lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray. Put them in the oven for 5 minutes, or until your bread cubes are lightly toasted.
Fill the little bread pot with your spinach dip and serve with the toasted bread cubes and maybe some extra crackers. You can’t dip the bread cubes in the dip and get all the good green stuff, so make sure you have a small dull knife out to spread the dip on your bread and crackers.
For a brief time on my road to the vegan I am today, I flirted with a raw diet. This favorite from those days would come out at parties and times when I craved a warm, spicy, nutty flavor. It will always remind me of long afternoons reading feminist literature and discussing topics like ethical fashion and body-image issues with the ladies at the domestic violence shelter I worked at. Yes. I was a cliché.
You’ll want to soak your cashews overnight, so start this recipe the night before you want to serve it.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup shredded raw coconut
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Dash of hot sauce
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1½ cups carrot juice
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Soak your cashews overnight in enough water to cover them.
The next day, blend all your ingredients except the cilantro in your food processor or blender until smooth. The shredded coconut will take forever to blend in completely, so don’t worry about that too much. You really just want to make sure your cashews become a creamy paste similar to hummus.
Cover and chill for 2 hours to let the flavors blend. Serve chilled with cilantro over the top and warm pita bread on the side.
When I was very small, I fell in love with My Fair Lady. I loved the story about the pompous and impossibly tan Professor Higgins, who realized he was a hopeless curmudgeon and needed this rough-around-the-edges Eliza to find happiness. I loved the songs and the clothes, and of course Audrey Hepburn. I mean, I’m hardly the first little girl who wished she would grow up to be one of those dazzling Hepburns. One memory that really stood out for me is when poor Eliza was trying to get her delicate little hands on a cucumber sandwich and some tea but was forced instead to practice her vowels or something. I asked my mom if cucumber sandwiches were any good. She did that Sicilian shrug and said, “British seem to like them. I bet they’re really bland.” It was a fair observation, but when I got older and finally had a vegan cucumber sandwich at Moby’s Teany in New York City, I realized that I actually adore these cute, fresh-flavored sandwiches, which are perfect for bridal and baby showers or really any ladylike event—like a tea party.
MAKES 30 OPEN-FACED SANDWICHES
1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns (you’ll want more to dash over the top)
2 to 3 large cucumbers
10 thin slices rye bread
10 thin slices whole wheat bread
10 thin slices pumpernickel bread
Edible flowers, fresh dill weed, diced chives, diced green onions, and shredded carrots for garnish, optional
In a small mixing bowl, blend half of your package of vegan cream cheese and the Dijon mustard with a handheld electric mixer.
In a different small mixing bowl, blend the remaining half of your vegan cream cheese with the lemon peel and black pepper.
Using a vegetable peeler or mandoline, thinly slice your cucumbers. Slice one lengthwise and one horizontally into coins. Try to get your slices so thin, you can see light through them.
Spread your Dijon cream cheese over half of your rye, wheat, and pumpernickel bread slices in even layers that go all the way to the crust. Then do the same thing with your lemon pepper cream cheese.
Now here’s where it gets fun! Are you ready for adventure?
Gently lay your cucumbers across the bread so they overlap and make a pretty pattern. Then use a very sharp knife to cut the crust off your bread and the ends of the sliced cucumbers, making a clean edge. Then cut each piece of bread into 4 equal triangles.
Or if you’re feeling a little crazy, use large, sharp metal cookie or biscuit cutters to cut shapes out of your bread. I recommend keeping to stars, hearts, and circles. If you get too complicated, it distracts from the pretty cucumbers.
Decorate your cucumber sandwiches with edible garnishes such as flowers, carrots, fresh herbs, and a dash of freshly ground black pepper.
I’d like to think that if Betty Crocker was a real person, she’d smile when she saw our tray of vegan deviled eggs come out at any party. They have the whimsical look of a deviled egg, minus the cholesterol and cruelty that comes with eggs. I mean, win-win, right?
MAKES 16 “EGGS”
4 16-ounce packages extrafirm tofu (drain as much water out of your tofu as you can)
¾ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 green onions, diced
Olive oil cooking spray
Paprika to dash over the top
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Cut each block of tofu into 4 rectangular pieces. You should have 16 pieces for 16 “eggs.”
With your 1-teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop a half-circle cup out of each tofu piece. This is what you are going to fill with your “yolk,” so make sure it isn’t too shallow—but you want to make sure it isn’t too deep either, because it’ll make your “egg” fall apart. Try to make it about the same size and depth as the measuring spoon.
Then, with a soupspoon, form the outside shape of the “egg.” Just gently cut the corners off your rectangular “egg.”
Put in a small bowl the extra tofu you scooped out of and cut off your “egg.” Mash it into a paste, and mix in the nutritional yeast, cumin, onion powder, turmeric, Dijon, and green onions to make your “yolk.” Fit your frosting gun or pastry bag with the largest tip and fill it with the “yolk” mixture. Fill the cups you made in your “eggs” with the “yolk” mixture. You are going to have some “yolk” left over, so it’s okay to overfill the “eggs.”
Coat a glass baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place the eggs in the baking dish and into the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until chilled.
Serve with a dash of paprika over the top and maybe a gin and tonic. Sounds odd, but I’ve seen it in old movies and Mad Men, and it actually looks like a party I’d want to go to.
This recipe is a perfect combination of two Betty Crocker Project all-stars. Creamy ranch flavor in a cute deviled “egg” package. You could say… we’ve given her all we’ve got, Captain!
MAKES 16 “EGGS”
4 16-ounce packages extrafirm tofu (drain as much water out of your tofu as you can)
¾ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon Vegan Ranch Dressing (here)
2 teaspoons vegan bacon bits
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill weed
Olive oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Cut each block of tofu into 4 rectangular pieces. You should have 16 pieces for 16 “eggs.”
With your 1-teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop a half-circle cup out of each tofu piece. This is what you are going to fill with your “yolk,” so make sure it isn’t too shallow—but you want to make sure it isn’t too deep either, because it’ll make your “egg” fall apart. Try to make it about the same size and depth as the measuring spoon.
Then, with a soupspoon, form the outside shape of the “egg.” Just gently cut the corners off your rectangular “egg.”
Put in a small bowl the extra tofu you scooped out of and cut off your “egg.” Mash it into a paste, and mix in the nutritional yeast, Vegan Ranch Dressing, vegan bacon bits, onion powder, turmeric, Dijon, and dill weed to make your “yolk.” Fit your frosting gun or pastry bag with the largest tip and use it to fill the cups you made in your “eggs” with the “yolk” mixture. You are going to have some “yolk” left over, so it’s okay to overfill the “eggs.”
Coat a glass baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place the eggs in the baking dish and into the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until chilled.
Serve with a pinch of chopped fresh chives over the top of each “egg.”
The term “antipasto” always confused me as a kid. I got that it wasn’t pasta, but what does it have against pasta? Why can’t cured meats, cheeses, olives, and pasta all just be friends?
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 whole wheat baguette, sliced
12 to 15 slices hickory smoked Tofurky Deli slices
12 to 15 slices Lightlife Smart Deli Pepperoni slices
12 to 15 slices smoked cheddar Sheese or Daiya jalapeño garlic wedge
cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained
¼ cup marinated mushrooms, drained
¼ cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes, drained
cup kalamata olives, pitted
¼ cup stuffed Spanish olives
¼ cup peperoncini, drained
4 tablespoons roasted red peppers, drained
1 fresh lemon, cut into wedges
Set aside the olive oil, vinegar, and bread slices. Arrange your remaining ingredients on a serving platter in a pleasing style, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Pour your olive oil into a little dish and drizzle the vinegar over the top. If your vinegar just forms a giant blob in the center of your olive oil, use a fork to swirl it around a few times before serving, to make it look a little more interesting.
Serve your antipasto chilled with the slices of bread in a basket on the side and the olive oil and vinegar in the center. You’ll need bamboo skewers or serving forks so your guests can build their plates, and a small spoon in the olive oil and vinegar so guests can drizzle the mixture over their food. Some prefer squeezing the fresh lemons instead. That’s part of what makes this appetizer so wonderful. Everyone gets what they want.
When I married an Irish-Italian boy from Boston, I knew what I was getting into… unlike the Miami Heat the week we made this recipe for the first time during the 2010 NBA play-offs. They might have thought that since Kevin Garnett was suspended, they had a chance against the Celtics. Even the die-hard Boston fans were like, “How will we live without him?” What they didn’t count on was Glen “Big Baby” Davis stepping up and proving to us all that just because someone or something is a substitute doesn’t mean they can’t bring it! Just like these faux chicken wings that we have renamed Big Baby Hot Wings… because even the Heat have nothing on how hot they are! Sadly, since we made this recipe, Big Baby was traded to the Orlando Magic… but the name lives on.
MAKES 8 TO 10 WINGS
2 tablespoons margarine
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
8 to 10 vegan chicken wings (see “Vegan Chicken Wings” here for substitutions)
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon cumin
1 batch Vegan Ranch Dressing (here)
Celery sticks, carrots, or other raw vegetables
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a 13 x 9-inch pan, melt the margarine in the oven. In a large ziplock bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Put the vegan chicken in the bag, 2 pieces at a time, and shake until your vegan chicken gets a nice even coating. Place the coated vegan chicken in the pan.
Bake uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes and then flip your vegan chicken to make sure it gets completely covered with your margarine. It should take 5 to 10 minutes for the vegan chicken to become a golden color and have a crispy coating.
While your vegan chicken bakes, mix the barbecue sauce, hot sauce, Creole seasoning, liquid smoke, and cumin in a bowl.
Once your vegan chicken has a golden crispy coating, pull it out of the oven and pour the barbecue mixture over the entire dish. Flip your vegan chicken a few times to make sure it gets completely coated.
Bake uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, or until your barbecue sauce makes a sticky glaze. Some folks like their vegan chicken wings more sticky than saucy, so this is kind of your call.
Serve with Vegan Ranch Dressing on the side to dip your vegan chicken in and some raw vegetables to cool your palate once in a while. Also because vegetables are good for you and you should eat them every day.
Imagine some of the most popular savory “guilty pleasure” foods stuffed in a jalapeño and then baked.
MAKES 24 JALAPEÑOS
½ cup vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1 tablespoon vegan sour cream
3 tablespoons vegan bacon bits
3 green onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1½ teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash of liquid smoke
12 large jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
Nutritional yeast (a pinch per pepper)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large mixing bowl, blend all ingredients except the jalapeños and nutritional yeast.
Pack each jalapeño half with vegan cream cheese filling and arrange them on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until your vegan cheese is bubbly and lightly browned and the jalapeños have crispy edges.
Allow to cool to the point that you can touch them, and sprinkle with a pinch of nutritional yeast before serving.
Here’s one of my many, many freak flags: sometimes I like to be “French.” I love French music. I like French movies. I wear black a lot. I like bike rides and wearing hats all year round. I’ve even been known to wear a scarf with a T-shirt or sundress. I love vegan French food! I know this sounds obnoxious. I guess if we’re being honest, I am a Frenchie (I am also the most mixed-up nondelinquent on the block). So really, it only makes sense that I’d get so excited about Betty Crocker’s fondue—even though technically it’s a Swiss dish. But if you’ve ever been to France, you know that the French take pride in getting creative with cheese. Our fondue might not be “real” cheese, but we’re not really French or Swiss—so what’s the harm in enjoying something that’s better for you and the cows?
Bon appétit!
MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS
½ cup margarine
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2½ cups nutritional yeast
1½ cups water
3 teaspoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
Dash of liquid smoke
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry sherry
2 cups shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella
2 whole wheat baguettes, sliced and slightly toasted
Apple and pear slices for dipping
Melt the margarine in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Blend in the flour and nutritional yeast with a whisk a little at a time until smooth. Then whisk in the following ingredients in this order: water, Bragg’s, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, white wine, lemon juice, garlic, and sherry. Simmer till the mixture starts to bubble. Using a spoon, stir in your vegan cheese. Turn the heat up a little and let your vegan cheese melt. Stir the mixture occasionally to keep the vegan cheese from sticking to the bottom.
Serve warm with the toasted slices of baguette and fruit. You’ll have a lot—so invite over some friends and make sure you have enough skewers for everyone.
Remember those old commercials where folks tried to figure out how they thought up putting peanut butter in the chocolate? Well, I’m not sure who thought of that, but I can tell you that this peanut butter fondue is a really good desserty dish that is kind of fun over chocolate or even with some celery sticks.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
1 teaspoon margarine
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup almond milk
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1½ cups creamy peanut butter
Chilled dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 baguette, sliced and slightly toasted
Celery sticks and apple slices for dipping
Heat the margarine, brown sugar, almond milk, tahini, and agave nectar to a boil in your Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once your margarine melts, use a whisk to blend in the brown sugar and prevent clumping.
Once your ingredients begin to bubble, whisk in the peanut butter until smooth.
Serve warm with the chocolate, toasted slices of baguette, fruit, and veggies for dipping. Don’t forget the skewers!
Every fall, there are literally millions of folks who are focused on two things: football and basketball. Our home includes all the above. Dan is addicted to sports and fantasy sports and all that’s included. It’s slowly spreading. I find myself knowing players’ names and taking a genuine interest in things that I never had any interest in before. Maybe this is what it means to really be a life partner. If you find yourself in the same spot, you may need these nachos. They’re a full meal for two or a great party dish, and the bean chili dip is so good, I was eating it with a spoon. Once we put these down on the coffee table, it was on till the break of dawn… or really, until halftime. We ate them pretty fast.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Olive oil cooking spray
½ red onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans in chili sauce
1 cup DIY Salsa (here)
1 teaspoon cumin
Dash of liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tablespoon smoked chipotle peppers, diced
Dash of hot sauce
½ to ¾ 9-ounce bag tortilla chips
1 cup shredded Daiya vegan cheddar cheese or your favorite vegan cheddar
¼ cup sliced black olives
1 batch Dan’s Guacamole (here), optional
Spray your cast-iron skillet with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the red onion and green pepper and cook for around 2 minutes, or until tender. Add the black beans, pinto beans with chili sauce, salsa, cumin, liquid smoke, Bragg’s, chipotle peppers, and hot sauce and stir until completely mixed. Stir frequently, remove from the heat when your bean mixture begins to boil, and place in a bowl.
Turn the heat down to low. Spray your skillet with olive oil again. Make an even layer of tortilla chips in the warm skillet. Be careful not to touch the sides of the hot skillet. You want to also make sure there aren’t any big holes or tall piles of chips in the layer. Spoon an even layer of 1 to 1½ cups of your bean mixture over the chips. Spread your vegan cheese over the beans and chips.
Cover and cook for around 5 minutes, or until your vegan cheese melts. Be careful to not wait too long, though, because you don’t want your chips to burn. Sprinkle your olives on top and serve in the skillet with the remaining bean mixture on the side to dip your chips in… We also had guacamole with ours, and it was pretty much the best thing ever.
The hardest thing about this recipe was trying to figure out how to put something green in there. When I closed my eyes and imagined all the parts of a barbecue that we could combine to make a plate of nachos—all Zoltron style—well, all the greens were too wilty. Basically what I’m saying is… enjoy these nachos with a salad.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
Olive oil cooking spray
Dash of liquid smoke
2 cups diced vegan chicken (we recommend Lightlife Smart Strips, Chick’n)
½ red onion, diced
1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 bag tortilla chips
1½ cups shredded Daiya vegan cheddar cheese or your favorite vegan cheddar
1 large tomato, diced
1 fresh jalapeño, diced
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with foil.
Spray your favorite cast-iron skillet with olive oil cooking spray and throw in a dash of liquid smoke. Heat your skillet over medium heat. Once your skillet is hot, toss in your vegan chicken, onion, and pinto beans and use your spatula to mix. Once your onion is tender, mix in your corn and barbecue sauce. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Once your barbecue sauce starts to bubble, remove your skillet from the heat and set aside.
Arrange your chips on the cookie sheet in an even layer. Sprinkle the vegan cheese in an even layer over the top of your chips and put your cookie sheet in the oven to bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until your vegan cheese melts.
Serve your chips and vegan cheese with your barbecue chicken mixture over the top and the tomato and jalapeño sprinkled over that.
Sometimes we come across one of Betty Crocker’s recipes that makes us ask ourselves, “Does this really need a recipe?” The thing is, we don’t make the rules, and if the Betty Crocker brand believes this needs a recipe, well, it does. Also, some people are beginners… so if our version is helpful to you, that’s good enough for us!
MAKES 12 TO 18 QUESADILLA SLICES
2 cups shredded Daiya vegan cheddar cheese or your favorite vegan cheddar
6 flour tortillas
4 medium green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons diced fresh jalapeños
¾ cup chopped raw spinach
Fresh cilantro, a batch of DIY Salsa (here), and ripe avocado slices for topping
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread cup of the vegan cheese evenly over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle the green onions, jalapeños, and spinach over your vegan cheese. Fold the tortilla over your filling and place on your pizza stone or cookie sheet.
Bake for about 5 minutes, or until your vegan cheese is melted and your tortilla is golden brown. Cut each tortilla into 2 to 3 wedges and top with cilantro, salsa, and avocado.
A blend of Mediterranean cultural traditions that’ll leave you confused about which language you should butcher trying to describe how delicious it is.
MAKES 12 TO 18 QUESADILLA SLICES
2 cups shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella
6 flour tortillas
2 tablespoons crumbled vegan feta cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
½ cup pitted diced kalamata olives
½ cup baby spinach leaves
cup sliced white mushrooms
3 tablespoons diced peperoncini
½ teaspoon capers, drained
Vegan Tzatziki Sauce (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread cup vegan cheese evenly over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle the vegan feta, tomatoes, olives, spinach, mushrooms, peperoncini, and capers over your vegan cheese and fold your tortilla over. Place on your pizza stone or cookie sheet.
Bake for about 5 minutes, or until your vegan cheese melts and your tortilla is golden brown. Cut each tortilla into 2 to 3 wedges and serve with a side of Vegan Tzatziki Sauce.
A classic recipe for bar food, served in the comfort of your own home. Pair with your favorite microbrew, put a game on TV, and try to act interested as your husband explains what a zone defense is. Maybe that’s just me.
MAKES 16 TO 24 SKINS
4 to 6 medium to large russet potatoes
½ cup margarine
¾ cup shredded Daiya vegan cheddar cheese or your favorite vegan cheddar
cup vegan sour cream
4 to 6 tablespoons vegan bacon bits (1 tablespoon per potato skin)
8 green onions, diced
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Prick your potatoes with a fork and bake for around 1 hour, or until tender. Remove your tender potatoes from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then cut into fourths lengthwise. Carefully use a spoon to scoop out a little of the soft pulp in the center. You want to leave most of the soft potato on the skin but also create a little bowl or cup for your toppings. Save the pulp to eat later as mashed potatoes or in soup.
Set your oven to broil or turn on your broiler.
Place your potato skins, skin down, on a covered broiler pan. With a butter knife, spread the margarine over them. You might not need to use all the margarine.
Broil your potato skins for 8 minutes, until the edges are crispy. Then sprinkle the vegan cheese over each buttered skin. Put your skins back in the broiler and broil for 30 seconds, or until your vegan cheese melts.
Serve hot with the vegan sour cream, vegan bacon bits, and green onions over the top and a cooler of your favorite beer!
As far as I know, there has never been a Betty Crocker recipe for an appetizer like this, which is the hybrid of two of the most popular types of food out there. But we decided to make this one anyway—and not just to have another excuse to eat avocados.
MAKES 10 TO 12 CROSTINI
¼ cup olive oil
4 teaspoons hot sauce
10 to 12 (½-inch-thick) slices of baguette
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
½ red onion, diced
½ cup black beans, cooked, drained, and rinsed
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
cup black olives, sliced
1 fresh jalapeño, diced
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover a cookie sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, blend the olive oil and hot sauce with a whisk. Lay your slices of baguette out in an even layer on your cookie sheet. Brush your baguette slices with the olive oil and hot sauce blend. The vinegar in the hot sauce is going to make the two ingredients separate, so watch out for that. You might need to whisk the oil and hot sauce a few times to keep them from separating. Put your bread slices in the oven and let them brown for around 1½ minutes. Once the edges of your bread are lightly toasted, pull the bread from the oven and let cool on the pan.
In a large bowl, mash your avocados with a handheld pastry blender. Then use a large spoon to gently mix in the onion, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Spread your avocado mixture over the baguette slices. Garnish with olives and jalapeños.
Olé!
I’ve heard that a fear of commitment is one of the most popular self-diagnosed phobias in our society. I understand it, but it’s not really a phobia I have. I mean, I’m not perfect. Needles can send me into a panic attack, and sandwiches with wet bread give me the chills. I also might have a mild case of social anxiety issues that I should Google more about. Though I’m pretty sure it’s just run-of-the-mill shyness. Don’t worry, I’m getting to my point: I want to marry these crostini.
MAKES 10 TO 12 CROSTINI
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 to 12 (½-inch-thick) slices of baguette
¾ cup baby kale leaves, steamed
1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover a cookie sheet with foil.
Whisk together the olive oil and garlic in a mixing bowl. Place your slices of baguette on your cookie sheet. Brush your garlicky olive oil over your slices of bread and put them in the oven for no longer than 1½ minutes. You want the bread slices to be very lightly toasted.
In another mixing bowl, toss the kale, beans, basil, wine, and Bragg’s. Spoon enough kale and bean mixture over each slice of bread to cover it. Then sprinkle about a tablespoon of vegan mozzarella over the top and put the bread back in the oven.
Let the crostini bake for about 10 minutes, or until your vegan mozzarella melts and the crusts are golden. Serve warm with some freshly ground black peppercorns over the top and with the leftover garlicky oil in a little bowl on the side to dip the crusts in. Yeah, it’s kind of messy, so remember the napkins.
A muffuletta is a classic New Orleans sandwich made of about a million different deli meats and an olive spread. This recipe takes those flavors and makes them snackable—and vegan, of course.
MAKES 10 TO 12 CROSTINI
10 to 12 (½-inch-thick) slices of baguette
1½ cups Green Olive Salad (here)
¼ cup olive oil
cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella
8 slices Peppered Tofurky Deli Slices, separated and chopped
8 slices Field Roast Lentil Sage Deli Slices, separated and chopped
Grated smoked cheddar Sheese (a pinch per crostini)
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
Sliced peperoncini for garnish
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
On an uncovered cookie pan, place the bread slices and toast lightly in the oven for no more than 1½ minutes.
In a large bowl, make your Green Olive Salad (here). When you remove the bread slices from the oven, flip them over in the same spot and drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over each slice.
Then put 1 to 2 pinches of vegan mozzarella on your bread. Try to spread it out a little to cover the bread. Put an even amount of Tofurky and Field Roast on each slice of bread and then a pinch of Sheese followed by another pinch of vegan mozzarella and sprinkle with the crushed black peppercorn. Once all your crostini are built, put your pan back in the oven.
Bake for no more than 10 minutes—just long enough for your vegan cheese to melt. Check on them often. After your crostini are toasted, top each with a large spoon of Green Olive Salad and a slice of peperoncini. Serve warm, and remember the napkins because this is one of the best things to eat in the world… and that means it’s gotta be messy.
This is a recipe for those classic crispy and garlicky crostini you find on restaurant menus. I won’t insult you by pretending my Sicilian grandmother made these before Sunday dinner or something. These are the perfect homemade happy hour or party appetizers. They’re easy and quick, and best of all they have capers in them. No, not the mysteries… the flower buds of Capparis spinosa, a prickly, perennial plant native to the Mediterranean and some parts of Asia. They come in little jars and are extremely cute.
MAKES 10 TO 12 CROSTINI
10 to 12 (½-inch-thick) slices of baguette
1 tomato, diced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
¼ cup olive oil
Shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan mozzarella (a pinch per crostini)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place your bread slices on an uncovered cookie sheet and toast lightly in the oven for no more than 1½ minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the tomato, basil, capers, Bragg’s, and pepper. When you remove your toasted bread slices from the oven, just flip them over in the same spot and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over each toasted slice of bread.
Then spoon just enough of your tomato mixture over each toasted slice of bread to cover it evenly. You will have some left over, but that’s okay. Just put it in a cup for dipping crusts later. Top your tomato mixture with a pinch of vegan mozzarella and put the pan back in the oven.
Bake for no more than 10 minutes. Check on the crostini often. You want to remove them when the crusts are golden brown and your vegan mozzarella is melted. Serve warm, and remember the napkins—these crostini can be messy.
Keep an open mind: this is actually a pretty remarkable appetizer. See, if you were one of the folks who followed the Betty Crocker Project on our blog, you know that some of the Betty Crocker recipes seem kinda random, but that’s how our little project meets its quotas for danger and adventure. Our recipe ended up looking a lot different from the Betty Crocker recipe, but I actually love these crostini in a way that I’ve never really loved BLT sandwiches. I hope you’ll give them a chance and add some kitschy style to your next party.
MAKES 10 TO 12 CROSTINI
10 to 12 (½-inch-thick) slices of baguette
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
3 tablespoons shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan cheese
2 teaspoons capers, drained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
2 small Roma tomatoes, sliced
3 teaspoons vegan bacon bits or crumbled smoked tempeh
Freshly ground black peppercorns (a few dashes per crostini)
4 to 6 leaves red leaf lettuce, chopped
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Brush one side of your slices of baguette with olive oil and place on your pizza stone to bake with the olive oil side up. You want your bread to get just slightly crispy, so pull the pizza stone from the oven as soon as you see the bread even begin to slightly brown. It should take no more than a minute. Depending on how large your pizza stone is, you might have to toast your baguette in batches.
While you are toasting your baguette, you can make your vegan cheese mixture. Mix your vegan cream cheese, vegan cheese, capers, garlic powder, and parsley in a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer until smooth. Spread each toasted slice of baguette with your vegan cheese mixture on the side that was brushed with olive oil. Place one slice of tomato and sprinkle some vegan bacon bits over the top, and then gently press them down to secure your toppings in your vegan cheese mix. Put your crostini back in the oven to bake.
It should take about 15 minutes for your vegan cheese to melt and get slightly golden brown. Remove the crostini from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until they can be handled but are still warm. Dash some black pepper over the top of your crostini while they cool. Put a pinch of red leaf lettuce on top right before you serve.
Happy eating!
Sometimes I think roasted garlic looks good; sometimes not so much. But even when it’s ugly, it’s delicious!
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
4 bulbs raw garlic
16 teaspoons olive oil (4 teaspoons per bulb)
Crushed pink Himalayan salt and crushed black peppercorns
Sliced French bread
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut about ¼ inch down from the tip of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves. Carefully peel the paper skin off each bulb, being sure to leave just enough to hold the bulbs together. Then place the bulbs, exposed cloves up, in a small oven-safe dish and drizzle your olive oil over the bulbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil and put in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until your garlic is tender when you poke it with a toothpick. Let the garlic cool and then serve by gently squeezing the soft paste out of the roasted cloves onto the slices of bread.
If you’re looking for more ways to level up your olives, may I suggest this recipe that combines green olives and awesome into a spread that’s good on everything from toasted baguette slices to vegan chicken sandwiches? I recommend this tapenade on warm pita with a side of red grapes.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1¼ cups green Spanish olives, pitted
¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons raw pine nuts
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black peppercorns
Toasted baguette slices
Blend the olives, artichoke hearts, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, garlic, and olive oil in your food processor or blender.
Transfer the tapenade to a bowl. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with pepper. Serve the tapenade with the toasted baguette slices.
The citrusy zest in the lemon aioli really brings out the savory flavors of the antipasto in this recipe. Enjoy it with a nice glass of red wine.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
1 zucchini, cut into 4-inch sticks
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 4-inch sticks
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 (14.75-ounce) can whole artichoke hearts
½ cup marinated asparagus spears
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup whole white mushrooms
½ cup whole kalamata olives, pitted
½ cup large Sicilian green olives, pitted
½ cup peperoncini
6 to 8 whole cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1 package peppered Tofurky Deli Slices, separated
½ cup cubed smoked cheddar Sheese or Daiya jalapeño garlic wedge
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 batch Lemon Aioli (here)
Heat your coals or gas grill for direct heat. Combine the vegetables, olives, pepperoncini, garlic, olive oil, and oregano in a large bowl and toss until all the ingredients are lightly coated in oil and oregano. Heat your grill basket until hot. Toss your coated vegetables into your grill basket. Cover and grill the vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes, shaking your basket to stir your vegetables occasionally.
Roll your Tofurky into little tubes and arrange them around the edge of a large serving platter. Once your vegetables are tender and lightly charred, pour them into the center of your serving platter. Sprinkle vegan cheese cubes over the vegetables. Sprinkle the fresh basil over the top and serve with a side of the Lemon Aioli for dipping.
These lettuce wraps require very little cooking and eased our suffering during Brooklyn’s 2011 heat wave—known in the local media as the Heat Dome. If you’re wondering if that’s worse than the Thunderdome… it seriously is. We’re not big on air-conditioning, so the Heat Dome was pretty much a nightmare for us. You’d think we’d be used to heat after years in Virginia. Back then, the sadistic humidity gave us an excuse to drive to the beach. On nights when we were feeling kinda fancy, we’d stop by P.F. Chang’s on the way back. Their vegan lettuce wrap appetizers are pretty spectacular and always went perfectly with sunburned shoulders and large lemonades. We made ours with Gardein Crispy Tenders and enjoyed them with some beers from Brooklyn’s Sixpoint Brewery,* a game of Civilization, and a giant fan pointed directly at us. It was like hanging out in a wind tunnel.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
Olive oil cooking spray
1 (9-ounce) package Gardein Crispy Tenders vegan chicken or your favorite vegan breaded chicken nuggets, defrosted
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, sliced
2½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sliced raw almonds
2 tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
3 celery stalks, chopped
½ cup shredded carrots
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
½ head of iceberg or Bibb lettuce
Spray your wok with olive oil cooking spray and heat over high heat. Once your oil is hot, toss in your defrosted vegan chicken. Begin to cook your vegan chicken while flipping occasionally. Once the breading begins to get crispy, add the water chestnuts, 1½ teaspoons of the ginger, the almonds, Bragg’s, and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium. Don’t worry if the breading begins to come off your vegan chicken. It will become little crunchy bits in the mixture. Continue to stir-fry your vegan chicken and other ingredients until your vegan chicken gets a nice golden brown. Then transfer your mixture to a large bowl and set it aside to cool.
In another large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 teaspoon ginger, the lime juice, agave nectar, and teriyaki sauce. Add the celery, carrots, and cilantro and toss. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes so your vegetables can marinate a little in the sauce. While that’s happening, dump your vegan chicken mixture onto a cutting board and lightly chop into large chunks. Scrape your vegan chicken mixture into your vegetable mixture and toss to combine.
Serve with fresh lettuce leaves and some napkins… it can be messy. You’re going to be spooning the vegan chicken and vegetables into your lettuce leaves and then folding the leaves over like little tacos. Be careful—lettuce isn’t as durable a good tortilla.
“Clementines and olives—together?” you’re thinking. “This lady is crazy.” I’m telling you—this flavor combination, and this guaranteed-to-impress party recipe, is delicious. As for whether or not I’m crazy, well, that’s another matter entirely.
MAKES 14 TO 16 SERVINGS
2 to 3 pounds Belgian endives (this should be enough for you to have 14 to 16 good-size leaves to stuff)
1½ teaspoons grated orange peel
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
8 to 9 ripe clementine oranges, peeled, skinned, seeded, and segmented
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and drained
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1½ teaspoons capers, drained
¼ cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese or your favorite vegan cheese
Crushed pink Himalayan salt and crushed black peppercorns to taste
Separate your endive leaves and spread them out onto your serving plate or plates to see how many you have. Cover with plastic wrap.
In your smallest mixing bowl, whisk together your orange peel, lemon juice, and olive oil.
In your largest mixing bowl, toss your orange segments, olives, celery, parsley, capers, and vegan cheese. Give it one last taste test and add any needed salt and pepper. Remove the plastic wrap from the endive leaves. Using a spoon, fill your endive leaves with the orange and olive mix. Try to get an even amount of orange segments and olives in each leaf. Drizzle no more than ½ teaspoon of your olive oil blend over the top of each endive leaf.
Re-cover with plastic wrap until serving.
Is anything better than guacamole? (Thinks.) Nope, can’t think of anything. This classic Mexican dish, and its name, dates back to the pre-Columbian Aztecs—which makes guacamole even cooler, something I never would have thought possible.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 large ripe avocados
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 fresh jalapeño, diced
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Crushed pink Himalayan salt and crushed black peppercorns
Mash your avocados into a paste and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Then eat—eat—eat.
This flavorful take on salsa is incredibly easy to make—especially if you have a partner who specializes in chopping vegetables. It’s guaranteed to impress at any get-together, and guaranteed to disappear in under 5 minutes flat.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tomato, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 chipotle pepper, diced
2 tablespoons India Pale Ale beer
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
½ teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
Mix all the ingredients in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
This is a simple recipe for classic salsa that’ll blow any of that store-bought nonsense out of the water. Once you’ve made your own, you’ll never go back.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
3 large tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 green onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon diced fresh jalapeños
3 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for at least an hour.
This is my favorite salsa of all the salsas to ever salsa.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 pounds whole tomatillos, husked
2 tablespoons sliced fresh jalapeños
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1½ cups water
Place all the ingredients in your chiquitita cast-iron skillet, cover, and heat on medium heat for 10 minutes. Check on your salsa often and stir it to blend the flavors. Pour into your food processor and blend until it is a smooth liquid. Put the salsa in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
It’s not hard to find vegan snacks these days. I’ve been on road trips through Texas barbecue country where gas stations were where locals went on date night and found hummus and baby carrots. I’ve been on trains in countries where I didn’t speak the language and still found bags of vegan peanut-butter-flavored puffed corn yummies that were actually really good. So this section is more for the DIY type. These snacks are as fun to make as they are to eat.
Here are a few fun facts about our Homemade Potato Chips before we start: These chips are baked, not fried. The key to a great homemade potato chip is slicing your chips as thin and as even as possible. You may want to have a few practice potatoes to play around with. The reject chips can be used in the Ultimate Corn Chowder Experience recipe (here) to replace the hash browns. If you have a mandoline (see “Where Do They Get Those Wonderful Toys?” here), I would recommend using it to get the thinnest and most even slices.
Shall we begin?
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Olive oil cooking spray
6 medium to large russet or sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
3 teaspoons crushed pink Himalayan salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with an even, heavy layer of olive oil cooking spray.
With a very sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice your potatoes diagonally to get the largest yet thinnest chips possible. You want them to be around 
inch thick.
Arrange your potato slices on the cookie sheet so none of them are touching. Spray another even layer of cooking spray over the top. We had to make ours in 3 batches. If you have to do that, don’t worry. They actually bake quickly.
Bake your chips for 5 to 8 minutes and then flip them. Put them back in the oven to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Pull them out of the oven when the chips are a light golden brown and crispy. Keep in mind that the thinner your chips are sliced, the quicker they will brown.
In a bowl, mix the black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. When you pull the chips from the oven, they are really hot but they are also kind of fragile, like store-bought potato chips, so very gently move them to a wire rack to cool. Using a slotted spoon, sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture over the top of the warm chips before the oil cools, to help attach the mixture to the chips.
Let them cool to room temperature before gobbling them up by the handful!
This is one of my favorite potato chip flavors, but it’s usually not vegan, which pisses me off because it’s not necessary to put animals in there. But now we can make our own.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
4 cups malt vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium to large russet potatoes
Olive oil cooking spray
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
4 teaspoons crushed sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Fill a large glass lasagna dish with the vinegar, water, and garlic and blend with a whisk.
With a very sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice your potatoes diagonally to get the largest and thinnest chips possible. You want them to be around inch thick. Place each slice immediately into the vinegar mix. Once all your potato slices are in the vinegar, cover your dish with foil and refrigerate for 1½ hours. Then pull out the dish and rotate your potato slices so that the ones that were at the bottom of the dish are now at the top. Put the dish back in the fridge for another 1½ hours. You’ll notice that some of the slices have started to curl, and that’s okay.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with an even layer of olive oil cooking spray. Arrange your marinated potato slices on the cookie sheet in an even layer so none of them are touching. Spray another even layer of cooking spray over the top.
We had to make ours in 3 batches. If you have to do that, don’t worry. They actually bake quickly and the ones that have to wait in the vinegar longer are only slightly more flavorful.
Bake your chips for 5 to 8 minutes and then flip them. Put them back in the oven to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Pull them out of the oven when the chips are a light golden brown and they are crispy. Keep in mind that the thinner your chips are sliced, the quicker they will brown.
In a bowl, mix the black pepper, sea salt, and garlic powder. When you pull the chips from the oven, they are really hot but they are also kind of fragile, like store-bought potato chips, so very gently move them to a wire rack to cool. Using a slotted spoon, sprinkle the pepper and salt mixture over the top of the warm chips before the oil cools, to help attach the mixture to the chips.
While your chips cool to room temperature, you’ll have more than enough time to make yourself a Tofurky Reuben sandwich (here) to go with them.
Betty Crocker has convinced me to never buy microwave popcorn again, and now you don’t have to either.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
½ cup uncooked popcorn
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
In a 4-quart Dutch oven or soup pot with a lid, put the popcorn and olive oil. Rotate the Dutch oven so your popcorn and oil spread out evenly. Cover and cook over medium heat until the first kernel pops. Remove from the heat and let stand while you count to 45. Return to the heat.
Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the popcorn stops popping. Immediately pour the popcorn into a serving bowl. Sprinkle your bowl of popcorn with nutritional yeast.
Now you can make your own version of this classic ballpark snack in your very own friendly confines. Spending three hours watching grown men scratch themselves: optional.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
½ cup uncooked popcorn
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon margarine
1 tablespoon agave nectar
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon arrowroot
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a 4-quart Dutch oven or a soup pot with a lid, put the popcorn and olive oil. Rotate the Dutch oven so your popcorn and oil spread out evenly. Cover and cook over medium heat until the first kernel pops. Remove from the heat and let stand while you count to 45. Return to the heat.
Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the popcorn stops popping. Immediately pour it into a serving bowl. Separate out any unpopped kernels and discard those bad seeds.
In your warm Dutch oven, heat the brown sugar, apple juice, water, margarine, agave nectar, salt, and arrowroot over medium heat. Use a whisk to blend your caramel sauce until it is smooth and your brown sugar dissolves and margarine melts. Once the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to a simmer. Let your sauce simmer for about 3 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat and whisk in your vanilla. Continue to stir and blend until the sauce cools to a warm temperature and thickens more.
Pour your caramel sauce over your popcorn and very gently mix with a slotted spoon. You don’t want to crush or break up your popcorn too much. Once your popcorn is evenly coated, let chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
This is a great, kid-friendly recipe for a holiday potluck, or any gathering during any season. It’s fun, unique, and guaranteed to have everyone asking you for the recipe.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
½ cup uncooked popcorn
¼ cup olive oil
1 Batch Apple Vanilla Glaze (here)
12 Oreos or your favorite vegan chocolate cookie sandwiches, crushed
In a 4-quart Dutch oven or soup pot with a lid, put the popcorn and olive oil. Rotate the Dutch oven so the popcorn and oil spread out evenly. Cover and cook over medium heat until the first kernel pops. Remove from the heat and let stand while you count to 45. Return to the heat.
Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the popcorn stops popping. Immediately pour it into a serving bowl. Separate out any unpopped kernels and discard the duds.
While your popcorn is popping, make your Apple Vanilla Glaze and mix your crushed chocolate sandwich cookies into the glaze using a large spoon.
Pour your cookies and Apple Vanilla Glaze over your popcorn and very gently mix with a slotted spoon. You don’t want to crush or break up your popcorn and cookies too much. Once your popcorn is evenly coated, let it chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
We made this fun holiday-themed recipe during our very first live cooking demonstration, at an event held by the great animal advocacy organization Mercy for Animals with the ladies of Our Hen House at the Jivamukti yoga studio in Manhattan. It’s possible that I was just the tiniest bit nervous. But the party mix turned out great anyway.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
1 cup baby kale leaves
Olive oil cooking spray
1 (14-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
5 teaspoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
¼ cup uncooked popcorn
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with foil.
Start with your kale chips. Spread out your little leaves on your cookie sheet and spray very lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them, though—there is very small window when kale becomes the perfect chip. It can be easy to miss it and end up with singed edges.
While your kale chips are baking, toss the beans, Bragg’s, and 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes and let sit for 20 minutes.
While your beans are marinating and your kale chips are baking, you can start your popcorn. Put your uncooked popcorn and olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot with a lid and roll your Dutch oven slowly so that the kernels are coated in oil. Heat over medium heat uncovered until you hear the first pop. Then cover and roll the pot again to make sure the popcorn continues to heat evenly.
Your popcorn will probably be completely popped by the time you need to pull your kale chips out of the oven, but don’t forget about those kale chips while your popcorn pops. Once you hear the pops slow down, almost stopping completely, remove your popcorn from the heat to keep it from burning.
While your popcorn is still hot, pour half of it into an enormous serving or mixing bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the nutritional yeast over the top.
It will probably be time to pull your kale chips out now. Immediately lift your foil lining from the cookie sheet and transfer your kale chips on the foil to a wire rack to cool. Then while still wearing the oven mitts, reline your hot cookie sheet with foil and pour your garbanzo beans out over the cookie sheet in an even layer. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and bake for 45 minutes. They’ll be ready to come out of the oven when they’re roasted but still a little chewy.
Add your kale chips to your nutritional yeast–covered popcorn and sprinkle another tablespoon of nutritional yeast over the top. Toss in the sun-dried tomatoes and the rest of the popcorn. Add the garbanzo beans while they are still hot. Sprinkle the garlic powder, your last tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and the last of the red pepper flakes over the top. They should slowly shift down through the popcorn mix when people start serving themselves, but you can gently toss it all if you want. Just be careful not to break up your kale chips too much.
This snack features bold Asian flavors and makes enough for your whole party to share.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari
¼ teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound raw pumpkin seeds, shelled
Use a whisk to blend the olive oil, tamari, ginger paste, and brown sugar in your Dutch oven or sauté pan. Heat the blend over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, mix in the pumpkin seeds with a metal spoon and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to pop and turn golden brown. Transfer to a lined cookie sheet and carefully spread out in a single layer. Set aside to cool before enjoying by the handful.
These spicy almonds have just the kick you’re looking for when you’ve got a cold beer in your hand. Perfect as a snack for a group watching a game.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
4 cups raw whole almonds
cup Bragg’s liquid aminos
cup whiskey
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup margarine, melted
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Set aside your almonds. In your best mixing bowl, whisk together all your remaining ingredients until smooth and well blended. Toss in the almonds and mix with a slotted spoon to give them a nice, even coating.
Use your slotted spoon to transfer your coated almonds to the lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Pull out your cookie sheet and use a metal spatula to move your almonds around a little so they can brown evenly. Put them back in to brown for another 20 to 30 minutes. Once your almonds are golden brown, move them to room-temperature dishes to cool. The almonds are pretty great warm but I prefer them at room temperature with a beer and my old man.
This recipe is bursting with great fall flavors—although feel free to enjoy it any time of year.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
cup maple syrup
¼ teaspoon arrowroot
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
4 cups raw whole almonds
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In the luckiest mixing bowl in the world, blend the margarine, maple syrup, arrowroot, brown sugar, and salt until the mixture is smooth and the sugar and salt have dissolved. Use a slotted spoon to mix in your almonds. Once your almonds have a nice even coating, use the spoon to transfer them to the cookie sheet.
Use a spatula to spread your almonds out evenly over the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Then pull out your cookie sheet and use a metal spatula to move your almonds around a little so they can brown evenly and to keep them from sticking to the parchment paper. Put them back in to brown for another 20 to 30 minutes. Once your almonds are golden brown, move them to room-temperature dishes to cool.