Vegan Onion Rings

These delicious vegan crispy onion rings are definitely not the healthiest snack option, but they are hard to resist! Sweet and buttery!

All you need is one or two large onions, flour, some soy or rice milk and salt/pepper for the batter. You can easily use beer for beer battered and add all sorts of seasonings such as sugar, brown sugar, mustard, garlic, and so on.

I made a zesty dipping sauce for them by mixing equal parts Veganaise and horseradish mustard.

Vegan Sour Cream & Onion / Ranch Dip

Here is a vegan version of sour cream & onion dip or ranch dip made with a Tofutti Milk-Free Sour Cream (non-hydrogenated), Veganaise, corn starch, cloves of garlic, celery greens, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, oregano and paprika. There is no specific recipe for this. We just blended the ingredients in the Vita-Mix blender and added seasonings until it seemed right. Twas a surprisingly good dip.

Spinach, Onion Marmalade, Walnuts & Vegan Feta in Endive Leaves

I wasn't lying when I said I was inspired by the appetizer at the recent Worcester Vegan Pop Up dinner: (See the review here!) I've been craving the endive hors d'oeuvres ever since! I decided I had to re-create them, but the credit goes to the chefs of the recent pop-up dinner for the idea. This isn't their recipe, but probably similar. Toast walnuts & set aside. Julienne slice 1 box/bag of organic baby spinach. Toss it all together with vegan feta cheeze, onion marmalade, and scoop onto endive leaves! Also tasty on top of a mixed greens salad, or spread on toasted pita bread.
 

VEGAN FETA "CHEEZE:"

1 pack of silken extra firm tofu (about 6oz)

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

2 TSP dried basil

2 TSP dried oregano

2 TSP garlic (minced or powdered)

4 TBSPS tahini

2 TBSP lemon juice

Drain and gently squeeze excess water from the tofu.

Cut tofu into small cubes and place in a bowl.

Whisk the rest of ingredients in a separate bowl,

pour over the tofu and stir gently. Chill for 1 hour.

VEGAN ONION MARMALADE:

4 cups finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion

2 TBSPS olive oil

1/2 TSP kosher salt

1/4 TSP freshly ground black pepper

1/4 TSP cayenne pepper

1/4 cup sugar

2 TBSPS balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook,

stirring often for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the

onions are golden. Add the sugar and cook for another

1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the vinegar and

cook for one more minute. Remove from heat, and cool.

Artichokes with Earth Balance butter

Find the most sexy artichokes from the market and rinse well. Trim the ouchy sharp bits at the edges of the leaves, and trim the top about 1/2 inch. Remove any damaged leaves, then spread the artichoke open and rinse inside. Rub with lemon juice. Boil lightly-salted water in a large pot on high. Add artichokes and steam or boil for 20-40 minutes until tender. (Fork should slide through stem with ease.) Remove with tongs and tip to drain any water. Gently melt a few tablespoons of Earth Balance vegan buttery spread in a small sauce pan on the stove for your dipping enjoyment! You'll want a little dish for the buttery goodness (something similar to the one in the photo).... this platter set I actually purchased last month at the Worcester Art Museum gift shop for $10. I'll leave the rest up to you. Consuming artichokes is an active and lovely experience, peeling the leaves off and finding your way to the heart. ♥

Baked garlic potato slices

Tip of the day: Keep your friends in line when they're visiting - Hand them a spatula and tell them get moving and bake you up some snacks! Here we have some baked potato slices made with olive oil, salt, pepper and whole ton of garlic (prepared by our friend Abdul.) Slice the potatoes at a uniform thickness, coat with olive oil and seasonings, and bake in the oven until browned. Apparently these are great when fresh out of the oven at 3am on a Saturday night/Sunday morning........ or feel free to prepare these during "normal" dinner hours. ;)

Guacamole

INGREDIENTS:
4 ripe avocados, pitted & mashed
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp chopped onion
5~10 chopped cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt & a dash of pepper
1 clove garlic crushed

You can find organic avocados
at The Living Earth on Park Ave ;)

Raw Vegan Flax Crackers

Flax crackers/breads ready to dehydrate &; the finished product. These photos are two separate batches of flax crackers I made. Both are raw vegan, dehydrated in my excalibur at 105 degrees. They contain the same ingredients, but for one batch I added some larger seeds to add a crunch. Homemade raw flax & pumpkin seed crackers (with celery & orange bell pepper) + some hummus.

Flax seeds are high in Omega 3 and fiber. They're also inexpensive and can be used in many vegan recipes. You can grind them into flour, add them to smoothies, cookies, muffins, crackers, etc. You can actually make this recipe in the oven (set it at no higher than 105 degrees) but making them truly raw -its best to make them in a dehydrator (like the Excalibur.)