Beet Skordalia + Variations: Greek Almond and Sweet Potato Dips

There is nothing better than a friend calling me up to come over, taste some amazing dip, dissect and recreate them ... oh yeah, and bring the kids and she will feed and watch them while I play in the kitchen with the ingredients that she bought. DREAM COME TRUE!

Needless to say, I wasted no time and was over the next day. She bought three skordalia dips from the farmers' market. They were super delicious but super expensive. We are all for supporting our local businesses but at one point we need to be practical and make things ourselves if we can. One dip original, one was beet and the other chipotle. They were all delicious! By the time I left her house I was so full from taste testing and adding a pinch of this and a dash of that, but it was worth it! We got all three dips down to what we thought was perfect.

I am currently on beet overload. I have pickled them, froze them, added them to my smoothies for breakfast, beet ice cream, beet cupcakes, we've had them for dinner for the past two weeks and have been living off of this dip during the day. I am about 32% beet as I type this!

I still equally the love the other flavors, but until I use some of these fresh garden beets I have, I won't be making the other flavors as much. If you've hung out with me in the past month, there's a good chance I've served this to you and many have asked for the recipe so I had to showcase the glorious beet!

I love harvest time! On a side note, my garden is doing terrible, but I am soaking up what my family and friends are sharing with me. Thank you everyone! I guess it's to be expected with a July baby ... it's not my fault (ha ha ha).

Beet Skordalia

Makes 2 cups

1 c blanched almonds
1 cup beets, chopped
1/2 c sweet potato, chopped
3/4 c olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 c lemon juice
3 T basil
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven for 375 degrees F. Bake beets until they are soft. 

In a pot of boiling water, potatoes until they are soft. Drain.

In a food processor, add all ingredients together and puree until smooth. It should be the consistency of hummus. Enjoy!!!

Sorry, not pictures of these right now ... but enjoy them just the same. They are yum yum yum! Happy Harvest all!!

Plain Skordalia

1 c blancbed almonds
1/2 c sweet potatoes, chopped and cooked
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c olive oil
1 T basil
1/2 t salt
2 garlic cloves

Chipotle and Pepita Skordalia

1 c pepitas
1/2 c alomds
1/3 c sweet potatoes, shopped and cooked
2 T lemon juice
1/2 c olive oil
1 clove garlic
3/4 t salt
1/2 chipotle pepper, I use canned ... adjust according to your heat liking.

Chicotta! Vegan Ricotta Cheese (Dairy, Soy and Nut-Free)

A while back I made a spinach artichoke hummus for a party. It was very tasty, but in typical Ashley form, I made way too many appetizers for the party and I had a lot leftover... such a problem, right?! My mom always said, there's nothing that kills a party faster than running out of food or beer and you always have to listen to your mother!

That week after the party, I was turning all of the leftover dips into dinner entrees. I used the spinach artichoke hummus for a lasagna roll-up and poured marinara on top. It went over really well in the house and I kept telling myself that I need to do that again. Fast forward two months, my friend brings over a delicious lasagna this weekend and I've been devouring it since. You'd think I had my fill but I wanted more lasagna.

I wanted to see if I could just make a more simple ricotta blend like the hummus I used but a little lighter and fluffier (if that makes sense). As you may know, I try to  limit our soy intake so I didn't want to use any tofu. I have read a lot of vegan ricotta recipes that use cashews too. Well truth be told, I'm lazy and unorganized! Soaking the cashews for hours and remembering to do it the night before just isn't ideal for me. Also, it's just a personal preference, but I don't love the sweetness that cashews give to vegan cheeses (hence the potato and carrot Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce). So instead of cashews and remembering my hummus, I added a lot of artichokes to give it a salty yet fluffy texture than just hummus. And there you have it ... Dairy-Free, Nut-Free and Soy-Free Chickpea Ricotta ... Chicotta!

It worked out great in a lasagna, it tastes great as a dip and I even put it in a creamy pasta bake. Feel free to add some frozen spinach too ... get creative and have fun.

Vegan Ricotta

Makes 2 cups

1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1 T tahini
1 1/2 T lemon
1/2 t salt
1-15 oz can artichokes, drained and rinsed

In your food processor, mix everything except the artichokes until it is nice and smooth. Add olive oil if you need a smoother texture. Next, add in the artichokes and give it a few good turns. I do it so that there is still little tiny pieces of artichoke but nothing big.

Now, it's ready to use in your favorite lasagna, pasta bake or just pull out some chips and carrots and enjoy it as a dip!

Vegan Thai Meatballs with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Can everything in life be easy? Seriously though! I feel like life has been a lot of work these days ... and by life, I mean feeding a family of six and try to have everyone happy (at least content) about dinner. Sounds impossible right? Yup, it is.

Then, like a full moon, a recipe comes along (in my case, usually by accident) that everyone loves dinner and it was super easy to make and even more importantly, to clean up!

To make a short story long, that is how Vegan Thai Meatballs came into our lives. The kids were getting whinny and I realized that dinner was just a short 20 minutes away and I had nothing prepped and no idea what I was making. I turned the oven on, grabbed a can of beans and then stared at an empty fridge. I hardly had any vegetables or anything fresh ... just a little bit of leftover chopped cilantro and asparagus. Ugh!

I went back to the pantry, grabbed the peanut butter and panko and figured I might as well make a burger. I quickly threw everything into a food processor, said a little prayer and braced myself for the crying that was sure to come when they realized they did not want to try new food.

Much to mine and Paul's surprise, they all loved it. I mean seriously ... it's peanut butter, which they love but is more reason for them to pretend they don't! Paul then asked, "What did you put in these?" That's when the real panic set in. I was in such a rush, I had no idea what the complete list of ingredients was, let alone amounts.

I made them the following week (of course, the kids didn't love them as much as the first time because, c'mon, they're kids!), but Paul and I still loved them and they were even better once I payed attention to what I was doing. Even though the kids go back and forth if they like these or not, I love how amazingly easy they are to make and how many meatballs it makes for the time I don't have to put into dinner. Leftovers are always great in my house!

Vegan Thai Meatballs

Makes about 24

1 15-oz c chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c tamari or Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids
1/4 cup cilantro
1 garlic clove
1 t minced ginger
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c peanuts, roasted and salted
1/4 c chives, chopped
1/2 c panko (regular or gluten free)

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/3 c peanut butter
1/3 c tamari or Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids
2 T organic, unrefined coconut oil (add more oil if you want a thinner dip)
dash of red pepper flakes ... add to your spicy liking

Preheat oven for 375º.

Mix all meatball ingredients in your food processor until the mixture is relatively smooth. Form into meatballs.

Place on a sprayed pan and bake for 15 minutes.

While they cooking, mix the spicy peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl or on a stovetop .

Once meatballs are done ... enjoy!

Vegetarian 'Crab' Cakes

Do you ever have those days that you can't decide what to make for dinner? I know, silly question, but lately I have found myself having those all of the time. In my head, I go over what is in the fridge and panty constantly throughout the day and keep drawing blanks. Knowing that the hearts of palm is in there I always want to make another dip. Knowing that I can't serve my kids dip for dinner (every night!), I decided to go to my next favorite ... a patty ... I honestly don't know what I would be if I didn't have my dips and burgers!

I am addicted to hearts of palm. I don't know what it is about it, it doesn't have an insane flavor or anything, but I love it. I am a big texture person, and it has a great texture. I have been loving making different dips with it, besides just my Faux Crab Dip. Let's just say, I always have a few cans in the pantry!

Now, with the hearts of palm dips and the faux crab cakes, I need to start buying hearts of palm in bulk!

Vegetarian 'Crab' Cakes

Makes 6-8

14 oz can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
1/2 c onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, shredded and squeezed
1 egg, or flax egg
1/4 veganaise
2 T parsley, chopped
2 T chives
2 t dijon
1 t paprika
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t worsteshire sauce (Annie's makes a great vegan version)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/3 c breadcrumbs (I like panko, gluten free or regular)

Oil

In a pan, heat up a little bit of oil, Add the hearts of palm and onion. Cook until the hearts of palm are lightly browned.

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together.

Heat up a little more oil in the pan. Scoop out 1/3 cup of the 'crab' mixture. Fry on both sides until it is nicely browned. Drain on paper towel and serve right away.

These are even better with a little vegan tarter sauce ... a little sour cream, parsley, lemon juice and chopped pickles and served with some Drunken Fries!

Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese Dip (Nut-Free and Soy-Free)

So, I have a confession. I was slowly poisoning my husband! Seriously, this is real life and not some Lifetime movie!

At the end of my pregnancy, I was getting really lazy with my cooking and when I get lazy, I turn to cheese meals. It's quick, easy and my pregnant self love it! However, Paul being slightly lactose intolerant (he can have cheese but the milk and cream make his tummy turn), could not handle all the cheese. For about three weeks, we couldn't figure it out. We thought he gained a gluten intolerance, we thought he had eczema, our heads were spinning! We were trying tons of different things. Then it dawned on me, we had been eating an extreme amount of cheese and I hadn't been making him salads for his lunch. This meant he was eating leftover cheese dinners for lunch. I was poisoning him!

So, we went dairy free and after three days he was back to normal. Phew! After about two weeks, I slowly added a little cheese back in and he was back to normal. This little ordeal got me back in love with my vegan cooking ... especially on Mexican nights!

I have been making vegan nacho cheese dip for over a year. Sometimes I would add cashews and sometimes tofu. Hands-down, this is the best and easiest way to make it. It's so easy! I (almost) always have all the ingredients on hand and it only takes about 15 minutes to put together. What else can a girl as for. Instant, healthy, easy nacho cheese dip ... and without poisoning anyone! Now, I have been making double batches because I have been putting it on just about anything I can. It's a great bonus too because as I'm trying to get back in shape, post-baby, it's a quick and filling snack that I love munching on.

Vegan Nacho Cheese Dip (Nut-Free and Soy-Free)

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 c diced potatoes (unpeeled)
1/2 c diced carrots

2 t jarred jalapeños, diced
2 t juice from jalapeños
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t onion powder

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook potatoes and carrots until they are tender. Drain when done.

In a bowl, put all the ingredients. With your immersion blender, mix until smooth.

Serve right away or refrigerate. When you are ready to warm it up, keep it covered while you warm in the oven. Enjoy!

Veggie Coconut Curry Sauce

I think I have said this about every curry meal that I have ever made ... 'Why don't I have more curry in my life?!' Every time I make it, I miss it. I guess that's a good thing. It always keeps me wanting more.

I also often talk about sneaking food in my kids meals. Truth be told, there are a lot of adults in my life that I have to sneak vegetables into their meals too! For instance, I always love when people tell me that they don't like onions. I simply replace the onions with leeks. I am not lying to them that onions are not in their meal! The flavor the the leeks is onion-like but so much calmer, especially when you caramelize them. I always get told, 'wow, these ... what do you call them again, leeks? They are great.' I smile, say thank you and have an evil chuckle on the inside, because I know they probably don't really hate onions as much as they say they do. I do caution you though, this doesn't work in all situations. Sometimes I have had people eating around the leeks too. Then, I chuckle to myself watching adults pick around their food like my four year old. Sorry to all of you pickers out there!

I saw a great recipe from the Minimilist Baker for a Coconut Curry. It is an amazing looking recipe, but I was making dinner for people and I knew the sight of these vegetables would send them running. I decided to use her idea, but turn it into a sauce to serve over quinoa, sautéed mushrooms and kale ... the few vegetables that I knew would be okay with my guests. They had no idea that they were eating onions, broccoli and onions!

The flavor and consistency was spot on. A little spice and a ton of flavor coming though!! I was also happy about the amount that it made with so little effort. Always a bonus in my book. I now have made this recipe a couple times for just Paul and I (a little too much heat for my kids right now) and I have frozen the leftovers for another day. I use about 1 cup for our two meals.

Another option, instead of freezing the leftovers, is to add some cream cheese for a tasty appetizer dip!

Yeah! I finally found an easy way to get more curry in my life! If you need a little more curry too, don't forget to try my Roasted Vegetable Coconut Curry Quinoa!

Veggie Coconut Curry Sauce

Makes 2 cups

1 T coconut oil
3 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 c broccoli florets, chopped
1-15 oz can coconut milk
1 cup vegetable stock
1 T curry powder
1 t lemongrass, dried
1 t turmeric powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
a dash of cayenne if you need a little more heat!

In a pot, heat up the coconut oil. Add in garlic and onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Next, add in all of your remaining ingredients. Cook over a medium heat for 15-30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Using an immersion blender, blend until all the vegetables are puréed. I cook for another 10 minutes just to let the flavors come together a bit more.

Serve over your favorite vegetables and grains.

It even makes a great dipping sauce! If you want a thicker dip for an appetizer, add cream cheese (vegan or regular) to get the thickness that you want. Serve with raw veggies.

Drunken Oven Baked French Fries

Today, August 6th, is National IPA Day. I can usually find a reason to celebrate with an IPA and today is just way too easy! In my book, a good IPA paired with good french fries is a little taste of heaven on earth.

I've been trying to make a good sea salt and vinegar french fry for quite some time and I can never quite get the vinegar flavor that I want. I want my jowls to tighten and pucker! I figured it was time for another go at it. Not very optimistic, I opened my fridge and saw a Leinenkugel's IPL ... not my favorite beer to have since I am not a pilsner fan, but I figured it would be excellent to cook with. I get all that good hop flavor and I'm not wasting a beer that I would want to drink! So, I started soaking the fries in that instead. Sorry sea salt and vinegar fries ... your perfection is getting put off again!

I don't know if the stars were aligned in my favor or what, but the flavor was great. You could totally taste the hoppy beer on the fries and the little bit of spice that I added paired great (However, this makes me annoyed at the same time that the vinegar doesn't give me this flavor!). I made a little basil garlic aioli and brought out a horseradish mustard to dip them in. As good as they were with the fries, I actually didn't want to dip them in anything! I know ... me, the self-proclaimed dipping queen, wanted naked fries!

I made them the first time the other night, but since they were such a hit (yes, the kids even loved the flavor of them) and it's IPA Day, I think I'll be planning tonight's dinner completely around these fries.

Drunken Oven Baked French Fries

1 lb potatoes, sliced
12 oz beer, or enough to cover your cut fries (use a gluten-free beer to keep the recipe gluten-free)

1/4 cup grapeseed oil (organic canola oil works good too)
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

In a bowl, place your cut fries. Top with beer so that they are completely submerged. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least two hours or up to twelve.

Once you're ready to cook them, preheat the oven for 425º. I like a high heat so they get real crispy! Next, drain the potatoes and let lay them out on a towel and pat them dry.

In a bowl, mix together the oil, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes in the mixtures so that they are all evenly covered.

Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and sprayed with a little coconut oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip them around, turn the pan and bake for another 20 minutes.

Once they're crispy to your liking, serve them right away with your favorite dipping sauce. I can't resist a horseradish mustard and a garlic basil aioli! Top with fresh parsley and diced scallions to an extra delicious flavor.

Buffalo Tempeh Quinoa Salad

Hello!!!! So, summer break has been a crazy one. I'm guessing I'm not the only one. The kids and I have been busier than ever with play dates, working in the garden, biking around and just being silly. I also took this great brew class which has been what has been eating up most of my spare time (before the kids get up and during naps, however, we're ready to step up our brewing game so it's all worth it). I knew it was going to be a busy summer, but I never expected Practiganic to take the summer off too! I'm sad because some recipes are already out of season! I guess the garlic scapes pull apart bread is just going to have to wait until next year ... it was good too!

I have way to many recipes 'in the queue' right now that I just haven't had time to finish up. I'm making it a goal to at least get to one a week until school starts and then try to get back into the swing of things. I miss chatting, but I have to say it's been a lot of fun playing around in the kitchen without my notepad attached to my hip!

So ... How's everyones CSA going? I've started a little bit of my canning, just a few jams so far. I'm still waiting on the pickles in the garden to make a full batch (I may have to use the farmer's market this year to stock me up. Only one of my pickle plant seeds survived!). My ten tomato plants are all looking fantastic and my mustard greens and kale have been being picked almost daily.

Last night, we had Pineapple Wasabi Tempeh Wraps and it made me thing about a few weeks ago when I made this Buffalo Tempeh Quinoa Salad. As my mouth was watering a bit for that spicy zing (good thing I had the wasabi to help with that craving), I knew it was time to finally write a blog post to share the zing! I would love to tell you what was going on in my head when I was making this recipe ... what the day was like ... but I have no idea. All I remember is that I ate my share of dinner as soon as it was mixed and I didn't wait for Paul and I to sit and have dinner together. Once I had one bite, I just couldn't stop myself!

Buffalo Tempeh Quinoa Salad

Serves 3-4

8 oz tempeh, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1/2 c hot sauce, divided
3 T butter, vegan or regular
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t worsteshire sauce

1/2 c quinoa (I use red because it's more firm with a nutty taste ... adds an extra element of yummy)
1 c water

2 1/2 c cabbage, julienned
1 med carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/4 c scallions, diced
1/3 c vegenaise
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c blue cheese, crumbled (optional)

Melt butter and mix with hot sauce, garlic and worsteshire. Marinade the tempeh in buffalo sauce for at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a pot, combine water and quinoa. Bring to boil. Once it is boiling, lower heat all the way and cover. Once water is soaked up, the quinoa is done. It should be nice and fluffy. Cool.

Slice your cabbage, carrots, scallions, vegenaise, salt and pepper and mix in a bowl. Once the quinoa is cooled, add that in too.

Now, it's finally time to cook the tempeh! Heat up a little oil in a pan. Fry each side of tempeh for 4-5 minutes on medium heat until it is lightly browned on both sides. Once done, through them back in the marinade for a last coat. Mix in with the cabbage quinoa salad. Add the blue cheese, if you're going to and serve!

I loved that the tempeh was still a little warm. I think that's why I couldn't stop myself from eating my dinner at 3 o'clock! However, by the time Paul got home and it was completely cooled, it was still scrumptious.

Garden Fresh Chimichurri Sauce

I'm in food love. The end of last summer, my sister-in-law made the most unbelievable chimichurri sauce. I was dipping everything that I could find in it! Not only was it completely delicious, but she used mint. I don't know about you, but my mint plant is out of control every year and every year I'm trying to find things to do with it besides drinks. The problem is, I don't love mint that much!  Almost every time we got together, she had a batch of this sauce. Maybe mint is starting to grow on me ...

I always like putting a little chopped mint on my fruit salads. I love the little extra flavor that it gives the fruit. Recently, I hosted a baby shower and made a fruit salad. The mint in the garden is just starting to sprout so I sadly had to buy some. For me, mint is the hardest thing to buy because for six months out of the year, I can't seem to get rid of it!

After my salad, I still had plenty left in the container. After about 10 minutes of complaining that I just spent money on mint, I remembered my sister's chimichurri sauce. Any annoyance that I was carrying around was quickly whisked away as I rushed for the fridge to see what other herbs I had. I wanted to call her for the ingredients, but she was on her tropical honeymoon ... didn't think she'd want me to call her for this, but I couldn't wait. I would have to figure it out on my own.

I remembered that she used mint, parsley, cilantro, garlic and a little crushed red pepper and I went from there. I did use a little veggie broth instead of straight oil which many recipes use. Feel free to play around with the ratio that works for you. It was strictly personal preference not to do a 100% oil sauce. This was such a fun recipe to make. I was full by the time I got done making it. I couldn't stop myself from taste testing for salt and spices!

Garden Fresh Chimichurri Sauce

Makes 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
4 cloves garlic
1 T fresh oregano leaves, packed (1 teaspoon of dried)
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c veggie broth
2 T lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Put all ingredients in your food processor or high speed blender and mix until it is a nice sauce with no chunks.

I have been putting this on EVERYTHING! Below is it pictured with some black bean and sweet potato empanadas but the house favorite has been putting it over Walnut Meatballs! I've used it as dressings on my salads and dipping my vegetables in. This chimichurri sauce is so versatile you can seriously use it for anything. I am so excited for my herbs to start growing because I'm pretty sure you will find this sauce in my refrigerator all summer long!

Asparagus & Pepita Pesto

Only one more week until our first CSA pick-up day. For all of you who haven't pulled the trigger yet, there's still farms out there that have spots open. Find them and get in on early Christmas! That's right, Christmas every week! Every week you get a box full of delicious surprise vegetables just dying to be eaten or cooked up!

The best thing about early CSA baskets is large mounds of greens and stock piles of asparagus. Last year, they had so much asparagus that we got to buy extras from the farm store and I made some soup for the winter months. I love planning ahead!

I tried to wait for their asparagus, but I saw some at the store this past weekend and I had to pick it up! The kids have been munching it with a few dinners and loving it. Last night, I wanted to make an appetizer for Paul and I. It was the eve of our anniversary and we like to stretch out the celebration as long as we can. So, I made a better than normal dinner. I was going to make a creamy asparagus dip, but as I was sauteing some pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds) for the kids, my wheels started turning and I decided to use the pepitas for a pesto with the asparagus.

All I know, is it's going to be a long week because this pesto is addicting and I want more asparagus ... NOW! However, I'm going to hold off for the CSA. I'm hoping to get some fresh spinach from them too and really make this pesto crazy! I bet some arugula in place of the spinach would be amazing too! I'll let you know.

Asparagus & Pepita Pesto

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/2 lb. asparagus, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 c pepitas
1 c packed spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c parmesan cheese, vegan or regular
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Add pepitas and cook for 3 minutes. They will begin to pop and that's okay. Keep stirring them around to cook every side. Next, add in the asparagus and cook for another 3 minutes, again, still stirring it around. Finally, add in the spinach and garlic and cook until the spinach wilts, about 3 more minutes.

Add all ingredients into your food processor and mix until smooth. I like to use a food processor so that the pepitas stay a little crunchy. If you want it super smooth, use a VitaMix or strong blender. You may want to add a little more oil as well if you like it super smooth.

Roasted Chickpea Power Salad with Avocado Herb Dressing

Springtime is in full swing and summertime is just around the corner. I just got an email that my CSA will be starting next week! I can't even express how excited I am for farm fresh delicious vegetables. Paul and I have been wanting salad upon salad lately ... okay, so that's not entirely true. He eats a salad every day for lunch and two or three times a week (for the past two weeks) I have wanted one for dinner!

Since he eats salads every day, when we have one for dinner, I feel that I need to make a super special salad for dinner. He always has cold salads and I love to have mix the hot and the cold in mine. I love making roasted chickpea salads because it is so wide open. Sometimes I saute more of the vegetables and sometimes I want everything raw (expect for the chickpeas of course!).

The dressing is so thick you could almost use it as a dip ... which you should do with any leftovers ... and you should! The best salads to me are always super chopped up salads that have the dressing all over them. That way, you get a little bit of everything in every bite. There is nothing worse than eating a great salad and some bites are way too oily and other bites are just greens with no dressing. Chop everything small and dress your salad before serving. You won't regret it!

This salad can be a side dish, but I love it as my full meal. You will walk away completely full, satisfied and full of energy!

Roasted Chickpea Power Salad with Avocado Dressing

Roasted Chickpeas

1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 T oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t chili powder

Salad Toppings

Spinach, julienned
cabbage, julienned
carrot, shredded
zucchini, cut in half moons
red pepper, small diced
leeks or scallions, sliced
watercress or bean sprouts
roasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts

Avocado Herb Dressing

Makes 1 1/3 cups
1 avocado
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c parsley
1/4 c cilantro
1 T lemon
1 T jalapeno, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Depending on how many people you are making this for you will want to change the amounts of the salad toppings. It was just Paul and I, but I made extra for his next lunch. This makes great leftovers .,.. even if you already have dressed the salad! IF you are making it for more than four people, you may want to double the chickpeas.

Preheat your oven for 350º.

Mix all the roasted chickpea ingredients in a bowl. Lay them out on a sheet tray and back for 35-45 minutes. Take them out and roll them around on the pan every 10 minutes to get all sides cooked evenly. I like mine extra crispy, but some people like them still a little chewy so taste one after 35 minutes to see if they are done to your liking. If not, keep cooking!

Meanwhile, chop all of your salad ingredients and throw them in a bowl. Make your avocado herb dressing too. Put all ingredients in a bowl and use your immersion blender to mix them. It is a thick dressing so if you want more of a dressing like consistency, add more olive oil until it is to your liking.

**If you like more cooked veggies and less raw, saute your onion, zucchini and red pepper for about 5 minutes before adding to your salad.

Mis your veggies and salad dressing together. Start with about 1/2 cup and add more as you need it (depending on how big your salad is you should have some leftover). Top with your roasted chickpeas.

Now, eat up!!

Jalapeno Popper Bean Dip

I am a nacho fanatic. I blame it on my parents. Growing up (and still to this day), they enjoy the best nachos known to man ... EVERY Thursday night. They simply grate some cheese, mix in jalapenos, spread them over tortilla chips and bake them for about 5-7 minutes at 420º. They are so simple, but there is nothing better!

Lately, I have been on a nacho kick. I am constantly craving them. Paul laughs at me all the time because I think I suggest nachos a couple times a week! Recently, we had some friends over so I, of course, suggested nachos. Realizing that we just had them the night before, I went for the next best thing ... homemade jalapeno poppers! I can't even express to you how disappointed I was to realize that I only had 4 jalapenos left. Normally, that is plenty, but we were having a good size group over. Ugh! Back to the drawing board ... but wait ... jalapeno popper dip!

I love when things don't go as planned. Since that day, I have made this recipe numerous times. It's so much healthier than the cheesy nachos and it is just as good, if not better (sorry, mom and dad)!

Your friends will be amazed that there is no cheese in this creamy dip. The nutritional yeast gives it a great cheesy flavor and the beans and vegenaise make it just as creamy. Enjoy!!

Jalapeno Popper Bean Dip

1 15 oz can white beans (I like using cannellini)
1 large jalapenos, seeded and diced (use a few seeds for some extra heat)
1 4 oz can diced mild green chilies
2 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c vegenaise
1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes
1 t lime juice
1 t salt
1 t apple cider vinegar
1/2 c crushed corn or rice chips

Mix all ingredients except for the chips in your food processor. Pour into a oven safe dish and top with chips.

Bake at 375º for 15 minutes or until the chips begin to brown.

Roasted Red Pepper Corn and Flour Tortillas

Sometimes the things that I make aren't always the most practical, but at the end of the day I think 'homemade' overrides 'practical'! Homemade tortillas are one of those situation recipes. They are really cheap to buy, but they are even cheaper to make. Once you try fresh, homemade tortillas you will throw practical out the window and start mixing some dough. I can even one up that and say, once you try fresh, homemade roasted red pepper tortillas you will run to your kitchen and start cooking!

I am not a huge fan of just plain corn tortillas. They almost always break when you are using them, except for a few select brands, but they are expensive. I usually choose flour tortillas even though I like the extra flavor that corn tortillas have to offer. This is why I make mine half and half. I get the best of both worlds. They turned out just how I hoped. They fold nicely, but they have that great gritty corn flavor.

Seriously, don't be intimidated by making your own tortillas. This does sound like a big task, but these surprisingly don't take that long to make and the outcome is SO worth it.

I'm not big into Valentine's Day, but I think I will be making these again tomorrow to get a little more red in our meal!

Roasted Red Pepper Corn Tortillas

Makes 10-12 tortillas

2 red peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 c AP flour
1 1/4 c cornmeal, fine ground
1/4 c coconut oil
3 T water
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt

First, roast your red peppers and garlic on the same pan. Click here for instructions.

Once your peppers have cooled and you've removed the skins, add all ingredients to your food processor and mix until they are well incorporated. Add a little more water should you need. The dough should like clumpy, but when easily able to form together when you  push it together.

Next, divide it into 10-12 balls. Cover them with a wet towel and let them sit for 10 minutes.

Next, begin rolling them out. Roll them out on a floured surface nice and thin ... as thin as you can go without breaking them.

Heat a frying pan with a touch of oil in it. Lay your tortillas in it and fry it for 2-3 minutes on both sides or until it starts to brown. As one tortillas is frying, I roll out my next one. This way, they don't dry out.

Serve them immediately. If you plan on saving them, let them cool under a towel then pack them in a sealed bag until you are ready to use. I only keep them for a day or two ... they wouldn't survive in my house longer than that anyways!

I have heard of people freezing them before, but I haven't tried that yet. If you do, let me know how it goes!