KZCAKES: Dip

November 21, 2016

Food Memories: Dip Night!

November 21, 2016

I've written about dip night before , and have been writing about making multiple dips for years . But I can tell the story again...

I've written about dip night before, and have been writing about making multiple dips for years. But I can tell the story again in case you haven't heard it. My mom and dad would make dinner for my brother and I (and our friend and semi-adopted sibling Tom!) pretty much every night for our entire childhood. They had a decent repertoire and it's fun thinking back on all of the recipes my mom pulled out of some seriously retro cookbooks to make for us. Once in a blue moon, maybe once a year, she would be too tired to cook and need dinner on the table in less than five minutes. Instead of ordering a pizza, or going to McDonalds, she would make dip night! Dip night was usually some sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks, maybe some chicken nuggets, or pepper strips, whatever was on hand, layed out to dip in various salad dressings! My family was big into Catalina french-style dressing, so that was always a part of dip night, and my dad would make his own honey-mustard, mixing together stoneground mustard with honey and maybe a touch of brown sugar, I'm not sure of his exact recipe-- but it felt special when he made it for us. I don't know what it was about the interactivity of dipping stuff, but we went completely wild for dip night. My mom was so pleasantly surprised at how much we loved it, since it required such minimal work to prepare. I still yearn for dip night, and make it sometimes! I never remember to do the "no work involved" part, though.

In Thug Kitchen Party Grub, there are a zillion good-looking dip recipes. One night, I decided to make... All of them at once. I made breaded tofu cubes and cornmeal roasted potatoes to dip, as well as chopped cucumber, pickles, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, crackers and chips. The idea of dip night runs wild through my veins and I can't be stopped. No carrot stick is safe!

I'm glad we had such a fun little family tradition and I'm glad I still recreate it in my own way.

May 12, 2013

Resourceful KZ

May 12, 2013

You know when you sort of hit a wall and you don't know what to make? You have a hundred ideas for pizzas to make, but don't really...

You know when you sort of hit a wall and you don't know what to make? You have a hundred ideas for pizzas to make, but don't really feel like kneading dough, you're brain isn't exactly ripe for making seitan and you have no bread for sandwiches. You definitely don't want to go out to the store... What to make... for free... Out of what you have on hand...

I mean, that kabocha pumpkin has been staring you down for like at least a week and I know it's fun to pick it up and knock on it whenever you get bored... but it's time has finally come. You have peppers for that seitan pie you never made, scallion for dumplings with the leftover seitan you were supposed to make for the pie, a tomato leftover from taco night, and you always have a stockpile of carrots and celery... Oh and basil-- too cheap and beautiful to turn down at the farmer's market. Might have a few open boxes of small pasta for an occasion like so.. And like, what the hell kind of vegan doesn't have white beans somewhere in their pantry? Oh you don't? I mean... go get some forgodssake.

Maybe you have some leftover spinach from this week's green smoothies. And you couldn't possibly fit all those veggies into a soup, so half of them need to go into a salad... and half of the pesto that should go into soup can be turned into a vinaigrette for the salad! Oh yeah, what should I make with these two past-their-prime chinese eggplants? Babaganoush them I guess.. Oh snaps, I have leftover pita.. Work it...

And so then you're all like, whoa I made this ballin' soup without going to the store and actually used up all the things I bought. I made a soup, a salad and a side! It also tasted amazing. So that's a plus. Guys I fed my family without going to the store, and without going to McDonalds! You can do it too! Don't be scared, KZ will help.

Enjoy this instagrammed classic.

Leftover Vegetable Soup with Pesto

1 teaspoon olive oil

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally

1-2 bell peppers, medium diced

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 ribs celery, diced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

1 squash, i used kabocha pumpkin, peeled, diced, and roasted

1 can white beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2/3 cup small pasta

2 bouillion cubes

3 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3 scallions,sliced, and/or 1 diced tomato to garnish

Pesto:

2 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh basil

1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro

1/2 cup pine nuts

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

pinch salt and pepper

Prep all the veggies you have or want to use.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large soup pot.

Saute the carrots, celery, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers for about 10 minutes, until all the veggies are nicely softened.

Add chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant.

If you haven't roasted your squash, that's okay, you'll just have to cook your soup a lot longer. I roasted mine while I prepped all the other veggies and made the pesto. so.. you could do that too?

Drop in your bouillon cubes and mash them up with your stirring utensil. Stir around with the veggies for a minute or two.

Pour in water, salt, squash and white beans. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Let a rip for like 20 minutes while you do everything else.

Bring a sauce pot of water to boil. Drop in your small pasta. It will take about 10 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes to make pesto in a blender too, so combine all the pesto ingredients in your blender and blend until a smooth sauce is achieved. Set sauce aside.

Drain your pasta and ladle your soup into bowls. Divide the noodles or pasta amongst the bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with sliced scallions and tomato. Now using a large soup spoon, dollop a big dollop of pesto into the middle of each bowl.

Enjoy!

October 26, 2012

Nach-yo-average Nacho Dip

October 26, 2012

About 15 years ago, my friend Danny, the boy across the street, ran over to my house, rang the doorbell, and I answered. He said, "Kel...

About 15 years ago, my friend Danny, the boy across the street, ran over to my house, rang the doorbell, and I answered. He said, "Kel, what do you call cheese that isn't yours?" and I said, "I dunno Danny, what?" And so he said, "Nacho Cheese!" Then he went home.

This dip is as cheesy as his joke, and has no real cheese in it either. It's my queshew recipe and some spicy tempeh crumbles. Nachos are a great part of life, that shouldn't be passed up on in veganhood.

I like to dip with pita chips, endive spears and other veggies alike. You can also serve them like traditional nachos, just pile the mixture in alternating layers over chips or your serving vehicle of choice.

Spicy tempeh nachos

tempeh:

1 8oz package of tempeh, crumbled

1 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chile flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 recipe queshew

1/2 tomato, diced

2 tablespoons chopped chives,

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

queshew:

3/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

1/3 cup nooch

3/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon vegetable broth powder

salt

pepper

1 poblano chile, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped,

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped.

2 teaspoons olive oil

Place tempeh in heavy-bottomed skillet and cover with the water. Cover and bring to a simmer, simmer about 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess water and over med-low heat add spices, soy sauce, liquid smoke, salt and pepper. Toss to coat tempeh in mixture. Sprinkle a little water on the pan to deglaze it and stir. Turn off heat and set tempeh aside.

Make queshew: In a skillet, heat olive oil on high. Add poblano, ren onion, and red bell pepper until soft and light brown. Set aside. Combine cashews, yogurt, nooch, water, turmeric, chili powder, veggie broth powder, salt and pepper in the blender and blend until a thick sauce is achieved, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over the sauteed veggies, and stir.

In a small round dish, spread queshew evenly. Sprinkle tempeh over the top, crumbling a little bit with your hands. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes, chives and cilantro around the edge of the dish. I like to stick pita or tortilla chips into the dip around the sides.

You could also plate this non-dip style, by stacking a layer of chips on a large plate, using a squirt bottle, squirt on a zigzag of queshew, a handful of chopped tomatoes and tempeh, and repeat with 2 more layers.

October 16, 2012

Take Time for Tacos

October 16, 2012

So my kind-of-step-brother Steve has this chili dip that he always makes for every family occasion. He doesn't cook anything otherwise,...

So my kind-of-step-brother Steve has this chili dip that he always makes for every family occasion. He doesn't cook anything otherwise, but when there's an occasion for him to make this dip, like during a playoffs Celtics game, New Years Eve, or just when all 12 or something of us bros and sisses find ourselves gathered together again for a movie or a beer at the house. (That just made me miss home a lot!) Anyways, he gets so excited to make this chili dip, and passes it around to everyone all wide-eyed and wants everyone to like it. When he gets to me, he always goes, "Oh yeah! I forgot you can't eat... anything in this dip!" I only find it adorable how excited he gets when he cooks up his special dip for everyone. So, thinking of Steve, I made a taco-inspired dip with all the fix-ins. And damn, does she light up a lens.

Now I know not everyone gets amped about making 7 layers for just a dip. It's not like my mom is going to see this and go whip this up on a school night. This can be reserved for special occasions, with special friends. Or if you're like me, you could do a couple steps tonight and a couple steps tomorrow and have this on your table right quick. The choice is yours.

Negative space; a positive thing

I don't know why, but I think of tacos as the ultimate family food. Don't you? Also, on a side note, I was thinking about that episode of LOST where Kate tells her husband she's a fugitive and yells through tears, "I Don't do Taco Night!!" Then I somehow caught that exact episode on TV last night, then produced a taco dip. This series of events led me to tacos, my ultimate purpose or calling in life. See? Life is sequential and purposeful.

7 layer taco dip:

layer 1- lentil taco meat

1 cup green lentils

3 cups water

1 package taco seasoning or 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 package taco sauce or 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon bbq sauce, 2 tablespoons veggie broth, 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning mixture

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

layer 2- queshew sauce

3/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

1/3 cup nooch

3/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon vegetable broth powder

salt

pepper

1 poblano chile, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped,

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped.

2 teaspoons olive oil

layer 3 - guacamole

2 ripe avocados

1-2 teaspoons lime juice

salt

pepper

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, optional

2 teaspoons diced tomato, optional

layer 4 - slaw

1 bag pre-shredded slaw of your choosing

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

pepper

layer 5 - tomato onion salsa

(you can also use jarred salsa)

4 tomatoes, diced fine

1 red onion, diced fine

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

pepper

layer 6 - chipotle crema

3/4 cup cashews

1/2 cup plain soy yogurt

2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

2 canned chipotles in adobo

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1/4 cup cilantro

juice of 1/2 a lime

salt

pepper

layer 7 - hot sauce blend

1/3 cup sriracha

2 tablespoons hot sauce

2 tablespoons bbq sauce

salt

pepper

1. Make lentil meat by combining lentils and water in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 30-40 minutes until lentils are tender. Drain and set aside. Sautee onion in a hot pan with olive oil. After 5 minutes, add the garlic. After 2 minutes add lentils and stir to combine. Add taco seasonings and sauce and stir to cook for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer mixture to a food processor and blend or pulse for a minute until a ground meat-like texture is achieved.

2. Make queshew. In a skillet, heat olive oil on high. Add poblano, ren onion, and red bell pepper until soft and light brown. Set aside.

Combine cashews, yogurt, nooch, water, turmeric, chili powder, veggie broth powder, salt and pepper in the blender and blend until a thick sauce is achieved, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over the sauteed veggies, and stir.

3. Preheat oven to 375ºF while you get on dish duty. You're going to need the blender once more. Now find a clear glass baking dish(a clear one, so that you'll be able to see all the layers!). Put the lentil meat on the bottom, spreading from corner to corner. Next top with queshew, spreading over the top of the lentils, being careful not to mix the two. Now bake for about 10 minutes. Remove after baking set aside while you make the remaining layers.

4. Now make the guac! Easy, just mash everything together in a bowl with a fork and spread over the queshew.

5. In a measuring cup, whisk together the agave, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Put slaw in a bowl and pour dressing over the top. Toss to combine.

6. In a bowl, stir together the chopped tomatoes and onion with lemon juice and cilantro.

6.To make chipotle crema, blend all ingredients in a blender for 2-3 minutes until smooth. I like to put it in a squeeze bottle so I can do zigzags for my 6th layer.

7. Mix all sauces together and add some salt and pepper. I also like to put this in a squirt bottle for zigzagging purposes. Plus these are great condiments to have on hand, because everything needs a little crema and hot sauce, right?

8.Drain some excess liquid from the slaw before sprinkling it over the guac to reduce pooling when the dip is served. Cover guac as best you can with the slaw mixture. Now do the same with the tomato salsa, seeing if you can drain off a little liquid from that too. Spread that over the top. If your dish is full after adding this layer, don't worry. the next 2 layers are just drizzles.

9. Going in a zigzig motion, squeeze over the tomatoes the chipotle crema. Now in an oposite zigzag motion, squeeze over the hot sauce blend. If you don't have any squeeze bottles, get some. But also you can dollop the crema on the tomatoes or drizzle the hot sauce best you can with a spoon.

Done!

*this dip comes together easiest when you have a few of the components ready before assembling. The lentil taco meat and queshew are easy to make ahead for taco night or any mexican inspired meal. Use the leftovers for this dip! The crema and hot sauce can be made way ahead too. If you are making the tomato onion salsa and not using jarred, wait to make that the day of, as well as the slaw as to not let those layers get too soggy. The guac won't keep in the fridge, so make that the day of, and you can have this put together in 30 minutes or less.

September 09, 2012

Personifying Hummus

September 09, 2012

Chickpea hummus is kind of like a vegan movie star. It holds a Marilyn Monroe kind of status, as everyone knows it, knows that it's bee...

Chickpea hummus is kind of like a vegan movie star. It holds a Marilyn Monroe kind of status, as everyone knows it, knows that it's been around forever, that vegans and most other people really like it, and anyone who hasn't tried it knows about it in all its glory. It's an undeniable old favorite that I most certainly love and imagine that you do too. But I've eaten chickpea hummus a lot. It takes me longer than most people to get sick of something as awesome as chickpea hummus, but I eat it almost every day. A much needed brainstorm is in order.

Black bean hummus is kind of like chickpea hummus's little sister. She's as perfectly delicious, savory, spicy, and stylish as chickpea hummus, but no one seems to pay her any attention. She can merit just as creamy a texture, and what she lacks in nutty tang, she makes up for with a healthy dose of toasted pine nuts. Her deep, dark shade of brown is intriguing and either she compliments cilantro, or cilantro compliments her. I'm a little sister, too. I feel you. Popularity isn't everything-- Behold.

Black Bean Hummus

1 28oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup tahini

2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup cilantro

1 tablespoon hot sauce, more to taste

1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce (optional, or sub soy sauce)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 teaspoon old bay

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder, or whatever chile powder you have

2 tablepoons olive oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Crush the garlic and peel paper off cloves and add them to a blender. Then add beans, tahini, hot sauce, cilantro, pine nuts, worcestershire, spices, olive oil, salt and pepper.

If your blender starts, cool. If not, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of the water and start again. If your blender needs more water, add it slowly and stir with a spatula (with the machine off) to move the water towards the bottom. Try blending again until you can get everything to a smooth, thick, spreadable consistency. Taste for seasonings.

Serve with pita chips, plaintain chips, or blue corn chips. Veggies aren't a bad choice either.

July 31, 2012

Thank God It's Tuesday

July 31, 2012

Long Time, No Blog. I'm sorry, friends. I've been out and about this summer, visiting friends, family, some vegan restaurants and se...

Long Time, No Blog. I'm sorry, friends. I've been out and about this summer, visiting friends, family, some vegan restaurants and seeing some kickass shows all over this side of the country. I've also been keeping busy doing a bunch of recipe writing and testing and eating, of course. I also just heard John Stewart mispronounce "vegan." He said "VAY-gun." Can we put our faith in no one?
So let's cut to the chase. This dip.

Sometimes, when you find yourself living in central New Jersey, you find yourself at Chilis. Not my proudest moment, but I do often find inspiration in hum-drum, run-of-the-mill, drown-my-sorrows-after-a-shitty-day-at-work, 1/2 price-appetizers-at-happy-hour kind of chain establishment. Well, I find inspiration at these kinds of places, or vicariously through an episode of Diners, Drive-In's and Dives.
Every single place like the kind I'm describing has a Spinach and Artichoke dip. My aunt Maureen used to make one like this for family get-togethers and I think hers is the only one I've ever actually tasted, though they all look and sound delicious. It's an obvious crowd-pleaser, and that's probably why it's on so many menus and on so many tables during family gatherings. Us vay-guns have passed on this dip and scooped up yet another hunk of walmart hummus with our pita chip instead time and time again, because this dip is mostly comprised of cream and cheese, you know, the two things that aren't even part of the title.
Well I can make you that dip, friends. I can, and I will. Oh wait, I did. That was unsuspenseful.
Have I told you I'm writing a cookbook called, "Life after Cashews" ? It's a working title but it had a better ring to it than "Divine Secrets of The Cashew Sisterhood."

Spinach-Artichoke dip

8-9 artichoke hearts, sliced
1 large white onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
5 large handfuls baby spinach
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup nooch
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt
pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Put cashews in a blender with nooch, herbs, garlic powder, yogurt, salt and pepper and blend. Add almond milk slowly until a creamy paste is achieved. Blend about 2 minutes, maybe more if you have a tag-sale blender.
Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute for about 4 minutes, until relatively caramelized. Add artichokes and cook another 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Then add the spinach in handfuls, adding more as it wilts down. Toss the spinach with everything else using tongs, aiding the wilting process. When all spinach is wilted, pour in cashew cream. Stir everything together and taste for salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler.
Find a cute little baking dish that seems sized appropriately for a dip of this sort. Pile all of the mixture into the dish and broil for about 5 minutes, until bubbly and browned in spots. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Older Posts

Food Memories: Dip Night!

Resourceful KZ

Nach-yo-average Nacho Dip

Take Time for Tacos

Personifying Hummus

Thank God It's Tuesday

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