The BEST Vegan "Crab" Dip Ever.

This may easily be one of my favorite dips of all time. 

Adapted ever so slightly from PractiGantic's recipe, 

you won't be able to stop making this and sharing it with everyone you know. 

Best if prepared the night before, or has a few hours to sit before serving.

Vegan Crab Dip (takes about 25-30 min to prepare):

28 oz heart of palm (found canned near canned artichokes etc.)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

16 oz vegan cream cheese, softened (Kite Hill highly recommended for best taste)
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise 

1 red bell pepper diced small

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 cup red onion, diced small

3 tbsp green onions, diced

4 oz pimiento, drained and diced small
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of freshly ground sea salt
a few dashes of Old Bay Seasoning

First, mince the garlic, then drain and chop the heart of palm into varying shapes and sizes to act as the crab in the dip. Don't worry if some starts to shred, as you sautee it this will happen to some pieces and that is perfectly fine.

Next you're going to sautee the garlic and heart of palm in the olive oil over low heat until the heart of palm browns. Keeping the heat low, allow this to occur as you prep the remainder of the dip, stirring with a spatula occasionally.

For the next steps - if you're short on time, you can just add all of the ingredients (except Old Bay) together in a bowl while the heart of palm sautees. But, I find doing it in the following order allows the seasonings to flavor the cream cheese and mayo base the best. 

First add the cream cheese and mayonnaise to a large mixing bowl and combine together. Then add the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and mix well.

Next, add all of the dry ingredients (except the Old Bay) to the dip, mix together well, then set aside to marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Dry Ingredients: paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, freshly ground sea salt.

Head back over to the heart of palm, add a light dash of Old Bay Seasoning and a grind of pepper, stir together well, and continue to let brown.

Next, dice all the veggies (red bell pepper, red onion, green onion, pimientos), and add them to the dip as well and stir together.

By now your heart of palm should be almost ready. Add another dash of Old Bay and continue to sautee until ready. Then remove from the heat and let cool.

Once cooled, fold the heart of palm into the dip and mix together well. I enjoy serving this dip cold after it's had the chance to sit for a few hours first, or overnight, but sometimes it's just too hard to wait! Enjoy!

Dairy-Free Creamy Queso Dip

One of my favorite recipes, made entirely of veggies and whole foods, 

it's tastes so good, it's so versatile, and so healthy too!

Dairy-Free Creamy Queso Dip:

3 organic russet potatoes
3 organic carrots
1 organic small yellow onion
1 organic red pepper
1/2 cup organic cashews
lemon juice from 1/2 an organic lemon
15oz diced tomatoes and green chillies

Optional: 1/2 or whole packet of taco seasoning
Optional: organic diced jalapeño


Peel the potatoes, carrots, and onion and deseed the pepper. Add them all to a pot of boiling water along with the cashews and boil until potatoes, carrots, and cashews are soft. About 15-20 min.

Set aside about 1 cup of of the water used for boiling incase you need to thin out the dip, and then add the drained cooked veggies, cashews, and lemon juice to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding about a tablespoon of reserved water at a time to thin out only if needed.

Once blended, add to a small sauce pot over low-medium heat and stir in the the tomatoes and green chillies. This is also when you would begin to add the taco seasoning and diced jalapeño to taste if you want.

Serve warm and enjoy! I also find this freezes well if you end up having extra or want to make it ahead of time.

Perfect to top these Twice Baked Potatoes with,

or dip these Southwest Taco Wontons into!

Tofu "Egg" Breakfast Sandwich

Tofu Egg Breakfast Sandwich:

1 organic english muffin
1 package extra firm organic tofu
vegan cheddar cheese (for this dish I prefer to shave some of Daiya's Medium Cheddar Block)
organic extra virgin olive oil
organic turmeric
organic cracked pepper
optional garnishes: sliced tomato, vegan bacon, avocado, salsa... make it your own!

Drain and press the tofu well then cut into 4 filets (once lengthwise, and once widthwise). To save time, I would suggest doing this the day or night before and storing it in the refrigerator overnight so it's already prepped for the morning.

Heat a fry pan over medium heat then coat the pan generously with olive oil and allow the oil to warm. Sprinkle some turmeric and cracked pepper into the oil and reduce heat to medium-low. Place a single filet onto the pan and immediately press down firmly with a spatula and move the tofu in small circles preventing it from sticking to the pan. If it begins to stick, reduce heat further and continue to move around while pressing firmly. Continue to press down and move the tofu around the pan. During this time, sprinkle some turmeric and cracked pepper on top of the filet as well.

Once the filet has been cooking for about a minute, add a second filet a repeat the same process ensuring it does not stick to the pan. Once the bottom has begun to very lightly brown and crisp, flip over and repeat the process on the second side. One side should take anywhere from 2-5 minutes.

Depending on how large your pan is, it may be best to cook two filets at a time.

Once the filets have been cooking for about 1 minute on the second side, add the cheddar cheese to the top side of the tofu, reduce heat to low and cover so that cheese can began to melt. Make sure to check and move the tofu around occasionally during this time to ensure it does not stick - be careful not to rush the melting process and turn up the heat - the tofu will stick.

While the cheese is melting, toast your english muffin, then add your tofu to the english muffin, add any extra garnishes, and enjoy!!