The season boasts a bounty of garden-fresh veggies that beg to be dunked in delicious dairy-free dips that are perfect for summertime entertaining.
Below are three easy-to-prepare and delicious dips that will have your guests reaching for another vegetable, and scraping the bottom of the bowl.
Hot Spinach Cheeze Dip
A crowd pleaser at any party, this dish has been revamped to appeal to all your guests – including those who are lactose intolerant. Serve in a hollowed-out pumpernickel loaf.
2 (10 oz.) packages of frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 tbsp. capers, chopped
14 oz. can of artichokes, chopped
½ cup purple onion, diced
½ cup roasted red pepper, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Press spinach to free it from liquid. In a food processer, puree the spinach with dairy substitutes, garlic, capers and salt and pepper. Stir in artichokes, onion and roasted red pepper. Transfer mixture into a casserole dish, and bake for about 20 minutes or until hot.
Edamame Hummus
Edamame are the unripened beans picked fresh from the soy plant’s pods. When used as a substitute for chickpeas in hummus, they offer a verdant kick and a fresh flavour that – just like the popular Japanese snack food – makes this dip hard to resist.
1 bag (500 g) frozen edamame, shelled and thawed
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup tahini
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
In a food processor, add garlic and edamame and mix until somewhat smooth. Add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and seasoning, and process until the desired consistency. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Cool and Dreamy Ranch
This recipe does double duty as a dressing for salads. Easy to prepare, it serves as a staple to have on hand for quick snacks and when friends drop around. In the summer, when fresh herbs are on hand, add parsley, dill and chopped green onion to taste.
1 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. parsley, chopped
2 tsp. dill, chopped
2 tsp. green onion, chopped
½ cup unsweetened soymilk
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix ingredients together in a bowl, and serve with your favourite fresh-cut vegetables.