recipe review: warm nacho dip

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try and add to my repertoire of favorites and old standbys so I thought it would be fun to record recipes I try and note any changes I made.

First up is the "Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip" from the Oh She Glows cookbook (found on page 83). I made this one over the weekend for a family gathering and it was a hit. Even with (most of) the kids...and we had all nine of the cousins there to sample it!

Here's the ingredient list for the original recipe:
cheese sauce:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours to overnight
1 cup peeled, chopped, cooked carrots
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
1 1/4 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
2/3 cup water

dip:
1 cup chunky marinara sauce
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 to 3 handfuls roughly chopped baby spinach
1/2 cups crushed corn chips or bread crumbs
1-2 finely sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Before I made the recipe, I knew I'd want to sub in salsa for the marinara sauce and I adjusted the seasonings as I went along so I could reduce the salt content. If you're looking to cut back on salt, one of the tricks I learned is to amp up the quantities of your spices, sometimes by as much as doubling or tripling. I did include the cayenne, but only put in a dash. The corn chips/bread crumb topping also could be left off for dietary reasons, but it does put a nice finish on it.

Here's the recipe as I made it:

Warm Nacho Dip (recipe notes follow)

vegan, dairy free, gluten free, oil free, paleo friendly, sugar free

cheese sauce:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours to overnight
1 cup peeled, chopped, cooked carrots
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
2/3 cup of water

dip:
1 cup salsa
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 to 3 handfuls roughly chopped spinach
1/2 cups crushed corn chips (optional)
1-2 finely sliced green onions for garnish

1. To soak the cashews, place in a bowl and cover with water. Then drain and rinse.
2. To ensure some of the vitamins from the carrots wouldn't do down the drain (literally!), I boiled them until they were fork tender and all the water had boiled off. If you try this, watch carefully or the carrots will burn. You also could steam them.
3. Place the soaked cashews, cooked carrots and remaining sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more water if necessary.
4. In an oven safe dish combine the sauce with the salsa, onion and spinach and garnish with the corn chips if using.
5. Bake in a 350 oven, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, making sure your corn chips don't burn.
6. Garnish with green onions if using and serve immediately.

recipe notes:

• salt: when I originally made this, I used 1 tsp of regular table salt but still found this a bit salty, so I would try it next time with 3/4 tsp. salt as I reflected in the ingredients
• I used Pace Mild salsa which is sugar free
• I chopped the spinach a little more finely than "rough" to make it more kid-pleasing
• I think the green onions are essential as an added flavor layer but you could still leave it out
• although this recipe is meant to be warmed, I also enjoyed it cold

what to eat when summer swelters

High temperatures + high humidity beg for foods which naturally cool our bodies. I made the following two recipes the other week when we were in the middle of a heat wave. With another one on the way, I think I'll be making them again...

Berry Watermelon Salad

This was a fun salad to do and one all the kids enjoyed and it's easy to adapt to the tastes of your family if the watermelon-strawberry-kiwi recipe doesn't appeal. I served it over crisp greens and prepared a simple strawberry "dressing" (technically, it was just a thinner smoothie).

Ingredients:
watermelon
strawberries
kiwi
salad greens

strawberry dressing
options for more adventurous palettes (my 4 chickadees aren't there yet :) ): red or sweet onion slices, fresh chopped basil

How to put it together:
For a fun, dish-free alternative, use half of a watermelon for your bowl. Using a melon baller (I used a metal coffee scoop!), scoop out watermelon flesh. Wash strawberries and cut into halves. Peel and slice kiwi into rounds. Mix the melon and berries together and place in bowl. Surround with kiwi slices. Serve over salad greens.

Dressing:
I've been experimenting with fruit-based salad dressings to encourage my children to enjoy eating salad. Since they've rejected a great number of tasty (to me) dressings, I've settled on creating smoothie-like dressings. Not very sophisticated, but so simple and sometimes you just need to run with what works for your family.

For the berry watermelon salad, I placed about 1 cup of defrosted* strawberries in a food processor with a teeny bit of maple syrup to up the sweetness just a little. Gave it a whirl and done! For added sophistication, add some balsamic vinegar and cracked black pepper to taste.

Other fruit smoothie salad dressing ideas: raspberries, mango/pineapple juice/orange juice, gingered peach


*I've found defrosted fruit to work well since it blends smoothly without needing to add water or another liquid.

Simple Raw Pizza Slices

Perfect for garden fresh tomatoes. Serve as an appetizer or as a side dish.

Ingredients:
fresh tomato slices
oil-free, tahini-free hummus
chopped fresh basil
pine nuts

How to put it together:
Slice tomatoes and spread with a generous layer of hummus. Top with pine nuts and chopped basil. Arrange on a plate and you're finished. So simple and so good. Have fun experimenting with you other favorite plant-based pizza toppings: eggplant, fresh oregano, olives, green/red peppers, diced onions


Keeping it in perspective:
And though I enjoy the refreshing foods God provides on this earth, may I rejoice over this, His eternal promise: "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." Jeremiah 31:25 NIV 1984

cilantro black bean dip

One of the challenges of going for a whole foods vegan approach to eating what to munch on when you're in the mood for a savory snack. Or what to add to round out a meal. Or looking for something "fun" for the kids to eat.

Dips meet all three challenges and are an excellent way to encourage raw veggie eating.

I found this recipe in "Get it Ripe" by Jae Steele, but modified a wee bit to cut back on the salt and cut out the spiciness which my tribe don't go for (yet). I like serving it with tortilla chips - the ones in the picture are the veggie flax seed chips from Trader Joe's. Guiltless Gourmet also makes a good lines which has lower fat content but the sodium is higher than the Trader Joe's brand. It also goes well with homemade sweet potato rounds (recipe coming soon).

Cilantro Black Bean Dip

2 c. cooked black beans
2/3 c. chopped cilantro
2 medium minced garlic cloves
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T tomato paste
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cumin
water as needed to thin
(optional: for a spicier dip add 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)

Place all ingredients in a food processor/blender and combine until smooth. Add water and scrape down sides as needed. Add additional of the above seasonings to taste.


Keeping it in perspective: Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:2 NIV 1984)