Right on the heels of Part 1 of my Oscar post comes Part 2!  Here’s the “Argochoke Dip: Go Cluck Yourself”, which I posted about a few weeks ago.  This was a big hit.  We had a couple vegetarians at the party, but no other vegans.  In case you’d be worried to serve this to meat eaters, don’t be!  They’ll love it.

Another meaty dish was “Feast for the Southern Child”.  I probably should have made Hush Puppies in honor of the adorable Quvenzhané Wallis, but I’m a sucker for Biscuits and Gravy, and I bet the residents of The Bathtub are too.  I made a bunch of teeny biscuits and served the gravy in a mini crock pot.

Unfortunately we didn’t get a great shot of the gravy, but you get the idea.  This was another one that the non veg-heads ate up without any complaints.  I make this for dinner so much that I think I could make it in my sleep, and it’s always nice to serve at least a couple things that are in your comfort zone.

This next dish is “Mango Romain-ed”, better known as the “Mecca Azteca Salad” from the Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook.  We make this almost as much as Biscuits & Gravy.  I’d say it’s probably my favorite salad.  The Mango Lime Vinaigrette is so good, I could drink the whole batch.

For the party I tossed the quinoa, chopped veggies and currants in the dressing, and I served the whole thing in romaine leaves.  I got several compliments on this, and it was probably the healthiest dish on the table.  Tanya Petrovna is another hero of mine.  That lady can cook.  If there’s a Native Foods Cafe near you, and you haven’t been, get over there!

And last, but not least, we have “Life of Pie.”  As you can see, we didn’t get a shot of this one before it was destroyed.  I originally planned to make Alix’s Peanut Butter Cream Pie from Cute + Delicious.  I baked the crust and took my coconut milk cans out of the fridge.  I opened one, and when I tried to pour off the water everything poured out of the can.  Despite leaving them in the fridge overnight, none of the nice fatty coconut cream had set up.  I’m not sure why.  I’ve never had problems before, but maybe the pie gods didn’t want me to make peanut butter pie that day.

I did a search for vegan pie recipes and decided to make Isa’s Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie.  I don’t think it was in the fridge long enough to set properly, but it was still really good, and Alix’s crust recipe was awesome.  I’m intimidated by pie crusts, and I usually don’t think they taste that great.  This one was easy to make, and it tasted SO good.  I had a little left over from the trimmed edges and I made a mini cream cheese guava hand pie with it.  It didn’t look too pretty so I didn’t take a pic of it, but I plan to make a whole batch of them and do a post for you guys.

Food-wise, my favorite takeaways from this were the baked brie, pie crust and chocolate pudding filling.  I can’t wait to experiment more with these!

I tested another recipe over the weekend for our Oscar party, but this one would also be perfect for the Superbowl this Sunday.  I wanted to do something different than my normal Hot Artichoke Dip, and using chicken worked for one the of the title puns I’ve been working on.  I came across this recipe that sounded good, so I set to work making a vegan version.

This dip is decadent.  It’s much healthier than it’s real meat and dairy counterpart, but it sure ain’t healthy.  It is really, really tasty though.  We tried it with water crackers, tortilla chips and golden rounds (Trader Joe’s version of Ritz crackers).  The golden rounds were the winner, but of course eat this with whatever you like best – spoons work too!

Chicken Bacon Artichoke Dip

8 oz. faux chicken
about 7 strips faux bacon (or half package of Turtle Island Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh)
14-oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. unsweetened non-dairy milk
8-oz non-dairy cream cheese, room temperature
pinch cayenne powder, or to taste
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp. non-dairy sour cream, room temperature
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grab a medium-sized casserole dish (1 1/2 – 2 quarts).  You don’t have to oil the dish, but it won’t hurt anything if you want to.

Cook the chicken according to package directions, and then dice it.  Cook the bacon, and dice it as well.

While you’re cooking the bacon and chicken, prep your other ingredients and add them all to a large bowl.  Add both the diced chicken and bacon to the bowl.  Mix everything together well, and dump it all into your casserole dish.  Bake the whole thing for about 30 minutes, or until it’s heated throughout and bubbling.

You can store leftovers in the fridge.  You’ll just want to reheat them before eating.

Notes: Since I’ll be making this again I’m gonna try a few tweaks to simplify things, and I might up the amount spinach so I don’t have to feel quite as bad about eating this.  I’ll be sure to update the post if the changes work.

Looking at the calendar yesterday I realized that we’re a lot further into November than I’d realized.  That means Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I’d better start figuring out what I’m going to make!

With that in mind, I thought I’d go through past posts that would be appropriate for the holiday.  Let’s start with appetizers!  (Click on the photos for the original post and recipe.)

APPETIZERS

Hot Artichoke Dip

This Hot Artichoke Dip makes a great holiday appetizer.  It’s really easy to make, so you can spend more time on everything else you’ll be cooking.  It’s also a great dish to make for skeptical non-vegans because it’s creamy, decadent and delicious!

Cheezy Crackers

Cheezy Crackers are another great choice for pre-meal snacking.  They take just a little more effort, but you can make them a day or two ahead of time.  And your guests will be so impressed that you made crackers from scratch that it will be totally worth it!

Marinated Cheeze

Another make ahead dish is this Marinated Cheeze.  It’s so tasty on crackers or crusty bread, and you won’t have to worry about any vampire attacks during your meal since you and all your guests will have plenty of garlic breath perfuming the air.

Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese

Since we’re talking cheese (creamy and cheesy seem to be a theme with me…), I have to post my favorite vegan cheese!  This Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese does require some advance planning, but it’s so worth it.  It’s not difficult to make, though, so don’t be intimidated by the recipe.  I can also guarantee that it’s a safe bet to serve to non-vegans.  Whenever I make this it disappears almost as fast as I can put it out.

Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts

And finally, one of my all-time favorite snacks, The Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts.  These are incredibly easy to make, can be made ahead of time and reheated, and are so incredibly tasty.  You can use whatever nuts you like best, and the herbs and seasonings are perfect for Thanksgiving.

Okay, so now that we have a few appetizer ideas, let’s move onto to soup.  Normally I don’t serve soup with my Thanksgiving meal, but I’m thinking about doing it this year.  I have my eye on a cranberry and wild rice soup that I’d like to try out, but any of the following would be perfect on your Thanksgiving table.

SOUP

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This soup is sweet, savory and really yummy.  The recipe is a little bit more advanced, but the end flavor is worth the time and effort.

Cauliflower Bisque with Buttered Breadcrumbs

Ummmm… bisque.  This Cauliflower Bisque with Buttered Breadcrumbs is so delicious, and as I look at that photo I’m kicking myself for not making this more often.  Again, this is something you can very confidently serve to non-vegans.

Delicata Squash Bisque

Delicata Squash Bisque is incredibly easy, and one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted.  The quality of the vegetable broth you use is important here, so make sure to use a good one!

Okay, time for the main event.  For me, Thanksgiving is about sides (and it was even when I still ate turkey).  The past couple years I’ve also made a nut roast (two different ones last year) so that it feels like there’s a “main dish.”  Here are some of my favorite sides, along with that tasty nut roast.

THE MAIN EVENT

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Don’t let Roasted Brussels Sprouts scare you.  If you’re afraid of them or have had bad experiences in the past, you have to try cooking them this way, and I promise you’ll feel differently.  These were such a huge hit last year.  They’re another one of those easy dishes that free up your time for the more complicated ones.  And you don’t have to sacrifice any flavor.

Green Bean Casserole

This Green Bean Casserole is one of my favorite dishes.  The recipe is a little more involved, but making this classic dish from scratch is worth it.  I plan to double the recipe this year since it went so quickly last year.

Mashed Potatoes

Of course it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Mashed Potatoes, at least for me.  I make a giant pot of these every year, mostly so that there’s enough for me to stuff myself on them.  I mean, let’s just be honest with each other.

“Poultry” Gravy

There’s only one thing that can possibly make mashed potatoes better and that’s…”Poultry” Gravy!  This stuff is magical.  I make a huge batch in the morning and keep it warm in a crock pot.  You have to have plenty for the meal, and extra for the leftovers!

Holiday Nut Roast

The gravy is also amazing on this Holiday Nut Roast.  This is another recipe that takes a bit more work than the others, but that’s what makes it special.  What seems like a very disparate list of ingredients come together to make a perfectly textured savory and delicious roast.  It’s almost like stuffing and a main dish combined.  Definitely worth the effort.

Sweet Potato Casserole

And to transition us to dessert, here’s my favorite Thanksgiving dish – SusanV’s Sweet Potato Casserole.  This is the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever tasted.  I love having something sweet and spicy to contrast with all the savory foods on my Thanksgiving plate.  It makes for great left-overs too.

Okay, now for the real desserts!  It’s hard to stray from the classics, which for my family were always pumpkin and apple pie.  I was never a huge pumpkin pie fan (although I bet I’d feel differently now), but pumpkin cheesecake is something I can definitely get behind.

DESSERTS!

Pumpkin Patch Cheesecake

This version is creamy, delicious and perfectly pumpkin-y.  It’s also much easier to make than you’d expect.

Easy Refrigerator Cheesecake

If you’re looking for something even easier, this (almost) no-bake cheesecake has you covered.  You do have to bake the crust of this Easy Refrigerator Cheesecake, but it’s still one of the easiest dessert options out there.  It’s almost like pumpkin mousse, and it will definitely impress your non-vegan guests.

Frangipane Pear Crostata

If you want to skip the pumpkin all-together, you could make this Frangipane Pear Crostata.  It takes just a bit more effort than the cheesecakes, but it’s an elegant dessert that’s not too sweet, making it the perfect finale for a rich Thanksgiving meal.

German Apple Cake

While I’m not a huge apple pie fan, I love apple cake!  If you want to switch things up this year you could make this German Apple Cake in place of the pie.

Chocolate Chip Date Cake

Now, I know it isn’t traditional, but this Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts.  It’s simply delicious.  The flavor and texture are awesome, and it bridges the gap between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season to come.  You could even make mini-bundts like Jenn over at Cookin’ Vegan.

Hopefully these recipes will help get you started on your vegan Thanksgiving menu, or maybe if you’re not vegan they’ll give you an idea of something to serve your vegan or vegetarian guests.  Now I just need to figure out what my menu is going to be.  What are you guys planning to make for Thanksgiving this year?

As promised, here’s the new dip I made for Ryan’s birthday get-together this past weekend.  It was my first time making the classic bread bowl spinach dip.  To be honest, I used to not really like this kind of dip at all.  After tasting this one though, I have to change my tune.  I’ll definitely be putting it into the regular rotation.

I have another spinach dip that I usually make, but it’s more work and a little bit richer.  This was SO easy to make, and people went crazy for it.  I’d bookmarked this recipe a while ago, and found it again as I frantically searched for something to make that would be tasty, but not take too much effort.

The leek soup packet called for in the original recipe contained whey, so I went with the veggie soup packet instead (which actually has a similar spinach dip recipe on that back.)  I only made a couple of other modifications, and of course I used vegan versions of the non-vegan ingredients.

The only thing I’ll do differently next time I make this is buy some extra bread to serve it with.  There wasn’t enough from the bread bowl itself.  I also put out some pretzels, but this dip is really tasty with bread cubes.

Spinach Dip

1 cup Vegenaise (or other vegan mayo)
1 (12 ounce) container Tofutti Sour Supreme
1 (1.8 ounce) package Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (squeeze well to really get all the water out)
1 (1 pound) loaf round sourdough bread

Mix all the ingredients (except the bread) together in a large bowl.  Cut the top and middle out of the bread, and fill with the dip.  Cube the section of bread you removed for serving alongside the dip.  Enjoy!

Ryan’s birthday was Friday, so we had a few friends over on Saturday to celebrate.  I’d been working on a large cupcake order for a couple days, so after finishing that and helping to clean up our place, I didn’t have a lot of energy left to make food.

I did end up making one new dip (which I’ll post about later this week), but I also went with one of my easy go-to recipes – this ridiculously easy Onion Dip.  I just mix a tub of Tofutti Sour Supreme and a packet of Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup.

It’s not the healthiest dip, but it tastes amazing, and literally takes a couple minutes to make.  I like to serve it up with a big bowl of chips, but it’s also really tasty with pretzels.

I know it’s not much of a recipe, but it’s such a great shortcut to have on hand when you’re entertaining, or when friends happen to drop by (I almost always have vegan sour cream on hand).  It’s no Onion Dip from scratch, but it’s almost as good and so much easier when you’re short on time.

The best part is that no one will guess that the dip is vegan – unless of course they know that all the food you make is vegan, which is pretty much the case with our friends.  Even so, it always gets rave reviews, and I unfortunately never end up with any leftovers!

With so much beautiful asparagus at the Farmers’ Market lately, I’ve been trying to find new recipes that feature this tasty veggie.  This one looked great and seemed really easy to veganize, and since I love the combo of lemon and asparagus together, I thought I’d give it a try.

This recipe was so easy to make, and it’s really yummy.  It has a strong lemon flavor, which I love, and it was delicious slathered on slices of toasted baguette.  You could also use this as a sandwich spread, or stir it into hot pasta (which I can’t wait to try!).

I only made a couple of minor changes to the original recipe, obviously using vegan versions of the non-vegan ingredients, and also simplifying the technique.  I hope you enjoy it!

My mom recently gave me an adorable little cookbook called Simply Scones that has recipes for the titular biscuit-like treats and spreads to serve alongside them.  Both my mom and I love scones (and bread, and cake, and cookies…).  It’s really out of our hands I think; it must be the Bohemian blood or something.

But back to the cookbook!  This one isn’t a vegan cookbook, but most of the recipes are really easy to vegan-ize.  One such recipe caught my eye, maybe because I was having a rough day and a spread with rum sounded good – but then again, when doesn’t it?

This was so easy to make, and it was really yummy.  I slathered some of this spread on a Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Wheat Bagel.  You could also serve this as a dip for fresh fruit or spread some on banana or zucchini bread.

Here’s my vegan version of the recipe with very minor changes.  Okay, I added more rum.

“Spirited” Walnut Date Spread

6 ounces non-dairy cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon rum
1 teaspoon firmly packed dark brown sugar

Place the cream cheese, dates, walnuts, rum and brown sugar in a food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade.  Process until the mixture is almost smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Transfer the spread to a small bowl, and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

First up is Buffalo “Chicken” Dip.  This creamy and spicy dip is so incredibly tasty, and pairs very nicely with some football.  It’s easy to make, and your guests will never know it’s vegan.  Definitely one of my favorites.

Next up is Sweet Onion Dip, which is basically a caramelized onion dip made from scratch.  This one is another personal favorite, and it will definitely impress your guests.

A unique twist on a classic, this Kimchi Salsa is spicy and almost effervescent.  It’s really fresh and so flavorful.

And since we’re talking unique dips, this Badenjan Dip from Nigella Lawson is slightly exotic and very tasty.  Even if you don’t like eggplant, you’ll still love this dip.  It’s always a huge hit whenever I serve it to guests.

Of course you can’t go wrong with a good old layered dip, and they couldn’t be easier to make.  This Awesome Easy Layer Dip features guac, soy chorizo and a tropical salsa.

And if you’d rather go with something more traditional, this Refried Bean Layer Dip is a classic, and also super easy to throw together.

Finally, this Hot Artichoke Dip is so good, and of course (say it with me) really easy to make!  I would double this if you’re making it for a crowd because it’ll go really, really fast.  I could probably eat one batch all by myself.

Stay tuned the rest of this week for more Super Bowl snacks!

UPDATE: The winner of the vegan queso is Tami (vegan appetite), who commented that her “favorite snack would be wingz. Wingz dipped in queso sound fantastic!”  Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

If you don’t win, don’t be discouraged – you can still get your hands on some of this delicious dip.  The queso is available in a few stores already, and if it’s not in your area you can always request that your local store start carrying it.  Vegan consumer power!

Crystal was kind enough to send me a jar that I hoarded for weeks before finally trying it the other night.  It’s so, so delicious, and it’s fantastic to be able to just open a lid and have an amazing vegan snack.  No work required, unless you choose to heat it up.  Whether or not you’re vegan, I think you’ll be blown away by how good it is.

With the Super Bowl upon us, we’re knee deep in one of the year’s best snacking seasons.  How ’bout serving some of this fantastic vegan queso at your Super Bowl party?  All you have to do to enter the give-away is leave a comment telling me about your favorite football eats.

You can increase your chances of winning by following C’est La Vegan and Food for Lovers on twitter, and by “liking” C’est La Vegan and Food for Lovers on facebook, just make sure to mention that you did in your comment.  You only have to leave one comment; each mention will still get you a separate entry.  The contest will close on Sunday January 30th at 9:00pm Pacific time, and is only open to people with US shipping addresses.  Good luck!

For the life of me, I couldn’t come up with a name for this dip.  Soy Chorizo Papaya Mango Salsa?  Guacamole Chorizo Tropical something?  Tropical Spicy Creamy Chip Stuff?

It’s awesome, and it’s easy, so that’s what I went with!  I made this for a Bears’ brunch we had on Sunday, and it was a huge hit.  Well, I say “made it”, but I really just assembled it, which is where the easy part comes in.

This is kind of an update on one of my favorite recipes – layered bean dip.  I wanted to use the same technique but different ingredients since I make that one a lot.  I had some Trader Joe’s soy chorizo in the fridge, so I let that be the inspiration for this.

You can’t go wrong with guacamole, and it’s a nice contrast to the spicy chorizo.  You can make your own guacamole, but I chose to turn to my best friend, Trader Joe, for that one as well.  Wouldn’t you know it, as I looked through the guacamole options, I found some fantastic looking salsa that seemed like it would be the perfect topper for this concoction.  Quite a guy, that Trader Joe.  I will definitely be making this again!

Awesome Easy Layer Dip

1 package soy chorizo
1 – 2 cups guacamole (depends on the size of your serving container)
1 15 ounce container Trader Joe’s (or any brand) Fire Roasted Papaya Mango Salsa

Heat a a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  (You can also use a regular skillet – just use a bit of oil so the chorizo doesn’t stick).  Saute the soy chorizo until heated through.  Let cool slightly.

Spread the guacamole in a 9-inch pie dish, or similar sized serving piece.  Top with the soy chorizo, and carefully spread it over the guacamole.  Spread the salsa on top, and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.  You could also include a layer of non-dairy sour cream if you like, but it’s not necessary.