Some Avocado Love and Recipe for Cherry Tomato and Avocado Relish

Oh avocado, how I love you.  In dips, spreads, and salsas.  Smashed, mashed and sliced on toast.  In rich chocolate puddings and cakes (and more on those to come).

But sometimes I want avocado to taste like avocado.  I want to enjoy its creamy flavour without too much seasoning.  As much as I love cilantro and cumin, sometimes they overpower avocado's mild freshness.  And as much as I love guacamole that is silky and smooth, fluffy and light, sometimes I enjoy biting into a perfectly ripe avocado's firm yet soft textured flesh.

So here I keep it simple. Serve it on toast, tortilla chips, or eat it au naturel. Light and fresh, with mild ingredients (tomato, lime, sea salt) that bring out all of the goodness that is avocado without overpowering its mild disposition. 

Cherry Tomato and Avocado Relish
Makes approx 1.5 cups

1 large or 2 small avocados
1/4 yellow onion, minced fine
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
5-6 cherry tomatoes, seeds removed and diced fine
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 dashes of hot sauce (I use Valentina's)
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
pepper to taste

Cut avocado(s) in half lenghwise by cutting through to the pit in a circle and twisting. Remove the pit with a spoon or a knife, then scoop out the flesh, intact, onto a cutting board.  Cut into 1/4 inch dice and transfer to a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mash lightly with a potato masher or the back of a fork.  You don't want to over-mash the avocado; make sure there are still plenty of chunks.

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Recipe: Quinoa-battered Eggplant Fries

Mmmm-mmm, I do love eggplant.  I usually whip it up into a dip, but thought I would try something different.  I thought that the soft, silky texture of eggplant would pair nicely with the crispiness of baked quinoa, so I came up with these quinoa-battered eggplant fries.  They are gluten-free and vegan.  Enjoy!

Quinoa-Battered Eggplant Fries
Serves 2

1 long Asian eggplant, peeled and cut into fries
1c cooked red quinoa
1/2 c water
1/2 c chickpea flour, plus 1 tbsp for dusting
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse quinoa in a food processor about 30 sec until broken down slightly.  Add 1/2 c chickpea flour and water and pulse to combine.  Add chilli powder, salt, cumin, cayenne and pepper.  Pulse to combine. 

Transfer quinoa batter to a shallow bowl.  Lay out eggplant strips and dust with 1 tbsp chickpea flour.  Dip each strip in quinoa batter and arrange in single layer on parchment-lined sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until batter is crunchy and eggplant is soft. 

Serve with Bitchin' Sauce.




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Recipe: Creamy Ranch Dip

This ranch dip is delicious, it tastes a lot like the real thing but much healthier.  Instead of the usual mayonnaise based that ranch has, I use silken tofu which gives a nice, smooth, full texture. 

Put all of your ingredients except the grapeseed oil in a food processor or blender and puree.  With processor running, pour in grapeseed oil.  Grapeseed oil is fantastic because its light and healthy and has similar properties to olive oil without the olive-y taste.  Scrape sides and puree until well combined, about 30 seconds.

Ranch Dip
Makes approx 1 cup

7 oz silken tofu (1/2 of a package), rinsed and gently patted dry
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch cayenne
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp grapeseed oil

Place all ingredients except for grapeseed oil in a food processor or blender.  Puree until well combined, approx 30 sec.  With processor running, pour in grapeseed oil.  Puree for another 30 sec or so until well combined, scraping down sides as necessary.

Serve with veggies, as a dressing, or in a dip.  If used as a dressing, add another tablespoon of grapeseed oil to thin it out. 

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Recipe:Smooth, Silky and Simple Hummus

I love hummus.  It just hits the spot when you need a snack.  It is also great in wraps, in sandwiches and on bagels.  This is my hummus recipe with a secret ingredient: apple cider vinegar.  It gives the hummus that zing that you might feel is missing if you have tried to make hummus before.  This is a simple recipe - throw everything into the food processor, blend for a minute or two, and, voila, its ready to eat.


Add all ingredients to the food processor.  I use canned chickpeas because its easy.  But you could prepare some dried ones if you like.  Use high quality tahini.  It really makes a difference.

Puree for 1-2 minutes until the hummus has a smooth, creamy consistency, scraping down sides of processor if necessary.

Transfer to a bowl and serve! I put the remainder in a sealed container and it lasts for a week or so in the fridge.

Smooth, Silky and Simple Hummus

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed thoroughly
1/4 tahini
1/4 c water
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and silky.  Lasts up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.




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Election-Night Party Recipe: Vegan 7 Layer Dip

Ok, you got me, it wasn't much of a party.  It was just the hubs and I, but since 3 out of 4 people living in our household are American, the US election was even more of a big deal in our house.  Our 2 year old must have sensed something because he didn't once insist we put on "Buzz and Woody" instead of watching election results (which would qualify as a boring mommy and daddy show in his books for sure).  Sitting in front of the TV all night for what we knew would be a nail-biter demanded something we could snack on, so for dinner I made one of our favourites: 7 layer dip.


Here are the layers:

1. Smooshed black beans with onion and jalapeno: mince onion and jalapeno, add black beans, hot sauce, pinch of salt.  Mix and smoosh (I use the side of a tenderizer).  Spread into the bottom of a 8 by 8 baking dish.

2. Spiced quinoa: combine quinoa (I used red quinoa, its a bit less mushy than regular quinoa, but either will do), vegetable broth, water, and spices.  Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 15 minutes then let stand 2 minutes covered.  Fluff with a fork.  Spread evenly over bean layer.

3. Vegan Queso: soaked cashews will form the base for the queso.  Soak cashews for at least 4 hours in water.  Drain cashews and puree in food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.  Carefully spread over quinoa layer (the quinoa will want to stick to the queso so you'll have to do this gingerly).

4. Guacamole: combine all ingredients in food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Spread over queso layer.

5. Spicy olives and pickled jalapenos: in a small bowl, combine drained sliced black olives, pickled jalapenos and jalapeno juice.  Let stand for 5 minutes then drain so that the olives are coated with some of the spicy liquid.  Sprinkle over guacamole.

6. Salsa: spread salsa evenly over olive layer.

7. Green onions and shredded lettuce: sprinkle evenly over salsa layer, and your dip is complete!

This dip will keep for a couple days in the fridge, which is a good thing because otherwise we may have felt compelled to eat the entire thing.

Vegan 7-Layer Dip
Makes 1 8x8 dish full

Bean Layer
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced finely
1/4 c onion, minced finely
2 tsp franks hot sauce
pinch of salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Mash beans until they form a lumpy paste.  Spread into the bottom of an ungreased 8 x 8 baking dish.

Spiced Quinoa Layer
1/2 c red quinoa
3/4 c vegetable broth
1/4 c water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne


Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and stir well.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes, then let stand, covered for 2 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.  Spread evenly over bean layer.

Queso layer
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4-8 hours
1/2 c water
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 tbsp franks hot sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch of salt

Drain cashews and puree in food processor.  Slowly add water while processor is running.  Add lemon juice and garlic clove and puree.  Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth and creamy.  Spread evenly over quinoa layer.

Guacamole
2 large or 3 small avocados
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
juice from 1/2 lime
2 tbsp cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp franks hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached and all ingredients are well mixed.  Spread over queso layer.


Remaining Layers - Olive/Jalapeno, Salsa and Green onion/lettuce
1 can sliced green olives
1 can pickled jalapenos
1/2 c salsa
1 bunch of green onions (scallions), light green and white parts, minced
1 c romaine lettuce, shredded

Drain olives and place in small bowl with jalapenos and jalapeno juice.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Drain and sprinkle over guacamole layer. Spread salsa over olive layer.  Sprinkle green onions and lettuce on top.  Chill in fridge covered for 30 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips or veggies.



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Recipe: Sun-dried Tomato Dip

If you like sun-dried tomato and feta dip, try this dairy-free alternative that uses soaked cashews instead of cheese.  Its tangy and creamy and delicious.  And my husband swears he can't tell there's no cheese in it.

First, soak your cashews.  Soaking softens cashews so they are creamier and easier to blend.  It also begins the initial stages of sprouting, which is reputed to have health benefits. In order for them to soften, you'll need to soak them for at least 30 minutes.  You won't want to soak them for much more than 8 hours or they could turn pretty mushy.  If you don't have time to soak, don't worry.  Just add an extra tablespoon or two of water to the recipe to compensate for drier nuts.

 Next, gather your ingredients.  Rinse and pat your oil packed sun-dried tomatoes dry.

Put everything except for the olive oil into the food processor and process until smooth.  Add the olive oil and process until desired consistency is reached.

Enjoy with veggies, crackers or bread.  It will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.  If you have the will power.  We ate ours right away.

Sun-dried Tomato Dip
Makes about one and a half cups of dip.

1 cup drained oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 30 min and up to 8 hours
4 tbsp basil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
2 tbsp water
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, cashews, basil, vinegar, chili flakes and water into food processor and pulse to a thick puree.  With processor running, add olive oil and process to desired consistency.  Stir in salt and pepper.

Serve as dip with veggies or crackers, or use as a pasta sauce or in a wrap or sandwich. Pin It Now!