We are getting into the doldrums of winter around here, so it’s time to spice things up a little bit. Easy to do by putting an interesting twist on regular old hummus…just add a little hot wing sauce! No one will be the wiser that this recipe is vegan. If you don’t tell, I won’t!

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Buffalo wings and hummus meet to make regular dip a unique dip!

Author: Megabeth

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2T tahini
• 2T vegan mayo
• 2T hot wing/buffalo wing sauce
• 1T lemon juice
• 1T chopped parsley
• ½t onion powder
• ½t garlic powder

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in food processor.
   
   
2. Blend until smooth.
   
   
3. Add more vegan mayo if mixture is dry.
4. Remove from food processor and place in bowl.
5. Chill for an hour in the fridge...or if you can't wait, eat it immediately!

3.5.3208

Happy New Year, dear Veggin’ readers…I’m back after a bit of a hiatus!

Let’s start this year our right with some good luck with this Hot Black-Eyed Pea dip. Quick to make when in a hurry. And, a great good-luck pot-luck dish!

This recipe came about after just throwing a bunch of ingredients into the food processor. The spiciness is dependent on how many jalepenos you throw in and what kind of salsa you use. The leftovers will be used as a base layer in some upcoming tacos or burritos, I’m sure!

Mexican Black Eyed Pea Hot Dip

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Megabeth

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 2 15-oz cans black eyed peas, drained
• ¼ cup no fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut in chunks
• ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup salsa
• 1 T lemon juice
• ¼ large onion, chopped
• 6 - 7 jalapenos, sliced (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Put in blender or food processor, one can black eyed peas, Greek yogurt, chunked cheddar cheese, salsa, onions, jalapenos.
   
2. Blend until nearly smooth.
3. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour from blender into a small baking dish. Stir in second can of beans. Top with shredded cheese.
   
5. Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes until cheese is melted and it's heated through.
   
6. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

3.5.3208

One of the things I’ve always professed is that as a vegetarian I’m not trying to find things that replicate the taste of meat. I basically just want things to taste good and convey great flavor and not have to mimic any sort of animal taste. The veggie burger industry is an ever-growing market with so many different flavors out there to choose from.

When I saw the news that a new veggie burger was coming from Beyond Meat that looked rather “sizzly” and juicy, I was intrigued and had to try it out. I bought the Beast Burger from the local Whole Foods and set to work to provide a review for you, my dear Veggin’ readers.

The frozen patties were stuck together right out of the package, but I let them sit for a few minutes (while doing some multi-tasking dishwasher unloading). After a few minutes, the patties popped right off each other.

I made the burger per package directions for stovetop – spritz a little oil in a skillet and heat it up.

I served the burgers on a toasted kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato and a bit of dijon mustard. And, the results are….

Pros

• I like the addition of the little grill marks. Kind of gives some veggie burger street cred to the patties when you throw it on the grill.
• Nutrient dense is an understatement. The nutritional content of these patties really pack a punch – 42% of your daily protein can come from one patty. You can also get 30% of your Vitamin B12 and 25% of your Vitamin B6.
• The sizzle! The patty sizzled on the pan. I get giddy when I can cook things that made noise – onions frying up give me thrill. So, when the patty sizzled and popped as it cooked I was in auditory heaven. And, the smell was really good, too, like a charcoal grill wafting through the kitchen on a cold winter’s day.
• The patties, while thin, are pretty dense and do fill you up.

Cons

• I think I had set my expectations up a little high because I was really hoping for a great bitey and “to the teeth” texture. Something juicy. But, it failed to deliver. The In-House Taste Tester also was a bit disappointed in the palate that the burger delivered. We were definitely thinking it was going to be “something more” but it delivered a flat patty with an okay taste. Was it bad? No. Was it awesome? Meh.
• The price. I bought the patties at Whole Foods which tends to be a bit high priced anyways, but the price per patty was a little higher than I wanted to pay.  I think it was about $7.00 for a box of two patties. Fortunately, Beyond Burger has a $1.00 off coupon available on it’s website so that helps take the sting out of the price.

Final Judgement: If you’re looking for a mid-week meal to hit some of the nutrients you may be missing because you’re eating on the run, go for these burgers. And, the taste was okay. For the price, I was hoping for a better taste…but you can’t beat the nutritional wallop these patties bring. However, as far as I’m concerned, a veggie burger shouldn’t rely on the condiments to make it taste better – a veggie burger should be the main attraction. While I didn’t grill these in this taste-test, I think these would be good to bring to a backyard BBQ to slap on the grill and hear them sizzle.

Hi there, my dear Veggin’ readers, yes, it’s me…Megabeth. Yes, I know, it’s been over a year since I’ve last posted.

I promise, I am coming back. I’ve had a few set-backs lately (including, right now, I’m on crutches) but I will be coming back stronger than ever.

So, please….hang tight, check out the archives, visit me on Facebook, and keep enjoying your meat-free adventures in this meat-eating world!