Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Vegan; Soy Free; Gluten Free

This is a crowd pleaser. I make this for potlucks and everyone really devours this dip. Easy to make with 1 pie plate to take and 1 pie plate to enjoy later, this is the perfect dish.

I've made this for a few potlucks and every time this gets eaten where I only have the dish to take home. Vegans and non-vegans enjoy this dip with chips, crackers, or pita chips..... This is the winner! :)

1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of cashews (you can use almonds - however it won't be as creamy)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 pound of spinach
4 cups of artichokes (I use 1 jar of artichokes from Costco 33 ounces - drained)
1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I use hemp)
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of cannellini (white) beans (drained and rinsed) (1 cup if made fresh)
1 Tbs. tapioca flour
1 tsp. basil (dried) or 1 Tbs. basil (fresh)
juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients, except non-dairy milk, until smooth.

3. In (2) 9" pie plates, scoop out and spread dip evenly. Drizzle non-dairy milk on top of the filled pie plates.

4. Bake until fully crusty on top (about 1 hour), serve warm from the baking dish/pie plates.

Raw Strawberry Walnut Bars

Raw Strawberry Walnut Bars
Raw; Gluten Free; Vegan

I made these for San Antonio Vegetable Eaters 5th annual Happy Christmas Hangout and these were a hit! You know it's a great recipe when you don't get to even try it and everyone is still talking about the dish days after the event. This festive easy recipe is a crowd pleaser!

Crust and Topping:
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of almonds
1 cup of dates


Filling:
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup dates

For the crust and topping
1. In a food combine all of the ingredients and pulse until course. Divide mixture in half and set aside.

2. Continue to combine the ingredients until well combined.

3. In a blender combine strawberries and dates until smooth.

4. Layer the well combined nut/date mixture in a parchment paper lined 9x9 dish. The second layer will be the strawberry filling. Sprinkle the course nut/date mixture over the strawberry filling and gently press down. Freeze for 1 hour to set.

Raw Ravioli

Raw Ravioli
Makes 4 servings

Living in San Antonio Texas, we had a mild summer this year. It would really reach up to 109F degrees in cars and the heat index of 103F degrees in the shade. Even with it being more mild, I still wasn't a fan of using the stove or the oven. I'm sure no one can blame me for that :)
Anywho, here is a lovely simple raw meal that will impress anyone!

Start with Macadamia Ricotta


Ingredients
1 cup of Macadamia Ricotta
1 medium zucchini
Smoked black peppercorn, cracked
Organic Olive Oil
Champagne Vinegar
Fresh Basil, chopped (about 1 Tablespoon)

1. Using a food processor is the easiest and fastest way to to slice your zucchini. I used the slice blade adjusted to 1.5 thinness.

2. In a small bowl, mix the Ricotta, fresh basil and grind pepper to taste.

3. Build your ravioli, take a slice of zucchini and fill 1/2 with a spoonful of ricotta and fold over the other side of zucchini (like an envelope). Repeat process till you run out of ricotta or zucchini. Place in a glass casserole dish or on serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil and champagne vinegar and top cracked smoked black pepper. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!

Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes

Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes~
Yield: 2 dozen

I made these for a girls night, and they were a hit :) These little gems, scream summer! If you like food coloring, than add a few drops of green to the cupcake batter. I'm not a fan of the artificial coloring, since I had read somewhere that the food dye is tested on animals.

Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened hemp milk (really any non-dairy milk will work)
1/2 cup lime juice
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons lime zest chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine non-dairy milk and lime juice in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, and lime zest to the lime juice non-dairy milk mixture, whisking to combine.

3. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring gently till no longer lumpy and the batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly into lined cupcake pan.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Repeat the process till all of the batter is gone.

5. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Raspberry Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup raspberries, pureed
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 Tablespoons vegan margarine
hemp milk to thin

1. Add pureed raspberries, vegetable shortening, vegan margarine and powdered sugar in a bowl. Blend until smooth, adding non-dairy milk to desired consistency.

2. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!