Five-Story Bean Dip

If you're invited to a party and want to take something other than wine, here is a great dip idea. All the different layers give this dish a very interesting flavor. I would suggest assembling it in a lower dish for easier dipping. A glass dish would be perfect, allowing all the layers to be easily admired:)

Five-Story Bean Dip: Party Vegan cookbook: Robin Robertson

1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 cups tomato salsa, well drained

1 cup guacamole

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

1 (4-oz) can diced mild green chiles

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp. salt

4 green onions, finely chopped

1 ripe tomato, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Tortilla chips, for serving

In a medium bowl, mash the beans with the chili powder. Add 1/2 cup of salsa and mix well to combine. Spread the bean mixture on the bottom of a glass bowl or in a circular shape on a platter. Spread the guacamole on top, followed by the remaining 1 cup salsa.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, chiles, lime juice, and salt. Mix well. Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the salsa.

In a separate small bowl, combine the green onions, tomato, and olives. Spread the vegetable mixture on top of the sour cream mixture and sprinkle with the cilantro. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Best if eaten same day that it is made.

Brownies

We originally made these brownies to take to our good friends holiday party, unfortunately we didn't make it to the party but thought we'd share the recipe. We're always trying out new brownie recipes, after all, who doesn't love a good brownie!

Chocolate Lover's Brownies: Party Vegan cookbook- Robin Robertson

1/1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup plain or vanilla soy/almond milk

1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch. square baking pan

In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, maple syrup, soy milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula. Don't over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.

Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 35 min. Cool for 30 min. in the pan.

Quesadilla Bites

Not every picture can be a dazzler, but we wanted to show the variety of vegan food that can be made easily. Quesadillas are a great weekday meal and can be stuffed with all sorts of ingredients. We started with a layer of doctored up re-fried beans, then chiles, caramelized onions and finished with a sprinkling of almond cheese. Put a little oil or soy butter into a hot pan then cook until a bit crispy. Slather a bit of soy sour cream on top .... and that's all she wrote, literally.

French Chocolate Bark - Ina Garten

A few years ago my parents decided that they didn't want to do a big present exchange over the holidays, so I started making little goodie baskets. My uncle, who is a bachelor, also gets in on the holiday basket gift. I usually make a banana or cranberry loaf, then scatter the basket with all sorts of treats. Every year I try to make a few new items to keep things fresh. This chocolate bark is a new recipe - I think it will be a hit. As usually, I didn't have the exact ingredients so I used dried orange/cranberry, apricots and cashews.

French Chocolate Bark - Ina Garten

1 cup whole salted, roasted cashews

6-7 oz. vegan semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (Trader Joe's Brand is vegan)

6-7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup dried crystallized ginger, 1/2 inch diced

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dried apricots, 1/2 inch diced

1/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pencil, draw a 9x10" rectangle on a piece of parchment paper placed on a sheet pan, then turn the parchment paper over.

Spread cashews in one layer on another sheet pan and bake for 8 min. Set aside to cool.

Place the semisweet chocolate and half the bittersweet chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave high for 20-30 seconds. Stir with a rubber spatula. Continue to heat and stir in 30-sec. increments until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately add the remaining bittersweet chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly into the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly in the following order: first ginger, then cooled whole cashews, cherries, apricots and raisins. Set aside for 1-2 hours until firm. Cut bark in 18-20 pieces.

Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup

It's always nice to have several Tomato soup recipes on hand and this recipe is especially nice because it contains chickpeas, which adds thickness and also provides protein. If you prefer your soup chunky, just blend half the soup leaving some chickpeas whole. An emulsion blender is a perfect way to get the texture just right and is less cleanup than a blender.

Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup - Vegan Yum Yum cookbook: Lauren Ulm

2-3 T. vegetable oil

1 sweet onion

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. chili flakes

1/2 t. mustard seeds

1/2 t. turmeric

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 t. salt

2 T. nutritional yeast (optional)

1 cup hot water

black pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet with high sides. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 min. until softened. Add the garlic, cumin and chili flakes and stir for another minute.

Add the mustard seeds, turmeric, and drained chickpeas. Saute until the chickpeas begin to turn golden.

Add the tomatoes and salt and let simmer for 10-15 min. until the tomatoes are cooked.

Transfer the mixture -all or half of it - to a blender. Add the nutritional yeast and hot water and blend until smooth. Blend in batches if you can't fit everything at the same time. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Hummus Muffins- For Dogs

Soooo, we decided to stay inside on this cold winter's day which inspired us to make some baked goods. Unfortunately for Kevin, the dogs were the lucky receivers of the hot out-of-the oven, delectable treats. I guess, these little goodies could be eaten by humans but I'm sure the pups will be keeping a close eye on them!  There are so many fun vegan dog treats in this cookbook, I highly recommend it!

Doggie Hummus Muffins: It's a Vegan Dog's Life cookbook: Molly (www.veganflower.com)

1 cup chickpea flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 T. nutritional yeast

1 T. ground flax

1 T. hulled hemp seed (optional) - I didn't use

1 t. baking soda

1/4 cup tahini

1/2 cup chickpeas, mashed

2 T. canola oil

1 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine flours, flax, hemp seed, nutritional yeast and baking soda. Add oil, tahini, chickpeas and water, mixing well. The batter will be thick. Scoop batter into the muffin pans and bake for 20-30 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before serving.

Fried Chickpeas With Chorizo and Spinach

Patrick found this recipe in in the New York Times. The Chorizo gives it a nice kick along with a hint of color. Trader Joe's carries Soy Chorizo which is ground not firm but works perfectly. You could actually have this for dinner with a big chunk of bread. The meal is loaded with protein and all sorts of good nutrients.

Fried Chickpeas With Chorizo and Spinach

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt and black pepper

2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, as dry as possible

4 ounces soy chorizo (I used Trader Joe's soy chorizo which is in a casing but crumbled)

1/2 pound spinach, roughly chopped

1/4 cup sherry

1 to 2 cups bread crumbs.

1. Heat the broiler.

2. Put three tablespoons of the oil in a skillet large enough to hold chickpeas in one layer over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add chickpeas and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until chickpeas begin to brown, about 10 minutes, then add chorizo. Continue cooking for another 5 to 8 minutes or until chickpeas are crisp; use a slotted spoon to remove chickpeas and chorizo from pan and set aside.

4. Add the remainder of the 1/4 cup of oil to the pan; when it’s hot, add spinach and sherry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook spinach over medium-low heat until very soft and the liquid has evaporated. Add chickpeas and chorizo back to the pan and toss quickly to combine; top with bread crumbs, drizzle with a bit more oil and run pan under the broiler to lightly brown the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.