The trick to making good hummus is using canned chickpeas, and boiling them just before you make them into hummus. Also, to make the best hummus you must use fresh tahini.

By boiling them, you’ll soften them up a little bit and the hull will be slightly less bitter, making the final hummus more creamy.

This homemade hummus makes a great vegan snack – I like to eat it with torn up, toasted tortilla pieces while I’m watching TV at night – it is SO good.

How To Make Hummus

While the chickpeas are boiling, broil or roast the garlic. If you prefer a less strong garlic taste, you can substitute the fresh garlic with 1 teaspoon of dry garlic powder.

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How To Make Hummus

A simple, quick, and delicious recipe for hummus that can be eaten as a snack, or used as a spread in wraps, sandwiches, or toast.

Course Appetizer, Sauce, Snack

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword how to make hummus, hummus recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpeas cooked
• 6 Tbsp tahini
• 4 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• olive oil for serving

Instructions

• Add the chickpeas to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then remove strain and allow to cool 5 minutes.
• Broil the garlic for about 1 minute per side. If you don't have a broiler, roast the garlic for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add all the ingredients except olive oil to a food processor and process until smooth. Serve with olive oil.

Notes

• Store the hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

The post How To Make Hummus appeared first on Instant Veg.

The secret to making the best coconut bacon is using larger coconut flakes – not the thin shreds that are often used in bacon. They’re often labeled as “coconut chips” instead of flakes.

You can usually find the kind of coconut chips used in this bacon recipe in stores that sell bulk groceries, or on Amazon. Just make sure they are raw and unsweetened.

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Vegan Coconut Bacon

Vegan coconut bacon is delicious in salads and snack mixes.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword coconut bacon, coconut bacon recipe, vegan bacon, vegan bacon recipe, vegan coconut bacon

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 40 servings

Calories 23kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then spread on lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the flakes after 10 minutes and checking for doneness at 15 minutes. When it's done it should be dry and medium brown.

Notes

Store the fully cooled coconut bacon in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. You can add a packet of silica gel to help keep moisture off the flakes if you have one.

Nutrition

Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Coconut Bacon appeared first on Instant Veg.

Pakora (or pakoda) are little fritters that are typically made of vegetables, a light batter, and of course spices. I usually make them using potatoes and onions as a base. You can use many other vegetables such as sweet potato, yams, peppers, corn, or whatever you have on hand.

It’s best to cook these vegan pakoras in a little bit of oil. Trust me! I have tried baking them, and it just isn’t the same. Baking them makes them tough on the outside and mushy on the inside, whereas frying them makes the outside crispy, and the inside fluffy.

After frying, drain the pakoras on a paper towel. They will stay crispy as they cool down. Pakora make the perfect side dish to curry. You can also serve them with ketchup.

The post Easy Pakora Vegan Pakora Recipe -Potato & Onion Fritters appeared first on Instant Veg.

What is tofu?

Tofu is made in a similar way that cheese is. Soy milk is coagulated with an acid, such as lemon juice, and the resulting curds are set and pressed into a mold.

Depending on how much liquid is pushed out during setting, tofu can range in texture from silken tofu to medium tofu, to firm and extra firm tofu.

What does tofu taste like?

Tofu has a very “clear” taste when it is uncooked. Since it’s so watery, raw tofu kind of tastes watery. If you’re familiar with the taste of soy milk or edamame, you may pick up on the subtle taste of soy.

Since tofu doesn’t have much strong flavor, it tends to absorb the flavors of the liquids & spices it’s cooked in.

Is tofu nutritious?

Tofu is very nutritious. It’s a great source of protein, calcium, and iron, making it a great food for vegans.

How should I store leftover tofu?

Tofu is very soft and porous, meaning that it spoils easily when left in room temperature and exposed to air.

You can store tofu in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to eat it. Freezing tofu makes the texture somewhat more tough, which can be a good thing – for example when making a stir fry, tougher tofu pieces will keep their shape while being stir-fried in the pan.

An opened package of tofu can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

How do I cook tofu?

Tofu can be prepared in a multitude of ways – it can be baked, fried, steamed, simmered, sautéed and puréed into sauces, soups, & mousses.

Tofu can also be eaten raw, as a snack or as a cold summertime breakfast or light lunch. Try pouring a small amount of soy sauce over raw tofu – it’s simple and delicious. (In Japan, hiyayako is a cold tofu dish served this way and topped with garnishes such as sliced green onion, grated ginger, pickled relish, and my favorite – grated daikon radish.)

Tofu Recipes

Here are 100+ vegan tofu recipes you can try out. They are sorted into breakfast, snacks, salads & dressings, dinners (by cuisine) and desserts.

Not hungry for tofu right now? See all my vegan dinner recipes here.

Vegan Mac And Cheese | General Tso’s Tofu | Vegan Palak Paneer

Please pin this post so you’ll remember to come back to the list later!

The post Vegan Tofu Recipes – 100+ Tofu Recipes To Try In 2021 appeared first on Instant Veg.

We recently made these “vegan wings” as a superbowl snack at home, and let me tell you they did NOT last long!

You can make them three ways:

• Plain, no sauce (healthy and may I say “addictive?”)
• With spicy buffalo sauce (hubby’s favorite)
• With sweet honey mustard (our kids’ favorite!)

I will definitely be keeping the sauceless crispy cauliflower bites as a weekly normal in our house, either as a snack or as a side dish. You wouldn’t believe how yummy they are when roasted in the oven with just a tiny amount of coconut oil and corn starch!

In order to make the vegan Buffalo sauce, I strongly recommend using Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. It’s just spicy enough and gives it that authentic taste.

If you want it spicier, go ahead and add some chili pepper or Tabasco to your sauce!

I stored my extra sauce in an empty bottle in the fridge like this:

These cauliflower bites taste the best when they’re hot, so if you plan to serve them at a party, don’t start cooking them until your guests have arrived and are starting to get hungry.

To make the sweet honey mustard sauce, I mixed equal parts brown sugar, agave syrup, and mustard. You can use honey too if that’s your thing.

My kids loved the honey mustard sauce. There’s just a little hint of heat in the cauliflower, but it balances out with the sweetness of the sauce. They aren’t huge mustard fans but they didn’t seem to mind it in the sauce! 🙂

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Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Whether you like them with spicy Buffalo sauce or with sweet honey mustard, I know you'll love these crispy cauliflower bites! They're easy to make in a large batch and perfect for sharing at parties or having as a late night snack.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Calories 421kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

For The Buffalo Sauce:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch of onion powder
• 1 tsp vinegar

For The Honey Mustard Sauce

• 4 Tbsp honey or agave syrup
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp coconut oil

For The Crispy Cauliflower

• 1-2 large heads cauliflower
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/8 cup cornstarch
• 1-2 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• For either sauce, first microwave the coconut oil for 30 seconds to a minute, until it has liquified. Then whisk in the other ingredients and set aside.
• For the cauliflower, break the head into small bite size pieces. Put in a large bowl.
• Melt the coconut oil for 30-60 seconds in the microwave and pour it over the cauliflower, stir or shake (covered) to coat evenly. Then sprinkle on the cornstarch and gently toss until it is distributed evenly. Drizzle the hot sauce, salt & pepper evenly over the cauliflower as well.
• Put cauliflower on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 20 minutes, turning over after 10 minutes.
• Pour desired sauce over cauliflower and serve while hot, with vegan ranch dressing on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 286mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 22g

More Vegan Dinner Recipes

General Tso’s Tofu | Vegan Mac And Cheese | Vegan Palak Paneer

The post Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites (Vegan Hot Wings) appeared first on Instant Veg.

This is actually a great dish to make the day before you plan to eat it. We noticed that while it was tasty enough on the first day, after leaving the uneaten half of it in the fridge overnight, the flavor of the jalapeños had really come out in full force on the next day.

How spicy is this dip? You decide. If you want it to be “zingy” just add one jalapeño. We made it with one jalapeño and it had a little kick but wasn’t really “hot.” My kids were able to eat it without any problem with the spiciness.

(When I say they were able to eat it, I mean I had to cut them off after a certain point because I didn’t want them to get full on dip and not have an appetite for supper! haha)

Now if you want your dip to be really spicy, add two jalapeños. I’ve heard that the red jalapeños are spicier than the green, and also that the peppers with more of the little white striations are hotter.

I’m not really into going for the ultimate spicy hotness in my food, so I make it with one pepper. But you spice lovers out there could probably even replace the jalapeño with something hotter like a poblano pepper (I’m not sure at what point you end up torturing your guests though!)

Not into spiciness at all? I hear you! Try replacing the jalapeño with a yellow bell pepper and omit the chili flakes. It will still have the zing from the lemon, but with a nice sweetness from the bell pepper.

Are ritz crackers vegan?

Yes, the Ritz Originals crackers and Ritz Roasted Vegetable crackers are in fact vegan! They’re not gluten free, though.

If you want gluten free vegan crackers, I’d try the Hu Paleo Vegan Crackers, available on Amazon.

In my photos, I’m using the Ritz Roasted Vegetable flavor. They’re delicious!

Making Vegan Jalapeño Dip

The first time I made this dip, I was worried about it getting too spicy, so I didn’t add the spices in to cook with the cashews and jalapeños. Well, let me tell ya – you definitely SHOULD put everything in the Instant Pot at once and cook it all up together. The flavors meld beautifully and the end result has a lot more, well.. ZING!

I also decided to make it using part cashews and part beans, since cashews are expensive and I don’t like to use them unless I HAVE to.

I used cooked soy beans that I had left over from making aquafaba, but you could also use cooked or canned chickpeas. I think just about any other beans would go well in this – in fact I’d dare to say that you could go all beans if you wanted to and it would also be great. Beans and jalapeño are a perfect flavor combination.

Looking for more great plant based party foods? Try my vegan baked beans recipe!

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Zingy Jalapeño Dip

The combination of zingy jalapeño peppers, zesty lemon, spicy chili flakes and rich cashews make for a winning party dip, perfect with crackers or veggies!

Prep Time 7 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 8 minutes

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas or soybeans canned is fine
• 1-2 green jalapeño peppers
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• chili flakes for garnish

Instructions

• Slice open the jalapeños and remove the seeds and stems.
• Toast the jalapeños in the toaster oven or broil them in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Put cashews, jalapeños, water, cashews, juice of a lemon and all spices into the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 1 minute and then do a quick release.
• Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth, about 30-40 seconds.
• Pour dip into a serving dish, cover, and let it chill overnight or for at least 3 hours in the fridge. The flavors will blossom while it chills.Serve with extra chili flakes and freshly sliced jalapeños for garnish.

The post Zingy, Uncheesy Jalapeño Popper Dip – Dairy Free & Vegan (Make Ahead Recipe) appeared first on Instant Veg.