First and foremost, let me warn you these vegan dips are addictive. They go well with anything – your vegan burger, your morning toast, your plain old salad, your baked potatoes, your crunchy nachos, or your mushroom mac and cheese. You name it! These dips are a great thing to keep in your fridge. They are so versatile that you can use them any time you want to spice up your meal.
*One of my Italian friends used to work at a vegan restaurant, curious to learn more about this cuisine and lifestyle. The chef explained to him that none of the dishes on the menu are prepared with onion or garlic:
– We’re working with very delicate flavours – he said. – If we were to cook differently, the real taste of the food would be disguised.
I hope this short story stays at the back of your mind as you are preparing these vegan dips. You can use garlic and even add more than what I have suggested. Try to keep the flavour of the main ingredients. In this way the food would be more enjoyable as it will also be more diverse.
Canarian coriander mojo
“Wrinkled” potatoes and green mojo are at the heart of the cuisine on the Canary islands. I used to call mojo “Canarian vegan pesto”, until I saw its ingredients and I realised they don’t have much in common, apart from the lovely colour. This green mixture is usually served as a sauce, but you can easily adjust its density to your taste. It works perfectly as a spread on bread or crackers. Add in more liquid and you will have a delicious grilled vegetables sauce, or even a nice salad dressing.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of coriander
3* cloves of garlic, minced
1 ts cumin seeds
1 Ts ground cumin
100 ml olive oil
20 ml white wine vinegar
Salt
Method
Start with just a pinch of salt and a clove of garlic: you can always add more later. Remove the coriander stems. Blend in all of the ingredients. The key is to find balance between the olive oil and the vinegar. You don’t want any of them to overpower the other.
Some prefer to add parsley or green pepper to the original recipe. Follow your personal preferences to create the ideal green mix.
Beetroot hummus (Eat Smart adapted recipe)
“Hummus”, meaning simply “chickpeas” in Arabic, is a famous Middle Eastern dip. The recipe, as we know it today, has probably been introduced a couple of centuries ago. However, chickpeas have been around for thousands of years. The first written evidence of combining garbanzo beans and tahini (sesame-seed paste) or chickpeas and lemons comes from 13th century cookbooks. Nonetheless, historians have enough evidence that suggest similar dips have been popular long before that.
I want to suggest you try beetroot hummus. It is fresh, flavourful and gorgeous to look at. It goes well on bread or cucumber slices.
Ingredients:
200g boiled chickpeas (don’t throw out the water if canned)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 beetroot, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Ts tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 Ts olive oil
Mixed pepper
Salt
Method
Blend the chickpeas and garlic first. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse together until smooth. You can use the chickpea water to make the mix less dense, in case you prefer. Top it off with pumpkin seeds and enjoy!
Cheesy bean dip
To be honest, I am not sure you will find this dip “cheesy” if you aren’t vegan. Still, I am convinced you can find ways to enjoy it regardless. I love it as a toast spread, topped with leafy greens, cucumber and fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients:
3 Ts sunflower seeds
200g white beans
5-6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water (don’t throw out the water)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1* clove of garlic, minced
2 Ts nutritional yeast
Salt
Method:
Start by finely crushing the sunflower seeds into your blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and whizz again. Thin out the mix by adding some of the water you used to soak the sun dried tomatoes. Finish off with some mixed pepper and lemon finely grated lemon zest.
I love these vegan dips because they are so versatile. To prove my point, I challenge you to try any of them as a sauce for your einkorn flour pizza. Load it up with your favourite vegetables and Voilà!
If you have enjoyed these vegan dips, check out this grilled eggplant dip I also adore.
