Vegan “Cheesy” Fondue with Roasted Vegetables

Choose any vegetables you love to dip, or use as a cheesy sauce. The cumin and peppers add a slightly Mexican flavour, making it top-notch for nachos, too.

IMG_1930

 

Vegan Cheesy Fondue with Roasted Vegetables

Vegetables, for roasting
Olive oil, for the vegetables
2 cups water
3/4 cup (36g) nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup cooked cannellini beans
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
4 teaspoons tapioca starch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Fine sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the vegetables to a uniform size and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender. I recommend cauliflower (about 25 minutes), broccoli (about 20 minutes), and asparagus (about 10 minutes), all perfect for dipping.

Put the water, nutritional yeast, beans, roasted red peppers, tapioca starch, lemon juice, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder in a blender. Blend until smooth. Sample for salt and pepper, adjusting to taste.

Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve with vegetables.

(Microwaved) Sea Salt and Lime Chips

A few minutes in the microwave is all you need to make these potato chips. The best part of homemade chips is making them thick-cut–my favourite kind.

Mini Black Bean and Rice Burgers with Salt and Lime Chips2

Sea Salt and Lime Chips

1 russet potato
Coconut oil for greasing
1 lime, juiced into a bowl
Sea salt for sprinkling

Using a mandolin or a knife, slice the potato as thinly and consistently as possible. Lightly oil a microwave safe plate.

Dip each potato slice into the lime juice, and put potato slices on the plate without overlapping — you’ll probably have to do more than one batch. Sprinkle evenly with sea salt.

Set microwave for five minutes, and cook on high, watching closely until brown spots begin to appear, stopping if necessary. Check potatoes and restart microwave, watching closely, as microwave ovens vary. Chips are finished when they begin to feel crisp to the touch — they will continue cooking (and firming up) while they cool.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Raw Sprouted Chickpea Hummus

A spin on hummus using cooked chickpeas, this version tastes similar to the one we’re familiar with, but has an undeniable freshness thanks to the sprouts and soaked sesame seeds.Using sprouted chickpeas has a bit of an earthier undertone, and is a very different flavor than any other hummus I’ve tried. I like black sesame seeds for their richer flavour, but you can use white sesame seeds, too.

sprouted hummus1

Raw Sprouted Chickpea Hummus

2 1/2 cups sprouted chickpeas (see Note)
Juice and zest of 1/2 large lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, soaked for 4 hours then drained
1 to 2 cloves garlic, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides, if needed. Serve with anything!

Note: To sprout chickpeas, put 1 heaping cup of chickpeas in a large bowl. Add about 3 cups water. Soak about 12 hours. Pour the chickpeas into a colander and rinse well. Set the colander over a bowl and let stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, rinsing every 6 hours or so. You’ll notice sprouts will begin to form; they’ll be best to use when the sprouts are about 1/4-inch long.

sprouted chickpeas2