I know that when it comes to entertaining there are two types of vegans; the ones who buy everything and dump it onto serving platters and those who like to go all out. For me, it depends on the crowd and the situation.
Fellow vegans know that you often have to bring at least one dish just to make sure there’s something for you. But what about when you’re the host?
On those rare occasions I venture out of the writing cave–which isn’t often–I usually end up making a full on meal with a few courses or I just go dip crazy. Today we’re talking about the latter, vegan dip crazy.
If you’re not much into cooking, this is a great stick it to them option for all the friends and family who think you eat nothing but salad. But just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with salad. It’s delicious, filling and incredibly nutritious. Anyway, back to dips.
Most dips are naturally vegan, just ask hummus, baba ghanoush and salsa. But those are vegan dips just to get you started, there are many more that require little effort, a blender and a properly stocked spice rack.
Dippers
When you’re serving any type of vegan dip, the first thing you need to figure out is, what am I dipping with? I like to use a blend of vegetables, fruit if applicable and of course, some type of bread or cracker. For a large crowd I’d maybe pick bread and crackers, but for a smaller gathering I think one little carb is just fine.
Some vegetables that make good dippers include:
*Carrots
*Cucumbers
*Radishes
*Bell peppers
*Broccoli
*Celery
For bread you want to choose something that is sturdy but won’t scrape your mouth to hell. Sourdough is good, but it’s an acquired taste. Go with a mix of light bread and dark to make sure all of your bases are covered.
Dips
You can’t go wrong with a bean dip. Go with a classic like hummus or spice things up with another bean. I made a garlic & basil navy bean dip because it sounded delicious and the vibrant green color is eye-catching and a conversation starter.
Salsa is great because it’s fresh and surprisingly goes well with a lot of things other than tortilla chips, which by the way also make a really good dipper.
Vegan spinach & artichoke dip is always a hit with any crowd. You can use beans instead of vegan yogurt or sour cream. I chose to use vegan cocogurt but I added cornstarch to thicken it instead of relying on too much fat. It worked out very well, creamy and bubbly without ALL the calories.
My husband is addicted to this mushroom pate that he loves to make. It’s rich and earthy and whenever it’s time for a gathering, he makes it. This time he made it really rich by adding vegan butter to the mix and it was over the top delicious. Perfect for a get together but definitely not an everyday dip, at least not for me.
And of course you can’t have a party without at least one cocktail! Okay well you can, but this one had cocktails. I prefer to have a small bar because I make cocktails regularly but there’s always beer and wine too!
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The Spicy Spatula 
Whatcha think?