Recipe: Tasty Dips that Fight Food Waste

We've created the ultimate guide to our favorite homemade dips and pairings that fight food waste by utilizing every part of the vegetable. 

Below are the plant-based recipes for dips, vegan cheeses, and tasty sauces that we've tried, tested and loved.

All of these dips and cheeses are vegan, gluten-free, grain-free and encourage ZERO WASTE at home. They also happen to all pair extremely well with our Pulp Chips :)

DIPS

 Kale Stem Chimichurri (recipe adapted from Love and Lemons)

• 1 cup raw kale leaves + stems
• 1 cup packed parsley or cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• Juice of 2 limes or ¼ cup white vinegar
• ¹/₂ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup almonds, cashews or sunflower seeds (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Pinch Red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor, then drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to run the food processor.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Tip: this is bold in flavor on its own, so I suggest tasting it with a bit of whatever you're going to be serving it with before adjusting).

Roasted Beet White Bean Hummus (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

• 1 small beet (use the greens, too!)
• 1 cup cooked white beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 chopped clove garlic 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Optional spice add-ins: cumin. 

 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roast beet and rub off skin.
2. Chop beet, then puree with white beans, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil until combined.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Hummus can be stored in refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days. 

Carrot Harissa Hummus

Ingredients

• 3 carrots
• 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 chopped clove garlic 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Optional spice add-ins: harissa, cumin, and turmeric for an extra pop of color.

 Instructions

1. Chop carrots into thirds.
2. Blanch carrots over boiling water until soft and easy to slice through. 
3. Puree blanched carrots with white beans, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil until combined.
4. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with carrot greens. Hummus can be stored in refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days. 
5. Use your carrot greens in the recipe below!

Carrot Top Pesto (recipe adapted from Yup.. it's Vegan!)

• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 of a lemon)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest (about 1/2 of a lemon)
• carrot tops from 1 large or 2 smaller bunches of carrots (yields 1 cup blanched)
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 4 green onions fresh green parts only
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts (optional)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

 Instructions

1. To blanch the carrot tops: remove thick stem pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl with ice cubes and cold water in it. Once boiling, add the carrot tops to the pot. Stir occasionally, cooking for about 3 minutes or until bright green and tender. Immediately remove from the pot, drain the hot water, and add the carrot tops to the ice cube bowl to stop the cooking process.
2. Drain the carrot tops, wring out excess liquid, and spread them on a plate to dry while you do the remaining recipe prep.
3. Add all of the ingredients from garlic through walnuts (if using) to the food processor. Blend until a chunky paste forms with small bits of carrot tops. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to stop frequently to scrape down the sides. Add the olive oil a tablespoon at a time until combined. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired.
4. To use as a pasta sauce, cook your pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot. Add the reserved cooking water and carrot top pesto, stir to combine, and cook over low heat until warmed. Serve right away.
5. Otherwise, once cooled to room temperature, store the pesto in the fridge in an airtight container for several days. The bright green color may fade to a slightly darker green, and this is totally normal.

VEGAN CHEESES

Garlic Herb Vegan Almond Cheese Spread (recipe adapted from Delightful Adventures)

• 1 cup raw almonds or almond pulp 
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (see note below) 

Instructions

1. Place the raw almonds into a glass container and cover with water. Cover, and place in the refrigerator. Soak for 24 hours. If you're using pulp, no need to soak! They're already saturated. You may just need to add water to assist in blending. 
2. Drain and rinse the soaked almonds after the 24 hours have passed.
3. Place the soaked almonds or pulp, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Empty mixture into a bowl, add chopped herbs and mix until everything is combined.
5. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for a few hours so the flavor can develop.
6. Store unused spread in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Recipe Notes:

• Be sure that you are using a high-speed blender for this recipe. A regular blender will not work. (Nutribullet or Vitamix both work very well.)
• Use only whole, raw almonds, or pulp, for this recipe, NOT slivered almonds or roasted almonds.
• Use your favorite herb and be sure to chop it up really well. My favorite is parsley and I also love using dill or chives (but not at the same time!).
• Only use raw, natural, unsalted almonds for this recipe.
• After soaking your 1 cup of almonds, they will expand a little. The soaked almonds will equal 1 1/2 cups. If you're using pulp, no need to soak - they're already saturated! 
• Spread will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
• Recipe makes 1 3/4 cups of spread. Nutrition info is for 1 serving of 7 (1/4 cup) and is only to be used as a rough guide. 

Vegan Queso (Recipe adapted from Shane and Simple)

Ingredients

• 2 cups potatoes (360 g), peeled and diced
• 1 cup carrots (135 g), peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup water (125 ml)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (35 g)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (70 g)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

 Instructions

1. Boil or steam the potatoes and carrots for about 20 minutes or until soft.
2. Drain them and add them to a blender. 
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Serve immediately.

Vegan Ricotta Cheese (recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker)

• 2 medium lemons, juiced
• 1 12- ounce block extra-firm tofu or 1 cup of almond/ nut milk pulp. 
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup fresh basil (finely chopped)
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ~1/2 tsp each salt + pepper
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. Drain and press the tofu dry for 10 minutes (not necessary if using pulp). 
2. Add all ingredients to a food process or blender and pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed. You are looking for a semi-pureed mixture with bits of basil still intact.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and pepper for flavor, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, and lemon juice for brightness.

Enjoy! Cover photo by @international.appetite