When I was pregnant with my younger son, my number one craving was Greek salad. My number two craving was - wait for it - Cheez Whiz on toast. I don't know how many loaves of bread and jars of Cheez Whiz I went through for those nine months, but I probably should have bought shares in Kraft.
During that time, I also fell in love with nacho cheese sauce, the kind that comes in a jar and gets heated up in the microwave before being eaten with a family-sized bag of tortilla chips. What? The baby wants what the baby wants.
I still love a good nacho cheese sauce (especially with a family-sized bag of tortilla chips) but these days I'm enjoying this much healthier version. It's dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free, which is quite a tall order for a nacho cheese sauce. Even if you love the kind that comes in a jar and gets heated up in the microwave, I encourage you to give this a try, if only to be able to tell your friends that you made a "cheese sauce" out of potatoes and carrots.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan, cover potatoes and carrots with water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes. Drain.
Place potatoes, carrots, 5 tablespoons of water, olive oil, salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder in a food processor or blender and puree until very smooth.
Stir in chopped green chiles and serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or just a spoon.
Keep leftovers refrigerated, and warm up in a saucepan - or hey, even a microwave - when the mood strikes. If you're pregnant, the mood might strike often! I speak from experience.
Bonus Recipe
Omit the chopped green chiles and pour over cooked macaroni for a healthy, plant-based mac and cheese.
Want more tasty dips? Try my Hot! Hot! Hot! Salsa, or my Holy Moly Good Guacamole. Looking for more plant-based "cheese" recipes? Try my Vegan Mac and Cheese.
Adapted from Veggie on a Penny.
I am back from my annual vacation at my in-laws', and I am experiencing my annual "all my pants seem to have shrunk" phenomenon. Let's just say that averaging four drinks a day is not great for one's waistline, and leave it at that.
Well, that's what vacation is for, am I right? I enjoyed myself thoroughly and now I am paying the price. Luckily, I am also experiencing my annual "oh my god, my mother-in-law gave me a boatload of zucchini from her garden" phenomenon. There are worse things than having a ton of zucchini at one's disposal, especially when one is struggling to fasten one's jeans and is therefore looking for low-calorie, healthy things to nosh on.
Which leads us to these baked zucchini fries! Zucchinis make a very tasty snack, and if you have more zucchinis than you know what to do with - as I do - consider making a batch of lemon dill dip as well. Zucchinis lend themselves to making a nice creamy base for dips, and they are low-calorie and high in fibre, which is a nice bonus. Marinara or tomato sauce also goes well with these zucchini fries, so instead of throwing out leftover sauce from pasta night, save it to serve with these tasty snacks.
Healthy snack food plus a way to use up a plethora of zucchinis? Sign me up.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch thick sticks.
Stir together bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast (if using).
Dip zucchini sticks into the flax eggs or fork-beaten eggs, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture.
Arrange on prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned.
Serve immediately with marinara sauce - or try this lemon dill dip!
Lemon Dill Zucchini Dip Ingredients
Directions
In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend together all the ingredients until smooth.
Have you got more zucchinis than you know what to do with? Try my Dill Pickle Zucchini Chips, my Zesty Zucchini Quinoa Bowl, or my Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
Adapted from Skinnytaste
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