This recipe is one of my favorite party snacks and one that I’ve relied on pretty regularly over the past several years. It’s also a crowd pleaser – once people get past the fact that it looks a little frightening. I got around that this past weekend by sprinkling diced red bell peppers over the top before serving and it really, really helped. I’d highly recommend doing the same when you serve this.

Vegan Black Bean Dip
Recipe courtesy of Epicurious

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, chopped
2 (15-16 oz. cans) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/8 cup red bell pepper, diced (optional)

Tortilla chips and assorted cut-up raw veggies

Directions

• In a blender or food processor, puree the beans, red onion, vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, oil, garlic and cumin
• Transfer the dip to a bowl, add salt and pepper
• Sprinkle with red bell pepper and serve with chips and veggies

Yield: Serves 8-10

No, that’s not a typo.  This is (another) recipe I picked up a bit ago from one of the blogs I read. Meant as a lower fat/cal stand-in for guacamole, this recipe replaces the avocado with edamame.

I’ve got to say, given the choice between this and guac, I choose guac. At the same time though, I tend to get carried away with guacamole (and even though it’s healthy fat, it’s still a lot!). So, if you want a similar taste and a bigger portion, edamole is a great alternative to throw in the mix now and then.

Edamole
Recipe Courtesy of FitSugar

Ingredients

3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
3 tbs water
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (we used Cholula)
1 garlic clove, halved
2-3 tbs mild Pico de Gallo, to taste

Directions

• Combine all ingredients except for the Pico in a food processor until smooth
• Add 1-2 tbs of Pico and stir gently
• Top with another tbs of Pico and serve with chips or veggies