December 11, 2017
Who doesn’t love a party? But most of all, the wonderful food you get to eat and explore:) Sadly I had to let go of dairy products 4 years ago to keep my colitis symptoms at bay. I still to this day miss cheese terribly:( BUT like an ex-boyfriend you simply have to remind yourself why you left him in the first place and dairy simply does not agree with me. Now for all those great recipes that contain all the no-no ingredients I simply challenge myself to create a healthier vegan version that even non-vegans would enjoy eating.
Now a past party favourite of mine was definitely the famous “seven layered bean dip” Yesss, all that cheddar cheese and sour cream. I have created a healthy vegan “5 layer bean dip” that you can eat guilt free!
Let’s get started…
My Famous Vegan “5 Layer Bean Dip”
You will need for your layers:
- Cashew sour cream
- Avocado cilantro crema
- Baked beans
- Jar of your favorite salsa
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped cherry tomatoes
The first thing you need to do is to soak the cashew for your sour cream. I use these below recipes from one of my favorite recipe books “Oh she Glows Everyday” by Angela Liddon.
Cashew Sour Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 11/2 cups (375 ml) raw cashews
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) water, or as needed
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp (10 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fine seal salt, to taste
For a quick soak method, cover with boiling water and soak for 30-60 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Transfer the cashews to a high-speed blender and add the water, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Blend on the highest speed until smooth, stopping to scrape down the blender container if necessary. you can add a splash more water if necessary to get it going. Transfer the cashew cream to an airtight container and refrigerate if you’re not using it right away. it will thicken up as it chills. the cashew cream will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks. * Note: Do not make it too thick as you wont be able to spread it easily.
Next lets make the crema (another one of my favorite by Angela Liddon) which i use instead of guacamole.
Avocado Cilantro Crema Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh cilantro, large stems removed
- 2-3 small cloves of garlic. *Please note that Angela’s recipe calls for 1 small clove but with garlic being a great super-food i tend to always add more.
- 1 medium/large ripe avocado, pitted
- 4 tsp (20 ml) fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine seal salt, or to taste
In a food processor, process the cilantro and garlic until minced. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until mostly smooth. there might be small bits of cilantro, but this is okay.
Baked Beans Recipe
If you are in a hurry you can use a can of organic store bought baked beans. I use this recipe ohsheglows.com/2010/07/01/maple-baked-beans/ as its does not contain any refined sugar and all you need is a crock-pot. i make a double batch each time and freeze individual portions for later use.
How to layer your dip…
You will first start by layering about a half inch of baked beans at the bottom of your container then you spread all of the avocado crema followed by half of the sour cream. The next layer is half a small jar of salsa then again the rest of the sour cream. Top it all off with a generous amount of chopped green onions and cherry tomatoes and voilà, an amazing tasty healthy chip dip.
Who said healthy can’t taste amazing:)
