Alternative: Herb & Chive Dip

Just a little snack for those who miss creamy dips with their chips! 

Taco Popcorn

1 bag of Pop-Secret Kettle Corn (or you can do it the old fashioned way via stovetop)
Ortega Taco Seasoning

1: Pop popcorn
2: Add a little bit of the taco seasoning at a time to determine your taste. 

I like the combination of sweet kettle corn and spicy seasoning, so I add enough seasoning to coat at least a third of the bag.  You can buy the taco seasoning by packet or larger container.  This is definitely a treat for those who previously loved cheese popcorn.  Yum!

Quick Cinnamon Roll Bagels

1 Franz Cinnamon Raisin Bagel
1 Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Frosting (Classic Vanilla)

Or you can follow the frosting recipe located here.

1: Lightly toast or microwave the bagel until soft
2: Spread frosting and enjoy!

This is a quick simple recipe that I put together one day when I couldn't find a suitable morning breakfast treat. Store brands, ready-made doughs and bakeries have egg and dairy ingredients. There is one vegan cinnamon roll that is distributed to select coffee shops by the Flying Apron Bakery, however, it is gluten-free and extremely dry.

Simple Quesadillas

burrito-size tortilla

Daiya Mozzarella style

Daiya Cheddar style

Salsa

Earth Balance

1: Lightly butter one side of tortilla and place on medium-heat pan.

2: Add both kinds of cheese and a bit of salsa.  You can add peppers and olives if you'd like too, but I'm going for simple with this one. 

3: Butter another tortilla and place it on top.  Flip after side one is lightly browned (hopefully not as browned/burnt as the one pictured above!  Lol!)
4: Cut into 4 and enjoy! :)

Note: Sometimes I add black beans in there too. ;)

Fillo Pizza Bites

1 roll of Fillo
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
oregano
paprika
italian seasoning
more oregano
Daiya mozzarella cheese


1: Preheat oven to 400 F
2: Heat tomato sauce on low adding small minced onions, herbs and spices.

3: Roll the fillo dough out (very carefully!!) and slice down the middle with a pizza cutter.  A knife will rip it, so I recommend not using one.

4: Put one tablespoon of the sauce mix on the left side with about one tablespoon of Daiya.

5: Fold ingredients into a triangle all the way down the length of fillo so as to seal the pizza bite.

6: Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake for about 4 minutes on each side.  You can also brush some olive oil on them to get them extra crisp.  I chose to do this for my first batch, but discontinued after realizing the fillo crisped enough on its own (for my taste).  Enjoy!

Candied Carrots

6 carrots

1/2 red or yellow onion, chopped

2 tbsp Earth Balance

1 tbsp brown sugar

1: Saute onions in pot.

2: Peel and thinly slice carrots.

3: Add carrots, Earth Balance and brown sugar to the pot, mixing thoroughly.

4: Simmer on low-medium for 10 minutes, until carrots are soft, but not mushy.

Cucumber Dill Medley

3 Cucumbers 

10 Roma Tomatoes 

Vegan Spread (Smart Balance Light/Earth Balance) 

Fresh Garlic 

1/2 chopped Red Onion 

Scallions (bunch) 

Fresh Dill (bunch)




Saute garlic with a bit of vegan spread. The amount of garlic you use will depend on what your preference for garlic is, but a good rule of thumb would be a quarter of the amount of onions/scallions you are using. Next add sliced scallions and chopped onions. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cube them. Add them to the mixture along with lots of minced fresh dill and continue to saute on low until the tomatoes become a bit saucy.

Chop the cucumbers any way you like (biased, sliced, squared, etc) and either saute them with a tiny amount of vegan spread or keep them raw. Place them on a dish and spread the tomato mixture over the top like a sauce. Enjoy!

*This recipe can also be made using Zucchini in place of the cucumbers and poppy seed added to the sauce.