Vegan Friday: Super Bowl snacks

So let’s say your sidekick waltzes in on Friday afternoon and informs you that the two of you are attending (or worse, hosting) a Super Bowl party in 48 hours. Annoying, yes, but don’t panic. Here are three vegan dip recipes you can throw together in about 30 minutes. That’s total, not each.

NOTE: These are the fastest possible versions of each recipe. If you have a little time and feel like dressing them up, any of these can be improved by substituting fresh ingredients for their processed counterparts, but the versions below are perfectly fine to eat while drinking beer and watching football.

This is an easy make-ahead recipe that works equally well as burrito filling.

Refried Beans

1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles, drained
Olive oil
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Chili powder
Ground cumin

Refried beans also make a killer topping for chili dogs.

Put a little oil in the bottom of a big frying pan or wok, dump in the beans and Ro-Tel, and cook until heated through. Add onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin to taste. Mash with a potato masher and serve with tortilla chips.

Two more recipes below the fold:

I learned this avocado prep trick by watching a guy make tableside guac at a Tex-Mex restaurant. Dicing before scooping is faster and less messy.

Lazy Guacamole

NOTE: Do NOT make this until you’re ready to eat it. Fresh avocado will turn brown when exposed to air.

2 avocados
Can of Ro-Tel
1-2 tbsp. lime juice
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Cut each avocado in half. Use a table knife to make three or four vertical and four or five horizontal cuts in the flesh (but not the rind) of each half, then scoop out the flesh into a bowl.

Save your Ro-Tel cans. They have the old-fashioned bottoms you can cut out with a can opener for an Eco-Saturday project we’re going to do later.

Dump in a can of Ro-Tel, add the lime juice and seasoning, and mash everything together. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

I think it’s illegal to hold a Super Bowl party without nacho dip.

Nooch Nachos

Nutritional yeast, or “nooch,” is a sort of flaky yellow powder you get from the health-food store. A lot of vegans use it as a source of protein and B vitamins. It’s a good thing to keep on hand. Its highest and best use is as a base for fake cheese sauce. I wouldn’t swap it for, like, Gruyere or anything, but it can be used interchangeably with Cheez Whiz or that canned nacho sauce they serve at concession stands.

2 tbsp. flour
1/4 c. nooch
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. mustard
Can of Ro-Tel
Cumin
Chili powder
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Hot sauce

Whisk together flour, water and nooch in a small saucepan and heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens.

Before whisking. Trust me: This really will turn into nacho sauce when you’re done. Fat-free, high-protein nacho sauce.

See? Looks just like that crap they serve at Taco Hell.

Add mustard, Ro-Tel, and seasonings to taste and keep whisking until heated through. Serve with chips.

And now it looks just like that Velveeta-and-Ro-Tel crap that shows up at every single potluck ever. Once you add the spices, it’ll taste better, though.

If you’re not going anywhere this weekend, these three dips also make excellent burrito filling or taco salad topping for a quick Friday night dinner. They also double or triple fairly easily, although I’d do the nooch sauce in small batches to avoid lumps.

Emily