Fall has settled over us, and the lumberyard has started swapping flats of annuals for boxes of Christmas lights, which means the holidays are approaching — and with them, the usual boatload of potlucks and parties. You can find plenty of easy vegetarian recipes suitable for sharing, but most of them involve cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise or all of the above, and finding acceptable vegan substitutes for these ingredients can be a daunting prospect at 11:30 p.m., when you suddenly remember you were supposed to bring something for tomorrow’s office party.
Here’s a vegan version of an old standby that’s cheap, quick and always goes over well. The original is made with ranch dip mix, but this variation tastes just as good and doesn’t contain powdered buttermilk.
Vegan Snack Crackers
1 bag oyster crackers
1/4 c. margarine
1 packet Italian dressing mix
Big ziplock bag
Put the crackers in the bag. Melt the margarine in the microwave. Stir in dressing mix. Pour mixture over crackers. Seal bag. Shake until crackers are well-coated.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can add a little dried dill weed to the mix or put in a few shakes of red or green chile powder to give the crackers an extra kick, but they’ll be fine if you don’t.
Protip: If the bag doesn’t seal quite as well as you might have hoped, and you discover this fact after you turn it upside-down to coat the crackers, it’s nice to have a four-legged friend or two to help with cleanup. As noted the other day, Riggy was more than happy to assist.
Red Fork Hippie 