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Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner and that means party time! I haven't hosted a super bowl party in years but my husband purchased a 60" 3-D ready flat screen tv with surround sound...this party just felt like a natural!

The other thing I haven't done is throw a Super Bowl party as a vegan. Of course, I want people to have great party food, but I also want to feel good about what I serve, and I want to be able to enjoy it too!

Here are some recipes I created or found (if they were from someone else, credit is there!) to help "kick-off" the celebration.  Let me be clear, chili is an easy favorite but I didn't think a recipe was needed, as you can find them anywhere.  You can either do it with all beans and veggies or, for more texture, use a meat-based chili recipe and replace the meat for TVP (textured vegetable protein) or seitan.  Pick up some non-dairy sour cream and Daiya shredded cheddar to top it off, and If you don't tell anyone, your guests won't notice the difference. 

These first two recipes, savory dips, are from a website called Happy Healthy Life.  For each of these dips, just throw the ingredients into a small mixer and puree until desired consistency.  To serve them, slice a baguette into thin pieces, and toast slightly to warm and crisp them up.

Pure Olive Dip
1/2 cup of cannelini beans, drained
1 6 oz. can of olives, black are best
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Savory Sunny Mushroom Dip
1 cup baby bella or white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup garbanzo beans, drained
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 TBSP sunflower seeds, unsalted (If they are salted, don't add more)
Sea salt and ground fresh black pepper to taste
**I used a little extra lemon juice and tossed in some finely chopped fresh parsley as well


Just a thought: Since you'll have extra garbanzo beans, I'd sautee up some chopped onions, garlic and either escarole, kale or spinach, toss in the beans and voila...dinner for Monday!

Trendy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 14 oz. cans of water-packed (no oil!) artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh baby spinach (about 5 ounces), coarsely chopped
8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese
1 cup vegannaise or grapeseed oil mayonnaise
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) vegan parmesan cheese
Tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is becoming translucent and golden brown, stirring often.
Add the artichoke hearts and a few cups of the spinach, tossing together until the spinach leaves wilt. Add the remaining spinach and continue to cook until all is wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Saving half of the parmesan, combine the "cheeses" and mayonnaise together in a large bowl until combined, and then mix thoroughly into the spinach and artichokes.
Transfer the mixture into a greased baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.
Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
1 package vegan ground "meat" (Smart Ground or Gimme Lean)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 slices bread
Egg replacer for 2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup chili sauce
2/3 cup grape jelly

Combine the "meat", onion, bread, egg replacer, garlic, and salt and pepper.
Heat EVOO in a skillet or frying pan on medium-high. Shape the mock meat mixture into small one-inch balls and fry on all sides until browned and cooked.
In a separate skillet, whisk together the chili sauce and currant jelly and heat over low heat until well combined. Add the mini-meatballs to this sauce and stir to coat well. Allow to cook for ten minutes.
  These are so good you could fool a picky omnivore!

Just a thought: You can use a tomato sauce instead to simmer the meatballs and then toss them into fresh pasta for another great spin on a classic.

VegNews Signature Mac 'n Cheese
4 quarts of water
1 TBSP sea salt
8 oz macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 TBSP + 1/3 c non-hydrogenated margarine
2 TBSP shallots, peeled and chopped

1 c red or yellow potato, peeled and chopped
1/4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 c water
1/4 c raw cashews
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1 TSBP lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1.4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated.  Spread mixture into 1 9x12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.


Veg and the City