It’s now officially Sunday, and another weekend has essentially come and gone. That’s depressing. However before this weekend truly ends, something tells me there may be a football game happening. Maybe it’s the Seahawks gear every single person I see is clad with from head to toe, the 12’s everywhere or the all blue-and-green everything vibe…
Meanwhile, I’ll just be over here making and eating snacks.
It’s not that I dislike football, I just like snacks more. Although let’s be real, that’s how I feel about almost everything.
Back to the dip. Buffalo Chicken Dip is a pretty big deal in my family. During every holiday or get-together everyone tends to go crazy for it, myself included. I think it’s very delicious, however I don’t love how it makes me feel. It’s usually based with sour cream, cream cheese, and ranch dressing making it pretty heavy. I could go all #moderation but it’s pretty unrealistic to think I (or anyone) will only eat two tablespoons of it. If I like something and am hungry enough, I’m going in. So I wanted to make a version that I felt good about eating. I actually had the bright idea to make a lighter version of the original with greek yogurt, less cheese, etc. but I realized – so did everyone on Pinterest. Then I figured, why not lighten this all the way up to make a hummus-style dip and ditch the chicken so my meat-free friends could enjoy? It sounded like a good idea to me.
And I have to say, the result is more delicious than the original (sorry mom).
Instead of using a cream cheese and sour cream base, I rolled with white beans and soaked cashews which created an amazing creamy texture, while providing fiber and healthy fat. Then instead of ranch dressing, I used ranch seasoning (without MSG please and thank you). It all came together in less than a minute. Really the only time required is for the cashews to soak (which you could also skip of you were in a pinch – just blend a little longer). I threw all the ingredients into the food processor, whirled it up and was instantly taken to buffalo dip heaven. Come join me friends.
- 2 Cans of White Beans Drained and Rinsed
- 1 Cup of Cashews, Soaked in warm water for an hour
- ¾ Cup of Buffalo Sauce (I used Frank's Mild Buffalo Sauce)
- 1 Tablespoon of Ranch Seasoning (I used store-bought - check ingredient labels for dairy-free!)
- 2 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
- ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder
- Juice of 1 Lemon (~4 Tablespoons)
- Optional Toppings: Blue Cheese Crumbles, Green Onion, Chopped Celery
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and blend until smooth. You may need to stop the food processor and periodically scrape down the sides.
- Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Who are you rooting for this weekend?
What are your favorite game-day snacks?
xoxo,
Les
is the nutritional yeast necessary? Why does this always comes in so type Recipes?
Heather, I’ll be interested for Les’s response, but nutritional yeast is kind of a flavor enhancer. I have omitted it in many recipes just because I don’t always have it on hand.
Hi there! Yes, Sally is right – i added the nutritional yeast because it gives the dip a really good (almost cheesy) flavor. If you leave it out the dip will still come together but I can’t promise it will taste as good 🙂
Hi! Looks good but I don’t know what’s in your (or any) version of either buffalo sauce or ranch seasoning 🙂
I have to go to a vegan potluck tonight and bring finger food, so am hoping you see this today! Can you please send those base recipes?
Thanks!
Hi Bett! I used store-bought for both 🙂 Franks Buffalo Sauce and Uncle Dan’s Ranch Seasoning mix. Both are dairy-free!
Thanks!