Vegan Buffalo Dip

This dip is so FABULOUS!  Before giving up meat and dairy, and going more plant-based, one of my all time favorite appetizers was Buffalo Chicken Dip. You know the one-- cream cheese, blue cheese, hot sauce, shredded chicken, more cheese. Its pretty delicious. I wanted to find something that tasted similar and was also totally vegan and healthy. And here it is!!

Here is the original recipe. I didn't change it too much, and I am glad I didn't. Because this was so yummy. The only thing I would do differently in the future is double the recipe. ha!

Vegan Buffalo Dip

1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup original Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/2 cup unflavored Almond Milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional- but I highly recommend it!)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh, finely-chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup Daiya cheddar-style cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the beans and cashews to into food processor.  Pulse several times to break them up a bit-- it looked almost crumbly.  Add in the glorious hot sauce, almond milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper.  Process until the mixture is entirely smooth--2-3 minutes. If you need to scrape the sides of the bowl and process some more, go for it!  Add in a little salt, and taste it to make sure it ok. 

Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the parsley and chives.  Add in the chickpeas and 3/4 cup of the Daiya cheddar cheese.  Pour the dip into a 9×9-inch square baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Daiya on top. (Note: I made this dip the night before and covered it with plastic wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator. I took it out an hour before I wanted to serve it and let it sit for about 30 minutes.)  Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until warmed through.  Serve with tortilla chips or veggies. 

Make this! Do it! Its amazing!