New Year’s Archives - Forks Over Knives

Air-Fried Tempura Veggies with Jalapeño-Lime Sauce

Caitlyn Diimig, RD — Tue, 06 May 2025 17:49:38 +0000

These easy, vegan air-fried tempura veggies fit the bill any time you want a crunchy appetizer to kick things off. Sparkling water gives the batter a light, crisp texture, while a hint of ground ginger offers a grounding warmth. You’ll want to air-fry these babies for as long as possible to get the crispiest results. A creamy dipping sauce made with silken tofu gets its lively flavor from fresh cilantro, jalapeño, and a squeeze of lime juice. It’s the perfect dipper for these crunchy veggie snacks!

Tips

Wear gloves: Chile peppers contain oils that can irritate your skin and eyes. Wear plastic or rubber gloves when working with them.

For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:

Yield: Makes 4 cups vegetables + ½ cup sauce

Time: 45 minutes

4 oz. firm silken tofu, drained
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh jalapeño chile, seeded if desired (see tip, recipe intro)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup plain seltzer water, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
½ cup brown rice flour
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into 1- to 1½ -inch florets
4 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed

Instructions

For Jalapeño-Lime Sauce, in a small blender or food processor combine tofu, lime juice, and jalapeño; cover and blend until smooth, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water to reach desired consistency. Stir in cilantro. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Preheat air fryer to 350°F. In a large bowl whisk together ¼ cup of the seltzer water with the flaxseed meal; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup seltzer water until frothy. Whisk in brown rice flour, ginger, salt, and black pepper until batter forms. Batter should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter. Add more seltzer water as needed to reach desired consistency.
Working in batches, dip bell pepper strips, broccoli florets, and green beans in batter until coated; allow excess to drip off. Transfer vegetables to parchment paper that has been cut to fit air-fryer basket. Place parchment paper with vegetables in basket. Air-fry 10 minutes or until crisp. Season vegetables with an additional pinch of sea salt. Serve with sauce.

The post Air-Fried Tempura Veggies with Jalapeño-Lime Sauce appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Cheesy Vegan Baked Spinach Dip

Laura Marzen, RD, LD — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 18:17:23 +0000

This healthy twist on the Cheesecake Factory favorite features aromatics, fresh spinach, and frozen artichoke hearts for convenience. A creamy cashew and white bean sauce, stirred in just before baking, delivers mouthwatering cheesiness and is significantly lower in fat than traditional versions. Serve with home-baked tortilla chips and a dollop of pico de gallo for a guilt-free snack worth raving about. This recipe calls for portioning out the dip into individual-serving ramekins so that guests can double-dip to their hearts’ content—but you can also serve it in one large dish. (See tip below.)

Making this cheesy vegan spinach and artichoke dip for a Super Bowl party? Find our full selection of vegan Super Bowl recipes here, and build a delicious game-day menu!

Tips

For a single large dish of dip: Spoon spinach mixture into a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake and serve as directed.

Cashews: Soak cashews in enough hot water to cover 15 minutes; drain and rinse.

For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:

Yield: Makes 3 cups

Time: 45 minutes

½ cup chopped onion
5 oz. fresh baby spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ of a 10-oz. pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, pressed to remove excess water, and chopped
½ of a 15-oz. can no-salt-added white beans, rinsed and drained (¾ cup)
¾ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked (see tip, recipe intro)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Baked tortilla chips and pico de gallo, for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet cook onion over medium 4 to 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently and adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Add spinach and garlic; cook, tossing with tongs, 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add artichokes; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer spinach mixture to a large bowl.
In a blender combine the next six ingredients (through salt). Cover and blend until very smooth, scraping sides of blender as needed. Add to spinach mixture; stir until well combined. Spoon mixture evenly into six 4-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins in a shallow baking pan.
Bake 20 minutes or until dip is heated through. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips and Pico de Gallo.

The post Cheesy Vegan Baked Spinach Dip appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Potato-Kale Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Laura Marzen, RD, LD — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:52:35 +0000

This creamy, partially blended soup has so much going for it and makes a cozy meal on a cool night! A plantain adds a touch of sweetness and holds up like a potato in this soup—if you prefer a more peppery taste, use a parsnip instead. Black-eyed peas and kale add extra body and substance, and cashews give the soup a creamy texture. This recipe starts with store-bought mirepoix (meer-PWAH), a classic aromatic combo of onion, celery, and carrot. See below for shopping tips and how to make your own.

Tips

Cashews: Soak cashews in enough very hot water to cover 15 minutes; drain and rinse.

Make your own mirepoix: The formula for making your own is 2 parts chopped onion to 1 part each diced celery and diced carrot. For this recipe, you need 1 cup chopped onion plus ½ cup each of diced carrot and celery.

Where to buy mirepoix: Trader Joe’s sells it fresh in 14.5-oz. tubs, and you can find it fresh near the bagged greens at many supermarkets. Cascadian Farm, Kroger, and other stores sell it frozen.

For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:

Yield: Makes 12 cups

Time: 40 minutes

2 cups fresh or frozen mirepoix (10 to 12 oz.)
1 medium unripe (green) plantain or 1 medium parsnip
8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
12 oz. yellow potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup raw cashews, soaked (see tip, recipe intro)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 15-oz. cans no-salt-added black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (3 cups)
4 cups chopped fresh kale, tough stems removed
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a 4- to 6-quart pot cook mirepoix over medium 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally and adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking.
Cut peel off plantain; cut plantain in half lengthwise then slice in ½-inch-thick moons. Add plantain, broth, and potatoes to pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until plantain and potatoes are just tender.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup of the cooked plantain and potatoes to a blender. Add 1 cup of the broth from the soup, the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Cover and blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed.
Add black-eyed peas and kale to soup in pot. Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until kale is just tender. Add blended cashew mixture and the parsley to pot; cook and stir 1 minute. Season with pepper. Top servings with additional parsley and pepper.

The post Potato-Kale Black-Eyed Pea Soup appeared first on Forks Over Knives.