The Ultimate Vegan Snack Board (3 dip recipes!) | The First Mess (2024)

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 675 grams, peeled)
• 3 garlic cloves, skin on
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves removed
• 1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, divided
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup tahini
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• sesame seeds, for garnish

• I roasted the butternut in cubes because I wanted some for the garnish, but you could just roast the squash whole/in halves and scoop out if you aren’t concerned about the look.

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

• Scoop the seeds out of the butternut squash and dice into 1-inch pieces. Transfer the diced squash, garlic cloves, and thyme leaves to the baking sheet. Drizzle the squash mixture with 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

• Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast until squash is tender, about 35-40 minutes. Allow squash and garlic to cool slightly.

• Set up your food processor on the counter. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into the food processor, discarding the skins afterward. Transfer the roasted butternut squash to the food processor (reserve about a third for garnish, if you like), along with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper.

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

• 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 353 grams/1 lb cremini mushrooms, stems removed
• sea salt and ground back pepper, to taste
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup kalamata or sundried/fully ripened olives
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon gluten-free tamari soy sauce

• I used all cremini because it’s a pretty accessible and tasty variety. If you want to mix it up with some shiitakes or other type, feel free!

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Slice all of the mushrooms and throw them into the pan. Let them set for a good minute before stirring. Then, let them sit another full minute.

• Stir the mushrooms. They should be slightly glistening at this point. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Keep stirring. Add the sliced garlic to the pan and stir. Once the garlic is slightly softened and translucent, about 1 minute, transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor.

• Place the olives, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, tamari, and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the food processor as well. Run the motor on high until you have a smooth paste. You will have to stop the motor and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times. Transfer the pâté to a serving dish. I like to garnish this with a nice drizzle of balsamic glaze/reduction and some herbs to break up the brown-ness :)

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 small-medium beet (about 140 grams, scrubbed)
• 1 tablespoon light miso
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 -2 tablespoons filtered water (if necessary)
• handful of fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons drained capers

• I haven’t tried making this in anything other than a high speed blender, and I’m not confident in the ability of other machines to get the job done here. You want it to be so silky smooth, almost like cream cheese.

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Tightly wrap the beet in a sheet of foil and place it in the oven. Roast the beet until tender when poked with a knife, about 40 minutes. Allow beet to cool slightly before rubbing skin off and dicing.

• In an upright, high speed blender, combine the diced beet, the rinsed and drained cashews, miso, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Blend on high, pushing contents into the blades with a tamp. If the contents are not working themselves into a whipped cream cheese-like consistency, add some water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

• Once you have that whipped and smooth consistency, transfer the cashew cheese spread to a sealable container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish the cheese spread with chopped dill and capers.

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian