Recipes for People Who Can't Eat Anything: Wedding Shower = Indulgent Treats

One week ago I was host to a wedding shower for my best friend Destini. It was a small gathering of ladies (about 12) with WAY more food that we could all eat :) The menu consisted of my hummus wraps, veggies & dip (recipe follows), edamame dip & rice crackers, taco dip (recipe follows) with whole wheat tortilla chips, my mother's o-henry bars (which I plan to veganize and post in the future), my sister's vegan black bottom cupcakes (I'll get her recipe for you soon) fruit, and some sandwiches and dainties the mother of the groom brought. The taco dip is a super duper yummy dish that will be a hit with all your friends, vegan or meat eater. It does consist of a lot of processed junk, and is by no means good for you, but damn is it tasty! My sister and I make it for most BBQs or parties, and it comes from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.

Alicia's Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip

1 (16oz) can refried beans (I've bought the cheapo no-name brands of these before and it makes a difference, Old El Paso seems to have the best flavour)
3 large avocados
3 tbsp lime juice
2 (8oz) containers non-dairy sour cream (the brand I use, Tofutti, comes in 12oz containers so just estimate)
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles (I used a tiny can of these and didn't use much of them, I'm not big on the spicy)
2-3 med tomatoes, chopped
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese, I love Daiya brand
the recipe also calls for 1/2 cup slices black olives, add them if you like, but I think they are gross!

Preheat the oven to 350F

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8"x8" glass casserole dish. Pit and peel the avocados, mash in a bowl with the lime juice, then spread over the beans. Stir together the sour "cream" and taco seasoning, spread over the avocados. Sprinkle the chiles (and black olives if using) over the sour "cream". Before adding the chopped tomatoes, pick up a handful and squeeze out as much juice as possible. This helps from the dip getting to watery. Top it all off with the "cheese". Bake for 15 to 30 mins or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

I realize this is a photo of cupcakes and edamame dip, but I totally forgot to take pics as I was getting things ready

The dip for the veggies is my sister's creation. It's incredibly simple and just a veganized version of her old classic dip. It's also great with plain ripple chips if you're feeling really indulgent.

1 container (12oz) Tofutti sour "cream"
2 big spoonfuls of Veganese (vegan mayo)
1 pkg Knorr's dry vegetable soup mix

Mix it all together in a medium sized bowl and your done! The mayo is estimated as you may have guessed. It just lightens up the sour cream a bit, and if the soup mix is too strong for you just add another spoonful of the Veganese.

For a nice light summer beverage we had sangria. This is by far my favourite summertime alcoholic beverage, although I had never made it myself before. My sister always does it, so here's her recipe. Warning: some things are just eye balled.

1 bottle of chilled red wine of your choice
1 lemon, lime, and orange sliced into rounds
1 cup of whole frozen berries
1 small can of diced pineapples with the juice
4 cups ginger ale
1 generous splash of orange juice (free pour by eye, start with a little you can always add more to taste)
Gin ( the recipe calls for 2 shots, but my sister always uses WAY more, I just free poured some in, maybe around 4-5 shots??)
Ice

Pour all ingredients into a large pitcher or punch bowl. You can make this up the night before to marinate all the flavours, but it's just fine if you serve it right away over ice.

There were so many leftovers of almost everything that I just grazed on it for a couple days. A very bad idea I know, but I was grieving and my body seemed to cut me some slack because of it.

I had meant to take some nice pictures once everything was set up, but I totally forgot, so in some of them the food is half eaten. Destini sent me a couple of good pics I've added in too.