This is American comfort food at its best, and it’s a dip that y’all have requested over and over again. I wasn’t ignoring you, just saving it. It’s creamy, hot, cheesy, and buffalo-y (I promise that’s a real word…but don’t look it up). It’s also the perfect dip for any rager you’re throwing or an excuse to pretend you care about the Superbowl! I wanted to offer up textured vegetable protein (TVP or soy curls) as a different option for vegan chicken that works well in this dip. If you’re wondering, it is a soy flour product that has more protein than meat, so don’t worry about where vegans get their protein, bro. But feel free to use your favorite meatless chicken product in place of this.
Ingredients
- 4 cups TVP or soy curl pieces
- 1 (16 oz/450 g) brick medium-firm tofu
- 2 cups finely diced onions (about 2 onions)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ cups vegan cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- ¾ cup buffalo-style hot sauce
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella or cheddar shreds
- Vegetables, corn chips, crackers, or toasted bread of your choice, for serving
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Soak the TVP in a bowl of tepid water for 10 minutes until spongy and doubled in size. Drain and squeeze out the excess water thoroughly through a strainer or sieve.
- Meanwhile, drain the excess water from the tofu and pat dry with tea towel or paper towel. Crumble the tofu. You will need 1¼ cups. The tofu doesn't need to be completely pressed or dry.
- In a cast-iron skillet or oven-safe pan, sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil for approximately 6 minutes until soft, translucent, and slightly golden. Lower the heat if necessary to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Add the sautéed onions and garlic to a food processor along with the crumbled tofu. cream cheese, nutritional yeast, chives, dill, and vinegar. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Process until smooth.
- In the same pan you used for the onions and garlic, brown the TVP Pieces in the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of the chipotle chile powder and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown. Stir in the hot sauce and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes to make sure all the pieces are well coated in sauce. Turn off the heat.
- Fold the mixture from the food processor into the saucy TVP pieces in the pan. If the pan is oven-safe, you can bake and serve the dip in this, or transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Top with the cheese and sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder on top.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes. If the top is not browned to your liking, you can place the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Watch it closely so the dip doesn’t burn. Serve the dip warm from the oven with veggies, corn chips, crackers, or toasted bread of your choice. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
