Your Guilty Pleasure Appetizers Gone Plant-Based

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ACME Markets. All opinions are 100% my own.

I’ve been around the plant-based block a few times and I have to say, there are definitely times when I just want to bite into a huge plate of nachos covered in cheese or munch on some classic wings. And you guys know I totally indulge when I feel I can’t recreate it :) But TODAY I really want to share how I am able to take some amazing apps I love and recreate them in a lighter, healthier, plant-based way.

We are definitely not the typical family when it comes to holiday meals and traditions, so it makes sense to me this year to do a little app session! I already know what you’re thinking - how am I going to find the stuff to make these recipes at the grocery store?! Let me tell you - your local ACME has a ton of great options and you’ll find everything you need. They even have a line of 100% USDA Certified oOrganic products, O Organics, and clean, minimally- processed products, Open Nature®, which can provide a wide variety of healthy options for our family. There’s no need to make multiple stops when you’ve got a local ACME near by, because they really do have it all.

Now for the recipes! Serve these at your (small) holiday get-togethers this year :)

SMASHED LOADED POTATOES

• 24 ounces Dutch yellow baby potatoes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, pressed

• Salt and Pepper, to taste

• chopped herbs to top: dill, chives, whatever you like!

COCONUT BACON

• ½ tablespoon liquid smoke

• 1 tablespoon tamari

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• ½ tablespoon water

• . tablespoon grapeseed oil

• 2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

CASHEW SOUR CREAM

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours or quick soaked with boiling water for 1 hour

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

STEP 1: MAKE SOUR CREAM

Drain and rinse cashews. Add all ingredients to a high speedhigh-speed blender & blend until smooth.

STEP 2: MAKE COCONUT BACON

Heat oven to 350F.

Add liquid smoke, tamari, maple syrup, oil and water to a bowl. Stir to combine. Add flaked coconut, stir, and allow for

coconut to absorb the mixture. Toss in paprika and pepper, then transfer mixture to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is a deep, dark brown. Let cool and store in an

airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month!

STEP 3: MAKE POTATOES

In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain.

Combine garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Arrange potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a potato

masher or the back of a fork, lightly smash the potatoes until flattened but not breaking apart. Brush with garlic & olive oil

mixture. Right before serving, preheat oven to 450F. Place potatoes in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown

and crisp. Top with sour cream, bacon & diced herbs & serve!

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 pound (about 20) white mushrooms

¼ cup bread crumbsbreadcrumbs or tortilla chips

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

fresh cracked pepper to taste

1/8 cup onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400F. In a bowl, toss bread crumbsbreadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, nutritional yeast, dried mustard and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan and bake in oven until golden, 6-ish minutes. Pull stems from mushroom caps and chop them finely. 

Put mushroom caps, stemmed sides down, back on that pan and bake about 10 minutes, until they start to lose moisture and shrivel a bit. While caps are baking, add 1 tablespoon oil to a pan over medium high heat. Add onion, pepper, chopped stems, garlic, oregano, thyme, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and sautesauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is getting translucent, about 5 minutes. Add vegetables to bread crumb mixture along with parsley and scallions and toss well.

Turn mushroom caps over, fill and press gently with filling. Bake about 20 minutes, until mushrooms are tendertender, and stuffing is golden brown.

TOFU NUGGETS

• Extra firm tofu

• Flax egg - (2 tbsp ground flax combined with 3 tbsp water) or regular egg

• Open Nature® Almond Flour (or flour of choice)

• Breadcrumb of your choice (I often use various flavored chips or crunchy snacks blended into breadcrumb consistency)

• Soy sauce or vegetable broth (enough to marinate all tofu)

• Sea Salt (to taste)

• Pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350.

Press the tofu to rid it of as much moisture as possible. Then cut in small squares and do a quick marinade in vegetable broth and soy sauce to add more flavor. Just 10 mins is good!⁠

Combine flour of your choice, salt and pepper on a plate and coat all pieces with mixture.

⁠Add coated tofu to a sheet pan and bake for 30-ish minutes at 350. I turned my pan half wayhalfway through baking. Remove once golden brown and serve just like chicken nuggets with your dips of choice!

⁠

“MOZZARELLA” STICKS 

• 1 1/4c Open Nature® Almond Flour

• 1/2c water

• The juice of 3 lemons

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 ¼ tsp Sea Salt

• A few grinds of fresh black pepper

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, if you can’t find it)

• 2 cups of your favorite bread crumb or bread crumb substitute (I actually use the O Organics® Kettle Chips for an extra crunch)

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. You might have to stop and scrape down the sides from time to time.

Once blended - I like to let it sit for a few hours to really make the flavor deeper. This is optional and if your cheese is not super runny, you could just move into the baking part below. Line a small bowl with some cheesecloth and pour the cheese mixture into it. Pull up all of the sides of the cheesecloth so that the cheese is in a little ball inside and twist the top into a rubber band. Keep this in the bowl in the fridge overnight.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the cheese and roll it into “cheese stick” shapes. Coat the sticks in your favorite breadcrumbs or breadcrumb substitute and bake until golden brown and cheese in the middle is warm.

CHICKPEA TOASTS

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 tbsp basil leaves, chopped

• 1 big slice of red onion, then minced

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 avocado, diced

• Baguette

• Garlic clove, cut in half

Stir together all of the ingredients except for the toast and let it sit. The longer it sits - they better it tastes! Cut the baguette into slices, drizzle with olive oil, salt and rub each slice with the halved garlic clove. Put in the oven on 350 for about 10 minutes until they are crunchy!

Top your toasts with the chickpea mix and serve.

VEGAN QUESADILLAS

• Flour tortillas (I also love almond flour tortillas)

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 cups of your favorite veggies, finely chopped

• Large pinch of Sea Salt

• ½ clove of garlic

• 1 tsp pepper flakes/spicy seasoning (optional)

• Vegan cheese of your choice (optional)

Pulse all ingredients together (except tortilla) in a food processor or blender.

Spread mixture on one half of tortilla and fold over to create quesadilla shape

Pan fry on stove over medium heat until cheese is melted or inside filling is hot and outside is slightly browned and crispy

Serve with salsa and guac, obvi!

This year, I am really thankful for ACME providing high qualityhigh-qaulity, on-trend food and ingredients I can trust to give my family! Not only are O Organics offered at a value compared to leading national organic brands, they really have such a wide variety of on-trend products that meet so many family’s needs, such as ours! 

O Organics products are available in my area exclusively at ACME Markets, but you can also find them at all the Albertsons Companies fFamily of fStores, including,  including Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Carrs/Safeway.

I know I can depend on ACME to make holiday shopping a breeze whether I’m shopping in person or using their Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & GoPick Up services. Visit acmemarkets.com to find a store near you.