Vegan Cheesy Chickpea Dip with Coconut Bacon

I tried a little bit harder with this dip.

You had great suggestions for sprucing up my Mexican Black Bean Dip. It was all about the garnishes: salsa, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and tortillas were all great ideas.

This time I topped the dip with coconut bacon. (I will tell you about the delicious dip in a moment, but first: COCONUT BACON). This was not my first encounter with coconut bacon. I have tried it in many different iterations: lovingly inside a BLT at Aux Vivres, as a snack I brought to Burning Man courtesy of Phoney Baloney, and even a slippery, thick raw coconut bacon made from fresh coconut inside The Naked Sprout‘s BLT.

While I have made raw eggplant bacon before, coconut bacon had been on my hitlist for awhile. I even captured a picture of their ingredient list when I was at Aux Vivres. Definitely one of the benefits of them selling items to go. However, instead of using their ingredient list, I ran with Julie’s recommendation to add smoked paprika to the recipes floating around the web. It worked for the raw eggplant bacon so I was quickly sold on her smoked paprika pitch. It did not disappoint and I liked it better than anything else I had tried. The fact that it made so much is great because we are going to enjoy this for awhile.

But don’t let me distract you from this dip. A cheesy chickpea spread with smoky undertones, it was a fun salty snack I served at our tamalada. We had some delicious chips that needed a dip and this was a great choice. Everyone approved and Rob is adamant about bringing it back into our dip repertoire. I won’t stop him.. and to give him due credit, I only crafted the recipes, Rob executed them with finesse… and then I cobbled together some photographs. 🙂

With the Superbowl, Academy Awards and the Olympics on the horizon, this may be the dip-friendly part of the year. If you would like other delicious dips, consider these, too:

Green Velvet Guacamole (aka Guacamame or Edamame Guacamole)

Edamame Miso Dip

Raw Zucchini Hummus

Ginger Lime Wasabi Edamame Hummus

Rosemary Pistachio Hummus

Hillbilly Hummus (Black Eyed Pea and Peanut Butter Hummus)

Mexican Black Bean Dip

This is my submission to this month’s Four Seasons Food Challenge, this month’s Cheese Please, this month’s Spice Trail for paprika, and to this month’s Bookmarked Recipes.

Vegan Cheesy Chickpea Dip
Adapted from Keepin It Kind

1.5 cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained, if canned)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 tbsp nondairy milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp white miso
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup coconut bacon (see below)

1. If you are anal, skin the chickpeas. It will take a while. You might start to curse, or give up altogether.

2. In a food processor fitted with its S-blade, add all ingredients except the coconut bacon, and blend until smooth. You may need to add more liquid but check the consistency before adding. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to ten days. For best results, allow to warm to room temperature before serving. Top with coconut bacon prior to serving.

Makes 2 cups.

Coconut Bacon
Adapted from The Simple Vegenista

1 tbsp tamari, liquid amino’s or soy sauce
1.5 tsp liquid smoke
1.5 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups dried large flake coconut (like this one)
large flake salt for sprinkling, optional

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the tamari, liquid smoke, maple syrup and smoked paprika. Whisk until smooth, making sure to get rid of any clumps of smoked paprika. Add coconut and stir until each coconut flake is evenly coated.

3. Pour seasoned coconut flakes onto a silpat-lined (or greased) baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, if desired.

4. Bake coconut flakes at 325F for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Pay careful attention after 15 minutes, to not let the coconut bacon burn. Once nicely browned (but not burnt), remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 2 cups.