Late Night Snack - Creamy Veggie Dip (Vegan)

Yesterday I did not eat enough. Wait, did I really just say that? It was a busy day for me and I guess I kinda forgot to eat. It's such a novel concept for me, I thought it might be not be such a bad thing. I got home at about 9pm and logged onto the website I used to track my calories and exercise. When I finished entering my food for the day, I discovered that I had only eaten about 1000 calories. Yes, I was hungry (and getting hungrier by the minute) and apparently that's not good. According to www.myfitnesspal.com:

"Based on your total calories consumed for today, you are eating too few calories. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your calorie consumption to 1,200 calories per day minimum."

 

On an intellectual level I already knew this, but seeing it in black, white and red was quite alarming. Aside from being ravenous and cranky, I was actually doing more harm than good! Now for the hard part: find something to nosh on that would satisfy my hunger, but not sabotage my diet. Pretzels? No, they are just salty, empty calories. Tortilla chips? Very tempting, but no again (if we had salsa I might not have been able to resist.) I thought yogurt dip & raw veggies should do the trick. Unfortunately we were out of yogurt, but not willing to give up so easily, it was time to get creative. Instead I found a box of shelf-stable silken tofu in the pantry - I know, not my first choice either, but hey, I was desperate. Bingo! The result was creamy, crunchy, and flavorful with a spicy little kick but also nice and light, and totally satisfying. Now I could go to bed with a clear conscience, and not worry about dreaming of eating giant marshmallows only to wake up and find my pillow gone!

 

 

 

 

Creamy Veggie Dip (Vegan)

(makes about 8oz)

 

4oz. silken tofu

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1" piece of carrot

1/2 of a mushroom

1/4 of a green bell pepper

1/2 of a serrano pepper, seeded

dash of cayenne

salt and freshly ground black pepper

celery sticks

 

Very finely mince all veggies except celery. Mash tofu and lemon juice with a fork in a medium bowl, and add minced veggies, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix until very well combined and tofu is completely broken down and creamy. Serve with celery sticks for dipping.

About 90 calories for 1/2 cup serving.