Hi, Foodies in the Hive!

I hope everybody is healthy and feeling peaceful in the new year 😁

December is a crazy month in my family, and I'm the designated holiday cook in two other houses besides my own, as I came to find out recently, hehe, so I was in a constant rush. Yesterday, I finally got to make some decent pictures of a snack that became dinner and then became breakfast overnight! The recipe for potato cheese shared by my Hive friend and amazing cook @aguamiel was my inspiration (check it out here; as she says, it's totally addictive).

I added some fun seasonings and managed to make some plantain bowls to serve this spicy vegan cheddar dip. Below is my recipe for this healthy and delicious snack.

The versatility of edible bowls and dips is very much appreciated when it's time to go to the sofa to enjoy a movie.

They also add an eco-friendly touch to any get-together, as well as being very cool when served in their mini version, just like mini tartlets.

As a plus, these edible bowls are gluten free and so good for your vegan friends. Add a delicious plant based cheddar dip and the rest is up to your imagination.

It also keeps its freshness so well that can be eaten straight from the refrigerator.

Ingredients

For the edible bowls:

250 gr unripe plantain, peeled and diced
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cane honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
black sesame seeds to taste for garnish

For the dip:

200 gr potato, peeled and diced
100 gr carrot, peeled, diced
a dash of olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1/4 cup hot chili peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh garlic cloves, flattened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water from the cooking pot

Also, raw carrot sticks rubbed with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, coarsely crushed pistachios, spring onion rings, and sweet corn kernels for garnish.

Let's get to work!

I started with the plantain bowls.

I peeled and dice one 350 gr unripe plantain. After that, I had 250 gr of plantain flesh. Adding the juice of a lemon would guarantee that the batter wouldn't turn dark.

...whereas adding sesame seeds was going to give the batter that milky touch needed for flavor and flexibility.

Along with the sesame seeds, I added the rest of the ingredients into the blender and let it do the job.

The mixture became homogeneous in no time.

Sometimes, I put the black sesame seeds first in the hot, greased frying pan and immediately put 3/4 of a ladle of mixture on top of them, which I spread with the back of the ladle.

After a minute, they can be flipped over. However, it's important to let them dry enough so that they won't stick to the pans on which we'll shape them into bowls; this way, we can avoid using more fat to grease the pans.

I put a tortilla on an upside down mini baking pan and then I put another mini baking pan on top,

just a little bit of pressure to give the tortillas a bowl shape.

3 minutes of cooking time will be enough. And then 5 minutes at 250°F in the oven. I used my small electric oven.

You don't need to grease the back of the pans.

The mixture was enough for 8 bowls.

Time to make the dip.

First of all, I made sure I had everything I needed, as this is done so fast.

I peeled and diced the amount of potato and carrot I needed for half a liter of dip approx--now I regret not having made more, as it's so delicious and versatile.

I added enough water to cover the potato and carrot and added a little salt. I let them cook over medium fire until they were soft, which took about 10 minutes.

Then, while still hot, I added all the contents of the cooking pot into the blender. The amount of liquid was just fine.

After I processed this first part, corrected the salt. Also, I notice at this point that the dip was just fine to be used as cheese substitute,

but I had my spicy plan, so._

I sliced the onion, cut the chili pepper--which was as hot as I expected 🔥-- and took the seeds and veins out,

and sauteed them until they started to brown. At this point, I added the flattened cloves of garlic--I add the last so they won't burn, and I flatten them so the blender blades won't miss them--. After a minute, I added this sauteed veggies to the mixture in the blender.