Alicia Silverstone's Vegan Feast

Los Angeles (myFOXla.com) - Award-winning actress Alicia Silverstone has been a dedicated vegan for over eleven years and she has just released a new book, “The Kind Diet”, in which she promotes the virtues of eating in a way that is kind to yourself and to the planet.

Alicia drops by “Good Day LA” and shares some great recipes and shows how eating a plant-based diet will give you tons of energy, gorgeous skin and plus it’s one of the “greenest” things you could do.

You can catch Alicia at her book signings:

Book Soup in West Hollywood
Thursday, October 15
7-8:00 p.m.

Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica (on the Third St. Promenade)
Saturday, October 17
1-2:00 p.m.

Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip
This dip is quick, easy, and delicious-the perfect thing to bring to a party. Make it in a
glass dish to display all the pretty layers. Great for meat-eating friends.
SERVES 8

• 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
• 3 large avocados
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 (8-ounce) containers nondairy sour cream
• 1 packet taco seasoning (see Note)
• 1?2 cup diced mild green chiles, drained
• 1?2 cup sliced black olives, or more if you like
• 5 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups shredded vegan Cheddar
• cheese
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8" _ 8" quart glass baking dish.

Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl.

Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans.

Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives.

Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Heat the dip for 15 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: We use Bearitos organic taco seasoning, but it does contain a touch of cane sugar. If you're avoiding all white sugar, make your own by combining chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt.

Var i at ion:

For chips, there are some pretty healthy baked organic tortilla chips on the market, but you can also make your own by cutting up Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas and baking them in the oven until crisp or dry-roasting them in a frying pan.

Chorizo Tacos

These tacos are perfect for your meat-eating friends. For my 25th birthday, we held a party at a farm animal sanctuary. It was unbelievably fun sharing that day with friends, family, and the pigs! Christopher ran a taco stand and served these tacos to 150 people! They were fantastic.

• SERVES 2 OR 3
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces sliced vegan chorizo or taco crumbles
• 4-6 corn tortillas, soft or hard as you prefer
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• Prepared salsa
• 1 cup tofu sour cream or Tofu Cream
• 2/3 cup shredded vegan Cheddar cheese

Hot sauce (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo or taco
crumbles and cook, stirring until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
If using soft tortillas, wrap in a slightly damp kitchen towel and heat in a 350°F oven or
toaster oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until warm and pliable. (Hard taco shells don't need to be
heated.)
Arrange the onions, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, tofu sour cream or Tofu Cream, and cheese in
small bowls alongside the chorizo. Pass around the tortillas so everyone can fi ll their own
tacos and add hot sauce to taste.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Back in the day, I was obsessed with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Now I make this
healthier version and they are way better. In fact, I think they are the most ridiculously
delicious things in the entire world. Look for graham crackers that are naturally
sweetened or low in sugar (Health Valley makes a good one), and store the leftover crackers
or crumbs in an airtight container for future use.
 

• MAKES 12
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• (preferably unsweetened and
• unsalted)
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs or 10
• graham cracker squares
• 1/4 cup maple sugar or other granulated
• sweetener
• 1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy
• chocolate or carob chips
• 1/4 cup soy, rice, or nut milk
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts
   

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (If You Care makes unbleached liners made from
recycled paper.)

Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the peanut butter, graham
cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat. Evenly
divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffi n cups.
Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate
has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Top with chopped
nuts. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.