Chipotle Ranch Dip

Scott and I have been talking about going “meatless” at least one night a week for a while now but never really went through with it. However, it came up again during our hiking trip and we decided that it is definitely something we want to try and start this fall. It will make us try new dishes and experiment with more ingredients and flavors. The main things we talked about were dishes made with black beans and quinoa. We love ordering these dishes at restaurants but for some reason just never make them at home!

We obviously aren’t vegetarian or vegan but sometimes we just get tired of eating meat. When most people think of protein they think of meat! We need to re-train ourselves to think of black beans, quinoa, chia, spinach, chickpeas, broccoli, etc. Plant-based foods are capable of providing sustainable nourishment during our outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, running, skiing and more. Plant-based foods are generally more convenient than animal-based foods and provide a variety of macro and micronutrients to help fuel these activities. Realistically, you can’t take a piece of raw meat in your backpack and grill it up at a campsite, but you can easily cook oats or feast on nuts and berries without the worry of spoilage or contamination.

For a #MeatlessMondayNight challenge, we decided to make a side dish that would be good to take to a football party or just enjoy at home. I had a major craving for sweet potato fries so we made Sweet Potato Wedges (the really thick “fries”!) and a Chipotle Ranch Dip/Dressing to go along with them! It turned out so good and was perfect as a football snack!

For the Sweet Potato Wedges you can season with sea salt and pepper (using this recipe) or use one of our additional sweet potato recipes that can be made into wedges:

• Sweet Potato Cubes
• Texas-Style Sweet Potato Fries
• Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potato Cubes