After posting the picture of my dip, a lot of you asked what else you can make with Hearts of Palm! There are so many options, and with as little calories as these babies have, you can eat them all (guilt-free!).
First of all, what is Heart of Palm?
Hearts of Palm are, shockingly, harvested from the inner core of a palm tree. There actually isn't too much information available on them online, but there are SO. MANY. RECIPES out there. It's a little bit of a mystery vegetable (Nancy Drew anyone?)
So what can you make?
Hearts of Palm have a briny, salty flavor, so they are a great Vegan substitute for seafood. If you're looking for an Appetizer, try this Vegan Calamari! You can pair it with marinara or a Vegan aioli, or even plain with some hot sauce (there is nothing I won't pair with hot sauce).
If you're looking for an entree, try Vegan Seared Scallops. Simply chop the Hearts of Palm into large chunks and season with Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder. Sauté in a pan with Olive Oil until browned, and drizzle with lemon juice. That's it! If you want to get fancy, try this recipe from Rabbit & Wolves - Vegan cream sauce and all😋.
You can also chop Hearts of Palm and put them in a salad, or simply snack on them. They're relatively flavorless, so really take on whatever sauce or spices you incorporate with them. You can check out my blog post from a few months back where I made "Pulled Pork" sandwiches with shredded Hearts of Palm!
However ... my favorite recipe is the dip, which my friend Taylor gave me to. I eyeball the portions, so feel free to play around with it:
➡️ One can of Hearts of Palm, drained and roughly chopped
➡️ Half of a lime, juiced, plus some of the zest
➡️ 3 Garlic Cloves
➡️ 1/4 cup Olive Oil
➡️ 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
➡️ Salt
➡️ Pepper
Put all ingredients in a food processor, and blend. I like to keep it chunkier so I just pulse a few times and it comes together to my desired consistency. I like to serve with celery and cucumber slices.
Enjoy!
