Deep Fried Battered Veggies with Ranch Dip and Pizza Sauce

So, although this is not a dish to have every week, I indulge in it once or twice a year. This used to be some of my favorite fair fare. I modified a couple of recipes I scoured off the net for the batter and dip and think they came out pretty tasty. I have a couple of other deep fried recipes that I'll share throughout time. I probably won't be using the mini peppers again because the batter didn't stay on very well, but they were still good. Hope you like it!



Deep Fried Battered Veggies with Ranch Dip and Pizza Sauce

Veggies:

Assorted Vegetables (we used asparagus, broccoli, mini peppers and zucchini)


Ranch Dip:

1 cup Vegenaise
1/4 cup soy milk
1 Tbs. parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper


Batter:

3/4 cup Bisquick
1 cup soy milk
1 and 1/2 tsp. Ener-g Egg Replacer
2 Tbs. water
1 tsp. garlic powder


Homemade or your favorite canned pizza sauce (we used Cento)
Canola oil

Directions:

Wash and prepare the vegetables ahead of time. For broccoli, cut into large chunks, or keep smaller florets whole. Snap asparagus spears in half. Cut zucchini into lengthwise wedges. Keep mini peppers whole. For the ranch dip, in a small mixing bowl, blend all ingredients together. Chill for one hour. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. For the batter, whisk everything together in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside. Heat up the pizza sauce in a small pot and keep warm until the veggies are ready. In a deep fryer, fill with oil to the fill-line. If you don't have a deep fryer, pour enough oil into a large skillet to cover the veggies while they are cooking, maybe two cups. Plug in the deep fryer or turn the skillet onto high heat. When the oil is very hot, drench the veggies in the batter and shake off any loose hanging batter back into the bowl. Carefully add the veggies to the oil being sure not to splatter yourself - the oil should boil around the veggies. You will only want a cup or so of vegetables at a time in the oil, so they can get evenly cooked. Gently stir occasionally during the cooking process, so they don't stick together. If using a deep fryer, use the spatula that came with it; if using a skillet, use a spatula that won't melt in the oil. Cook until the batter is browned, maybe 2 - 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven. After all the batches have cooked, serve with the dips and enjoy! Keep plenty of napkins handy. Feeds five hungry vegans.