Vegetarian Buffalo "Chicken" Dip

mckshowie

NOTE: this is not vegan. it is also not made with that fake chicken stuff...

I just made this for dinner tonight (yes, buffalo chicken dip is a meal at our house... we love it that much). But I am a recent vegetarian convert and wanted to see if I could still have the dip that sends me into bouts of embarrassing and shameful pleasure-filled noises upon consumption...

I did it!

The secret "chicken" ingredient, you ask? Well, I'll tell you... chickpeas! I gotta tell ya, those little f...suckers are so frickin' versatile! I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. The chickpeas are awesome. The important part is to mash them in a bowl first with a fork to break them down and avoid any little balls... no one likes little balls.

1 can chickpeas, drained and mushed
16 oz plain greek yogurt (this is an approximation - I used two of the single serving cups of fage...)
1 block of cream cheese (regular, 1/3 fat, fat free, vegan... whatever tickles your fancy)
1/2 package of ranch dressing packet mix (or more to taste. I used half, use your better judgment.)
handful-ish of shredded cheddar cheese (if you make me guess, I'd say it was about 4oz)
handful of shredded mozzarella cheese (or just use all cheddar, whatever. it's just cheese and we had mozzarella so I used it)
bleu cheese (omit if you hate it. I do not. i happen to love it and dumped an entire little container of it in there)
all the franks red hot you can stand

throw it all in a crockpot and heat and keep stirring until its ready and melted and deliciously orgas... ahem, tasty.

Sorry for the lack of exact measurements for some of this - I don't usually measure when I'm making the dip. It depends on how saucy I'm feeling that day. Today? Extra saucy.

Enjoy! I ate it with home baked corn tortilla chips. And carrot sticks. And a spoon.