Putting the Pop in Potluck

Recipes that could use an extra pop

We all know that one person that brings the same dish to the potluck for every occasion. Yeah, it’s good. Well, it was good the first fifteen times, but we’re ready for something new. A nice update on an old recipe never hurt anyone. Unless it’s your grandmother’s recipe, don’t even think about touching that one.

Thanks to our friends at OLIPOP, updating old recipes just got a little easier and a whole lot healthier. With a healthy alternative to soda, they focus on the health of your insides, balancing your gut health with prebiotics, plant fibers, and botanicals. They made the ultimate update to one of the oldest recipes in the book. Sounds too good to be true, right? This is the pop we’ve been looking for. Not only good for drinking, also good for cooking. Here’s our list of recipes that have that extra pop. Let’s just say, from now on, you’ll be bringing home leftovers no longer.

OLIPOP’s Vintage Cola Barbecue Sauce

There’s really nothing quite like slathering thick, smokey BBQ sauce on pretty much everything there ever was. This is what holds the nature of cooking out in the backyard together; the foundation of the Sunday afternoon spent outside. There’s barbecue, and then there’s this. Prepare to be amazed.

What you’ll need

1 can of OLIPOP Vintage Cola
1 red onion, sliced
2 cups tomato purée
½ cup molasses
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup Apple cider vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
4 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons of butter (sub for olive oil for plant based)
Salt to taste

How to make it

Step 1
In a medium sized sauce pot, sauté red onion on medium heat with butter or olive oil until translucent and slightly browned. We hear wearing goggles to prevent crying is what all the Michelin stars do.

Step 2
Pour your onions into blender with apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Blend until smooth. Not your average smoothie, but trust us. Pour back into your sauce pot and heat on medium low.

Step 3
Crack open an OLIPOP Vintage Cola and pour it into the sauce pot. If you steal a swig, make it small.

Step 4
Add in remaining ingredients and whisk until all smooth and homogeneous. Mmm, so thick.

Step 5
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes stirring every minute or two. Begin to slowly add salt until delicious. We are looking for savory, tangy and slightly sweet. You’ll know when you taste it. Slather this beaut on whatever your heart desires. Preferably food, though.

Root Beer Baked Beans

A staple of backyard cuisine. Simple, but a crowd favorite. Especially when you throw in the root beer. Who doesn’t love root beer? Serves four, so just go ahead and double it.

What you’ll need

3 slices of bacon
1 small onion, diced
2 16oz cans of beans
½ cup OLIPOP Root Beer
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup hickory-smoked barbecue sauce of your choice, see recipe number 1.
⅛ teaspoon hot sauce, we unbiasedly suggest Whalebone Hot Sauce.

How to make it

Step 1
Cook the bacon the way you like to cook your bacon. Everyone is different, but you make the decisions, chef. The crispier the better for this recipe. Once cooked, crumble and set aside. Try not to eat it all by the time we get to step 2.

Step 2
Sauté the diced onion. If you cooked your bacon in a pan, throw your onions right in there and heat until tender. Try not to cry.

Step 3
In a lightly greased baking dish, add the onion, bacon crumbles, beans, and remaining ingredients. Give it the old stir and pop her in the oven.

Step 4
Bake beans, uncovered, at 400° for 55 minutes making sure sauce has thickened. Then, go on and enjoy yourself some beans.

General Tso’s Cauliflower

This one is really gonna wow people. Deep fried florets in a zangy sauce. Not your usual appetizer, this will be the one that people actually want you to bring to every occasion.

What you’ll need

Oil for frying
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup OLIPOP Ginger Lemon
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (about 6 cups)
Sesame seeds (optional)
4 cups hot cooked rice

SAUCE
2 to 6 dried pasilla or other hot chilies, chopped
3 green onions, white part minced, green part thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
½ teaspoon grated orange zest

How to make it

Step 1
In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Stir in OLIPOP Ginger Lemon just until blended (batter will be nice and thin). Dunk the florets, a few at a time, into batter and fry until the cauliflower is tender and coating is light brown, about 8-10 minutes. Place them on paper towels to drain and set aside.

Step 2
For sauce, whisk together the orange juice, sugar, soy sauce, vegetable broth, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Then, whisk in cornstarch until smooth. It’s all in the wrist.

Step 3
In a large saucepan, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add chilies; cook and stir until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Spicy. Throw in the white part of the onions, garlic, ginger and orange zest; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Look at you chef, filling the kitchen with all the good smells. Stir soy sauce mixture; add to saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2-4 minutes.

Step 4
Toss your cauliflower in the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice; sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions. These really make a difference, so don’t forget. Don’t be surprised if you end up eating the entire batch alone. It happens.

Hot Wings

The tailgate novelty. You can really never go wrong with hot wings. Always a crowd favorite, we are going to spice them up, both literally and figuratively. Whether you’re a ranch or blue cheese kind of person, you’ll be coming back for thirds.

What you’ll need

2 lbs chicken wings
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper

SAUCE
12 oz OLIPOP Vintage Cola
¼ cup hot sauce. We hear Whalebone Hot Sauce is a pretty good option.
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 quart peanut or canola oil, for frying
½ teaspoon black pepper

How to make it

Step 1
Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan, stir them up. Bring to a simmer. It’s getting saucy in here.

Step 2
Stir while simmering for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce is thick. A nice arm workout, switch hands halfway through for best results.

Step 3
Bring out the chicken wings. In a bowl, combine flour, paprika and the infamous S and P.

Step 4
Prepare to fry. Heat oil in a large pan to 350 degrees.

Step 5
Add wings to the flour mixture until they are completely coated. Then pop those puppies into the oil and fry until they are the most beautiful golden brown there ever was. Make sure they are cooked all the way through. No ahi chicken.

Step 6
Pat the little birdies dry and let the oil drain. Time for the sauce. Add wings to the sauce bowl, give em the ol’ razzle dazzle and serve immediately. Get some ranch or blue cheese on the side, celery sticks, ya know, the whole hot wing shebang. And cue salivation.

Pancakes

Yeah, you heard us. Ye ole flapjack. You’re probably thinking, “but how can we update a recipe that is adding water to powder from a box?” And this, dear food lovers, is precisely the point. These also happen to be vegan. Calling all plant and pancake lovers.

What you’ll need

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup non dairy milk of your preference
¾ cup OLIPOP Strawberry Vanilla
3 tablespoon sugar or other sweetener of your choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to make it

Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the non dairy milk, OLIPOP Strawberry Vanilla, sugar/sweetener, and vanilla extract until there are none of those little flour clumps. Look at that flick of the whisk.

Step 2
Heat a skillet over medium heat and grease with nonstick spray or oil. You know the drill.

Step 3
Cook your pancakes 2-3 minutes until the little bubbles form. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. For a more advanced version, try flipping with no spatula.

Step 4
Cook all your cakes and then serve immediately with all the fixings. These are especially good with sliced banana, maple syrup and some powdered sugar. If you’re really feelin it, throw some chocolate chips on there and let the magic happen.

Whether it be for a barbeque or for breakfast, this little extra pop of flavor will make these recipes crowd favorites. Good eats, good drinks, without all the guilt.