Even though temperatures are soaring above the high 90s, I still feel the need to indulge in spicy and savory dishes when dining with pals. Particularly of the Mexican food variety.
VegNews sent me this recipe in my weekly newsletter and I just had to share. (With a few variations of course.) Plus, most ingredients can be found at my local farmers market!
Vegan Queso Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw cashews (If you’re in the poor times, you can also use canned cannellini beans!)
- 3 (ish) cups almond (or soy) milk
- 3 tablespoons Earth Balance
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped (The original recipe called for brown, but I prefer yellow.)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (Or use the jarred kind if you’re on a budget.)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste (Or add a little more cannellini beans.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 16-ounce can pinto beans
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- 1 tomato, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder mixed with 3 tablespoons water (Arrowroot is a thickener, so you could also use something like corn starch or just more flour)
- 1/3 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (if you don’t like to use processed vegan foods, you could leave this out and just expect a different consistency — to balance you could add more nutritional yeast, more cannellini beans and/or mustard.)
- 1 bag corn tortilla chips, for serving
Directions:
- In a high-powered blender or food processor, blend cashews and 1-1/3 cups almond milk. Set aside.
- Heat Earth Balance and flour on medium to make a roux.
- Add onion and garlic.
- Add cashew mixture, nutritional yeast, remaining almond milk, lemon juice, and miso. Whisk until smooth.
- Add salt, pepper, cumin, pinto beans, jalapeño, and tomato. Cook until thick.
- Add thickening agent and stir.
- Add shredded vegan cheese (or alternative ingredients, to taste.)
- Cook until smooth.
- Serve with tortilla chips. (Serves 4 to 6.)
Image Credit: Flickr Creative Commons, °Florian
Yum! I love raw cashews as the base for vegan queso. So creamy.