Alright alright alright...I LOVE queso. One of the many reasons that I could never leave my beloved lone star state is because of the Tex-Mex...and QUESO. SO when I had nachos on the weekly menu, and literally no cheese for those nachos I had to get creative. I DID have a 2 pound bag of raw cashews and thought I'll give this a go! Well I was NOT disappointed...I loved it so much that I was licking the spoon. So if you are not eating dairy...but miss this lovely indulgence...this is not going to disappoint.
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews ( soaked in water for 4-6 hours)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 small yellow onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2 cups riced cauliflower
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 TBS salsa
Directions:
Soak the cashews for 4 - 6 hours in filtered water. For 1 cup of cashews, I use 2 cups of water and just set it on the counter. If you start soaking around lunch, they will be soft and ready for dinner.
Dice the onion and bell pepper. Add them to a skillet with a little olive oil and cook on medium heat with a lid. Stir occasionally. They are done when they are soft and the onion is translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add the riced cauliflower the last few minutes of cooking to get them soft and cooked. I use a frozen riced cauliflower for the sake of time. Add garlic, turmeric, chipotle chili powder, salt, and salsa. Mix it all in.
After soaking the cashews, drain the water and add them to your blender or food processor. Add the onion, pepper, cauliflower mix to the blender or food processor with the cashews. Add nutritional yeast. Blend it all together until smooth. You can add water to get the consistency that you like. Add the water one tablespoon at a time. Pour into a bowl and dip with your favorite chip!
If you have some left over, you will need to add some water to the queso when you reheat it. It thickens quite a bit when its cold.
ARRIBA!
-Michal