October 26, 2012
Nach-yo-average Nacho Dip
October 26, 2012About 15 years ago, my friend Danny, the boy across the street, ran over to my house, rang the doorbell, and I answered. He said, "Kel...
About 15 years ago, my friend Danny, the boy across the street, ran over to my house, rang the doorbell, and I answered. He said, "Kel, what do you call cheese that isn't yours?" and I said, "I dunno Danny, what?" And so he said, "Nacho Cheese!" Then he went home.
This dip is as cheesy as his joke, and has no real cheese in it either. It's my queshew recipe and some spicy tempeh crumbles. Nachos are a great part of life, that shouldn't be passed up on in veganhood.
I like to dip with pita chips, endive spears and other veggies alike. You can also serve them like traditional nachos, just pile the mixture in alternating layers over chips or your serving vehicle of choice.
Spicy tempeh nachos
tempeh:
1 8oz package of tempeh, crumbled
1 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 recipe queshew
1/2 tomato, diced
2 tablespoons chopped chives,
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
queshew:
3/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup plain soy yogurt
1/3 cup nooch
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon vegetable broth powder
salt
pepper
1 poblano chile, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped,
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped.
2 teaspoons olive oil
Place tempeh in heavy-bottomed skillet and cover with the water. Cover and bring to a simmer, simmer about 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess water and over med-low heat add spices, soy sauce, liquid smoke, salt and pepper. Toss to coat tempeh in mixture. Sprinkle a little water on the pan to deglaze it and stir. Turn off heat and set tempeh aside.
Make queshew: In a skillet, heat olive oil on high. Add poblano, ren onion, and red bell pepper until soft and light brown. Set aside. Combine cashews, yogurt, nooch, water, turmeric, chili powder, veggie broth powder, salt and pepper in the blender and blend until a thick sauce is achieved, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over the sauteed veggies, and stir.
In a small round dish, spread queshew evenly. Sprinkle tempeh over the top, crumbling a little bit with your hands. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes, chives and cilantro around the edge of the dish. I like to stick pita or tortilla chips into the dip around the sides.
You could also plate this non-dip style, by stacking a layer of chips on a large plate, using a squirt bottle, squirt on a zigzag of queshew, a handful of chopped tomatoes and tempeh, and repeat with 2 more layers.
