Mexican food is my favorite food in the world, but with the excess of cheese, white rice, and meat, I often walk away from the table feeling weighed down. Luckily, it only takes a few tweaks to enjoy a figure-friendly Mexican dish, including nachos. This vegan nachos recipe is as traditional as it gets, only without the cheese and ground beef.

Cheese basically makes nachos, well, nachos. So, it would be a travesty to ignore this vital component to such a delicious snack dish. This is where vegan cooking gets creative. Instead of regular cheese, this recipe uses a creamy sweet-potato cream alternative. Nutritional yeast provides the cheesy taste while the baked sweet potato offers unparalleled consistency.

Loaded Vegan Nachos Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the layers

• 4 cups corn tortilla chips
• 1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups refried beans
• 1 1/2 cups homemade or your favorite store-bought salsa
• 1 1/2 cups guacamole
• 1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pitted black olives
• 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

For the “cheese” sauce

• 1 medium sweet potato, baked tender and peeled
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the vegan cheese, add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Layer half of the chips out on a baking sheet. Dollop half of the vegan cheese mixture evenly atop the chips. Scoop 1 cup of the refried beans atop the chips as well as 1/2 cup of both the black and kidney beans.

Layer the other half of the chips atop the mixture and follow with the remainder of the vegan cheese, refried beans, and beans.

Place the nachos into the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the chips, cheese, and beans have warmed. Before serving, evenly disperse the salsa, guacamole, tomatoes, olives, jalapeños, scallions, shallot, and cilantro.

Enjoy!

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Dig into This Vegan Nachos Recipe

Nachos image via Shutterstock

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Did somebody say vegan nachos? 

I’m always looking for ways to use up vegetables and herbs rounding their last leg. Oftentimes, I’ll throw them into a pot and cook up a soup or I’ll saute and eat them plainly cooked, as a side dish. But there are far more inventive ways to put said veggies and herbs to use. This vegan nachos recipe is testament to just that. With a base of corn or vegetable chips (preferably baked), a load of colorful veggies and vegan cheese, you are only a few ingredients and steps away from a delicious snack or family-friendly appetizer.

The ingredients listed in this vegan nachos recipe are meant to act as a guide. You can omit a few veggies or add in even more. Use whatever you have around and the results will be equally as delicious.

Vegan Nachos Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 12-14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Handful of fresh cilantro
• 1-2 cups grated vegan cheese
• 1 bag tortilla chips
• You favorite (or homemade) salsa and guacamole for dipping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Place a layer of chips on the foil and equally distribute the veggies and beans atop them. Lastly, top evenly with the cheese. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and browned lightly.

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Sloppy Nachos from Shutterstock

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No shame with this figure-friendly vegan cheese dip.

Dips and sauces are dangerous territory. Sure, they seem harmless in that they are technically only condiments, but they often contain too many fats and calories to warrant another tablespoon. One of the biggest party-time offenders is cheese dip. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the kind you squeeze, pump, or ladle onto popcorn, burgers and nachos. It has a tacky light orange color that you know can’t be natural, but despite it all, you’re addicted.

This recipe is a great way to enjoy a classic cheese dip without the hard-to-digest dairy and the overload of calories and fat concentrated in a small serving.  And with the simplicity and lightness of this recipe, you don’t have to feel guilty about being a cheese dip hog. Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C and manganese, which help protect from free radical damage and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Cauliflower is also a rich source of the anti-inflammatory vitamin K as well as omega-3 fatty acids. It promotes brain and heart health, is packed with fiber, and is also a good source of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folic acid, proteins, phosphorus and potassium.

Feel free to garnish the dip with chopped scallions, herbs, or spices. It’s a basic recipe that is open to experimentation. Have fun with it!

Vegan White Cheese Party Dip

Servings vary

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Directions:

Remove the florets and their stems from the cauliflower. Over medium heat, simmer them in water for about 15 minutes. Drain the cooked cauliflower and rinse under cold water. Combine it in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Serve this dip aside tortilla chips or crudités or dollop a few tablespoons into a burrito or on top of nachos.

Bon Appetit!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Vegan White Cheese Party Dip appeared first on EcoSalon.