Ahhhh, it's raining! Whoever thought we'd be starving for rain in Oregon?! But starving we are - it's like perpetual summer around here these days! But today....ahhhhhhh. It's not quite a downpour, but a good, steady rain for at least an hour now, turning into a consistent drizzle. Everything looks wet, smells good, and there are hardly any people on the street. With perpetual summer comes perpetual motorcycle engines, leaf blowers, bumping stereos and loud porch drinkers. Right now it's cool, calm and quiet, just the way I like it!
ON to the snack portion of this post: THE PERFECT RAINY DAY CHILI CHEESE NACHOS
These babies are full of flavor, texture, silky, cheesy smoothness and savory satisfaction, BUT - they have no dairy, no meat, no processed food of any kind! They are actually healthy chili cheese nachos! Serve em to your kids! Serve em to your footballers! They'll be so intent on the game they won't even notice they're healthy!
Here is the recipe for the amazing "cheese" sauce, of which you'll need two batches so DOUBLE THIS RECIPE.(So easy!)
Cheese Sauce
Ingredients: 1/4 c raw cashews soaked for at least one hour. 1 1/4 c diced potatoes, heaping 1/3 c diced carrots, 2 - 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 Tbsp coconut oil, 2 Tbsp water, 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 medium clove garlic, 1/2 - 3/4 tsp white wine vinegar, to taste.
Directions: Simply boil the potatoes and carrots until tender, drain and put everything the blender, blending until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding tiny bit of water to taste. This stuff is SO GOOD!
Chili Nachos
Ingredients: 1/2 package of morningstar griller crumbles, a double recipe (2 batches) of vegan cheese sauce, 2 c diced onion, 1 red bell pepper diced with juices, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 14 oz diced tomatoes, 1 can red kidney beans, 1 can black beans, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 c sliced black olives, 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp pchili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano.
Directions: Sautee griller crumbles as directed, set aside. In a large skillet sautee onion and garlic until tender. Add beans and tomatoes and spices and sautee another ten minutes. Remove from heat. In a glass container, or large dip container, pour a layer of bean and tomato mixture, topped by a layer griller cumbles, a sparse layer of olives, and then a layer of cheese sauce, and continue layering until cheese is used up covering the top, saving 1/3 c of bean mixture for a "garnish", topped with olives. Place chips as desired. Serve. Enjoy!
xoxoxo DR
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