©Renée Comet Photography
My favorite last minute meal is a few baked tortilla chips served up with a cup of queso from my newest book, The Great Vegan Bean Book. The base recipe is mild, but you can spice it up to suit your taste. It’s perfect for a lazy spring lunch!
The beans create a stable base and the cashews add a richness that’s so creamy you might not believe it’s really dairy-free. The nutritional yeast adds the cheesy flavor. On top of that, you can add some elements from your favorite queso like tomatoes, hot peppers from your summer garden, or even some chopped cilantro. It’s all up to you.
If you don’t have a blender that’s super powerful, feel free to soak your cashews a few hours or even overnight. I tend to make this at the last minute, but I have a Vita-mix that comes to my rescue!
Have you pre-ordered The Great Vegan Bean Book yet? If you have let me know in the comments. (The photo above was taken by the awesome Renee Comet.)
Bean Queso
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (or 1 -15 ounce can white beans rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons green chilies, to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- a few slices of pickled or fresh jalapeño, optional
Instructions
- Add everything into a food process or blender and process until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Feel free to add hot chili powder to get more heat in. (If you’d prefer a thinner sauce add an additional ½ cup nondairy milk).
- Now you can put this in your slow cooker for a no fuss party!
Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about my second book, The Great Vegan Bean Book, that releases June 1 or my third book which comes out this September, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You.
If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!
Kaitlin says
Doesn’t taste very cheesey. It’s more like a bean dip than a queso.