One of my favorite things to snack on before going vegan was
nachos. My siblings and I would come home from school, grab a bag of chips,
grab some shredded cheese, bake them together until the cheese was fully melted
on top, and BOOM – afternoon snack! As much as I love nachos, I have not made
them since going vegan. I’ve had them at vegan restaurants, but never made them
at home. So last night I decided to give it a try and instead of looking up a
recipe online, I created a recipe myself, which is what I am sharing with you
today. My favorite of this dish is the fresh chips. My step-mother introduced
me to this 2 ingredient recipe years ago and it has been a favorite since. SO
much better than store bought. The guacamole is also a family favorite, and the meat crumbles and cheese sauce taste so real, you wouldn't know they were vegan! I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know how you enjoyed it!
GUACAMOLE
4 avocadoes
1 lime
1 roma tomato (diced)
¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
¼ medium onion (diced)
1/4 teaspoon salt
MEAT CRUMBLES
Oil for sautéing
¼ medium onion (diced)
1 8 oz package of vegan meat (I used 1 package of beyond
meat burgers)
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (homemade or store
bought)
1 tablespoon water
CHEESE SAUCE
½ cup water
1 package Chao Cheese Slices (or 7 oz of other vegan cheese
of choice)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon modified corn starch
½ teaspoon hot sauce (I used The Original Louisiana Perfect
Hot Sauce)
HOMEMADE CHIPS
1 package corn tortillas
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
ADDITIONAL/OPTIONAL
TOPPINGS
Sliced jalapenos
Diced tomatoes
Chopped cilantro
Vegan sour cream
Black olives
Step 1 - Add oil to a fryer, or frying pan if you don’t have
a fryer, and turn it on medium-high heat. I put my fryer to 375 degrees
Fahrenheit. You are not frying the chips yet. Just getting the oil prepared and
hot for later.
Step 2 - Prepare the guacamole. Start by mashing the avocadoes, then add in
the lime, cilantro, onions, and salt. Mix and you are finished! Set aside for
later.
Step 3 - Start the meat. Add oil to a pan. Once hot, add
onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the Beyond Burgers, or other vegan
meat of choice. If your meat is in patty/burger form like mine, break down with
a spoon into crumbles and cook until browned, about another 5 minutes. Add in
taco seasoning and water and cook for another 3 minutes. Turn heat to low while
you prepare the cheese sauce, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the
bottom.
Step 4 - Start the cheese. Add water to a pan and bring to a
boil. Once boiling, add in cheese, nutritional yeast, corn starch, and hot
sauce. Stir continuously until fully combined and melted.
Step 5 - Turn the heat off for the meat and cheese and set
aside.
Step 6 - Prepare the chips. Take the whole package of corn
tortillas and cut into fourths, making triangle chips. Add to the hot oil a
little at a time and fry for about 30 seconds to a minute. They may not look
done yet, but they will continue to cook once out of the fryer. If you let them
turn brown in the fryer, they will end up being overcooked. Repeat this until
all the tortillas are fried. Salt the chips if desired.
Step 7 – Assembly. Put half of the chips on a plate. Pour
half the cheese sauce on top. Add half of the meat crumbles. Add the last half
of chips. Add the last half of the cheese. Add the last half of the meat
crumbles. Add a few dollops of guacamole on top, along with the additional, but
optional, toppings of choice as listed above.
Step 8 – Eat up and enjoy!
