A hearty vegan & gluten free nacho recipe with TVP-based taco meat & cashew cheese. Topped with guacamole and pico, these are perfect for spring & summer.
This recipe is from the Native Foods cookbook. Jack and I first stumbled upon Native Foods one night in California on our way back from Disneyland. I typically don’t eat foods at theme parks (I know, I’m “fun” like that), so after the fireworks we set out to drive around and find a restaurant. This was years before iphones and yelp, so it was nothing short of a Disney miracle that we aimlessly found ourselves at this awesome vegan restaurant.
If you are new to the idea of nut cheese, it’s really nothing like cheese… but more of a cheese-like sauce (sans the yellow #4 food coloring). Feel free to put together your nachos however you like. I did black beans, pico, a quick guacamole, and “taco meat” made from soy granules. If fake meat isn’t your thing (I admit, I enjoy it occasionally), just leave it out and use what you like.
Vegan Nachos with Cashew "Cheese"
- Corn tortillas or tortilla chips
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 lime, for squeezing
- 1 cup diced tomato
- ½ cup diced white onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ jalapeño, chopped
- 2-3 scallions, chopped
- Black beans, as desired
- Sea salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1¼ cups water, divided
- 2 tablespoons agar (flakes or powder)
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Sea salt
- ½ cup textured vegetable protein granules (TVP)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- Pinch garlic powder
- Pinch onion powder
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the corn tortillas into quarters and spread them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil, and toast them in the oven until crispy. Alternatively, use tortilla chips.
- Make the cashew cheese: Soak the cashews in 1 cup water and set aside. Combine the agar and the remaining ¼ cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens.
- Put the cashews and soaking water, tahini, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice in a blender and puree. Add the agar mixture and blend for 3-5 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Salt to taste, and refrigerate the “cheese” while you assemble the rest of the nachos, allowing it to thicken while it rests.
- Make the taco "meat": Combine the TVP, ½ cup water, soy sauce, olive oil, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Make a quick guacamole by mashing the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño with a squeeze of lime to make a pico de gallo. Salt to taste. (Store-bought pico works here too.) Assemble the nachos with the corn tortillas, cashew cheese, taco meat, quick guacamole, pico, scallions, and black beans.
gorgeous photo!! love 🙂
these look amazing! i added them to: http://fuckyeahvegantacos.tumblr.com/post/16863571258/vegan-nachos-with-cashew-cheese-i-want-this
xotaco!
Looks incredible! I love cashew cheese. 🙂
perfect for sunday! love the cashew cheese.
Yes!! I am so excited to see this recipe. I am two weeks in on cutting out dairy and I am already trying to think of clever ways to get around it in some dishes! This looks amazing, thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to try it.