It’s that time of year when all the major sports teams – NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB – are on TV.
This means it’s time for mindless eating while freakishly fit people entertain us.
I never thought I would be able to each nachos again and then I discovered cashew cheese. Nachos are all about the cheese. I admittedly don’t like a lot of the traditional nacho toppings, so we make ours with tofu and sweet potatoes.
Another yummy finger food is cheeseburger meatballs. You can also turn them into sliders by putting the meatballs in between tiny burger buns.
source: seriouseats.com
NACHOS
Tofu Mix Ingredients:
-1 tbsp oil
-14 ounces/1 package extra firm tofu
-1-2 meatless Italian sausages
-1-2 sweet potatoes
-½ tsp turmeric
-Any other additional nachos toppings you wish to use – jalapenos, black beans, diced tomatoes/bruschetta mix etc.
Cashew Cheese Sauce Ingredients:
-1 cup unroasted cashews (soak in water for at least 30 minutes)
-1-cup vegetable broth
-2 tbsp miso (red or white, we like the red)
-1 tbsp nutritional yeast
-Squeeze of lime juice
-Tortilla chips of your choosing. For extra flavour use Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili tortilla chips (yup, they’re vegan)
Directions:
1. Start by making the tofu mix.
2. Cut the uncooked sweet potatoes into small cubes. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or under tender.
3. Soak the cashews while the sweet potatoes bake.
4. Dice the tofu and sausages, toss into a frying pan that will be large enough to also hold the sweet potatoes.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked, add them to the tofu mix, along with the turmeric.
6. Sautee. Do not cook the tofu for too long as it will become hard. Set aside.
7. Drain the cashews. Put them in a blender, along with the vegetable broth, miso, nutritional yeast and lime juice. The cashews may be a bit hard on your blender blades so pulse the mixture until well combined.
8. You can make nachos one of two ways – party platter size for sharing – or single serve. Either way, layer your chips with the tofu mix and other toppings, then add cheese, then another layer of chips/tofu mix/veggies/sauce. Repeat as many times as you like.
9. Put the nachos in the oven for about five minutes to heat. Serve.
CHEESEBURGER MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
-1 package vegan ground beef – defrosted
-1/4 to ½ cup bread crumbs
-1 package Daiya cheddar shreds
-Mustard, ketchup, relish
Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. The amount of mustard, ketchup and relish you wish to add is completely up to your taste buds. I never measure, so I unfortunately I have no idea how much I use.
2. To create the meatballs by hand, scoop about 2 tablespoons worth of the mixture out and roll into a ball that is about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Place on a lined cookie sheet about ½ inch apart. They will not spread so they can be close together.
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
4. You can serve with toothpicks and a dipping sauce of your choice, if needed, or on mini burger buns.
Image source: SeriousEats.com
About the author: Sandra Bolan is an award-winning journalist and photographer. She is a multiple 5K to marathon finisher as well as Ironman and multiple half-Ironman finisher, who lives in the middle of nowhere with two crazy dogs and a husband who spends a lot of time running. @cupcaketrigirl
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