Vegan Bean Dip with Spicy Queso and Sunflower Chorizo

Full disclosure: This recipe was more or less a good excuse to make Vegan Queso. The Sunflower Chorizo and the rest of it are just an added bonus.

Vegan cheese takes many forms and there are some amazing recipes out there that truly blur the lines when it comes to authentic flavor, but in my experiments over the years, vegan cheese sauce (both flavor and texture) has been the hardest to perfect… until now.

The beans at the bottom of this dip are pretty smiple, so I’ll just outline it for you. Bring 1 cup of dried pinto beans to a boil in well-salted purified water, then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for about 2 hours. Drain and rinse, then add about 3 cups of fresh purified water. Add about a tablespoon of Coriander Powder and about 1-2 teaspoons of Chipotle Powder, plus another teaspoon of salt, then bring to a boil and cook until the beans are soft and start to get a little mashy.

Now for the fun stuff…

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Spicy Vegan Queso

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup cashews, raw

• 1/2 cup hemp seeds

• 1 medium potato (golden or russet)

• 1/2 cup pickled jalapeño slices, divided

• 1/2 cup hot water, purified

• 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (*can substitute olive oil)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon liquid aminos (*DO NOT substitute with coconut aminos, as it will change the flavor significantly)

• 1 tablespoon juice from pickled jalapeños

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or as desired)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil the potato until soft. (If you choose to cook the potato another way, you will also need to boil 1/2 cup water separately.)

While the potato is cooking, dice 1/4 cup of the sliced pickled jalapeños and set aside.

At this point you can begin measuring out the liquid ingredients and the dry ingredients separately into two small bowls. (Doing this while the potato is cooking is ideal if you’d like to serve the queso warm.)

Once the potato is cooked, place the cashews and hemp seeds in the bottom of a high-speed blender, then cut the potato in quarters and place on top. Add the hot water so that it soaks the cashews slightly before blending.

Next add the dry ingredients mix: nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, cumin, turmeric, and salt.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the top: almond milk, avocado oil, lemon juice, liquid amino, pickled jalapeño juice.

Blend on high until smooth and creamy and queso-y.

Stir in the diced jalapeños.

Serve solo as an awesome yummy dipping sauce, or add as the second layer to your Vegan Bean Dip.

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SUNFLOWER CHORIZO

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup sunflower seeds, raw hulled, soaked

• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, raw

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (*can substitute olive oil)

• 2 tablespoons tamari

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon miso paste, light/sweet

• 3 drops liquid smoke

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 tsp oregano, dried

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground

• 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1/8 teaspoon clove powder (*optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Soak 1 cup sunflower seeds in room temperature purified water for 1-2 hours. Then drain and rinse.

Place all ingredients into a mini food processor and pulse until sunflower seeds are roughly chopped and all ingredients are mixed well. (Pulse only. Avoid continuous processing so that it doesn’t become spicy nut butter!)

Add as the third layer to your Vegan Bean Dip, or use as a meat substitute for vegan tacos!

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The last layer/fresh topper to the Vegan Bean Dip is a quick pico de gallo.

De-seed and dice 1-2 tomatoes. Dice up some white onion, green onion and fresh jalapeño. Add a teaspoon of lime juice and a pinch of salt.

Toss, then add to the top of your delicious all-vegan, almost-raw dip, serve and enjoy!

Corn & Blueberry Superfood Salsa

Sweet, spicy, fresh, and loaded with superfoods! Try my take on fruit salsa..

Mix together maqui, mesquite, chipotle powder, and salt.
•1/2 tsp maqui
•1/2 tsp mesquite
•1/4 tsp chipotle powder
•1/4 tsp salt

Toss spice mixture with blueberries, then add lemon juice.
•1/2 tsp lemon juice
•1/2 cup blueberries (roughly chopped)

In a separate bowl, combine corn, red onion, hemp seeds, and jalapeño.
•1/2 cup fresh corn (cut off the cob)
•2 Tbsps red onion (finely diced)
•2 Tbsps hemp seeds
•1/4 jalapeño (finely diced)

Stir in blueberry mixture. Add lime juice.
•1/2 tsp lime juice

Add cilantro at the end and stir just enough to incorporate.
•2 Tbsps cilantro

Rosewater Cheesecake (Raw + Vegan)

CHEESECAKE FILLING
» 2 cups cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours then drained
» 10 strawberries
» 1/4 cup coconut water
» 2-3 tablespoons rose water
» 2 tablespoons maple syrup
» 1 tablespoon coconut oil
» 2 teaspoons lemon juice
» 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
» Pinch Himalayan salt

Blend all ingredients except the coconut oil. Once smooth, blend in the coconut oil.

COCONUT MACADAMIA CRUST
» 1/2 cup shredded coconut
» 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
» 1 tablespoons coconut nectar
» 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

In a food processor, break down the macadamia nuts into smaller pieces, then add the shredded coconut and blend again until you have a coarse mealy texture. Add the coconut nectar and coconut oil. Blend quickly just to incorporate.

In a small ring mold, press the crust mixture into the bottom then pour the cheesecake filling into the mold. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

Top with passion fruit if available. Additional garnishes: coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, and dried rose petals or hibiscus flowers.