Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Vegan Queso

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Chop one small sweet potato into 1/2" cubes.  In a skillet coated with olive oil, saute cubes, 1 minced garlic clove, & 1/2 teaspoon cumin for 15 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained, cook 5 minutes more. Fill 4 warm corn tortillas (can use flour, corn works better) with bean and potato mixture, 1 tablespoon Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso or 1 tablespoon Nacho Mom's Fire Roasted Queso  & any of these  optional toppings: salsa, cilantro, vegan sour cream, vegan cheesy shreds.



Thursday, January 13, 2011

vegan chili cheese fries: We made decadence low calorie. Booyah!

What you'll need:
fries...homemade or purchased, your call
vegan bean chili
Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso or Nacho Mom's Fire Roasted Queso
optional: vegan sour cream, jalapenos, chopped tomatoes, onions

Prepare your fries however the recipe or directions dictate.  Meanwhile, heat ya up some chili...and queso...(not mixed together) stovetop or in the microwave. The amounts of all ingredients are totally your preferance, to taste. When fries are done and steaming hot, pout on some chili, some queso, and if desired, any other fixin's.

We are told it cures a hangover but of course we at Nacho Mom's wouldn't know. :-) LOL

by the way, I think @thefilth on twitter for reminding me of this awesome way to eat our queso.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

The way to get lucky in 2011 Blackeyed Pea Con Queso

Those of us brought up in the South are used to seeing lots of black eyed peas in grocery carts (psst If you live up North you may call that a buggy or a carriage.) Why? They bring ya luck when ya eat em on New Year's y'all! (The black eyed peas...not the grocery cart. Eating that would be far from lucky.)  Heck, I still shed tears of joy on my own luck this year though I would never have guessed it during the horrid start to my year...But I digress...

So I think they work, but it may take awhile. Be patient.

So here's a recipe that I can't take credit for. If you are familiar with GoMaxGo vegan candy bars then you, in my opinion, have good taste. If not, you need to be. And the fine folks at GoMaxGo share the bean tradition & came up with a Nacho Mom's way of eatin' em this year that I had to share!

half to one can black eyed peas, (to taste) rinshed and drained
1 jar Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso or Fire Roasted Queso

MIX.
HEAT.
EAT.
GET LUCKY.
Alternative: Use Nacho Mom's as a sauce over beans but the bean con queso is tasty, you may regret it if you miss this one.

Click here to find Nacho Mom's vegan queso

Monday, December 6, 2010

Nacho Mom's Superbowl Vegan Cowboy Nachos

  • 1 can (15 oz each) Meat-Free Bean Chili, or homemade
  • 1/2 cup  canned beans such as Ranch Style or Black Bean
  • 1 bag (10 oz each) tortilla chips
  • 1-1/2 cups Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso or Nacho Mom's Fire Roasted Queso, heated
  • Fresh tomatoes, avocados, pico del gallo, Guacamole, vegan sour cream, sliced black olives or sliced green onions, shredded lettuce all optional

Heat chili and heat beans...microwave or in a pot. Meanwhile, spread chips on a baking sheet or large baking pan and crisp VERY briefly under broiler or in oven...keep an eye on 'em, they don't take but a minute.
Top chips with chili then the extra beans, spread vegan queso over bean topping, and then top with whatever optional toppings you wish...
Enjoy!
Directions


click here for more information on our vegan, fat-free, 10 calorie queso and fire roasted gluten-free quesos

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Cheesy gooey HEALTHY Vegan Philly Cheesesteak with Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso

I took some pics with my iphone again since that's about all the fanciness I have time for, but I'll upload em later...I'm in a rush for the impending holiday celebratory gathering but I thought, considering I ate this yesterday, I'll leave it with you prior to my break because doing so is like a gift...LOL...it's so dang good.

There are no measurements needed, you can't mess it up...just use more onions and bell peppers than you think you'll need since they shrink down so much in cooking.

Put or spray some olive oil in a deep saute pan and throw in some thinly sliced green bell peppers and onions...cook on medium heat until they are totally sauteed, soft, golden, cooked down and perfectly ready to eat. Remove from pan.

You will probably need to add more oil to your pan now...throw in chopped up Portobello mushrooms. Around 2" slices, 1" slices, smaller...whatever...Tip: Mushrooms should be cleaned by rubbing with a wet (damp)  towel or mushroom brush first, by the way...don't hold them under the water.  Mushrooms are like a sponge and all that water will go into your dish and make it watery and fairly tasteless.

Cook these for a few minutes then throw in some barbecue sauce. We use homemade that kinda is like a Heinz 57 style but it's totally up to you. I just put in enough to coat the mushrooms all over---you don't want it soupy, just flavored.  Cook until they lose the firmness and all mushrooms are well coated.


Then the fun part...

layer a bun (or we use thick homemade bread slices) with your mushrooms, the sauteed onions and bell peppers, top it with Nacho Mom's Queso (either Ultimate Vegan Queso or Fire Roasted Queso if you want some kick) and ketchup.  I know not everyone puts ketchup on Philly "cheese" steaks but I swear it's not the same if you don't.  Just my opinion though...your choice...you could use vegan mayo, barbecue sauce, nothing...

dive in. With napkins nearby.

and Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.
As for us, it won't be a fowl Thanksgiving....but we sure have some  wicked casseroles ready, many with vegan queso...yellow squash is a great compliment to it.

Where to find Nacho Mom's Vegan Quesos? Click here.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Vegan Cheesy Enchiladas--Your way

This is so easy that you can make varied enchiladas nightly.
You need a jar of Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso and whatever fixin's you want...and enchilada sauce, whether canned or homemade.  For this pic, I stuffed my enchiladas with Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso ( I used our new Fire Roasted Vegan Queso on this one), chili beans, mushrooms and zucchini. My topping was green chiles (Because lord knows I have enough of those in Le Queso Factory) , enchilada sauce & vegan sour cream. You can also use things like refried beans, vegan crumbles, fake chikn...whatevahs.

To make your enchiladas, you'll need corn tortillas. I prefer white corn. The typical method is to soften them so that you can roll them by dipping them in hot oil. However, I like mine healthy so I just microwave a few at a time (so they don't cool off) until soft.  While warm, fill well with your ingredients...they'll shrink down while cooking so stuff em well...roll and place seam side down in square baking dish (I spray with oil first)  Repeat with as many as you can cram in the pan...

Then pour your enchilada sauce over. Pour liberally as they'll soak up some sauce.

I cook in a 350 degree oven til hot and bubbly...I cook it with foil loosely over the top to prevent drying; I don't time it since I just wing it every time with different fillings...

Good served with a side of beans, rice, even avocado if you wish, guac, vegan sour cream, green chiles...whatever tickles your tastebuds.

Good reheated too...So if you want to stuff em with all different things and enjoy all week, well, you have our blessing.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Vegan Southwest Shells & "Cheese"

Obviously another photo I took on my iPhone.  Well, you get the idea, although it's not nearly as pretty...

Busy day and want something quick and easy? This is...and you can use it as a base and make variations to your heart's content by adding whatever veggies you want, etc.

Here's how easy:
1.Boil shells or macaroni til done. Drain.
2. While still hot, Stir in Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso til your cheesiness level is satisfactory--it will melt perfectly all over your pasta, just like real cheese.
3. Leave it at that or you can add in:
   BLACK BEANS--complements the cheesy spicy taste well and adds protein
   and/or a bit of ROTEL or regular DICED TOMATOES for more tomato taste

or whatever else you wish...and dig in!

This is still great reheated so pack up leftovers for lunch. It's also perfect for kids and non-vegans...you seriously can't tell there is no cheese and it's super creamy and yummy.

Want it really spicy? Drop in a few jalapenos, you dare devil you.

Click here to learn more about Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso and find it

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Vegan TexMex Twice Baked Spuds

 

Ingredients

1 (10- to 12-ounce) Russet potato
1 tablespoon vegan sour cream
1/2 cup canned vegetarian refried pinto beans, warm
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
3 tablespoons Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso
pico di gallo or chopped tomatoes, to taste (optional)
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick potato all over with a fork and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until just tender, about 1 hour; set aside until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, preheat broiler.

Cut open potato and scoop about 1/2 cup of the cooked flesh into a medium bowl. Add vegan sour cream, beans, salt and cumin and mash with a fork to combine. Use bean mixture to refill potato, then top with Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso and return to baking sheet or place in a small baking dish. Broil until queso is melted, about 2 minutes. Top with pico or tomatoes, if desired, and green onions and serve. (you can also top with more vegan sour cream and/or fake bacon bits)

Vegan Potato Nachos



POTATO NACHOS
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
sprinkling of Old Bay or Mexican seasoning, optional
1 cup or to taste Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso
¼ cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
¼ cup sliced black olives
¼ cup sliced green onions
 guacamole, fresh chopped tomatoes or pico di gallo. and vegan sour cream (optional) for topping and/or dipping

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges.
2. Place potatoes into a medium size bowl with the oil and garlic salt.
Stir well to coat potatoes with oil and salt(s)
3. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring several times, until crisp and golden brown.
4. Top with vegan queso, beans, tomatoes, olives, onions and chiles. (optional: if you don't want messy fingers, you can use the queso for dipping instead)
5. Bake for about 5 minutes more to melt queso.
6. Serve or top with with pico di gallo, guacamole and vegan sour cream.
Makes 4 servings.


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

In time for football season...Incredible cheesy vegan 7 layer dip

1.5  lb "beef" crumbles

1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own but I always check to make sure there is no msg in it)
3 c. vegetarian refried beans
1 16-oz jar Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso
2 cups guacamole
2 cups vegan sour cream
4 oz chopped black olives
optional: top with jalapenos, chopped tomatoes and bits of avocado or even a few green onions
optional: top with dollops of salsa, or add a layer of salsa

serve with tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare crumbles by cooking with onion and bell peppers in a pan with just enough oil to cook, or oil spray. When fully cooked, stir in taco seasoning.

Lightly grease 9x13" casserole dish and spread refried beans throughout the bottom for the base of your dip. Spread taco seasoned "beef" over the beans, top with dollops of the vegan queso and cover the dish with foil and bake for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees or til hot.  Let cool about 5 min and  spread guac over the cheese, then vegan sour cream, then sprinkle with black olives








Find Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Vegan "Big Mac"

sesame seed buns
veggie burger

Better than Big Mac Sauce:

1/3 c vegan mayo
2 tsp dill pickle relish
2 tsp ketchup
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 T+1tsp finely chopped onion

For sauce, mix everything but onion together. Don't add the onion til the sauce until just before serving.
lettuce

Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso

Prepare your veggie  burger as desired..grilling, etc.  Stir onions into sauce and top burger, on bottom bun, with desired "special sauce". Top with lettuce.  Add some Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso to the top bun and place atop burger...this will give you the cheesy+tomatoey goodness...

and dig in.

No guilt. All glory.

Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso website

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Stuffed portobello burgers with caramelized onions & vegan queso

Summer grilling and entertaining...vegan style

1 T. margarine
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
8 portobello mushrooms
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 eggplant sliced into thin rounds
3 oz. roasted red peppers
Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso
desired vegan bread...if you can make a vegan focaccia, it's quite nice with this.

Melt marg. in a lg. saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.  Mix in brown sugar and balsamic vinegar.  Reduce heat to medium low. Cover pan and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium.  Remove stems from mushrooms, brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place eggplant slices on grill, cook for 2 minutes per side, then set them aside.  Add mushrooms to grill, stem sides down, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes.  Flip mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes.

Top 4 mushrooms with red peppers and a bit of vegan queso, then cover each with a remaining mushroom, stem side down, (stem sides should be facing each other) Cook for a couple minutes til vegan queso is nice and warm and melty.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, slice bread and toast it on grill on each side.

Place stuffed mushroom on vegan focacia or bread, top with onions, eggplant and other slice of focaccia square or bread

click here for Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso website

Friday, September 3, 2010

Steamed artichokes Austin-style

Who needs a beautiful steamed artichoke all ruined with butter?

We have a prettier idea.

Prepare a steamed artichoke as usual (clipping of sharp ends & steaming)

Keep artichoke in one piece and drizzle Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso down it from the top.

Tear off artichoke leaves and eat as usual!

or...

rather than drizzling atop (which is awfully pretty), you can keep your dainty fingers clean by simply dipping the artichoke leaves in hot vegan queso

Cheesy Vegan Pasta Stack



Guests who expect a salad when you invite them to dinner, can be impressively wowed with a meal that still only takes minutes to make.

For this pasta dish, I got my gourmet colored pasta where I usually find it: TJ Maxx, believe it or not. Incidentally, I always check that the black coloring, if it's in the pasta, is not from squid ink.  Chefs used to use this but now they've found other alternatives for the pasta colors made from veggies and spices. Still, I always check for this and never buy pasta make with egg yolks either. You can use vegan pasta with no coloring, of course. The colors just add pizzazz.

Boil your pasta of choice according to package directions. In the meantime, open a can of stewed or whole tomatoes. Use kitchen shears, while they are still in the can to chop them up.  If you don't have kitchen shears, you can use a knife just stuck down in the can to press the tomatoes against inside of can to chop.  (Easier than trying while they are out of the can). I prefer the taste of the whole tomatoes, but if you don't have it, diced is okay...you'll just need to drain some of the juices.

When pasta is almost done, heat up desired amount of Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso.

Place drained pasta on platter, top with desired amount of tomatoes, layer Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso on top.

We also topped the pasta this time with baked vegan "meatballs" but those are entirely optional.

Option 2: top with rinsed and drained black beans, heated

Option 3: top with the black beans and add some vegan sour cream dollops

It has a hint of Southwestern flair which lends it well to many options...



Thursday, September 2, 2010

Vegan Cheese Grits...Comfort Food of the South



Yeah, we're livin' in the South...and vegans tire of oatmeal, waffles, and cereal with soy milk.  No need to be boring, y'all.  Serve up the best "cheese" grits you'll ever bite into. Seriously.

Prepare grits as per package directions. (You can get instant grits packages that are ready in 1.15 minutes if you are in a rush but still want a hot breakfast.)

Stir in desired amount of Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso (no need to heat first, even right out of the fridge, the hot grits are SO hot that it works fine with the cold vegan queso).

Then, for good measure, dollop a small amount of the gooey vegan cheesiness atop as well.


mmmmmmmmmmmmm This one will turn a person who used to say "What the heck are grits?" into a grit lovin' fool.

Click here for Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso Website

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Hummus Among Us

Most vegans I know have a bit of hummus in the fridge a good deal of the time.  But when veggie dippers and crackers get bland and boring, you can kick it up a notch.

Clean out a pepper of any color...green, red, orange, yellow, and stuff with your hummus of choice. Heat up a bit of your Nacho Mom's Ultimate vegan queso and and put some of that Southwest flavor atop.

Well played, hummus.  Well played.

(psst...I added some green onion merely for color. Jalapenos would work equally well.)


The 20 calorie snack...that fills you up

Queso...it's not just for chips anymore.

Need something to tide you over until you can hit the vegan food trailer and indulge? No problem. We love  just slicing up a fresh green or red...or orange...pepper, heating up a bit of our vegan queso and having a very light  snack that not only truly satisfies, but is so very good for you too... simply put your queso in a dipping bowl and dip away...


Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Southwest Veggie Burgers with a side of fresh tomato/corn salad

We have some grocery store samplings showcasing Nacho Mom's on Labor Day weekend...but for those of you hitting the grill...we thought we'd share this...

Veggie Burgers: We know we don't have to spell this one out...you know how to make those, but, trust us, throw some Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso on top and all those friends who want to "try a bite" start doing the same.

Now for your side dish:

2 large fresh tomatoes (I like creole and beefsteak) or 2 lbs cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 cups fresh corn or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, blanched and drained

8 fresh basil leaves

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil (Nacho Mom's chef tip: The greener the olive oil, the better the quality. However, watch out for sneaky olive oil bottles that are tinted green. Also, always go for extra virgin. You'll notice the difference.)

Directions


Wash tomatoes and  cut into bite sized pieces or slices Tear basil leaves into small pieces. Combine basil, tomato and corn in a bowl

 Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, to taste.

Stir.

Let chill for 1 hour for flavor mix, or serve immediately for freshest presentation.
 

Vegan Texas Cheese Fries or chili cheese fries


There are a few ways to do cheese fries as a vegan. We hear the combo of Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso is unlike any other vegan cheese choice when it comes to fry heaven.  It really is smooth like cheese and, with it's hint of heat and spice and all those good green chiles and tomatoes...ahhhhhh. Enough said.

Traditionalists who never want to get the cheesiness on their dainty fingers? Nuke the vegan queso, or heat it up stovetop, and dip your cooked fries in it after transferring it to a lovely dipping bowl.

Livin' on the edge with napkins nearby? Spoon Nacho Mom's vegan queso over your hot fries. Dig in.

Feelin' feisty? Throw some hot veggie chili atop your cooked fries, then dollop on your vegan queso, then add some vegan sour cream. With this one, we do suggest a fork or your loved ones may think you unproper.

We threw some chopped green onions atop but that's for color.  Your call on the garnish.

Nacho Mom's website

What's up, Brocc? Vegan Broccoli and Cheese or Vegan Broccoli, Cheese, & Rice

This can be a side dish or a main dish, whatever you wish.  Fast and easy...steam or cook your broccoli as desired and then mix in some Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso.  If you want a casserole, mix in some cooked rice with the broccoli and cheese. Or...simply top cooked broccoli with the warm vegan queso if mixing in isn't your specialty. Oh heck, you can mix it all together and then put it back in the oven too as some do to all cook like a casserole. Again, there is no wrong answer. We've heard the brocc and NMVQ marriage play out so many different ways...

You can get fancy and top it with things like more chopped tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and vegan sour cream....

or just eat it "as is".

We won't judge your culinary skills either way.  It'll still taste good.


Nacho Mom's website