Vegan Cheese Challenge--Homemade Nachos with Plant-Based Cheese Sauce

Hey everyone!  I have been drooling over all of the entries to the different challenges presented by Hive account@deliciousplants over the last few weeks, but I couldn't quite get it together to put my own entry together.  This week I'm jumping back in with my boyfriend's favorite--nachos!

If you have ever been to a sporting event here in the United States you have probably seen the sad excuse for nachos that are prevalent.  The processed excuse for cheese often comes out of a pump and there is rarely a vegetable in sight.  We are also home to Velveeta Cheese, which is something I swore off long before I ever made the switch to a plant-based diet.  How it was ever marketed as healthy is a mystery to me, though it really shouldn't surprise me too much unfortunately.

Anyway, Hive account@dksart loves nachos, so every now and then I grab the fixings to put some together at home.  I will occasionally get a store-bought vegan cheese option to sprinkle on top, but much prefer to make something at home where I can control the ingredients.  I decided to whip up a much healthier version of a cheese sauce to drizzle over the top of our nachos.  There are so many great recipes out there, but it was fun to come up with something based on our tastes!

It turned out quite delicious!  I used both pureed pumpkin and pumpkin seeds, along with some traditional Tex-Mex spices to amp up the flavor.  The chips I made from organic white corn tortillas as I prefer to stay as close to oil-free as possible.  We finished them off with some black beans and the last of my salad from the previous night's festivities with my girlfriends.  Perfect Saturday night meal!

Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

• 1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) soaked overnight, drained & rinsed
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons miso
• 1 tablespoon bean-based flour or other thickening agent
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped

Place everything together in a blender and puree until smooth.  Pour into a saucepan and heat over medium low.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking!

To make the chips I cut the tortillas into wedges then placed on a baking sheet.  I brushed them with a little bit of fresh lime juice and sprinkled with a taco-style seasoning blend.  Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for about 12 minutes, or until they get crispy.

To assemble the nachos I placed half of the chips in each of two small casserole dishes.  Then I topped with a few scoops of cooked black beans, pickled jalapenos and some of the sauce.  Popped them back in the oven for a few minutes to warm everything through.

The finishing touch was my salad with tomato, kiwi, bell pepper, avocado and spinach.  It was the perfect fresh topping to balance out the rich cheese sauce.  We will definitely be enjoying these again soon!

Check out the original contest post here: https://steemit.com/vegan/@deliciousplants/the-vegancheesechallenge-share-your-recipe-and-win-steem-dollars