Chili Nachos with Cheesy Sauce – VeganMoFo Day 2

How is everyone enjoying VeganMoFo so far? It’s only day two, but I’m already loving seeing what everyone is coming up with. Keep up the good work!

Today’s prompt is Junk Food Forever! which is awesome, because anyone who knows me knows I am most definitely a junk food vegan. Oh, I’ll eat my fruit and vegetables, sure, but I think junk food is usually the best food!

Honestly, I could very easily have published something sweet and perhaps chocolatey for this prompt, but I actually have quite a lot of sweet things planned already for this month, so I wanted to challenge myself to something savoury. Savoury junk food often calls to mind fast food, but the vegan fast food options aren’t that super here, especially when it comes to this option – nachos! So, homemade it is.

I also used this as an opportunity to purchase these “cheese flavour nachos”, which are actually cheese-flavoured tortilla chips, sold in Tesco, a supermarket here, and they actually do taste cheesy! It’s uncanny! This made my junk food meal extra junk food-y, rather than just using plain tortilla chips – though you can totally use those.

The “cheese” on top of these nachos is based on my tofu cheese sauce recipe that I use for pizza, only with jalapenos and paprika added, which help flavour it more appropriate (and give it more colour!). I also topped mine with some nice chopped ripe avocado, which is kinda like healthy junk food really.

 

Chili Nachos with Cheese

• Servings: Serves 2-3
• Print

Ingredients

For the Beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp oil
• 5 slices jalapeno, chopped (or however many you want for your spice level)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 200ml water
• 1 red pepper, sliced
For the Cheese
• 350g silken tofu
• 110ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno slices, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 40g cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp salt
Other
• Tortilla chips
• Avocado (optional)

Directions

1. Begin by frying the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent, then add the sliced jalapeno.
2. Add the cumin, salt, oregano, and smoked paprika, and cook for thirty seconds.
3. Add the tomato puree and black beans, and stir.
4. Using a fork, or a potato masher, mash the beans until pretty thoroughly mashed.
5. Add the water and red pepper, and cook for 10 minutes, until you get a thick sauce.
6. Meanwhile, make the cheese. In a large saucepan, fry the minced garlic and jalapeno in the oil for about a minute – don’t let it burn!
7. Remove from the heat, and add the tofu, vegetable stock, salt, cornstarch, lemon juice, paprika, tomato puree and nutritional yeast.
8. Using a stick blender (or transfer to a stand blender) blend the mixture until smooth.
9. Return the saucepan to a low heat, and whisk continually until the mixture has thickened.
10. Once thickened, continue to whisk for a further minute, before removing from the heat.
11. Serve by placing beans on top of tortilla chips, followed by the cheese, and finally some sliced avocado.