Vegan Nacho Dip

Big thanks to Pete Lewis for introducing us to this amazing recipe!

From the Oh She Glows recipe “Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip”, but we added the artichoke hearts and tofutti sour cream.

Each time I’ve made this, I put only ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne. If you can remember, soak cashews overnight (but 2 hours will work).

Also, when prepping the night before, I like to boil the carrots, chop the onions, spinach and artichoke hearts. Once the carrots are done, I will put everything that goes into the food processor (minus the cashews , because they need to soak) into a mixing bowl, so that I can quickly put all of it into the food processor in the morning.

INGREDIENTS

In the food processor:

1 CUP Cashews (raw, roasted and/or salted)

1 CUP Carrots (peeled and chopped)

2 TABLESPOON Nutritional Yeast

2 TABLESPOON Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed if poss)

1 LARGE CLOVE Garlic

1¼ TEASPOON Salt

¾ TEASPOON Chili Powder

½ TEASPOON Onion Powder

¼ to ½ TEASPOON Cayenne Pepper (optional) 

6 oz. (½ small Tub) Tofutti Sour Cream

⅔ CUP Water

 

In a large bowl:

1 CUP Marinara Sauce (chunky)

1 CUP Onion (sweet, finely chopped)

2 to 3 handfuls Spinach (finely chopped)

1 CAN (16 oz) Artichoke Hearts (finely chopped)

 

On top:

⅓ CUP Corn Chips (crushed)

1 to 2, for serving (optional) Green onion (finely chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place the cashews in a medium bowl and add water to cover. Set aside to soak for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you have the time. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 2-quart cast-iron pan or casserole dish.
  3. Place the carrots in a small saucepan and add water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook the carrots for 5 minutes, or until just fork-tender. Drain. You can also steam the carrots, if desired.
  4. In a food-processor (or blender), combine everything in first list above. Blend until silky smooth, adding a splash of extra water if needed.
  5. Pour the sauce into a large bowl. Stir in everything from the second list above.
  6. Spoon the sauce into the prepared dish and smooth out. Sprinkle the corn chips evenly on the top.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, watching closely toward the end of the cooking time to make sure the corn chip topping doesn’t burn. Garnish with sliced green onion, if desired. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.