Healthy Vegan Nachos

Posted on by Immacolata
healthy vegan nachos

Or, How to Trick Your Kids Into Eating Vegetables

It’s not true that all kids hate vegetables, especially if they have been raised vegan. But they can be picky about their choices. When I was a kid I loved cooked spinach and sliced tomatoes, while my sister wanted cucumbers with every meal. But I think all kids, big and little, want a little comfort food in their lives. These nachos are comfort food personified, packed with nutritious vegetables (tomatoes in the refried beans, carrots and potatoes in the cheeze sauce, cauliflower in the taco “beef”) and every bit as tasty as their fast food counterpart.

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Healthy Vegan Nachos

Ingredients

Tortilla Chips

  • 10 corn tortillas, cut into fourths
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, if desired
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Cheeze Sauce

  • 2 cup coarsley chopped potatoes (about 2-3 potatoes, peeled)
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup salsa, if desired

Taco “Meat”

  • 1 1/2 cup “beef” crumbles (see Notes)
  • 2 tsp taco seasoning

Refried Beans

  • 1 10-oz can vegan refried beans
  • 1/2 cup seeded, peeled and chopped tomato
  • 1 small can diced green chiles
  • 1 tsp chili powder or taco seasoning, if desired
  • salt and pepper to taste

Suggested Garnishes

  • 1/4 cup sliced jalapeños
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/4 cup diced tomato

Instructions

Prepare Tortilla Chips

  1. Stir together olive oil (if using) and lime juice and brush or spray over quartered tortillas. Sprinkle with salt.
  2. Spread in a single layer on cookie sheet(s) and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Keep a close eye on them; you don’t want them to get too brown.
  3. Remove chips from oven and let cool.

Prepare Cheeze Sauce

  1. Boil carrots, potatoes and onion until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and put into blender.
  2. Add remaining ingredients except salsa and blend on high speed until very smooth.
  3. Stir in salsa, if using. Keep hot.

Prepare Beans

  1. Stir together beans, tomatoes, and seasoning in a small saucepan. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smooth consistency, but keep them thick.
  2. Heat, stirring, until hot. Stir in chiles.

Prepare “Beef”

  1. Stir together crumbles with taco seasoning.

Assemble nachos

  1. Spread refried beans over each tortilla chip.
  2. Add a spoonful of the taco “beef” crumbles to each chip and press into beans to secure it
  3. Put back into the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes or until hot.
  4. Remove from oven and arrange on a plate.
  5. Spoon cheeze sauce (reheat if necessary) over each nacho.
  6. Top with desired garnishes, and serve

Notes

You can use packaged vegan soy crumbles here, but for an extra dose of cruciferous goodness, use the cauliflower minced “beef” from CookingWithPlants.com. It’s much healthier and in my opinion, tastier! I make a couple of batches every month and freeze it in small containers, then reheat in the oven to dry out any excess moisture.