Creamy Chipotle Nacho Cheeze

vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free

Adapted from Miyoko Schinner's recipe in Artisan Vegan Cheese

​Miyoko Schinner's book Artisan Vegan Cheese revolutionized vegan cheesemaking and certainly helped me get through the toughest part of going fully vegan - refraining from eating dairy cheese! That first year I had the book, I made lots of her recipes, but over time found that I kept coming back to the crowd-pleasing Soft Gruyere as a go-to sharp, creamy concoction to serve with crackers. But recently someone asked me for a nacho cheese recommendation, so I had to give this one a shot. I think I only previously shied away from the recipe because I didn't know what a chipotle in adobo sauce was, but found that easily in a can in the Mexican aisle of the grocery. It's super easy to make (no fermentation time required!) and relatively healthy for a cheese dip (It's primarily made up of nuts and butternut squash, and there's no added oil except for the small amount in the adobo sauce). It's creamy, spicy, and slightly smoky...delicious served with your favorite tortilla chips. 

The Cheeze is getting thick and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan...which means it's done.

Yield: about 3 cups / Prep time: 15 min / Total time: 20 min 

Ingredients:​​

• 1 cup cooked and mashed butternut squash*
• 1/2 onion, peeled and quartered or 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast**
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour, arrowroot, or cornstarch***
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plain, unsweetened nondairy yogurt (cashew is my favorite, but coconut, almond, or soy would work too)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, plus more as desired

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and creamy, occasionally stopping to scrape down the sides and move the mixture toward the blades.
2. Transfer mixture to a heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and gooey, 2 to 5 minutes (see photo). Taste, and add additional minced chipotle chile if it's not spicy enough.
3. Serve immediately, or cool at room temperature and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a few months. Simply reheat in the microwave and give it a good stir.

*I sometimes buy pre-cut butternut squash since they're so tricky to cut up. Just cube squash, throw on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 min or air fry at 375 for about 15 min. I suppose you could even save  more time if you buy canned mashed squash.
**Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast with an amazing nutrition profile and a nutty, cheesy flavor. You can leave out the nutritional yeast if you don't have it, but I think the "nooch" actually improves the texture in addition to giving the chips a nice cheesy flavor. Look for nutritional yeast in the bulk bins, baking aisle, or supplements section at your grocery store.
***The type of thickener you use may vary the cooking time slightly, but each should work.