Game Time Snacks

Yes, football season is over. But for the USA vs. Canada Olympic hockey game today, my boyfriend Serrano and I made dairy-free nachos. Doesn't that sound yummy? For those of you who have a casein intolerance such as myself, you may be thinking that this should be interesting. And for those of you who don't have one or didn't know, most vegan cheese has casein, I think to give it more of a cheesy texture.

At this point I simply substitute Light Silk for nonfat milk and do what I can with baking recipes, but I've given up on trying to find cheese replacements. But for today's special game, I decided to see if anyone else is more clever than I and created a tasty dairy free version of nacho cheese.

I found Dr. Ben Kim's recipe for Raw, Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese, and I was very impressed. Nothing is ever exactly the same, but that's to be expected. But he has tasty alternatives to dairy and a philosophy that's encouraging if you have a dairy free lifestyle. This type of cheese can also be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and one batch makes quite a bit. He also has other recipes for cheese replacements that I also believe are worth looking at.

Anyway, we used that recipe for our "cheese" and leftover carne asada my dad (a.k.a. Grill King Daddy) made. If you want to make fresh carne asada for nachos, I recommend buying the fresh meat the day you plan to make it, but you can use my Spiced Asada Rub recipe on it and let it marinate for a couple of hours before grilling or broiling.

For the cheese, here is my slightly altered version of Dr. Ben Kim's recipe.

Nacho Cheese
2 cups Macadamia Nuts
juice of 1 Lemon
1 tbsp. Wheat Free Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Water, as needed

Combine all ingredients except water in a food processor. Slowly drizzle the water into the food processor until you reach your desired consistency.


Hockey Nachos
1 bunch of Green Onions, finely chopped
Nacho Cheese
Carne Asada, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 bag of Tortilla Chips
1 container of Salsa

Preheat oven to 350.
Place corn tortilla chips (as many as you want/need) on an ungreased cookie sheet, spreading them out as thin as possible. Top with chopped green onions, salsa, cheese, and chopped carne asada, so that all are spread evenly across the top of the chips. Add beans, if desired. Place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until chips are crispy. Enjoy.