Jalepeno Nacho "Cheese"

I'd have to say, since going vegan a few years ago, there is one food that haunts me...I just miss it, and that food would be cheese!  I loved cheese dearly, from plain old cheddar to goats cheese...didn't matter what it was on, or if it was plain, I loved it.  Knowing what I do about cheese, and how it's made, and how horrible it is for you, I don't have a hard time not eating it...except for maybe one time a year when we visit Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs play...somehow the game doesn't seem complete unless you're munching on a large order of stadium nachos, with a side of jalepenos!  This was my inspiration for making this "cheese"!  Although it's not exactly the same, this is about as close as you can get to a "queso" dip and still be completely vegan!  Even my husband loved it...and he is a hard core critic when it comes to food alternatives!

In a medium pan combine:

2 1/2 c. mimic creme (this is a nut-based cream that you'll have to find at a health food store...but it's the absolute closest thing I've found to real cream)
1 1/2 c. V8 (I used the low sodium, but you could also use the spicy!)
2 packets of low sodium taco seasoning
4 T. nutritional yeast (again, you'll have to go to the health food store for this ingredient...it's super high in B vitamins, along with a lot of other minerals...and it does a pretty good job of mimicking a cheese flavor)  If you have to get a big can of it, don't worry...I use it in a lot of my recipes, so you'll definitely be able to find a lot of uses for it!
1/2 t. chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper (this is optional, but adds a nice kick)


-Stirring frequently, so the bottom doesn't burn, bring to a light boil and add:

4 t. corn starch

-Whisk away the lumps, reduce the heat to low/med, and allow to thicken.

-Add:

1/2 c. chopped jalepenos
1/2 c. chopped roasted red peppers

-Note: some other add ins that would make a great dip would be:

black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 can of chopped green chiles, drained
saute some veggie meat crumbles in taco seasoning and add
salsa

-If you find your dip gets a little runny when you add in extra ingredients, just add a little more corn starch and thicken!!  Enjoy!  This makes about 4-5 cups of nacho sauce!!  If you don't think you'll eat all of that...I actually used half of it to top some enchiladas (you can find that in another blog!)