Vegan Home Cooks

it tastes as good as it looks, too - takes some finessing to get a suitable nacho cheese flavor and to get the beef tasting like taco bell meat, but usually when I make this it tastes better than I expect it to. There have been a couple times where it didn't live up to expectations. Still trying to figure out exactly what contributes to the disappointment in those moments (but I suspect it's not adding enough seasoning to the beyond beef or cooking the beef too wet and not getting enough browning).

Another thing I like to do is melt some shredded violife (3 cheese blend or the american / cheddar cheese) onto the tostada before adding the sour cream and other toppings. I deep fry the tortilla, then put it on a tray and add the cheese and pop it into my convection oven with the broil setting for a minute or so.

aw, thank you - that's nice to hear 😊

The color comes from the carrot and nutritional yeast, I don't really intend to mimic the look of real nacho cheese but it does sorta work out doesn't it? I find having a high-powered blender to get the cashews blended fully is the key to the consistency, which is important to me.

The pickled onion isn't that important and is actually getting away from copycating a taco bell crunchwrap supreme. I just like vegetables a lot and I'm always lacto-fermenting something, so this is a way to use it up. It does add a nice color and flavor, though! (Or at least I enjoy it.)

Regarding the lettuce, here is how I build it:

https://imgur.com/a/l8IYGod

0. base: tostada + melted cheese
1. layer of "sour cream"
2. lettuce
3. tomato

Then when I crisp the outside, I preheat my pan so it doesn't spend much time on the griddle. The lettuce I keep crisp in my fridge by keeping the cut stem / root area in water and covering the lettuce in a plastic bag. Then I only take the leaves I need and I rinse them well before using them (for bacteria, pesticides, bugs, dirt, etc.). This makes the lettuce turgid and full of cold water, which also would make it harder to wilt. The tomatoes are also wet and keep the lettuce wet during the cooking. I probably don't spend more than a minute searing each side of the tortilla, just enough that it starts to brown. I find this doesn't really heat up the cold ingredients much at all, so there is no wilting.

Hope this helps. ❤️

If you decide to make them I'd love to see photos!!

Yes, vegan cheese makes me pretty sad. Thanks for your encouragement and positivity! 🥰

Here is my recipe for the nacho cheez:

• 1 lb (around 3 - 4) potatoes, boiled
• 1 medium to large carrot, boiled
• 1/2 - 1 cup retained starchy water from cooking potatoes and carrots
• 1 cup cashews, soaked and drained
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp MSG
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a few pickled jalapenos (optional if it's too spicy for you)
• 2 tsp white miso
• ~ 1 TB Miyokos farmhouse cheddar (can sub with lactic acid)
• 1/4 - 1 tsp mustard

I find the blender overheats with how thick the potatoes make it, so I like to let the carrots, potato, and the water all cool fully after boiling. I also like to blend the cashews and other ingredients together first, before adding the potato which will bring my blender nearly to overheating.

This recipe (like all recipes in my mind) is more a rough guideline. I rarely measure everything and I often change the ingredients up a little, but it gives you a sense of the dish. I often use fewer potatoes now, more like 1/2 lb, maybe 1 - 2 small to medium potatoes, usually gold potatoes. I also don't like to remove the skin for the added fiber, which is extra filling (and more nutritious).

I will have to try dill and paprika for mac & cheese, I have never tried that before, thank for the ideas!