I’m a big fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz. This recipe is adapted from her version of Cashew Queso. I’ve shortened the ingredient list and simplified the method to make this delicious sauce even easier to make on a moment’s notice. Enjoy over beans, grains, and veggies as an easy way add a lot of flavor and nutrition to a simple meal. It also makes great vegan nachos!
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and sliced (keeps seeds if you want more heat)
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 cups vegetable broth (I prefer )
- 2 tablespoons miso (I use whatever miso I have around)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ancho pepper powder (or any mild ground red chili powder)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes. Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Notes:
- For vegetable broth, I prefer the brand Rapunzel. I put the cube along with the water in the blender rather than heating up the water and mixing the broth separately.
- If I don’t have jalapeño chile around, I use dried chili peppers. There’s no need to fry them. Simply put them in the blender along with everything else. Since everything else is shelf-stable, I can make this sauce any time.
- Some people soak cashews so that they blend more smoothly. That could be useful if you don’t have a high-powered blender.