Vegan Queso Dip with White Verjus
Makes approximately 4 cups of dip
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves of garlic, pressed
½ large yellow onion, finely diced
2 large carrots, very finely chopped
1 cup of thinly sliced butternut squash
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vegetable stock
1 (4-ounce) can of green chiles
1 ½ cups unsweetened plain almond milk
1 cup of cashews, soaked for 30 minutes or up to overnight and then drained
¼ cup nutritional yeast
½ cup chunky salsa
1 tablespoon 8 Brix White Verjus
Optional toppings:
Chunky salsa or Rotel
Pickled jalepeños
Chopped cherry tomatoes
Cilantro
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant.
Add the finely chopped carrots and finely sliced butternut squash. Stir together, and add 1 teaspoon of the salt along with the cumin, chill powder and black pepper. Allow this mixture to cook together for a couple of minutes, then add in the vegetable stock. Allow the mixture to simmer together, stirring frequently until the veggies are soft and tender. You want them to be soft enough to blend up in a blender without any problems.
Add the vegetables to a high-powered blender. Add the can of green chiles, almond milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, chunky salsa,8 Brix White Verjus, and the remaining salt. Blend together, scraping down the sides as needed. Continue processing until the mixture has reached a thick and creamy consistency.
Adjust the seasoning as needed. If it's cooled off, simply put it into a pan and gently warm it over low heat to desired temperature. Serve it in a bowl alongside tortilla chips and garnish it with your favourite toppings.
