One of my favorite junk foods and the ultimate football Sunday indulgence is “creamy tacos”. It’s what we would make in our house growing up anytime there was a party happening or when we needed a little junk food fix. What is it you may ask? It’s a glorious, bubbling vat of velveeta cheese, ground beef, Hormel Chili, and spicy Rotel tomatoes. You crunch up Doritos on your plate and pour the “creamy taco” all over the Doritos. IT IS MONUMENTAL. I am telling you this because I am definitely not beneath shoveling Doritos covered in Velveeta into my mouth – However it’s simply not good for you to eat whatsoever, so that’s why I try to keep “Queso” in my life as much as possible but in healthier ways! 

ENTER CASHEW QUESO. 

I was very skeptical of this at first, but with our new Vitamix I knew we could definitely get the creaminess factor going on. Now I will say this, nothing will replace the amazingness of gooey cheesy queso, so you have to think of this as more of an alternative. But for me, something that resembles queso, is creamy like queso, has a rich delicious taste, and is actually nutritious for you is an A+ in my book!

One of my favorite go-to meals is stuffed poblano peppers. A lot of times we make my old stuffed poblanos with chicken recipe, but lately I love tossing roasted sweet potato, corn, black beans, cilantro, and spices to make it meatless. Top with creamy cashew queso and you’ve got the golden ticket! 

Stuffed Poblanos with Cashew “Queso” 

Ingredients

Poblanos
– 4 poblano peppers
– 2 sweet potatoes cubed
– 1 small onion, diced
– 2 garlic gloves, minced
– 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 (15 oz) can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
– 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
– 1 lime, juiced
– 2 teaspoons chili powder
– 1 teaspoon of cumin
– salt and pepper to taste

Queso
– 1 cup raw cashews , soaked for up to 4 hours and drained
– 1/4 cup water (plus more, if needed)
– 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
– 1 lemon juiced
– 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
– 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional) provides more coloring
– 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles

What to do

1. Using a small sharp knife, cut a slit lengthwise along one side of each poblano pepper, then make a small crosswise slit along the top to create a T-shape, being careful not to cut off the stem. Carefully cut out and remove the core and scoop out the seeds. On a baking sheet, roast the poblanos and jalapeños under the broiler in the oven turning often until the skin is completely blistered. Transfer to a paper bag (or place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap) and let steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. To make the filling, preheat the over to 350 degrees. Toss cubed sweet potato with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast until sweet potato is golden brown and cooked through, stirring occasionally. 
3. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat and saute onion until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic cloves and cook another minute or two. Then mix in chili powder, cumin, a big pinch of salt and grind of black pepper. Mix in black beans, corn, and lime juice and cook another minute before turning off the heat and mixing in cilantro and roasted sweet potato. 
4. To make the Queso, In a high-speed blender, or food processor, combine the cashews, water, salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and the liquid from the can of diced tomatoes and green chiles. (I was able to get about 1/4 cup of liquid from the can.) 

5. Blend until a smooth and creamy cheese sauce is made, adding a little more water, if needed for blending. Transfer the cheese mixture to a small pot and heat over the stove until warm. I love serving it in a little cast iron skillet!

6. To assemble the poblanos, fill them to the brim with the filling! You can either pop them in the oven to bake a little longer or leave them as is since everything is still warm! Cover in Queso 🙂 

Enjoy!