Vegan Nachos With Tofu Sour Cream

    By
    Ann Gentry
    -

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup canola oil, more if needed
    • 12 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into wedge
    • Sea salt, to taste
    • 1/3 cup melted Teese’s Vegan creamy cheddar cheese
    • 1/2 cup black beans, warmed
    • 1/4 cup pico de gallo (recipe below)
    • 1/4 cup guacamole (recipe below)
    • 2 tablespoons tofu sour cream (recipe below)
    • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
    • 1/4 cup sliced olives

    Pico de Gallo:
    makes 2 1/2 cups

    • 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes (approximately 2 large tomatoes)
    • 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1 small jalapeño chili (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

    Tofu sour cream:

    • 1 (12.3-ounce) container vacuum-packed firm silken tofu (such as Mori-Nu)
    • 1 1/2 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar (available in Asian markets and health food stores)
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon dry mustard (available in the spice aisle of grocery stores, also called ground mustard)
    • 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1 teaspoon dried dill

    Guacamole:

    • 1 small tomato, seeded and finely diced
    • 1/2 small white onion, finely diced
    • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
    • 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for seasoning
    • 4 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped

    Directions:
    To make the nachos: Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat.

    Working in batches, add the tortilla wedges and fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tortilla chips to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.

    Arrange the warm tortilla chips over a large platter. Spoon the warm melted cheese over the chips. Spoon the beans over the cheese. Spoon the pico de gallo over the beans. Spoon the guacamole atop the nachos. Drizzle the sour cream over the nachos. Sprinkle with the green onion and serve immediately.

    To make the pico de gallo: Stir all the ingredients in a bowl to blend. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Stir the pico de gallo before serving.

    To make the tofu sour cream: Blend the tofu, vinegar, oil, mustard, and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the sour cream to a container. Stir in the dill.

    Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 2 days

    To make the guacamole: Toss the tomato, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, and 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes.

    Mash the avocados in a large bowl. Stir in the tomato mixture. Season the guacamole to taste with more salt, if desired. Transfer the guacamole to a serving bowl and serve.

    The guacamole will keep for 4 hours, covered tightly and refrigerated. Stir the guacamole again before serving.

    Read more:
    Tofu: A Healthy Substitute For Meat Or Dairy
    Tofu Benedict

    Ann Gentry
    Ann Gentry, host of Naturally Delicious, has spent the past 20 years raising the standard of vegetarian cooking. As a chef, restaurateur, food educator and visionary, she has succeeded in combining macrobiotic food preparation with the richness of her southern upbringing to create a gourmet vegetarian cuisine even meat lovers covet.As the executive chef of Vegetarian Times magazine, Ann creates original vegetarian recipes and contributes articles on healthy eating and living. Ann also writes her own bimonthly column about food and children for the British magazine Junior: The World’s Finest Parenting Magazine.Ann is the creator, founder and operating owner of Real Food Daily, the only restaurant in the Los Angeles area that serves a 100 percent vegetarian menu using foods grown exclusively with organic farming methods. Bon Appetit magazine wrote that “Ann Gentry, the creator of Real Food Daily, has taken two different California trends — vegetarian foods, and the organic seasonal cooking popularized by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse — and come up with a cuisine that is as interesting and delicious as it is healthful.” With two California locations, in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, Real Food Daily has “developed a loyal following.” Its patrons range from the someday to the everyday vegetarian, to celebrities, to trendsetting young eaters with sophisticated palates or the mature diner seeking gourmet, health-supportive cuisine. Ann’s first cookbook, “The Real Food Daily Cookbook,” published by Ten Speed Press, is available for purchase on her website www.realfood.com and at bookstores. As the spokesperson for SOYJOY, an all-natural nutrition bar made with whole soy, Ann has appeared on many radio and television shows as well as various food lifestyle shows promoting a healthy lifestyle. She has also been a guest chef at Canyon Ranch, Pritikin Longevity Center, Robert Mondavi Wine Center, L.A. Times Festival of Books, the Environmental Media Awards, North American Vegetarian Society and Central Market. In the spring of 2008, Ann will be a featured guest chef on a Caribbean cruise ship, in the program “A Taste of Health” on Holistic Holiday at Sea. Ann lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Robert Jacobs, and their two vegetarian children, Halle and Walker.