Saturday was Pi day, a celebration of all things with a radius. We had friends over to celebrate and I made a seven layer taco dip with a new and improved nacho cheeze sauce and a DIY PI-erogi bar. The Pierogis were good, and it was fun letting everyone stuff the dumplings with their own goodies. And the Nacho Sauce was a huge hit.
I've made nacho sauce before and it's amazing when hot, but it's got cornstarch, so when it cools, it gets a bit clumpy. So I tinkered a bit and came up with a version that is creamy and dippable, at room temperature. This sauce was perfect.
Dippable Nacho Sauce
1/2 cup cashews, ground
4 oz pimentos
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1 tsp salt
2 tbs Tofutti Better Cream Cheese
2 tbs water (about)
Add all ingredients except water to the blender. Blend thoroughly. Drizzle in water 1 or 2 tbs at a time until a desired consistency is reached. Pour into a serving dish or refrigerate for later. Makes a little over a cup of sauce.
My blender doesn't do nuts well, so I put my nuts in a ziplock baggie, crush them a bit with a rolling pin, then grind them in a coffee grinder. If your equipment isn't great, this works like a charm.
5 Servings: 127 cal (8g fat, 10g carbs, 6g protein)
For the Seven Layer Dip, I did the following:
Layer 1: a can of refried beans mixed with 1 tbs taco seasoning.
Layer 2: quinoa cooked in 2/3 water and 1/3 salsa (awesome for tacos too)
Layer 3: Nacho Sauce
Layer 4: Tofutti Cream Cheese & Sour Cream mixed
Layer 5-7: Tomatos, Olives & Cilantro
For the Pierogi's, I used VeganDad's dough recipe, with some vegan sour cream added. For filling, I had nacho sauce, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, mashed potatoes and a mix of onions, potatoes, green peppers,and andouille sausage.
And finally, a pic of my wife and her Pi Day Henna.
Garlic chana dal.
3 days ago
That dip looks AMAZING! Yum!
Mmmm, awesome!
A little late comment... But I'd just like to know if it's okay to sub the baking soda for baking powder when making the pierogis, if I use a little more of the latter? Or do you think it will affect the taste? I'd really like to give those pierogis a try, they look gorgeous!
Love, I'm no expert, but This Site recommends tripling the amount of baking soda as a substitute. I know that one has an interaction with acid, so the vinegar in the recipe may be an issue. Beyond that, I'm just not sure.