Spicy Vegan Nachos

I've been getting more and more into raw foods lately and having a blast trying out the interesting recipes I'm finding.  I bought a better dehydrator and I think we've had it running almost 24/7 since it arrived.  I've recently been playing with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw and the first thing I looked for was the spicy nachos.  They serve a version of these at the Blossoming Lotus in Portland, OR.  They came out great.  I took them to work and some to Christy & Les at the local produce store.  They were a big hit.  I am amazed at how wonderful the cheese dip is made with butternut squash.  Thinned out a little, I can serve this as a creamy cheesy soup when the squash are plentiful. That should be very soon.

Spicy Nachos

     Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw

1/2 Medium jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed.
2 Medium garlic cloves
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, roughly chopped
6 TB freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 TB ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne, or to taste
2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup walnuts, soaked at least 2 hours
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked at least 2 hours
1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked at least 2 hours
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup fresh ground flax or flax meal

1.  In blender, add jalapeño, garlic, tomatoes, lime juice, onion, cumin, cayenne, and salt.  Blend on high speed for 20 seconds or until mixture is liquified.  Move to the bowl of a food processor.

2. Add walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds to the food processor, and blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds until a smooth batter forms (small chunks are okay).

3.  Add flax and process 15 or 20 more seconds.

4.  Spread 2  cups batter per Teflex sheet, being careful to make it as even as possible with no holes.  Score before placing in the dehydrator. Dehydrate at 110º for 24 hours. Flip sheets over onto the mesh screens and remove Teflex.  With wetter side up, continue dehyudrating for another 24 hours.

5. Cut each sheet into 4 quarters.  Cut each quarter into 8 triangles by first cutting 2 big triangles and then cutting these into 2 and those 4 into 2.

Enjoy with Nacho Cheese Dip.

Nacho Cheese Dip

1 cup cashews, soaked at least 2 hours
1 medium red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium Anaheim pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 TB freshly squeezed lime juice
1 TB olive oil
2 TB nutritional yeast
1 TB nama shoyu or tamari
6 TB filtered water
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne, or to taste

1.  Rinse and drain cashews well.

2.  Ina blender blend red bell pepper, Anaheim pepper, butternut squash, lime juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, shoyu, water, garlic, salt, and cayenne on high speed for 20 to 30 seconds or until smooth.  (It may be a little warm right out of the blender.  To firm it up, place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.)