Dairy-Free Queso

I’m so excited to have this guest post for you guys today! I’m drooling over it! This Dairy-Free Queso comes from my good friend, Brittany, who I’ve known for a long time! Brittany and I were blogging buddies in the old days of blogging, then met for the first time in real life at a gluten-free expo in Chicago in May of 2011. Years later we shared a room at my second PaleoFx in Austin (2014), where we laughed so hard, and had the best time!

Enjoy this Dairy-Free Queso from Brittany!

Dairy Free Copycat of the Famous Rotel Queso!

Hey Spunky Coconut Readers! My name is Brittany Angell. I specialize in Allergen Free/ Special Diet Baking & Cooking! I cover everything from Gluten Free to Paleo, AIP and Keto! A few years ago I authored a cookbook called Every Last Crumb. You can find hundreds more free allergen free recipes on my site BrittanyAngell.com

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos disease back in 2007. For several years I had to eat a super restrictive diet while I was working to get my health issues into remission. I’ll never forget that feeling of being deprived and missing out on my favorite things. That motivated me to jump into the kitchen and spend many years mastering my baking skills using new allergen free ingredients! 11 years later and Im still at it.. recreating everyones favorite foods in a healthier way for various allergies and diets!

I have known and loved Kelly for YEARS, and I admire her authentic approach to recipes and blogging! I’m super thrilled to be sharing my Dairy Free take on the Famous Rotel Queso!

I have been working on perfecting Dairy Free Cheese recipes for years- and i’m out of my mind excited with how this one turned out! The texture is spot on and the flavor is glorious. If you enjoy making homemade cheese sans dairy you might also enjoy my Dairy Free Mozzarella balls recipe, and homemade Dairy Free Brie (among many others!).

 

Almond Milk used for Queso

•   3 3/4 cups water
•  1 packed cup blanched almond flour

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.

The Queso

• 1 2/3 Cup Homemade Almond Milk (Must be from the recipe above!)
• (10 0z) can of Hatch Chili’s + Tomatoes Strained (Rotel or Organic Brand of Choice)
• 1/2 cup of Refined Coconut oil (refined is preferred as it has less flavor)
• 3 Tbsp starch (Tapioca/Arrowroot or Potato Starch)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1/4  cup + 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (THIS ONE is free of synthetic folic acid, a major no-no with the MTHFR mutation)
• 3/4 Tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 3/4 Tsp Nom Nom Paleo’s Magic Mushroom Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1/2-1 tsp salt to taste.

*Ingredient notes: The magic mushroom powder can be found in Whole Foods. The recipe to make it can be found on Nom Nom Paleo’s website! It essentially just helps to intensify the flavor of the queso and (it adds to the cheesy flavor too!). If you are having trouble finding the ingredients to make it or buy it- it can be left out! However if you do leave it out- you may need to increase the salt in the queso (to taste.)

You will have leftover almond milk- it can be used to make a number of my other dairy free cheese recipes. You can also add a little salt, tiny bit of sweetener and drink it like milk. If you want it totally smooth it can be strained. The leftover can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for a week or longer.

1. Make the almond milk!
2. Pour 1 2/3 cup of the almond milk into a sauce pan. Strain the can of chili’s and tomatoes. Pour the chili’s and tomatoes into the pot. Then add all the remaining ingredients.
3. Whisk on medium low heat until its your preferred thickness. IF it gets too thick- you can thin it out a by adding 1-2 more tbsp of coconut oil. (Do not add more milk- this will mess up the texture and flavor) DO NOT boil this sauce hard or it will break..and loose its goo-ey texture.
4. Serve Warm! You can reheat over medium low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave- stirring it every 20-30 seconds until fully warmed. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. This queso tastes even better the day after its made! So I recommend making it ahead the day before bringing it to or serving it at a party!