Dairy-Free Queso, with a Vegan Option

I hope everyone had a peaceful and restful Christmas! Now we're firmly in that weird territory where no one knows what to do with their lives. It always feels like it's gotta be close to bed time, and I've lost count of our grocery store runs... with all of us stuck at home, we are just plowing through our food at unprecedented rates. I'm sure we've all seen that meme that describes how we all are in desperate need of some PRECEDENTED times. I wholeheartedly agree. Queso is precedented. We all know and love queso. We don't know what this new year will bring, but we know we can feel good about ringing it in with some queso.

Unless dairy, gluten, and grains bug you. Then your queso options are generally pretty limited. Good thing I created this recipe! It has a cashew cream base, the traditional flavors of queso, and some of my own twists. The recipe is entirely free of dairy, gluten, and grain. I love Paleo recipes because a lot of the time, they are also easy to turn vegan-compliant for those who don't eat meat. This recipe is no exception, if you'd like to leave the meat out simply skip adding the meat, and sautee the onion, garlic, and spices then create the tapioca starch/white wine roux from that. Easy peasy.

You'll have the easiest time making this with a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, but if you don't have that you can still do it! Just soak your cashews in water for at least 4 hours and toss the water when you're done.

I served this queso with a pico de gallo topping, and plenty of additional cilantro. You can use grain-free tortilla chips, plantain chips, or even fresh chopped veggies as vessels for the dip.

This stuff is so dang good, and I can't wait for you to try it!