Q is for queso

I thought initially that Q might be a tricky letter to find a dish to make, but then I realised that I had never made cashew queso.

Last time I was in San Francisco, I tried to pick up a jar of the Food for Lovers stuff that everyone raves about, but no such luck. Time to get all homemade on queso's ass, then.

The recipe I used was this one, from PPK. I'm a lazy sod sometimes, and any recipe that needs preparing the day before you need to eat it puts me off immediately. But, with a letter Q that needed knocking down, I prepped my cashews with an overnight soak.

You know the saying that good things come to those who wait? Well, in this case, they definitely do.

I was blown away by how good this turned out. At first taste (during the cooking process), I was a little bit concerned - all I could taste was miso, and I wasn't impressed. 20 minutes of light whisking over a gentle heat though and kick me in the goolies if I hadn't just made a rich, cheesy stunner.

I tried it on its own, with tortilla chips.

I tried it in a grilled cheese sandwich like this one:

And, dear reader, I tried it on its own with a spoon when I thought no one was looking. I pretty much fell in love right there. Now I know why they went with the Food for Lovers brand - I want to marry this stuff.

11 comments

Mel19 October 2012 at 01:50
I've had this recipe bookmarked for ages, after hearing your glowing review I'll definitely be giving it a go very soon. It sounds perfect in a grilled sandwich. I've been making a spicy noochy sauce and putting it on baked potatoes lately, I bet this one would be great on a spud too!
urban vegan19 October 2012 at 05:34
I thought for sure you'd do quinoa, but that's too obvious. I'll have to try this--the sandwich esp looks killer to me, but in a vegan sort of way ;)
Laura19 October 2012 at 07:46
That sandwich is stunning. I keep buying cashews with the intention of making vegan cheese, then I keep forgetting to soak the cashews so I just end up eating them plain.
Jes19 October 2012 at 10:17
Oh my! On a sandwich?? Want now!!
Allysia19 October 2012 at 14:28
Yay for a food win! :) I had the food for lovers brand when I was down in Northern California, and I think it took me about 2 days to eat it all by myself, ha ha. :) I've never tried to make homemade queso before either, but now I really want to! Gotta love the ppk. :)
Ingrid19 October 2012 at 17:26
I bet this is fantastic! I love cashew cream so cashew queso should be next on my list of items to make!
omgoshimvegan19 October 2012 at 18:03
I've never made this recipe but it looks great. I've made one cashew queso and liked it but can't even remember where I got the recipe. I am a big fan of the Food for Lovers queso. In fact I just got a jar last night.... something to enjoy over the next little bit. I'm going to have to try this recipe.
Andrea20 October 2012 at 09:21
You've certainly presented an airtight case for making queso, even if it does mean soaking cashews the night before. (I'm like you when it comes to multiple day prep.)
vegan.in.brighton21 October 2012 at 07:20
I've been meaning to make that recipe for ages, I need to get on it!
Tea and Sympatico23 October 2012 at 12:26
I've not made this but want to now! Thanks for choosing it and bringing it to my attention!
Caitlin28 October 2012 at 16:03
That looks great! I make a similar sort of nacho cheese out of cashews (it's a recipe I made up ages ago after having something similar in this fantastic little veggie coffee shop in Iowa City), I never thought of putting it in a grilled cheese though. I will have to try that!