The Best Spicy Vegan Cheese Sauce

A delicious and super addicting spicy vegan cheese sauce that’s perfect for mac and cheese, dips, baked potatoes and more! 

Ever since I found out that I was intolerant to dairy, my world crumbled before my eyes (pun intended)! So, you are trying to tell me that I cannot have mac and cheese, cheese on my pizza or queso from Mexican restaurants!? Are you trying to kill me!?

Since then, I have been scouring the web for the best dairy-free alternatives! To be honest, it’s hard finding alternatives that are not overly processed or inexpensive. But even though grocery stores are getting better at providing alternatives, it’s nice to know I can make something quick at home with staple ingredients that are always on hand. And I can do it on the cheap!

This is where I bring you to my most favorite recipe of them all, spicy vegan cheese sauce! When I was making a batch to take photos, I literally ate half the macaroni and cheese and the entire dip with chips within two hours; it is that addicting!

What makes this my favorite is that it’s crazy how easy and fast it is to make it! You see all these vegan cheese recipes with a million ingredients and the direction list are fifteen steps long and you're sitting there like, “Who has time for that?”

That’s why this recipe is easy. Simply boil the potato and carrots until mushy, transfer them to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Boom, that’s it! Double boom because the sauce is already hot so no need to transfer it to a skillet or oven to heat up.

Even if you are not vegan or dairy free, this recipe is great to serve to your kids or that picky eater that struggles with incorporating veggies into their diet. Even better, you can get away with hiding them in popular dishes like mac and cheese, baked potato and chips and dip!

You could also use this recipe on a few From the Roots classics like kale and pesto cauliflower rice,  Verde carne asada tostadas, turkey meatballs, and sweet potato hash breakfast skillet.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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A delicious and super addicting spicy vegan cheese sauce that’s perfect for mac and cheese, dips, baked potatoes and more! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large russet potato (skin off)

• 2 large carrots

• 1 can (10 oz) low-sodium rotel (spicy)

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 Tbsp juice of fresh lemon

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut potatoes and carrots into cubes and add to boiling water. Boil until vegetables are mushy.

2. Drain vegetables from water and transfer to a high powered blender. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

3. May add additional salt if bland or more nutritional yeast for desired “cheesy flavor.”

4. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.

NOTES

1. If you are making this into a dip, garnish with smoked paprika, diced green chilies or jalapenos!

2. For a more spicy taste, simply add hot sauce or green chilies for that desired taste.

3. Warning: if you use a regular can of Rotel, this sauce will taste "tomato-y" and not like a cheese dip flavor.

Simple Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Sauce

No summer grill is complete without a good steak marinade and chimichurri sauce recipe! Easy, simple and super delicious!

When it comes to steak, you want to think of the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid!). When cooked right, a steak is super juicy and tender on its own with some simple salt and pepper. But to take it to the next level, well, I am all about that! Using marinades is a great way to kick up your steaks just a notch. This simple marinade infuses the steak with tons of flavor. Lime juice is used to break down the toughness of the meat while the garlic brings out the flavor. I highly recommend marinating the steak overnight but if you are pushed for time, 30 minutes should suffice. For this recipe, I used strip steak, but you can also use different cuts of steak like a skirt steak for instance.

My favorite way to cook a steak is on the grill (is there a better way!?). I like to set my grill over medium-high heat and cook each side for just 5 minutes to get a nice sear and to achieve the rare to medium-rare pinkness. You could also cook in a skillet if you do not have access to a grill.

(By the way, this steak marinade recipe can be used for my verde carne asada tostadas!!)

You could stop after grilling your steak, but wouldn’t you like to go an extra step? If you are interested in adding some green to your steak, try out adding a chimichurri sauce! Since you are marinating the steak with subtle ingredients, the sauce really takes the steak to the next level!

Everyday herbs like cilantro and parsley are used to provide a fresh clean flavor to the steak. The sauce is super easy to make with just a processor or blender. You could also use this sauce on different types of dishes like eggs, chicken, or used in pasta salad dishes.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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No summer grill is complete without a good steak marinade and chimichurri sauce recipe! Easy, simple and super delicious! 

INGREDIENTS

Steak Marinade

• 1 1/2 lb steak of choice

• 3 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 lime (squeezed)

• 2 Tbsp EVOO

Chimichurri Sauce

• 1 cup flat leaf parsley

• 1 cup cilantro

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1/2 medium onion

• 1 Tbsp lime juice

• 1/3 cup EVOO

• S&P to taste

• dash of chili pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

For the marinade and grilling

1. Coat the steak with salt and pepper on each side.

2. Whisk the garlic, lime, and EVOO together and pour into the Ziploc bag.

3. Add the steak to the bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight preferably.

4. Grill on medium-high heat and cook for 5-10 minutes per side or until desired pinkness.

5. Let the steak rest by placing aluminum foil over the steak for at least five minutes. Cut steak across the grain and serve with chimichurri sauce.

For the chimichurri saucE

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until everything is fully incorporated and smooth.

Salsa Verde

Easy to make salsa verde with avocado salsa verde option. Just roast tomatillos and jalapenos and blend with a few ingredients to make the perfect salsa verde. 

Out of any salsa variations, salsa verde is my absolute favorite! There is just something about the winning combination of the tanginess from the tomatillos to the fresh hints of lime and cilantro that really butters my biscuits! Unfortunately, most restaurants and grocery stores do not provide a cleaner version of salsa verde -- they’re usually filled with high amounts of sodium and preservatives. That is why I created this guilt-free salsa verde so I can continue eating as much salsa as my heart desires!

This is a recipe that relies heavily on fresh produce, and, especially, in this case, fresh tomatillos.  For tomatillos, it can be hard sometimes to distinguish the good from the bad because a tomatillo is wrapped in a papery husk. When you are choosing, look for small, firm tomatillos with tight-fitting husks.

Inside that papery husk is a bright green fruit with a fresh, almost citrusy flavor! The tartness can be a little overwhelming, so for this recipe, it is best to roast them. Roasting the tomatillos will bring a smoky and sweet flavor to the salsa, pairing perfectly with the garlic and cilantro.

Salsa verde obviously goes well with chips, but you can definitely (and should!) get creative with adding salsa to other food! Verde salsa goes well with anything classic red salsa would go with, so think morning eggs, burritos, or my sweet potato hash breakfast skillet recipe.

Here’s another suggestion - you can make this salsa verde creamy using avocados. Sometimes when I meal prep, I’ll make both versions of the salsa because I like having options! Simply add one avocado to the blender, which will give the salsa a wonderful richness in addition to the creamy texture. Check out the recipe below!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo with #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Easy to make salsa verde with avocado salsa verde option. Just roast tomatillos and jalapenos and blend with a few ingredients to make the perfect salsa verde. 

INGREDIENTS

• 12 medium tomatillos (husked, cleaned and dried)

• 1 fresh jalapeno

• 1/2 small white onion

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1/2 lime squeezed

• 1/2 tsp salt

• S&P for taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place tomatillos and jalapeno onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Turn the oven on Broil - low. Broil on one side for 4-6 minute and 4-6 minutes on the other side until you see splotchy black spots. (Keep an eye on them!)

2. Let them cool and add to a processor along with the onion, cilantro, garlic, lime, and salt. (If you are wanting less spicy salsa, take the seeds out of the jalapeno first).

3. Blend until smooth but slightly chunky consistency.

4. Season to taste with additional S&P and/or lime juice.

5. Avocado verde salsa - In the processor, add 1 ripe avocado and blend until desired consistency.

NOTES

1. The salsa may appear thin but will thicken after it has been chilled in the refrigerator. Tomatillos contain pectin which is a natural thickening agent.

2. Store in the fridge for up to a week. If you are making this recipe with avocados, store in the fridge for up to three days.

3. Both the verde salsa and avocado salsa freezes beautifully. Just add your cooled salsa batch to a freezer bag and freeze for up to one month. When you are ready to use the salsa, thaw in the refrigerator until ready to use!

4. Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate
   

5-Ingredient Vegan Pesto

This vegan pesto will soon become a fridge staple as it uses 5-ingredients in less than 5 minutes!

Pesto has got to be my most favorite sauce of all time!

But unfortunately, since I am lactose intolerant, it can be very hard finding a vegan version of pesto in grocery stores and in most restaurants since parmesan plays a major role in the sauce.

Well, what do I do?! What can I do to resolve this issue!?

Create a super easy vegan version of pesto with just 5-ingredients is what I can do! (That’s a mouthful!)

You will probably have most of these ingredients on hand except maybe nutritional yeast. For my vegan and vegetarian subscribers, I know it can be hard to incorporate vitamin B12 into your diet, and often plant-based eaters end up deficient since B12 occurs naturally in animal foods. Nutritional yeast is a great way to get your daily recommended amount of vitamin B12! See source for more information.

Adding nutritional yeast will not only help with vitamin B12 but will also give the pesto a “cheesy” flavor.

Pesto is a great everyday sauce that can be used in many dishes such as pasta, appetizers, chicken and/or potatoes. Pesto is great in the fridge for up to a week or stored in the freezer (in an airtight container) for up to 1 month. One of my favorite things to do is to pour pesto sauce into an ice tray. All you need to do is heat up a skillet, pop out a pesto cube or two, and let it melt! Add chicken breasts or tempeh to the skillet and you will have a very simple and easy side dish!

What do you like to put pesto on? Please let me know in the comments section and if you tried this super easy 5-ingredient vegan pesto! Don’t forget to subscribe and share! :)

This vegan pesto will soon become a fridge staple as it uses 5-ingredients in less than 5 minutes!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups packed fresh organic basil

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 5-8 raw almonds

• 3 large cloves of garlic (peeled)

• 1/3 cup EVOO (oil free version-water or veggie stock)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, pulse almonds and garlic until finely chopped.

2. Add basil, yeast, and S/P on high until loose paste forms.

3. While the processor is on low, pour the oil through the feed tube gradually. Scrape down the sides and add more if necessary to achieve the desired sauce consistency. (Oil-free version* add water or vegetable stock gradually until desired consistency)

4. Taste and adjust if necessary, adding more nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor, salt for overall flavor, garlic for that “bite” or almonds for a nuttier flavor.

5. Best stored in the fridge for up to one week or freezer for up to 1 month.