Vegan Nachos with Homemade Salsa and Guacamole

Here's what you'll need to make vegan nachos that are just wonderful.  I make my own salsa and guacamole but use Tofutti Sour Cream, Daiya Cheese and Que Pasa Tortillas.  Firstly, here are the recipes:
​

Easy Tomato Salsa
Ingredients:

• ​3 cups diced tomatoes, (I remove the jelly and seeds or else it can be too watery)
• 1/2 cup sweet bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup purple onion, diced
• 2 Tbs. jalapenos (I use 1 large or 2 small.  Keep the seeds in the salsa to make it hot.  If you prefer mild salsa remove the seeds)
• 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or diced fine
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

This recipe makes about 4 cups.  Just add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until blended and store in the fridge.  It keeps about 4 days.
​​

---

​​Simple Guacamole
Ingredients:

• ​1 medium ripe avocado
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• Method:
• Mash the ripe avocado with a fork.  Add garlic, lime juice and sea salt and mix. 
• - Put the avocado pit in the center of the dip to stop it from oxidizing.  I made this dip the day before I took this picture so you can tell it doesn't go brown at all. Store the dip in a covered glass container in the fridge.
• - You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe for parties.  One avocado is enough for two people with nachos or in wraps.
• To ripen avocados more quickly, leave them in your fruit bowl on the counter with bananas.  To slow down the ripening process, store them in the fridge.

Go here to print these recipes:  recipe_easy_tomato_salsa_and_simple_guacamole.docx

---

Que Pasa Tortilla Chips

• ​Non-GMO which is important and rare for corn products.
• Come in regular (yellow), lightly salted (sea salt), black corn, and red corn.  These red corn chips use beet juice to get the color.  You can buy special Canada Day chips which are mix of red and white.
• Organic sprouted corn
• Vegan
• Local - produced in Richmond, BC
• Sold at most grocery stores including big bags from Costco.
• Prices are usually cheaper than big brand tortilla chips.
  

---

Tofutti Sour Supreme
​- ​I consider this to be vegan junk food.  It has many benefits over dairy, however it is made from soy which is, more than likely, a GMO product.  However, it tastes just like sour cream or even better.  Benefits:
- no lactose
- no milk
- no gluten
- no butterfat
- no cholesterol
​- You can buy it in the dairy case by the other sour creams.  I paid $3.77 (on sale) at Country Grocer on Twelfth Street, Nanaimo. The regular price is about $4.50.

---

Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds:
​I love daiya products.  They have shredded cheeses, cheese slices, creamed cheese and cheese cakes (in the frozen dairy case). Their cheeses taste great and melt well.  The benefits are:
​- Dairy, lactose and casein free - lactose is the milk sugars in milk.  Casein is the protein in milk that is a known carcinogen.
​- Gluten-free
​- Soy free
- No cholesterol
​- No trans-fats
Daiya cheese is made from tapioca flour, Non-GMO canola oil or non-GMO safflower oil.  This product isn't cheap ($5.99) but goes on sale frequently at various supermarkets.  You can use it in grilled sandwiches, macaroni, tacos, nachos, or any another meal where you would use shredded cheese.  Keep it in the fridge and use it up faster than you would regular cheese as it can go off and grow mold faster than other cheeses. 

---