Breakfast Nachos with Refried Beans & Cashew Queso
A spicy scramble with hearty refried beans and creamy queso on a bed of tortilla chips is a beautiful way to start the day. Finish with optional toppings like chopped tomatoes, jalapeño slices, and hot sauce.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 433kcal
Ingredients
Creamy Cashew Queso
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup vegetable broth or water and half a vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon white miso paste
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt**
Tofu scramble
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped small to medium
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅓ cup orange yellow, or red bell pepper, chopped small to medium
- 10 ounces super firm tofu from a vacuum-packed package*
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup salsa
Refried beans
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped small
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups pinto beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup water + a few tablespoons more if necessary
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ground pepper to taste
Breakfast Nachos
- 8 ounces tortilla chips
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
For the Creamy Cashew Queso
- If using a non high speed blender, soak the cashews for 8 hours in water, and then drain them. If you're using a high speed blender, soaking isn't necessary.
- Using a blender, blend raw cashews, vegetable broth (or water and half a vegetable bouillon cube), nutritional yeast, white miso paste, cumin, ancho chili powder, and salt. Blend until totally smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Transfer the cashew mixture to a small pot. Bring the pot to a medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring for about 10 minutes. If it begins to simmer, lower the heat. Continue stirring and cooking until the cashew mixture has reduced and thickened, making a velvety smooth queso.
For the Tofu Scramble
- Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil to the skillet, and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper for a few minutes, until the mixture is fragrant and softened.
- Crumble the tofu into the pan with your hands. Add water, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, ancho chili powder, and salt to the tofu. Stir until the spices are evenly combined with the tofu and cook for a few minutes, until the tofu is warm throughout.
- Add the jarred salsa to the tofu, spread evenly throughout the mixture, and cook for a couple minutes more until warm and combined.
For the Refried Beans
- Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil to the skillet and sauté onion and garlic a few minutes, until fragrant and translucent.
- Add pinto beans to the skillet along with water, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt.
- When the water begins to simmer, lower the heat and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed, except for a couple of tablespoons.
- Using a fork or potato masher, mash the beans until smooth. If the beans are too dry, add water by the tablespoonful until they are soft and smooth like mashed potatoes, but not too watery.
- Add ground pepper and taste for salt, adding more if necessary.
For the Breakfast Nachos
- Spread tortilla chips across a platter.
- Evenly spread spoonfuls of tofu scramble and refried beans. Generously spoon creamy cashew queso across the nachos.
- Add dollops of fresh avocado, fresh cilantro, and the toppings of your choice. Serve immediately with plenty of napkins.
Notes
*I like to use super firm Wildwood sprouted tofu, which comes in a vacuum-packed package and doesn't have to be drained. If you use water-packaged tofu, first drain the tofu before using. You may not need to add the ¼ cup of water, because the tofu will already be logged with water inside of it.
**I use a low-sodium bouillon cube. However, if your broth or cube is salty, either eliminate or reduce the added salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 745mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 12.3mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 3.9mg
