I dreamed up these nachos last year, but asparagus season came and went before I had the chance to make them. This year, they were on my radar with plenty of time to spare. Lucky for me, I found not only local asparagus but also local radishes and ramps to go along with them.

A vegan “cheese'' sauce is the perfect pairing for the spring veggies. After browsing what felt like a million vegan cheese sauce recipes, I decided to use Broma Bakery's Best Vegan Cashew Queso. I've always been skeptical about vegan cheese, but this recipe is creamy, flavorful perfection.

This recipe makes a half-sheet tray of nachos, perfect for sharing with your quarantine buddies (or regular buddies). If you can't finish these in one sitting, they taste amazing as leftovers. This probably sounds bizarre, but trust me: second-day nachos are, dare I say, better than fresh nachos.

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don’t forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Ingredients

Vegan Sauce (from Broma Bakery)

1 cup raw unsalted cashews
1 cup unsweetened nut milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Toppings and Chips

1 cup chopped radishes, from about 10 radishes
2 cups chopped asparagus, from about 12 stalks
1-2 ramps, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
7 oz of strong tortilla chips
Fresh lime juice for serving

Steps

Preheat oven to 425 F. Soak the cashews in boiling water for about 15 minutes, or until very soft. While the cashews are soaking, chop the radishes into quarters or halves and chop the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Thinly slice the ramps, including their leafy ends.
Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the radishes, asparagus and most of the ramps to the skillet and season with salt. Saute for 5-10 minutes, until the radishes are becoming translucent and the asparagus turn bright green.
Drain and rinse off the cashews. Then, add all sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until very creamy. Set aside.
Arrange the tortilla chips on a small baking tray. Pour the sauce over the chips and pile the sauteed veggies on top of the sauce. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce is hot. If you had any extra radishes, thinly slice them for garnish. When the nachos are done, garnish with extra ramps, radishes and lime juice. Dig in!

Sustainability Tips

Cashews: Forever and always buy fair trade cashews. Most cashews sold in the U.S. are grown and processed in Africa, India or Vietnam at operations associated with nasty practices and poor working conditions (think: acid burns and forced labor).
Vegetables: It's most sustainable to make this dish during spring because that is when all the produce in this dish are in season. For maximum sustainability, buy organic and as locally as possible. This will ensure that your vegetables and lemon don’t contribute to pesticide contamination or excessive greenhouse gas emissions during travel.

Vegan Spring Nachos