I eat no dairy—and I mean none—but sometimes I miss the textures of milk, cream, and cheese. For a football game, a party, or just kicking around, this uncanny re-creation of nacho cheese hits the spot. When whirred up in a high-speed blender, macadamia nuts become creamy, and a blend of spices creates as close as you can get to nacho-cheese flavor without picking up a bag of processed, artificially flavored, and chemical-packed chips. The nutritional yeast is a Candida no-no, but as I have said, I break the rules once in a while. You can choose to leave it out, but the finished product won’t taste quite as cheesy.
Makes 2 cups
In a high-speed blender, pulse the macadamia nuts, bell pepper, water, and lime juice until chopped and well blended, 15 to 20 pulses. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, about 10 seconds, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.
Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to give the flavors time to meld. Serve with crudités or No-Carb Paleo Crackers.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.