Spabetties Seven Layer Tacos- Vegan MOFO Day 13

It was only a matter of time before I blogged about a recipe from a vegan mofo post as I have been

bookmarking so many new recipes,so many great ideas!

These are delicious, and I love the idea of quinoa in tacos so much more nutritious than my previous tacos. I loved the cashew cheese too. Really need to make cashew cheese more often.

Here is the recipe from xgfx blog, she also has her own blog here.

 Seven layer tacos Ok so technically six, since I omitted the olives.

The Layers:

1. jalapeno beans
2. salsa spiced quinoa
3. noocho cheese sauce
4. chopped lettuce and scallions
5. chopped tomatoes
6. cubed avocado
7. jalapeno soaked olives

Layer in hard corn taco shells, or in a serving dish as a seven layer dip. I have served these in small bowls as individual dips as well. No measurements for this – make as little or as much as you want, with layers as thick or thin as you want.
Base layer – canned pinto beans (drained) and chopped jalapeno:  2 cans beans and 2 seeded jalapenos, processed in food processor to a blend of chunky/creamy. I also fried this for a few minutes so it was warm and used chilli flakes.
Second layer – salsa spiced quinoa – quinoa cooked with dried and powdered “salsa flavors” added to the water: I used 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, I added 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons chili flakes, 1 teaspoon chili powder, bring to boil then simmer 25 minutes.
Third layer – noocho cheese sauce / dip. Recipe follows.
Fourth through seventh layers – layer the lettuce and scallions, then tomato, then avocado, then olives.


This noocho cheese has gained notoriety as well – it is a favorite in our house and many others. A perfect blend of spicy heat, a subtle buttery sweet from cashews, and the cheesy nutritional yeast – my cravings for this border on obsessive.

noocho cheese sauce

vegan, gluten free, dairy free
1 cup raw cashews, soaked
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce (we used less as we are wusses when it comes to heat)
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Begin with soaked cashews – process alone to an almost creamy consistency. Add lemon juice, Tabasco and a couple tablespoons of the water – continue processing until smooth. While processing, add garlic, nutritional yeast, paprika, chili and onion powders, stopping to scrape sides. Add water until desired consistency is reached – more water for sauce, less for dip.