Healthy and easy-to-make cheese breads that taste like your favorite queso dip! They are vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, oil-free and have just 80 calories apiece. A perfect savory fitness snack!
Queso is on the menu at just about every Tex-Mex joint here in the Lone Star State, and no wonder: warm, gooey cheese, typically with a hot pepper kick and plethora of chips alongside, it’s pure comfort food, fitting for casual celebrations of all kinds (especially the workday-is-over-and-it’s-Friday-night variety).
However, it’s probably not the best option before a long run. And I imagine that eating it while riding a bike could be tricky.
So I came up with these.
They deliver big-time on the cheese flavor, have an addictive accent of heat and smokiness from the chipotle chile powder, and you can bake them off at your convenience.
And the texture? Tender and bread-like around the edges, but–I kid you not–melted cheese-like towards the middle.
These are great on the go, and taste delicious hot, warm or cold. They make a great snack (high fiber, 4 grams of protein, low sugar, high fiber) or pair two or three with soup or salad for a great lunch or dinner.
Power food and comfort food in one handheld, portable snack. This is my kind of eating; I hope it is yours, too!
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup drained and rinsed canned white beans (1/2 of a 15 oz can)
- ½ cup nondairy milk
- ⅓ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons tahini (see note for options)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons psyllium husk
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Optional: chopped cilantro leaves
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or spray 9 cups of a standard muffin tin.
- In a food processor, process the oats into a fine powder. Add the beans, milk, pumpkin, yeast, tahini, psyllium husk, baking powder, chile powder, cumin and salt. Process until blended and smooth.
- Divide mixture evenly among prepared cups.
- Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 21 minutes. until golden brown at edge and centers are puffed. Transfer tin to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes (centers of pucks will deflate somewhat). Remove breads from pan. Serve while warm or cool to room temperature (they are also good cold!)
*An equal amount of unsweetened almond butter or sunflower seed butter can be used in place of the tanini.
*Use any variety of nondairy milk except full fat coconut milk. Feel free to use dairy milk if you are not avoiding dairy.
