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Vegan Doritos®!

I'm just going to start off with a disclaimer: I'm a little bit crazy. In a good way...I hope. This recipe is as insane as I am. It's not difficult, but it does require quite a bit of time, attention and effort. That being said: I woke up yesterday morning, took a shower, then ran across the street to CVS to pick up some deodorant.  

As I was leaving CVS, there was this guy sitting outside on his lunch break. He was eating, no, he was reveling a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos®. The wide, neon orange smile on his face unleashed an inner childhood craving. My favorite lunch in 2nd grade was a bagel with cream cheese, an apple and a mini bag of Doritos®. The craving overtook my soul, and my brain launched into mad kitchen scientist-mode. 

I needed to figure out a way. Following a trip to my favorite co-op (where Follow Your Heart Cheese is on sale!), I set to work in my kitchen. It took up most of my afternoon, but it was completely worth it. They even leave that nacho-ey, cheesey aftertaste in your mouth!

 
Vegan Doritos®
Ingredients:
  • 1 bag Corn Chips
  • 1 10oz. block Follow Your Heart Cheddar Cheese (or other Vegan Yellow Cheddar)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Yellow Mustard Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Red Paprika
  • 3/4 tsp Salt*
  • Dash of Cayenne Pepper
*(the amount of salt you need may be more or less based on the sodium levels of the corn chips you use)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Grate the entire block of Follow Your Heart Cheddar Cheese as finely as possible, then spread out onto the parchment paper like this:
Place the baking pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until it's fully melted but not burned:

  Allow the cheese to cool for a few moments, then use a paper towel to blot as much excess moisture off of the top as possible. 

Repeat the blotting process again after ten minutes. Scrape the cheese into a bowl, and use a paper towel gently squeeze as much moisture out as possible. Allow the cheese to sit another 10-15 minutes. 

Make your spice blend by mixing together the remainder of the ingredients in a small bowl. 
Place the cheese into a food processor, and blend until the cheese is a creamy, dry paste. 

And now, the crazy part: 

Use your fingers to rub each chip with a VERY thin coat of the nacho cheese paste. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and bust out another large baking pan. If you don't like a lot of spice, skip the next step and just sprinkle the seasoning blend on when the chips are on the baking pan. If you like a lot of spice, place each cheese-covered chip in a large tupperware container or paper bag, and gently toss with the spice blend. 

Lay the chips out on a baking pan, place in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until starting to get crispy (just starting to brown.) Enjoy immediately!


 

Comments

Ricki said…
I haven't had Doritos since I was a kid! These are brilliant, really. . . and they look soooo like the "real" thing!!
Anardana said…
Wow! Very inventive!!
Brea Grant said…
where can i get follow your heart cheese on the east side?
Anonymous said…
wow, jenn, where do you come up with this stuff? i used to eat doritos nonstop when i was a kids and never thought i would be able to again. i think i will put the time and effort into creating this recipe. it looks absolutely delicious.
JENNA said…
I need to make these ASAP! They look so great.
That's amazing! There are actually some vegan Doritos now, I believe they're "Sweet Chili Heat".
I will SO trade you cupcakes for Twinkies!
miss v said…
yes! this is freaking awesome!
tofufreak said…
OMG!! vegan doritos!!!!! yay!!!!! so excited! i can't wait to try these out!!!!!
Anonymous said…
wow, I don't think I could last through an entire bag of chips spreading this stuff on one by one, I'd just start dipping and eating and there would be about 12 chips that make it through the recipe