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!