Dairy Free Queso

This is another one of my creations from Super Bowl Sunday. When the hubby and I started discussing snacks for the day, he mentioned the velvetta rotel queso dip from the television commercials. This was not happening, but I set out to come up with my own version of it. I am fairly certain no one would miss the dairy in this version. The hubby said it was better than the original!

In a large skillet over medium heat, make a roux using two tablespoons of dairy free butter and two tablespoons of flour. You will know it is ready when it turns a nice golden color.

When the roux is ready, add in one cup of plain unsweetened almond milk and whisk to combine.

Next add eight ounces of your favorite dairy free cheddar and allow to melt, whisking constantly.

Add in four ounces of dairy free cream cheese, two ounces of dairy free sour cream, two tablespoons of nutritional yeast and two tablespoons of dried jalapeños. Allow to melt, continuing to whisk.

Once melted, mix in one can of diced tomatoes with green chilies which has been drained. Add salt to taste. Whisk to combine and allow to simmer until nicely thickened.

This dip is extremely versatile. I served it with pretzel nuggets and blue corn chips, but also used it in our loaded nachos. Both dishes were a hit!

Sriracha Wings with Honey Yogurt Dipping Sauce

I am a little behind the eight ball with posting my version of Super Bowl wings, but here they are. I absolutely love sriracha. The idea for these wings came from a local restaurant who serves them; but alas, I could not eat them being as they were fried in peanut oil. So, I came home on a mission to create my own.

To make myself feel better about eating wings, these are baked instead of fried. Divide eight wings into wing and drumette. Toss in a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place into a broiler safe baking dish and bake at 375* for fifty to sixty minutes until crisp.

Two of my absolute favorite ingredients! These are the foundation for my wing sauce. Heat a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Melt one-half cup of earth balance or butter of your choice. We use earth balance since we are dairy free. Add one-half cup sriracha, two tablespoons of chili garlic sauce, and one tablespoon of mirin to add a touch of sweetness. We like it hot! For a milder version, adjust the sriracha and and chili garlic sauce. I would probably half them. Mix one tablespoon of corn starch with a small amount of water to form a slurry and mix into the sauce. Simmer a few minutes until thickened.

For the dipping sauce, simply mix twelve ounces of plain yogurt with two tablespoons of honey. I use coconut yogurt, but plain greek yogurt would work well also. Whenever possible, use local honey. Not only are you supporting a local beekeeper, but there are also further health benefits.

When the wings are nice and crispy, carefully toss in the sauce and put them back into the baking dish. Switch the oven to broil and broil until nicely browned.

Serve topped with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions. These wings are a delicious combination of hot, sweet and savory. I think my hubby and I could have easily enjoyed twice as many!

On a side note, Melissa’s Menu is two years old! Thank you all for reading. I appreciate the support, comments, and bonds I’ve formed over food the past two years!