Meals from Mel! Earthfood-Loaded Nachos + Better-4-You Rice Crispy Treats

This week’s Meals from Mel features: Earthfood-Loaded Nachos + Better-4-You Rice Crispy Treats

Nachos for dinner and rice crispy treats for dessert?! Hell yeah! Why not? Unlike those greasy nachos found at baseball concession stands across America, you can feel good (and a little naughty…not really) about treating yourself to these bad (not really) boys.

Although I’m not vegan, I made these nachos 100% plant-based because it was actually easier to do! Feel free to substitute ground turkey or grass-fed ground beef for the Walnut Taco Meat and Organic Valley sour cream for the coconut or cashew yogurt.

You may be tempted to use regular cheese, but I want to challenge your taste buds with the Sunflower “Cheese” Sauce recipe. Created by vegansandra.com, this simple and tasty dairy-free, plant-based “cheese” won’t make you feel bloated…and it’s full of real-food ingredients. 

You can enjoy these nachos alone, or, do what we did and pair it with a big old leafy green salad with chopped veggies.

Now let’s talk about those rice crispy treats. Listen- they aren’t a health food, they simply replace less-wholesome ingredients with better-for-you ones—like raw honey and cashew butter in place of marshmallows. 

Let yourself feel like a kid again!

This week’s Meals from Mel:

1. Main: Earthfood-Loaded Nachos 
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2. Sweet: Better-4-You Rice Crispy Treats
   JUMP TO RECIPE

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Earthfood-Loaded Nachos

Nachos for dinner?! Why not? Unlike those greasy nachos found at baseball concession stands across America, you can feel good about treating yourself to these bad (not really) boys.

Prep Time

20 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 3 big handfuls grain-free tortilla chips I like The Real Coconut brand of coconut flour chips or Siete brand cassava chips
• 3/4-1 cup prepared Sunflower "Cheese" See 'Recipe Notes' below for the link to the recipe
• 3/4 cup prepared Walnut Taco Meat See 'Recipe Notes' below for the link to the recipe
• 1/2 large ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup canned black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives, drained
• salsa to taste
• 1-2 dollops unsweetened coconut or cashew yogurt

Prep Time 20 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 3 big handfuls grain-free tortilla chips I like The Real Coconut brand of coconut flour chips or Siete brand cassava chips 3/4-1 cup prepared Sunflower "Cheese" See 'Recipe Notes' below for the link to the recipe 3/4 cup prepared Walnut Taco Meat See 'Recipe Notes' below for the link to the recipe 1/2 large ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 1/2 cup canned black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup sliced green onions 1/4 cup sliced black olives, drained salsa to taste 1-2 dollops unsweetened coconut or cashew yogurt

Instructions

1. On a platter or large plate, layer all ingredients in order listed above. Dig in!

   

Recipe Notes

1. Click HERE  for coconut flour chips or  HERE  for cassava chips.
2. Click  HERE for the Sunflower "Cheese" Sauce recipe! I used Bragg liquid aminos in place of soy sauce and avocado oil to saute the onions and garlic.
3. Click HERE  for the "Walnut Taco Meat" recipe.

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Better-4-You Rice Crispy Treats

No marshmallows needed for this version, as the combination of cashew butter and raw honey makes for a beautiful substitute. These treats are sweet, chewy, and most importantly, lacking in the inflammatory vegetables oils, corn syrup, artificial flavors, preservatives, and monoglycerides (i.e. trans fats) found in the store-bought junk! 1 Earthfood per serving: ♥

Course

Sweet Treats

Keyword

Anthony William, cashews, medicalmedium.com, Melanie Jatsek, Missing Peace, Rice Crispy Treats

Prep Time

10 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 2/3 cup raw cashew butter Add 2 cups raw cashews to your food processor and blend until it's the consistency of almond butter. Stop to scrap the sides a few times during processing. You will have a bit leftover, so store in a sealed container and use for shakes!
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. Sea salt
• 4 cups puffed brown rice cereal I used Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice Cereal (the only ingredient is puffed whole grain brown rice)

Course Sweet Treats Keyword Anthony William, cashews, medicalmedium.com, Melanie Jatsek, Missing Peace, Rice Crispy Treats Prep Time 10 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 1/2 cup raw honey 2/3 cup raw cashew butter Add 2 cups raw cashews to your food processor and blend until it's the consistency of almond butter. Stop to scrap the sides a few times during processing. You will have a bit leftover, so store in a sealed container and use for shakes! 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. Sea salt 4 cups puffed brown rice cereal I used Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice Cereal (the only ingredient is puffed whole grain brown rice)

Instructions

1. Combine raw honey, prepared cashew butter, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Stir well. Add the puffed rice and mix with a spatula until combined.
2. Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper and pour mixture into the dish. Press down with the spatula to smooth out and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Once the bars are hardened, cut into 16 squares and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

   

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts per serving (1 square): Calories: 110; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 40 mg; Potassium: 73 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 15 g; Dietary fiber: 0 g; Net Carbohydrates: 15 grams; Sugar: 8 g (8 grams added sugar from honey); Protein: 2 g

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