Vegan victory

Don’t worry, it’s nacho father’s cheese recipe.

Cashews have changed the game for vegan cheeses. They add a creamy, decadent flavor that cookbook authors and chefs have adopted in almost every new recipe I come across.

Vegan brands like Miyoko’s Kitchen offer up artisanal flavors like Mt. Vesuvius Black Ash and Aged English Smoked Farmhouse as cashew-based options.

Unfortunately, if you have a sensitive gut or suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, you may have a hard time digesting these nuts. Those who can’t tolerate cashews are often sensitive to FODMAPS — sugars and fibers that aren’t digested by the small intestines. (If you find you also have a problem with onions and garlic, low-FODMAP options might be worth a try.)

My other irritation with cashews is they have to be soaked, sometimes up to two hours, before they can blend into a cheese sauce.

Extensive prep time is fine on a Saturday afternoon but not on nights when both my husband and I work late. Or, let’s be honest, when I’ve decided we’re having nachos for dinner, and I forgot to soak the nuts in the first place.

Thankfully, there are nut-free recipes out there that are simple, healthy and delicious. “America’s Test Kitchen,” the Emmy-award winning cooking show, includes a nacho cheese recipe in its new book, “Vegan for Everybody” (America’s Test Kitchen, $29.95).

I was dubious when I looked at the ingredients. I thought there was no way a mixture that blended boiled potatoes and carrots along with vinegar and nutritional yeast would come out anything like nacho cheese. Plus, the vinegar sounded gross.

I was completely wrong. The sauce came out smooth, tangy and with an unmistakable nacho cheese flavor and texture. Processing the potatoes released starch that gave it a gluey, stretchy consistency. Sauteed adobo peppers and onions added a Tex-Mex kick. Use it as a chip dip or a topping on your taco salad.

For a tangy salad topper or sandwich filling, try the Greek tofu feta recipe in Jo Stepaniak’s latest book, “Low-FODMAP and Vegan” (Book Publishing Co., $17.95).

The brine, which mixes apple cider vinegar, water, miso and oregano, takes about 3 minutes to make. Cut some extra-firm tofu into cubes and let them soak overnight. I ate the cubes solo, but crumble and toss on top of pasta to get a more realistic feta feel.

ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTOS; LISA SCHUMACHER/FOOD STYLING Vegan nacho cheese, from America’s Test Kitchen’s book “Vegan for Everyone,” has a potato and carrot base, flavored with poblanos, chipotle, cumin, mustard and nutritional yeast.