Vegan Butternut Black Bean Nachos

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 400F. Toss the 1 1/2 lbs squash with the oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and a dash of cayenne pepper (a generous dash, if you love heat). Place the squash on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash is gently caramelized.

Step 2

While the squash roasts, make the butternut queso. Steam the reserved heaping cup of squash till tender (10-15 minutes). Place the squash, cashews, lemon, water, nutritional yeast, chili, turmeric, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a blender or a food process and blend till smooth. Taste the queso and adjust salt as needed, and/or add a tablespoon or two of water if it's too thick for your liking.

Step 3

To prepare the nachos, spread half of your tortilla chips onto a big platter. Top with about half of the refried beans, black beans, roasted butternut squash, avocado, salsa, and queso sauce. Pile the remaining tortilla chips on top and repeat with the remaining toppings and as much additional queso as you like. Top the dish with chopped cilantro and/or any other additions you love. Serve!