Vegan Skillet Queso and a Versatile Blogger Award

Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your weekends.
I am definitely having a good weekend, though I've been procrastinating on homework... Raine and I had a stay-at-home date night last night and I whipped up some vegan queso for dinner.

We also watched Risky Business, which I'd never seen before. It was good- it's one of those movies that gets parodied over and over so I finally got to see the original!
We ate our queso with chips and I also made pita pockets to go with them!

The pitas were stuffed with vegetarian refried beans, romaine, tomatoes, onion, and a drizzle of my queso.

I modified the queso from a VegWeb recipe (PS I love that site!)

My recipe is vegan, gluten free, and 100% yummy!

Ingredients (serves 2 queso monsters):

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

dash of sea salt

dash of garlic powder

1 cup of water (or less if you are going to use a less chunky salsa)

2 TBSP cornstarch + 2 TBSP cold water (mixed up and reserved in a separate bowl)

1/2 can rotel or salsa

Combine the nutritional yeast, spices, and water in a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil and add the cornstarch-water mixture. Stir until the queso thickens to your desired consistency. Turn off the heat and add half a can of rotel or equivalent amount of salsa. I used rotel and didn't use any of the liquid from the can.

Check for salt or add any other seasonings (I'm sure that cumin would be good!) and devour.

This stuff is addictive and totally guilt free... half of this skillet has about 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, and 14 grams of protein!

I've really been enjoying experimenting with nutritional yeast lately, and making delicious vegan recipes! Thanks for sharing your ideas of what you'd like me to veganize in my last post. I am super excited to share my vegan French Toast recipe with you soon!

I'm also excited about the Versatile Blogger Award that both Eva and Jamie awarded me this past week! They are totally awesome...thank you both! 

The rules of accepting the award are:

1) Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them. Done and done!

2) Tell 7 random facts about yourself

3) Pass the award on to 15 other versatile bloggers

4) Let the giver of the award know if you've accepted the award or not.

Here I go!

1. I am a reformed Diet Coke addict. I used to drink at least one 20oz Diet Coke every day...this went on for months and I'd quit, then relapse! I'm much better now and limit my sugar-free caffeine habit to once a week or less.

2. My thumbs are double jointed. I'll spare you a visual.

3. I have a love-hate relationship with avocados. 

4. I'm re-learning how to drive after a long hiatus...I wrecked my first car in high school and it all went downhill from there. My uncle took me out driving in Dallas the last time I was home and helped me to be more confident behind the wheel. Luckily I have an extremely patient boyfriend who chauffeured me for years and is now helping me to be a better driver!

5. I wanted to be a veterinarian and an author when I was little.

6. I love Starbucks. I know people despise their corporate evil-ness, but really I think they make the perfect Americano.

7. I'm ready to move out of Illinois. 16 months to go!

And 15 bloggers I'd like to pass this award on to (in no particular order) are:

1. Faith @ Lovely as Charged

2. Mansee @ Anywho

3. Kristen @ Swanky Dietician

4. Caronae @ Run Write Therapy Life

5. Rach @ This Italian Family

6. Meri @ Meri-Goes-Round

7. Shawnee @ Ex-Perfectionist

8. Jessica @ Dairy Free Betty

9. Jenn @ Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog

10. Lauren @ Diary of a Vegan Girl

11. Heather @ All Sizzle No Steak

12. Faith @ An Edible Mosaic

13. Erika @ The Teenage Taste

14. Lauren @ Goodbye Texas Hello PA

15. Jackie @ i live with a cat

I hope you click through and check out these lovely blogs! 

I'm going to a concert tonight with some of my friends- Far East Movement and Mike Posner! It's not the kind of music I usually listen to...but I do enjoy the "like a G6" song :) I'm going to go paint my nails now...

Tell me something about yourself... Are you double-jointed? What did you want to "grow up to be" as a child?