Contrary to what a majority of recipes on this blog may imply, I’m not vegan.
Case in point:
I think it’s a great way to eat, and 95% of the time, I do end up eating that way. However, the label “vegan” leaves out one very important component of a healthy diet: lack of freedom. I don’t like restriction. I like to be able to choose what I eat with each bite.
To me, healthy eating is two things:
1) Eating for health
2) Eating for enjoyment
And there’s easily room for both.
Take for example my love of Moe’s nachos. The husband and I both love Moe’s carryout, and often turn to it on football days, after long trips, or just when we feel like a treat. There’s nothing like the delicious cheesiness that is Mexican queso, especially when it’s smothered all over nachos.
So while I don’t eat cheese on a regular basis {neither my tummy nor my feet agree with it much}, there’s always room for a little queso.
The problem isn’t the cheese. The problem is Moe’s has started skimping on their portions. When you only put lettuce, black beans, and jalapenos on your nachos, you end up going home with a half-full take out box. No bueno.
The nacho-making isn’t the hard part. It’s mastering that gooey, oozy, slightly spicy queso blanco. Well, I’ve finally mastered it.
You can thank me later.
Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound white American cheddar {available at the deli counter}
- 1/8 pound {a couple standard slices} pepper jack cheese {use Monterey jack if you don’t want a lot of kick to your dip}
- 1/4 cup white onion, finely diced
- 1/2 jalapeno, diced
- 1/16 tsp smoked cumin {or regular}
- 1/8-1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/8 cup amber or dark beer {optional..and go ahead, drink the rest;)}
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
In a small sauce pan, sauté finely diced onion over medium heat until the onion starts to brown. Stir in jalapeno and cook a few more minutes.
Rip the cheeses into smaller pieces and add to pot.
Slowly pour in a small amount of milk and whisk into melting cheese. Add beer if using. Slowly add milk/cheese until desired consistency is reached. Remember cheese will thicken quickly as it cools.
Stir in cumin and olive oil. Don’t skip the oil- it helps it not solidify so fast when you’re using it as a dip.
Equally delicious as dip…
…or imitation Moe’s nachos.
Take that Moe’s and your rapidly diminishing portions. 
Right now on tiny sneakers: the potentially dangerous debate on who has it easier- working moms or stay at home moms. Go weigh in with your take.
{ 20 comments… read them below or chime in }
OMG, yum! I will be making this soon! Or heading over to Moe’s to get some b/c I’m too lazy to get the ingredients at the store.
Kristen @ The Concrete Runner Just blogged…the significance of this weekend
You just made my husband a very happy man
YUM!
Whoa whoa whoa, beer in queso? BALLER!
I wish I had read this before I went to Moe’s! That’s what we had for dinner tonight bc I was wanting queso
Your nachos look better than theirs!
Kelly Just blogged…Baby bangs
My man friends are going to FLIP when I make this!!! THANK YOU!!!
Oh, yum. I might have to try that!
Robin | Farewell, Stranger Just blogged…Maternity Clothes for the Not Pregnant
I love Moe’s – my husband always gets the Queso dip! I will have to make this for him.
Thank you for posting!
Heather Just blogged…Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread
Be still my heart! We don’t get mexican here so this is officially rocking my socks. brilliant!! MMMM!! Craving these now.
Love, love, love queso. Will definitely try this out!
Natalie @MamaTrack Just blogged…Change in a Pumpkin Patch
Oh my word….the mouth is WATERING. Delicious. Amazing!
Dwija {House Unseen} Just blogged…10 Steps to a Winterized Garden
I adore queso dip! Yours looks divine. *drool*
aquariann Just blogged…Blog Sponsor Ads, Features Now Available
oh man. this looks so good! perfect football food
So I made this recipe over the weekend….and I have to say…..sadly it was nothing like Moe’s queso. From the consistency to the flavor, it was all wrong.
I’ll try the other copycat recipe which calls out asadero cheese. Wasted about $10 on ingredients to make this one.
Where’s the recipe?
It’s there now- sorry, the recipe plugin I use wasn’t working!
I’m confused. I’m allergic to almonds & all tree nuts for that matter. How is there almond milk in this? I eat it at Moe’s every time I go there. Is this a different recipe or is it actually from there?
This is a copycat recipe- you can use any kind of milk for this, I just used almond because that’s what I drink at home.
This does NOT come out anything like Moe’s queso or the pictures. The cheese never loses its stringy consistency even after melting it for awhile. It hardens quickly and the oil that’s suppose to keep it melted ends up preventing proper dipping (the oil repels the chip so that the cheese won’t stick to anything easily!). It essentially turned into a mess. Not that tasty and too difficult to eat. Waste of time and money. Disappointed…
Pretty bummed about how this turned out. Did a test run so I could suprise my wife after work (we both love Moe’s). It turned into a mess, with a big ball of melted cheese floating around the almond milk (wish I had read the comments before buying a jug of almond milk, while I have a gallon of regular milk at home). Waste of ingredients
If you don’t like how much they put on at Moe’s all you have to do is ask for more. Since you’re standing right there when they make it, you just say, can I have more lettuce on that please, and they are happy to oblige. I have even done that with guacamole that costs extra. Just don’t be shy about telling the person making it to add more.
Also, this recipe is probably the worst possible way you could make a cheese sauce or queso dip. You need to start with a roux from butter and flour and add REAL milk to that. Then you can melt the cheese in and it wont turn into a ball of stringy mess.