SUBSCRIBE
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Health For Mzansi
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
Health For Mzansi

Veganuary: Easy, peasy cauli-power nachos

by Noluthando Ngcakani
7th January 2022
in Recipes
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
If you are looking for a wholesome vegan fake-away, the chef Jason McNamara has just the recipe for you - cauli-power nachos. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

If you are looking for a wholesome vegan fake-away, the chef Jason McNamara has just the recipe for you - cauli-power nachos. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Who ever said that going vegan had to be boring or meant a lifetime of only lentils and leaves? Jason McNamara is the owner of The Kind Kitchen – a vegan comfort food café in Cape Town and shares a quick and easy cauli-power nachos recipe that is sure to hit the spot this Veganuary.

McNamara’s innovative and imaginative recipes reimagine even your guiltiest pleasures like a heart serving of nachos. To him The Kind Kitchen is not only the name of his restaurant or his recently published cookbook – it is a way of life.  “We don’t have a Planet B to call home! This one is all we have, and we have the power to change the way we treat mother earth through the foods we choose to eat.”

Vegan chef, Jason McNamara. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

McNamara is a vegan chef who studied at the Natural Epicurian School of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas. Before opening the Woodstock café, he offered exclusive vegan dining experiences from his home and provided take-out meals for home delivery.

McNamara shares his recipe for Cauli-power nachos.

Cauli-power nachos

Who says fake-aways are exclusively meaty? If you’re looking for a wholesome appetizer with the appeal of ‘junk food’, this is a definite

“‘winner winner, no chicken in this dinner’ kinda meal,” says McNamara.

ALSO READ: Whoa! This is 162.5 kg of pure vegan goodness

Ingredients

  • Cauli-meat mix
  • 2 fresh jalapeño peppers
  • 500 g cauliflower florets
  • 200 g whole walnuts
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) oil (canola, olive, sunflower, or a blend)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice (fresh or bottled)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder or onion powder
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • Nachos
  • 1 packet (250 g) nacho chips (for homemade chips, see page 63)
  • 1–2 cups Easy-Peasy Cheesy Sauce
  • 2 cups grated vegan cheddar
  • Pineapple Pico de Gallo and/or Chunky Guacamole, for serving,

Instructions

1.      Cauli-meat mix Char the whole jalapeños with a cook’s blow­torch, or over the open flame of a gas stove, or under the oven’s grill element. They should be just blackened, but not burnt. Cut in half and remove the seeds if you prefer less heat.

2.     Place the jalapeños and the remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs, adding a little more oil if needed. (You may need to do this in batches.) Place on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes, then stir to combine and bake for a further 15 minutes, until it resembles the colour and texture of browned beef mince. Remove from the oven.

Nachos

3.     Scatter the nacho chips in a large ovenproof dish.

4.     Spread the cauli-meat over the nachos, pour over the cheese sauce, top with grated cheddar, and return to the oven for 5–8 minutes, until the grated cheese is melted. Serve straight away, with pico de gallo and/or guacamole on the side, for dipping.

Notes

• For a more intense taste, use 2–3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of jalapeños.

• No time to make cheese sauce? Make a cheat’s version by placing 1 cup grated vegan

cheddar in a pot with ½ cup (125 ml) water or vegetable stock. Heat slowly, whisking, until

well combined.

Tags: Food medicineHealthHealthy lifestyleNutritionWellness
Noluthando Ngcakani

Noluthando Ngcakani

Related Articles

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes
Nutrition

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes

by Vateka Halile
24th June 2025
Beat the chill with hearty, wholesome chicken soup
Recipes

Beat the chill with hearty, wholesome chicken soup

by Vateka Halile
10th June 2025

Stories

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites
Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics
Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy
Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen
No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches
How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth
Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing
Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers
No Result
View All Result

Latest

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes
Nutrition

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes

by Vateka Halile
24th June 2025

There’s magic in a pot of simmering meaty bones. Rich in collagen, gelatin, and flavour, they support joint and gut...

Read moreDetails
Fathers matter: Shaping lives, not just childhoods

Fathers matter: Shaping lives, not just childhoods

23rd June 2025
UCT

Amputees call for support beyond surgery

20th June 2025

FS clinic upgrade stalls, forces patients into cramped church

19th June 2025
Pineapple tea is Mzansi’s medicine in a mug

Pineapple tea is Mzansi’s medicine in a mug

18th June 2025
Health For Mzansi

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824

News: hello@healthformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

Awards & Impact
Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy
Copyright

Somagwaza

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites

cropped-scott-webb-yekGLpc3vro-unsplash.jpeg

Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics

Dr Sinethemba Makanya

Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes

Fathers matter: Shaping lives, not just childhoods

Amputees call for support beyond surgery

FS clinic upgrade stalls, forces patients into cramped church

Pineapple tea is Mzansi’s medicine in a mug

Kombucha: The tangy tea that’s good for your gut

error: Content is protected !!
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes

© 2021 Health For Mzansi | Farmers For Change Pty (Ltd)

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers