Chipotle Cheese Broccoli Nibblers
Add to favorites
~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
I have to admit a deep dark secret… I have been holding out on you! I have been making broccoli nibblers for almost two years now and haven’t shared the recipe. Gulp, my bad. I had every intention to, and I had this recipe written up as a posting, but it got lost in the shuffle. Better late than never?
Hard to believe that broccoli can become an addictive snack isn’t it? I am here to say that is possible and probable! I haven’t formed a 12 step program for those who do become addictive, so you have been warned… you are on your own.
The key to making broccoli nibblers is to heavily coat the florets with sauce. A light coating just won’t suffice, and the end result will just be plain boring.
As you can see in the photo to the right… that is already dehydrated and look at that coating?! It is cheesy tasting due to the nutritional yeast and has a subtle bite from the chipotle powder.
Be sure to dehydrate them all the way through to get that crunch factor. You will also want to make sure that they are well protected from humidity by placing them in an airtight container. I hope you enjoy this recipe, Many blessings, amie sue
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups cashews, soaked 2+ hours
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp chipotle powder
- 1/2 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp sunflower lecithin, ground
- 12 cups broccoli florets
Preparation:
- Prepare the broccoli by breaking it into medium-sized florets. Snack-size. They will shrink a little bit during the drying process.
- Using a high-speed blender, combine the following ingredients in this order: water, lemon juice, cashews (be sure to drain and discard the water), yeast, chipotle, salt, garlic, and lecithin.
- Blend until it creates a very smooth and creamy sauce.
- This can take up to 5 minutes, depending on your blender.
- Stop the blender every so often and scrape the sides down.
- To test the creaminess, rub some of the cheese sauce between your thumb and forefinger. If you feel grit, continue blending.
- Once smooth and creamy add the lecithin. Be sure to grind the lecithin into a powder in a spice grinder before using it. Or if you can use soy, you can try the sunflower lecithin. It comes in a liquid form, and you would just use the same measurement.
- Measure out 2 cups of cheese sauce. Store the remaining sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge. It will last up to 5 days.
- Pour the sauce over the broccoli and massage the sauce lightly into the broccoli, making sure everything is well coated.
- Place coated broccoli on the teflex sheets that comes with the dehydrator. You can place it on the mesh screen, but for the ease of cleanup, I recommend the teflex sheets.
- Sprinkle the broccoli with sea salt.
- Dehydrate at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees 6-8 hours, or until dry.
- Store in an air-tight container.
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients, it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Mhhhh this looks just sooo yummy! What a great idea to make broccoli that way! I have some friends over on sunday for some goodbye drinks & snacks, I’ll make these for it!
They are delicious my friend! I hope you enjoy them as we do…keep me posted please. amie sue
Do you think this recipe would work if I used pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead of cashews?
I can’t bring nuts into schools and one of my children has strong intollerance to nuts.
I would wing it and give it a try but can’t afford any more flops! :)
Hi Shawna,
Might I recommend hemp seeds as first choice? Less of a flavor impact. Sunflower would be good as well but may give a hint of change in the end flavor profile. I have heard of the nut allergy issues in schools and all the restrictions. What a challenge. I will keep that in mind for future recipes as well. I hope these are well received. Keep me posted. :0 amie sue
I have a question, what is the soy lecithin for? I’ve never used it before and it’s in a lot of raw recipes. Is there something I can use instead of it or a substitute for it? Also where can you get it? I love Kale Chips and I love broccoli, so I bet I’ll love these! Thanks. :)
Hello Jacqueline,
I used it to thicken the sauce a bit and for nutritional benefits. You can order it here if interested… http://astore.amazon.com/nouraw-20/detail/B0065S65QY
I hope you make this and enjoy it! amie sue
Wow! I just made a half batch of these yesterday and can I say these have to be some of the most tastiest treats to come out of my dehydrator yet! I can’t wait to make another batch and try some different flavor combinations.
I absolutely adore your website and have made several of your recipes and can’t wait to try more – everything comes out perfect and amazing!
That is awesome 28cooks.
I have several more flavor profiles already tried and tested for more broccoli nibblers, so stay tuned. :) I am thrilled that you are enjoying the recipes. Have a blessed day, amie sue
Thank you ever so much for uploading all these recipes. It’s just amazing!!! All the work you have done… So very grateful!!!!
Thank you Spiritdancer, I appreciate your kind words. I too am grateful. :)
Hi! We would love to feature you and your recipe in an upcoming kriscarr.com newsletter. If you would like that, please e-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you!!!!
Hello Maria… thank you. I will be sending you an email. :) Many blessings, amie sue
OMG! omg! Amie Sue that’s all I can say for all of your recipes! I just made this and the sauce is…..OMG GOOD! This is the first RAW “cheese” sauce that is -lick your fingers-roll your eyes-keep coming back for more-GOOD! I am in heaven! I just dipped some of the raw broccoli in the sauce and ate it and I am in heaven..They finally made it to the dehydrator (only 1/2 a batch, I ate the rest) and I can’t wait for them to be ready..Great recipe!
lol Dee… you made my day by sharing that. Thank you. You can do so much with that cheese sauce too… so keep that recipe handy! Let me know how the end product turns out for you. I find that broccoli haters end up loving this treat! Have a blessed day. amie sue
Aime-Sue,
You say you use soy free lecithin. You showed the product with a link, which now says unavailable. I looked this up and if I am reading right I think this is a liquid yet your recipe calls for soy lecithin ground. Does that mean this needs to be grounded? If so, how do I do that if I can only find this in liquid form? Can I replace this with something else?
Thank you. Blessings
Sherry:D)
Hi Sherry,
I see that Amazon isn’t selling at the moment, but I wanted the link to remain so at least a person could see what I used. You can find it with other vendors over the Internet. If you use the soy lecithin or the sunflower lecithin, it is the same measurement. You can omit it all together if you can’t find it. I add the sunflower lecithin off and on sometimes just for the nutritional value that it offers my body. It is not necessary to have in this recipe other than just for that. These are down right addictive… much like kale chips.. you have been warned. hehe
Merry Christmas..amie sue
How long will the completed product last in the fridge?
Hi Carley, I don’t think I would keep these in the fridge… I would fear them softening up. I usually keep mine in a mason jar. I have the 1/2 gallon size and like to decorate my counters with them. :)
okay thanks!
I have cashew butter, how can that be adjusted in this recipe in exchange for the cashews? And can I omit the soy lecithin?
Hello Kiki,
I haven’t used cashew butter in this recipe. In general (in my experience) 2 cups of cashew pieces makes about 1 1/4 cups of cashew butter. So you can try 1 1/4 cups of the butter. Be careful that you don’t over-process when combining all the ingredients since the cashews are already broken down completely. And yes, you can omit the lecithin. Good luck and enjoy, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue,
I loved the taste. I do have a question: what to do with the thick broccoli stalks? I made the mistake of cutting them up and dehydrating them also along with the florets. They were inedible; I felt like I was chewing wood; it was very fibrous. I dislike wasting the stalks because they form the majority of the broccoli. I was thinking to add them to a raw vegan soup or a smoothie, perhaps? Thank you very much.
Good morning Azna,
Yes, I can imagine the stalks would be inedible. You surely don’t want to toss them since they are filled with nutrients. There are many things you can do with them, size depending. If the stalks are large you can shave them into thin slices and add them to your salad or if you cook, a stir-fry. I have also made noodles from them: https://nouveauraw.com/noodle-making-alternatives/broccoli-noodles/
If they are really small, give them a bit more of a chop and toss them into salads, soups, or smoothies. I hope this helps. blessings, amie sue
Thank you, Amie Sue.