Dairy-Free Tomato Queso Dip

Ingredients

• 0.3 cup cashew pieces 
• 14.5 ounce canned tomatoes plain diced green undrained canned (Robin uses chiles and less chili powder, but I only had tomatoes)
• 0.5 cup nutritional yeast red (I use Bob's Mill)
• 1 teaspoon mustard yellow
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 0.5 tablespoon chili powder hot (mild, medium, or - your choice!)
• 0.5 teaspoon salt to taste
• 0.3  to 
• 1 tablespoon juice of lemon fresh
• 8 servings pepper freshly ground to taste

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• blender
• slow cooker

Directions

1. Grind the cashews in your spice grinder until powdered, about 30 seconds.
2. Place the tomatoes with juice in your blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Add the ground cashews, nutritional yeast, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and salt, and blend until smooth.
4. Lightly oil the insert of the slow cooker or spray it with cooking spray, and transfer the queso mixture to the cooker.
5. Stir in the water until well incorporated (use less for a thicker dip, you can add more later if it thickens too much).
6. Cover and cook on Low, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until the mixture is thick and hot. If the mixture isn’t thick after 2 hours, turn the setting to High, remove the lid, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes longer.
7. When ready to serve, spoon about ⅓ cup of the queso into a small bowl, stir in the lemon juice, then stir the mixture back into the slow cooker.
8. Taste, add pepper to taste, and adjust the seasonings, if needed.