This goat cheese dip is rich and creamy just like traditional queso. It has a deep flavor from the goat cheese and is balanced perfectly with the addition of the sweet coconut cream.
Being dairy free one of the things I miss the most is cheese. Not only that, I love going out to restaurants and getting a good appetizer to start the meal out and there are so few that have no dairy and no gluten in them. I have found that I tolerate goat cheese well so when I found a goat cheese dip at a restaurant in Boulder I almost lost my mind. I hadn’t even thought of making goat cheese queso before! The restaurant is called The West End Tavern and their food is unique and delicious. It has been around for decades, but they are constantly changing up the menu and trying new dishes. Along with the Goat cheese dip we tried the “Picnic Eggs” which were deviled eggs with bacon, green onion and fiery devil sauce- which I imagine was an aioli. They were awesome, but in my book deviled eggs are great no matter what you put on them. But, after eating the goat cheese dip I KNEW I had to re-create it.
If you have tried goat cheese before and just can’t get over the different tangy, earthy flavor don’t veto it just yet. There are so many different flavors that you can buy and so many things you can pair it with to compliment the flavor. Some good flavors I have had are cranberry cinammon goat cheese for the holidays and an omelette with Lobster, goat cheese, arugula and cherry tomatoes in Maine (right on the pier in Portland at The Porthole). The possibilities really are endless, I think that goat cheese is much more versatile than most cheese because when it’s plain you can add pretty much anything to it- sweet or savory. Not only that, it’s a great option to try out if you can’t have dairy.
This recipe is quick and can easily be made in larger quantities for parties. Serve it with tortilla chips and get to dipping!
Green Chili Goat Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Plain goat cheese
- 1 13.5 ounce can Coconut cream, refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight & use all of the cream that separates from the water
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional yeast,
- 1 4 ounce can Fire roasted green chiles diced
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Lime juice
- 3 Green onions, diced and divided
- 3 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped and divided
Instructions
-
Heat up a small oven safe skillet on medium low heat. Add goat cheese and coconut cream and stir constantly until melted, about 10 minutes.
-
Add green chiles, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, lime juice, 3 tablespoons of the green onions and 2 tablespoons of cilantro. (the remaining green onion and cilantro is for garnish)
-
Simmer together for about 5 minutes until it's mixed together completely.
-
Turn broiler on high, once hot put your goat cheese dip in the oven. Cook for 5-8 minutes until the sides brown and you have a nice browned middle as well.
-
Garnish with leftover green onion and cilantro and serve immediately with tortilla chips or plantain chips.