Grain-Free Pretzels With Vegan Queso (Nut-Free, Hidden Veggies)

We're getting cheesy with the first-ever Grain-Free Pretzels & Vegan Queso Dip. Zero nuts, soy, dairy or grains. 

This recipe was first published on Naughty Nutrition, where you can find lots of awesome recipes by this duo!  

Dietary restrictions can be a HUGE bummer. 

When you’ve lived gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free or free from some of the most common foods, it can really become a damper on your diet when you hit up the grocery store and fail to find foods that support your needs, especially in the world of snacks! 

While a lot of companies have jumped on the dairy-free, meat-free and gluten-free diet train, and you can find plenty of healthy brands that support these ways of eating, when you start dabbling into the ‘grain-free’ area, there are a lot of brands that fail to fit the bill.

For a lot of you who have minimized grains in your life, it’s most likely due to the way grains can make you feel:

• Bloated
• Cramped
• Fatigued
• Brain fog
• Inflamed

The Benefits of Going Grain-free

Though being grain-free is not completely necessary for most people, there are a handful of you who may need to experiment with this way of eating due to either gastrointestinal symptoms, auto-immune diseases, or inflammatory conditions.

Some people who cut grains from their diet experience a reduction in bloating, cramping, fatigue, have better skin, more energy, and lower inflammatory blood markers.

It’s important to remember that for most of us, grains offer plenty of health benefits such as B vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, and protein, so going grain-free should be an individualistic thing, based on your own healing or health path. Yet, we can’t deny that highly processed and refined grains are in products everywhere, so these grain-free pretzels are also a great option for anyone that’s simply looking to reduce the number of grains they eat, and not necessarily eliminate them.

FIRST EVER GRAIN-FREE PRETZEL BRAND

So now that you know more about grain-free living, for those of you who do experiment with this way of eating, or those of you who are curious about it you might be thinking, where are all of the grain-free brands at?

We first came across FitJoy when we were looking for healthy protein bars that contained no grains in them. Little did we know that we were about to embark on a grain-free pretzel journey that we never want to come back from. 

FitJoy’s Grain-Free Pretzels are the only pretzels out there that contain no gluten, wheat, rice, corn, corn starch, corn syrup or other grain products. They are belly friendly, have a salty taste, a satisfying crunch and contain no artificial flavors or sweeteners. Plus, they’re:

• non-GMO
• plant-based
• dairy-free
• egg-free
• soy-free

And a little bonus for you… they taste exactly the same as conventional pretzels. No word of a lie, we put them out at plenty of parties over the summer and all of the ‘non-restricted diets’ had no idea they were made from cassava flour. And, honestly, you don’t even have to be grain-free to enjoy them on the regular as they are much better for you than the conventional options out there!

A VEGAN QUESO DIP THE WHOLE PARTY WILL ENJOY

These grain-free pretzels are incredibly delicious to eat on their own. As a matter of fact, they are the #1 snack that we pack with us when we are traveling, or packing lunches for the kids, or even packing a lunch for ourselves. They make the perfect side, a great texture to add to your meal, and since they are made with cassava flour, they are a great way to get carbs in without the grains.

However, sometimes you need a dip to add to your healthy snack. Right?

You know us… we’re condiment people. 

Hence, the reason why we’re adding a vegan queso dip to these grain-free pretzels and calling it a party.

Since we like to keep it nutritious and offer up foods that adhere to a lot of dietary restrictions, this queso dip is completely plant-based, contains hidden veggies, is loaded with beneficial nutrients, contains no nuts and is completely creamy and delicious. 

Made with carrots, potatoes, nutritional yeast, coconut milk, and seasonings, this is where cheese dips are at it the big bad world of plants.

Make sure you get your hands on some FitJoy Grain-Free Pretzels, and whip up this delicious queso dip STAT. 

Grain-Free Pretzels with Vegan Queso (Nut-Free, Hidden Veggies)

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 -1 bag of FitJoy Grain-Free Pretzels 
• 1 potato
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• Splash of water 

Instructions: 

Peel your carrot and potato and steam, boil or cook in a crockpot.

Once soft, add the potato, carrot, nutritional yeast, coconut milk, garlic cloves, lemon and mustard to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth.

Once smooth, add the cheese blend to a saucepan over medium heat with the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, and sea salt and whisk together. Cook on stovetop until warm.

Mix the arrowroot powder in a cup with a splash of water, until combined. Make sure there are no chunks and slowly add to the cheese sauce, mixing until everything is incorporated. Cook another 5 minutes, until cheese sauce thickens.

Serve warm with pretzels and enjoy!