Smoky Apple and ‘Cheddar’ Stuffed Baked Potato

All right, this combination is the BOMB! The sweet apples combined with the spicy chili
powder is so good. Add the smoky and slight maple flavor of the tempeh to the sweet and spicy apple, and the cheddar flavored cashew cheese, and it’s like an overload of OMG!

Smoky Apple and ‘Cheddar’ Stuffed Baked Potato [Vegan]

Ingredients

Baked Potato:

• 1 large baked potato, scrubbed, patted dry, pierced with a fork, wrapped in aluminum foil
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/4 of a piece of tempeh from and 8-ounce package – cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke
• 1/4 teaspoon of pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon of avocado oil
• 1 cup of baby spinach coarsely chopped

Cheese:

• 1/4 cup of raw cashews soaked in boiling water for one hour
• 1/2 teaspoon of tapioca flour
• 3 teaspoons of nutritional yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of the potato
• 1/2 cup of hot water

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Bake the potato for one hour or until you can press on it and it gives. Remove from the oven and let cool for fifteen minutes.
3. While the potato is baking, soak the cashews in a bowl of boiling water for an hour.
4. Combine the liquid smoke and maple syrup in a bowl and toss the tempeh to coat. Marinate for one hour, gently toss again after thirty minutes.
5. When the potato is cool enough to handle, slice it lengthwise and squeeze the ends to open it up. Scoop out 1/4 of the potato for the cheese sauce.
6. Drain and rinse the cashews and place in a high-powered blender along with the tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, vinegar, potato, and water. Blend until it’s smooth and creamy and you can’t see or feel pieces of the nuts. Heat in a small saucepan on low heat until it becomes thick and sticky like melted cheddar cheese. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In a small pan, on medium low heat, add the apples, 1/4 cup water, and chili powder and stir until the apples are fully coated. Heat until the apples are soft, but firm and the water evaporates. Approximately 10 to fifteen minutes. Add more water if necessary.
8. In a small fry pan heat the oil on medium heat and add the tempeh and leftover marinade when the oil is hot. Stir occasionally until the tempeh is cooked through and slightly crispy. Remove from the heat and add the spinach. Stir until it’s just wilted.
9. Fill the potato with half of the cashew cheese, then top with the apples and tempeh and spinach mix, then top with remaining cheese sauce.
10. Enjoy!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/smoky-apple-and-cheddar-stuffed-baked-potato/