Cashews have changed the game for vegan cheeses. They add a creamy, decadent flavor that cookbook authors and chefs have adopted in almost every new recipe I come across.

Vegan brands like Miyokos Kitchen offer up artisanal flavors like Mt. Vesuvius Black Ash and Aged English Smoked Farmhouse as cashew-based options.

Unfortunately, if you have a sensitive gutor suffer from irritable bowel syndromeyou may have a hard time digesting these nuts. Those who cant tolerate cashews are often sensitive to FODMAPssugars and fibers that arent digested by the small intestines. (If you find you also have a problem with onions and garlic, low-FODMAP options might be worth a try.)

My other irritation with cashews is they have to be soakedsometimes up to two hoursbefore they can blend into a cheese sauce.

Extensive prep time is fine on a Saturday afternoon but not on nights when both my husband and I work late. Or, lets be honest, when Ive decided were having nachos for dinner and I forgot to soak the nuts in the first place.

Thankfully, there are nut-free recipes out there that are simple, healthy and delicious. Americas Test Kitchenthe Emmy-award winning cooking showincludes a nacho cheese recipe in its new book, Vegan for Everybody (Americas Test Kitchen, $29.95).

I was dubious when I looked at the ingredients alongside the picture in the book. I thought there was no way a mixture that blended boiled potatoes and carrots along with vinegar and nutritional yeast would come out anything like nacho cheese. Plus, the vinegar sounded gross.

I was completely wrong. The sauce came out smooth, tangy and with an unmistakable nacho cheese flavor and texture. Processing the potatoes released starch that gave it a gluey, stretchy consistency. Sauted adobo peppers and onions added a Tex-Mex kick.

Use it as a chip dip or a topping on your taco salad. Reheat on the stovetop, or microwave in 30-second spurts, adding water when needed.

If youre in the mood for a mac-and-cheese style topping, check out the velvety cheez sauce in Vegan Vittles, by Jo Stepaniak (Book Publishing Co., $19.95).

I got the original version of this cookbook in 2000my first year as a vegan. I remember flipping through the pages on multiple trips to the college bookstore, trying to justify the $13 purchase on my 19-year-old budget.

This is still my go-to topping for macaroni almost 20 years later. Like the nacho recipe, it has a potato and carrot base that you blend after boiling. But this one adds firm silken tofu and lemon sauce to give it a creamier texture.

Be cautious when blending the potato, carrot and water mixture in both recipes. If the liquid is still hot, it can force the lid on the blenderor food processorto pop open. I know this from experience. If you want to blend while the ingredients are still hot, only fill up the container halfway.

For a tangy salad topper or sandwich filling, try the Greek tofu feta recipe in Stepaniaks latest book, Low-FODMAP and Vegan (Book Publishing Co., $17.95).

The brinewhich mixes apple cider vinegar, water, miso and oreganotakes about 3 minutes to make. Cut some extra-firm tofu into cubes and let it soak overnight. I ate the cubes solo, but crumble and toss on top of pasta to get a more realistic feta feel.

Read more:

Love vegan cheese but can't eat cashews? Nut-free recipes come to rescue - Fredericksburg.com