Loaded Avocado with Tofutti Chipotle Crema!

Tofutti recently asked me to develop a few recipes using their products, and since I've long been a fan of their vegan "dairy" products, of course I agreed. In fact, Tofutti has been there for me throughout my 10 years as a vegan. Sure, fantastic new products come out all the time, but Tofutti is a standard. It was there when I went vegan, and it's still around now. Their Better Than Cream Cheese, Better Than Sour Cream, and Tofutti Cuties never fail me. Plus, if you can find them in your area, Tofutti makes the best college dorm-style microwave pizza. Oh, and their vegan cheese slices are still kick-ass.

Since I already had a tub of Better Than Sour Cream in my fridge, I decided to try something I've been wanting to recreate for months. During a Memphis beer garden event this summer, I picked up a Loaded Avocado dish at the Truck Stop food truck, and it was so good. I'd never thought to top a whole avocado with beans and mushrooms, but why not? That's clever as hell.

Here's my interpretation made with a whole avocado, black beans, mushrooms, and onions. It's topped with a Tofutti chipotle crema and homemade salsa that my Granny made (but any salsa will do!).

Loaded Avocado with Tofutti Chipotle Crema
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Serves 3

3 ripe but firm avocados
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Crema
1 cup Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tsp. onion powder

Split the avocados, remove the pits, and place them rounded-side down on a plate.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook on medium-heat for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 10 minutes to allow the mushrooms to cook down and the onions to begin to caramelize. Add the garlic, and saute a couple more minutes or until mushrooms and onions are soft.

Add the black beans, water, nutritional yeast, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until heated through and most of the water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the vegan sour cream, peppers, and onion powder. Blend until smooth.

To serve, spoon about a cup of the bean mixture over the avocado halves. Drizzle with chipotle crema and top with salsa.