My family owns an organic farm, and I help run the csa (community supported agriculture) program. Basically a single person can get an abundant box with a weeks worth of fresh, organic, local produce for $18 a week. Eating healthy, delicious, sustainable food really doesn't have to be difficult or expensive....

@ dbcurrie
The extra water makes it thinner; I think of queso as that thin canned nacho cheese type sauce (shudder).
For the record to those haters out there: this stuff is delicious in its own right- don't think of it as cheese if you don't want to. I can't eat dairy for health reasons, but even those in my family who can are basically addicted to this stuff.

Forgot to add:
Use either a food processor or a high-powered blender for this job!

Dates, tahini, and cinnamon....SO GOOD!

Just to clarify- by gourmet I don't mean super-complex or anything, I'm just not after the weird retro canned soup with a packet of dried salad dressing type recipes I've been finding all over the internet. Thanks for your help!

OMG @ szmansour-
I was about to rave like a lunatic about the ribolita I had in florence, and guess what? It was at trattoria mario!!! I went back for three days in a row to eat it! If only I could find a good recipe...this stuff is heaven in a bowl.

The secret to clusters: ditch the oil and employ water. I've seen some just sprinkle water on and form into clumps with their fingers, but I prefer using the water in apple sauce. Go to baking bites.com and search "applesauce granola"

SAUERKRAUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
typical beans, tomatoes, olives, tuna, occassional soup
I also have a thing for jarred/canned artichoke hearts...

raw fruits and veggies; almond butter and jam/banana sandwiches;eggs with salsa, cereal/granola with lots of berries, nuts, milk, and yogurt
To be quite honest, I love eating alone- I'm free to graze/ eat strange things. I also notice I crave spicy and salty things when I'm alone...

I love pure unadulterated corn...so much so that I eat it raw off the cob.

@dbcurrie I was simply pointing that out because so many view alternative milks as strange and cows milk as "normal." BTW a couple weeks ago I made an UTTERLY DIVINE fig-almond gelato using almond milk.
Simmer one pound very ripe (bordering on overripe)black mission figs with 1/4 cup each of lemon juice and excellent quality raw honey and the zest of a lemon until thick and jammy.
Puree with a dash of almond extract, 3-4 tablespoons creme de cassis, and 1/3-1/2 cup vanilla almond milk. Freeze in an icecream maker and serve topped with raspberries and toasted almond slivers.

Ever since I was about six, cow's milk has disgusted me. My parents begged and pleaded, but I simply was unable to gag the wretched stuff down. Later in life I learned the truth about the cow's milk which has become so standard in our society:
Basically humans are not meant to consume the milk of a cow. Cow's milk is the perfect food for baby cows, just like bat milk is the perfect food for baby bats, cat milk is the perfect food for baby cats, and giraffe milk is the perfect food for baby giraffes. While one in ten Americans are lactose intolerant, even more (an estimated 75%) are allergic to the milk protein, casein, a clear sign that human bodies are not designed to consume cow's milk. And while pasteurization kills bacteria, a researcher named Annand discovered a correlation between the rise in coronary heart disease which began in the 1920s with laws requiring milk pasteurization.

In addition, the excessive saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to obesity, upper respiratory infections, asthma, breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, and yes, osteoporosis. Dairy turns to an acid in the body; therefore, in order for blood to maintain a neutral ph, calcium is leeched from the bones. The reason so many in America today are afflicted with osteoporosis is not because they don't drink enough milk- Americans drink exponentially more milk than any other culture. This disease is actually a result of the constant acidic environment we create in our bodies with foods like dairy. If we chose to obtain our calcium from alkaline sources such as alternative milks, our bodies would actually be able to retain the calcium we consumed. It's evident that milk does not do any body any good (unless of course, it's a baby calf's body). And with all of this going against it, it is clear that dairy is not a healthy food choice.

Now I'm not trying to suggest how others should live their lives, but personally I believe that milk is not at all beneficial to health (lucky for me I've always despised it anyways). I love almond milk- especially the aforementioned almond breeze; however, this brand can get quite pricey when you're using 3-4 cups a day (on cereal, over fresh berries, as a refreshing drink with meals, in smoothies, etc.). Almond dream is a bit cheaper and tastes like almond paste, but is a bit watery to me. Often I buy a quart each of a sweetened alternative milk and the unsweetened variety and mix them as I often find the sweetened too sweet. I'm a fan of some soy, rice, and hazelnut milks as well. I agree hemp and oat are quite nasty, but hey, to each his own. One milk I haven't tried is the SO coconut milk- I;m excited to seek it out.