Veggie Nachos Perfected! (Recipe Included, Additional Napkins Are Not)

Gentle Readers, The Practical Cook takes good ideas where she sees them. Having made nachos for years, in many variations, I have a new version that was met with wild applause by The Practical Cooks Junior. It’s not easy being cheesy. And even less easy being a sweet potato. Read on.

Hello beautiful sweet potatoes.

Veggie Nachos Perfected (A recipe and a method to the madness)

The key here is layering. I’ll leave exact proportions to your specifications, but don’t be shy about the cheese. The order of operations is actually important here. It is the thing that transforms this from idle snack to actual recipe.

These veggie nachos come loaded.

1 bag of high-quality tortilla chis (I specify, because wimpy chips simply won’t stand up here)
2 cups or so cheese of choice, shredded (we used the shredded Mexican blend from Trader Joe’s)
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or to taste)
salt
1 can black beans, rinsed well
1/2 of something tomatoey (use red salsa if you want more heat or diced tomatoes for milder)
1 small to medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced small
2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach
green onions, sliced
1 avocado, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put foil over a pizza pan or baking sheet, put a layer of tortilla chips on it. Quantity depends on size of crowd and the preferred ratio of stuff to chip. Cover with a generous layer of cheese (half of what you’re using), bake until cheese melts, remove pan from the oven and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When hot but not smoking, saute the garlic and the onion briefly, toss in the cumin and a sprinkle of salt, then add beans. Stir well.

The veggie nacho rainbow: black beans, sweet potatoes, and some spinach for good measure.

3. Add the tomatoey item of choice, and the sweet potatoes. Stir, cover, and cook at medium to medium-low for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are cooked but not mushy. Add spinach and cook till it wilts, a couple of minutes more.

This is not the time to hold back the cheese.

4. Pour bean mixture over cheesy chips, spread out to cover the chips. Leave no chip behind. Cover with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts, another 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven, and immediately sprinkle with the green onions and avocado, so that they stick in the glorious melty cheese.

Veggie Nachos Perfected! With pickled jalepeno on top, for good measure.

Serve promptly with sour cream, salsa, and a whole lot of napkins.

What’s on your nachos? Post a comment below, or Tweet!

Send your avocados, your kudos, and your cooking challenges to practical cook at gmail dot com. Connect on Facebook: The Practical Cook Blog. (Thanks in advance for spreading The Practical Cook Blog word. Press “like” on Facebook today!)

Up next, The Great Sweetener Race: Molasses vs. Honey!

Flying Mayan Nachos: Let the Revolution Begin

Gentle Readers, sometimes a snack eats like a meal. Today’s supper was going to be a pasta punt, but it turns out that the guests had punted pasta for lunch. Oops. This was going to be a review of the new Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips from Trader Joe’s, which are delish, but they became Flying Mayan Nachos.

Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips from Trader Joe's (at least the bag)

Unfortunately, there aren’t many good pictures, because they were eaten too quickly. The infamous Complicated Veggie crew, with their variety of dislikes, ate it up. Score yet one more for The Practical Cook. Watch out picky eaters, I am coming to your town.

Flying Mayan Nachos Before (bottom left corner)

Flying Mayan Nachos (with Sweet Potato Alternative)

1/2 bag of Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips (or plain tortilla chips, or a mix)
1/2 cup cheese, grated, flavor of your choice (we went with white cheddar, which was on hand)
splash of olive oil
1/2 onion, diced medium
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can black beans, thoroughly rinsed
1 medium tomato, cored and diced, juice and all
1 avocado, diced
(optional, if you’re using plain chips) 1 sweet potato, diced and steamed

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover large pizza pan or baking sheet with foil, and cover with a layer of chips. Cover the chips with half the cheese. Bake for a few minutes in the oven, until cheese melts. Remove and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over a strong medium heat. Saute onion until it’s translucent, then add garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cumin. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add black beans and tomato. Stir and simmer for a few minutes, until flavors combine.

3. Pour bean mixture on top of the cheesey chips you’ve set aside. Top with sweet potatoes, if using, and remaining cheese. Bake for a few minutes, or until cheese melts.

4. Remove from oven and top with diced avocado. Serve with sour cream and salsa. Olé.

I made these just with the sweet potato chips this time, but will add a sweet potato to the mix next time. Wondering why I never thought of it before, as I adore the combo of black beans and sweet potato. The cumin ties it all together nicely. Feel free to top with pickled jalepeños if you like heat.

Flying Mayan Nachos After (utter destruction, all beans consumed)

Are you a nacho fan? What do you put on yours? Comment below, I can hear the crickets people.

What should I be blogging about? Send your questions to practical cook at gmail dot com. Connect on Facebook: The Practical Cook Blog. (Thanks in advance for spreading the Practical Cook Blog word. Press “like” on Facebook today!)

Up next, Recipe Round-Up. An homage to the top 5 The Practical Cook recipes.