As my test anxiety was building this week, I developed a very intense need for nachos.
A need for nachos. Not just your average, “oh, I want nachos”, but a need for nachos. You can’t ignore those kind of things. When your body tells you that chips, beans, cheese, and chili powder must be in your belly in 15 minutes or you might die, you listen.
Just like when my body tells me I need to watch Christmas movies even though it’s the middle of June. I listen and I listen well–and I’m currently watching The Family Stone. (Please don’t judge me–times of high stress make me do weird things).
But back to the nachos. I wanted to use up some more of my cilantro, so I decided to spice up my nachos and then cool it back down with a yogurt sauce. Sound good?
And if you don’t like yogurt sauce, or if the smell/taste/look of cilantro makes you die a little bit inside (hi Fritz!), then you can just skip it. Fritz enjoyed the nachos quite nicely without it.
Hot and Spicy Nachos with a Cool Cilantro Sauce
- 8 small corn tortillas, sliced into quarters (or corn chips)
- 1 can refried beans
- 1/4-1/2 C jalapeno slices (depending on how much you love your spice!)
- 1/4-1/2 C Mexican cheese blend, shredded
- 1 t smoked paprika
- 1 T chili powder
- 1/2 lemon (about 2 T lemon juice)
- 1/4 C plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- small bunch cilantro (about 2-3 T chopped)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and arrange your corn chips. Since I had tortillas in the freezer, I microwaved them for a few seconds, sliced ‘em in quarters with a pizza roller, sprinkled with a little salt, and baked them until they were crispy, about 15 minutes. Obviously you can skip this step if you have some chips handy.
These were vegetarian chips, so I used an entire can of refried beans, but you could easily use half or less and add some meat to make them more hearty. Once the chips are crisp, add the beans on top. (By the way, I’ve made refried beans from scratch before, and they didn’t quite taste as yummy as the good ol’ canned version. Reason why? Third ingredient on the canned kind is lard. Yeah. Maybe not so good.)
Sprinkle with jalapenos and cheese. Be generous. With both.
Sprinkle on the spices and pop in the oven for a few minutes until the beans are warmed and the cheese melted.
Meanwhile, process the yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice (lime would probably be even better if you had it!) until smooth. Drizzle over the top and enjoy!
We both love, love, loved this dinner treat of nachos. I definitely would have eaten these with some spicy salsa on the side, but we didn’t have any and there was no way my tummy was allowing me to hold off on the nachos.
Experiment with the spices–if you are the hot and spicy type, some cayenne might be just the thing you need. And if you haven’t already jumped on the smoked paprika bandwagon, now is the time.
Really. That stuff is good.
In other good and exciting news, we got our fourth CSA box yesterday! Check out the goods for this week:
I’ve had a lot of variety in my green monsters lately–using kale, chard, and beet greens instead of only plain ol’ spinach. For those new readers, I am a first-time CSA user from Golden Earthworm Organic Farm on Long Island–read more about their CSA program here.
Plan for tomorrow–up early for the gym, then a doctor’s appointment and spending a large majority of the day reading (for pleasure!) and definitely baking! I feel like I haven’t baked anything in ages and I absolutely miss having it around.
Have a great night!
11 comments
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Kristen
June 23, 2011 at 9:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I love cilantro…can’t wait to make these nachos and then not have to worry about wasting the extra cilantro because now I know I can freeze it to store
Lauren Zietsman
June 23, 2011 at 9:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
why are you so adorable?
Kristen
June 24, 2011 at 10:15 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
cause I spent my whole life trying to emulate you !
anjobanjo22
June 24, 2011 at 1:40 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This looks amazing! I will definitely be trying this on one of my vegetarian days of the week
Thanks for sharing!
Kendra Bartell
June 24, 2011 at 11:13 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hey Lauren- When you defrost the cilantro, what did you do about the excess water? Were the leaves soggy or anything? I just got a cilantro plant and want to try your method of storing the cilantro in ice cube trays but wasn’t sure what to do with the extra water!
Thanks-Kendra
Lauren Zietsman
June 24, 2011 at 1:08 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Since you should mostly use them in cooked dishes, the excess water can be cooked off, so sometimes I’ll just toss a cube into whatever I’m making. If the water is a problem, then you can toss the cubes into a strainer and squeeze the excess water off when it melts. Good luck!
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
June 24, 2011 at 12:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Vegetarian Nachos??! I love this!
Erin
June 25, 2011 at 12:34 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I think I finally feel capable of doing a guest post – healthy but deeelicious refried beans! Seriously… the Mexican influence in SoCal has really helped a sister out in this area.
I’ll make some today and take some photos along the way. I think you’ll love them!
But… not as much as I love you!
xxx -E
Lauren Zietsman
June 25, 2011 at 6:24 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
that would be awesome!! i would love if you did that!!!!
Holly
June 26, 2011 at 1:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Mexican food and nachos is definitely one of those foods you get very intense cravings for! I’m with you on that one, and these look absolutely fab! I am a massive nacho lover!
Becca
June 24, 2012 at 4:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
We’ve instituted a weekly Taco/Mexican night and THIS will have to be the next addition to those meals! freaking LOVE cilantro. thanks so much for the inspiration!