Big Dish O' Nachos

 

Total Time: 40 min
Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

 

Ingredients

2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 8-to-10-ounce bag multicolored tortilla chips
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups cheese sauce, warmed (see recipe below)
1 1/2 cups prepared chili, warmed
1/2 cup guacamole (see recipe below)
Sour cream, pico de gallo, sliced pickled jalapenos and sliced scallions, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the cheddar and pepper jack in a bowl. Spread half of the tortilla chips in the bottom of a deep 12-inch cast-iron skillet or cake pan. Sprinkle with half of the cheese mixture and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Top with the remaining chips and sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture and the black beans. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 more minutes.

Remove the nachos from the oven and drizzle with the cheese sauce, then top with the chili and guacamole. Top with sour cream, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos and scallions.

Cheese Sauce

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon each minced garlic and shallot; cook 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup milk; whisk until thick. Add 1 cup cheddar, season with pepper and stir until smooth.

Guacamole

Mash 2 avocados with a fork. Add 1/4 cup diced white onion, 1/3 cup diced tomato, 4 teaspoons chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno, and salt and pepper. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until ready to use.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/big-dish-o-nachos-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Holy Garlicky Guacamole!

Total Time: 10 min
Prep: 10 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

 

Ingredients

2 ripe small Hass avocados
1 lemon, juiced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Blue corn tortilla chips, for dipping

Directions

Cut avocados in half around the pit. Separate the halves. Pop out pit with spoon, then scoop flesh of avocados into a bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the avocados. Squeeze the juice with the lemon halves facing cut-side up, allowing the juice to spill down over the sides of the lemon into the bowl. This method keeps the seeds in the lemon and out of the guacamole. Add garlic, jalapeno, tomato, onion and salt to the bowl. Mash and mix the ingredients into a chunky dip using a fork. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

(foodnetwork.com)

Summer Burrito

Ingredients

• Two 8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 limes, juiced
• 2 red bell peppers, halved and cored
• 2 green bell peppers, halved and cored
• 1 medium-size onion, peeled
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 1 Anaheim chile, seeded and minced
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 ounces farmer or hoop cheese
• 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 2 very ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow dish and spoon two-thirds of the lime juice over. Let sit 15 minutes. Meanwhile, julienne peppers and onion.
   
2. Prepare a stove top griddle or an outdoor grill. Remove chicken from lime juice; discard the juice. Grill chicken 5 minutes per side, or until juices run clear when pricked at the thickest point. Remove to a cutting board to cool. Meanwhile, warm tortillas on the grill, turning frequently until they begin to puff slightly, about 1 minute. Tear chicken into thin strips.
   
3. Lay tortillas on a clean surface. Beginning about a quarter of the way up the middle of the tortilla, layer equal amounts of each ingredient, ending with a drizzle of the remaining lime juice. Fold up the bottom quarter of each tortilla and roll away from you, tucking in the sides as you go. Serve seam side down.
   
   (Wholeliving.com)
   

Hearty Garlic Greens

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds autumn hearty greens, well washed, stems removed, and sliced into 3-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, sliced paper-thin
• 1 pound spinach
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop hearty greens into water and blanch for 4 minutes. Immediately plunge blanched greens into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain, squeeze dry, and set aside.
   
2. Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic is golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove garlic from skillet; set aside.
   
3. Raise heat to high. Add hearty greens and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add spinach; season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook until spinach wilts, stirring frequently (about a minute). Return garlic to pan and stir. The greens can be served immediately or at room temperature.
   

Cook's Note

Blanching does not actually cook the greens but softens their texture, while shocking them in cold water keeps their color strong and vibrant.

(Wholeliving.com)

Roasted Cabbage.

1 tsp olive oil (5g)
2 tbsp real bacon bits (14g)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
1 Medium Head of Cabbage
Preheat the oven (or the grill,) to 425 degrees.

Mix the olive oil, bacon bits, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to make the marinade.



Prepare the cabbage. Rinse it under water and remove any yucky loose leaves.

Cut the head in half on the core..



Then cut the halves in half again…



…to make quarters.



Lay each wedge on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap it up in. Spoon about 2 tbsp of the marinade on top making sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies.



Wrap each wedge and bake for 20-30 minutes.



I say 20-30 becuase they will continue to cook once you pull them out and I like mine still crunchy. So I let them sit for a little while pull them out around the 20 minute mark. However, some like to cook them up to an hour for softer cabbage.



The wedges reheat wonderfull in the oven or the microwave!