I sat down to study. Opened the lap-top. Read the first line of that journal article on Indigenous women and feminism. And the brain’s energy circuits shorted. Cue staring at the screen for a solid five minutes. Not taking a single thing in. Right. If study is out the window then surely blogging is in? Nada. This gal’s brain is currently sending out signals along the lines of bleuaighleighmmmmnop. And intermittently at that. It’s struggle town. Tonight’s post is going to be short and sweet, me thinks. This situation calls for a recipe that is beyond simple. Virtually impossible to make a boo-boo out of. Tasty, regardless of how terribly you maul it in your zombie-brain state. Look no further than Vegetarian Nachos. Boo-yah.

Make these ingredients staple in your household, especially for those nights when you’re zonked. Or for those days when you’ve got a nacho craving larger than the Big Ben. It happens. This is one of those meals where hands down the vegetarian version tastes a gazillion, bazillion (yup we’re resorting 5-year old speak) times better than the meat. Move aside moo–cow mince, you’re being replaced by kooky kidney beans and vivacious vegetables. Yee-hah. <I don’t know what’s with a ll the ‘something-hahs’ tonight, please accept my apologies>

Whack everything in a pot and let it simmer away merrily for twenty minutes or so while you do something that involves very little brain use. Jump on a trampoline. Weed the garden. Roll around on the floor and make meowing cat noises for a while. Hey, we’ve all been there. Repeat the ‘killing-time’ process while you wait, patiently of course, for the Nachos to cook up nice and toasty in the oven. Wait until the cheese goes all melty, melty and begins to ooze over the corn chips and onto the baking paper. Sit and stare at the oven door if need be. An especially good move if it’s cold outside and you’re heater doesn’t work. We’re multi tasking, baby! That counts as productivity, right? Ah, let’s not kid ourselves.

And on that note, we’ll call it a night Houston. Go forth and make nachos. Or do more productive things if you’re brain is still functioning at more than half-speed. Good day.

Vegetarian Nachos
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 small (125g) zucchini, chopped into 1cm dice
65g button mushrooms, chopped into 1cm dice
100g red capsicum, chopped into 1cm dice
125g can corn kernels, drained
400g can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
375g jar mild or medium salsa
40g baby spinach leaves
80g grated cheddar cheese (I used light)
Bag plain corn chips
Sour cream, avocado & sweet chilli sauce to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set a medium sized saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When shimmering, add the onion and cook for approximately 7 minutes or until softened and translucent. Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for one minute. Now toss in the zucchini, mushrooms, capsicum, corn, kidney beans and salsa. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender. Add the baby spinach leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes or until just wilted.

Scatter the corn chips over the prepared baking sheet and top with the vegetable/bean mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Serve with sour cream, avocado and sweet chilli sauce. Best eaten immediately.

Source: A tastewithoutwaste original.

Printable Recipe