nachos, rethunk

Little black beans were soaking overnight, waiting to take a plunge in a bubbling pot of water. 

However, no recipes were on the brain.  I just like to have a fridge stocked with fresh beans.  Don’t you?

So, what to do with these beans?

I had no intention of making nachos.  It just never occurs to me to make nachos at home.  Why, why, whyyy not??

Once the thought of nachos entered my head, I just couldn’t shake it.  With no corn tortillas or tortilla chips in the house, I was forced into making my own.  This sounded labor intensive.  The exact opposite of what I wanted.

Google search #27 of the morning and counting: “corn tortilla recipe”

masa harina + water + salt

Seriously.  That is all you need.

Why, why, whyyy have I not made these before??  A slightly soft center, surrounded by crispy, corn flavored jagged edges, dusted with sea salt.  Perfectly imperfect. 

To play into the “nachos, rethunk” title, besides making my own chips, I also made a simple cashew sauce that rivals melted cheddar cheese.  Or maybe it’s been too long since I’ve had a plate full of melted cheddar cheese nachos?

Either way, this sauce made the dish come alive.

It’s not cheese.

Or cheese like. 

It’s just…really tasty.

Do black beans typically fall on your nacho plate?

They definitely fall on mine, and turn a side dish into a meal.   

Instead of guacamole, cubed avocado works just as well.  Okay, nothing beats a good batch of guac, but that involves more time + 4 more ingredients.  I’ll leave the guac making to Kelsey + Chipotle. 

Camera 1

or…camera 2?  Leaning towards 2.

For a corn tortilla recipe, check here.  Or, if you have Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina, there is one right on the package!  I added salt to my dough and squeezed a little lime over them after cooking and topped with another sprinkle of salt.  I cooked mine in a pan with sunflower oil, then cut them into chip shape after cooking.

Layered Nachos

• corn tortillas, toasted + cut into chips
• black beans
• cubed avocado
• salsa
• cashew cream sauce
• repeat!

Cashew Cream Sauce

• 1 cup cashews
• 1/4 – 2/3 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 pinches cayenne [optional]

1. Soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight, or for at least 4hrs.
2. Drain + rinse and add to your blender with 1/4 cup of water and all of the spices.
3. Blend until smooth, adding more water until desired consistency is met.

For a nacho cheezier cashew sauce, check these out these tworecipes.

Much more fun than tacos, wouldn’t you say? 

I inhaled this plate for the 2nd half of my lunch and enjoyed a much larger stack for dinner.

Pretty dang simple.

And pretty dang delicious.

Ashley

Very excited to mention that The Edible Perspective made Greatist’s list of Must Read Health & Fitness Blogs for 2012!  I’m thrilled to be part of this list, along with so many other amazing bloggers.  Thanks to all of you for your continued support + readership! 

apple sage chickpea burgers

This recipe has been sitting in my head for quite awhile now.  I thought of it when I made the Italian tofu sausage a few months back.  As you can see, I am clearly missing the Field Roast vegan sausages, even after a full year of being gluten free.  So, I am doing my best to replicate the flavors in a new way.

This is the first veggie burger recipe I would actually consider eating for breakfast.  Especially when topped with the lemon ginger yogurt sauce you’ll see below.

Crockpot chickpeas!

Veggie burgers can sometimes be a little tricky to get the hang of.  Often times, there are problems with the mixture holding together, or being too soft after cooking.

These seemed about as full proof as you can get!  Not too many ingredients, so not much can go wrong.  I always try to leave my veggie burger mixtures a bit on the textured side.  Gives them much better chew!  No one wants a mushy, doughy veggie burger.

Below is the mixture before adding the ground oats.

My best textured veggie burger to date!  Although I’m still quite fond of The Burger.

Enjoy these wrapped in lettuce with a few slices of apple, on a bun with melted cheese + ketchup, crumbled on a salad, or however you choose.

Apple Sage Chickpea Burgers

yields 9 small, 2-3” patties

• 1.5 cup chickpeas
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup apple, grated
• 1.5 Tablespoons sage, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup ground oats
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon oil + 1-2 Tablespoons for cooking
• 3 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
• pinch of black pepper

1. Rinse + drain the chickpeas.
2. Grind the oats, about half way to flour in a blender, food processor, coffee grinder, etc.  Measure out 1/2 cup and set aside.
3. After grating the apple, squeeze between a few paper towels or a kitchen towel to absorb some of the moisture.  Measure a loosely packed half cup.
4. Add the chopped onion + garlic to your food processor and pulse a few times.
5. Add the chickpeas, apple, sage, salt, oil + black pepper.
6. Process until everything is combined.  About 5-10 seconds.  Refer to photograph #2.
7. Add in the ground oats and pulse around until the mixture holds together.  Avoid over processing, so the burgers have a nice texture.
8. Test by forming a ball and pressing it into a patty.  If it’s not holding together, pulse in 1-2 Tablespoons more oats, until it holds.
9. Stir in the sunflower seeds.
10. Heat pan over medium and add 1-2 Tablespoons oil.  Coconut oil works really well for this.
11. Form patties and cook on each side for about 4-6min until golden brown.

tips/substitutions: You may be able to add a flour instead of partially ground oats, but the texture will differ slightly.  I would start by adding 1/3 cup and go from there.

Lemon Ginger Yogurt Sauce

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Mix together and use as a topping.

I scarfed these down with side of cottage cheese scrambled eggs?  Major egg excitement over here.  Our local non-chain pet store sells fresh eggs!  The owners raise chickens and sell the eggs for the amazing price of $3!  And, they beat out every other farm fresh egg to date!  I’ve never seen such a golden yellow/orange color and the yolk sits about one inch high!  Even after adding cottage cheese, these scrambled eggs were bright yellow.

Breakfast [lunch or dinner] is served!

The sauce adds a nice tangy bite.  Made these today and they’re already 100% polished off.

This is another recipe, I highly recommend doubling.  Freeze one whole batch, by tightly wrapping each [cooled] burger in saran wrap, then in a sealed freezer bag.  Defrost the night before in the fridge.  Super quick and easy to heat back up and take to work in the morning, topped with an egg on a toasted bun, or lettuce wrap style.

I’m missing those Field Roast sausages less + less.

Now back to being wrapped up in a blanket, on the couch, with a box of tissues, sipping tea, and eating popcorn. 

Ashley