I'm Back... With Nachos!

I know, I know... it's been 3 days. I'm very sorry for neglecting all of you, my dears. This was the type of week that just never slowed down. Every day from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep it was non-stop activity. Have you ever had weeks like this? Needless to say, I was exhausted. So much so today was the first day I cooked for 3 days! Whew! So, anyway, I'm back! Yay! It's so nice to be writing here again.

Well, to get back into the swing of things here at This Foreign Life and in the kitchen, I'm posting a recipe for some of the most delicious nachos I've eaten. This was literally a spur-of-the-moment dish I threw together and I'm really pleased that I'm writing this down (and sharing it with you) so I can come back to it and I can try it again and so you can try it, too! These nachos are layers and layers of rich flavors. I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but I was smitten immediately. Try it out (it would be great for a Superbowl party, too!)

Delicious Layered Nachos

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 skinless, boneless turkey or chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thin
1 Tablespoon Mexican spice (such as taco seasoning)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces
1 bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 can chili beans
1/2 cup salsa (as hot as you like)
1/4 cup grated cheese (any melting cheese such as cheddar or pepper jack)
a couple of handfuls of salted nacho chips

Garnish Ideas
sour cream
shredded lettuce
black olives
jarred jalapenos
avocado
guacamole
cilantro, chopped

First, preheat the oven to 400F (or 200C).

Put the chicken or turkey breasts on a plate.

Mix all of the spices (including the salt and pepper) in a small container.

Spoon about two teaspoons of the spice mix over each side of each breast. Run the spice mix onto the breasts, so it stays in place.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the salsa on each side of each breast and spread it out, covering each breast completely. By the way, what my local grocery store sells as salsa is an abomination... no joke. I really think it is nothing but ketchup with a bit of diced onions. I'm very jealous of you folks that can get decent salsa :)

Set the breasts aside. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan.

Once the oil is heated, add the breasts to the pan. Cook them on medium high heat until completely cooked, about 5 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile chop the onion and bell pepper

Once the breasts are cooked, remove them from the skillet. Don't they look fantastic? The charring is beautiful and gives the meat such a wonderful flavor. Don't wash the skillet. Turn the heat on the skillet down to medium low heat and add the last teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the onion and peppers to the pan. Cook the vegetables until they are soft (about 8-10 minutes). The veggies will pick up the color from the nice tasty bits the breasts left behind while cooking. While the onion and pepper are cooking, slice the breasts into 1/2" strips.

Once the veggies are soft and cooked through remove from the heat.

Take a small, shallow baking dish and place the nacho chips in the bottom.

Open the can of chili beans and put on top of the nacho chips. Again, my local supermarket carries an awful excuse for chili beans, so I spice them up with some mexican spice, chili powder, mustard powder, and chipotle powder. Does anyone feel my pain here? Hello? Anyone? Moving on...

Take half of the grated cheese and cover the beans.

Heap the cooked veggies on top of the cheese.

Place the sliced chicken or turkey breasts on top of the veggies.

Top the chicken with about 3 tablespoons of salsa.

Finally, add the last half of the cheese on top. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the dish is completely warmed through and the cheese is melted completely.

While the nachos are baking, get your garnishes prepared.

Once the nachos are finished, pull them out of the oven. Mmmmmmm... delicious!

Now, you can either serve it like this at a party and just place the garnishes around so everyone can help themselves, or you can serve this as a main dish, like I did.

I spooned the nachos in a bowl, topped with lettuce, sour cream, jalapenos, and green olive (I couldn't find black).

I was so pleasantly surprised with this dish, and I can't wait to make this again and again! I loved this so much and I hope you all try it! Serve this up for the big game or a quiet Friday night :)

Happy Eating!