Catfish Out of Water

I made this giant plate of quinoa nachos because I wanted to buy green onions. This year I've been starting enough seeds to feed an army this summer. But one of the things that I haven't gotten is green onions. This is because I inevitably end up buying one bunch at the grocery store, plant the roots, and then have more green onions than I know what to do with! So, instead of going through the laborious process of actually having to grow green onions from seed, I just bought some. And, since I had them? It only seemed fitting that I actually make something with them! And, after a long day's hiking and having 0 motivation to make food? I just threw everything in the fridge together and made nachos!

I didn't exactly have the right kind of cheese for nachos... Which I would ordinarily just use a cheddar or something basic for. But I've been trying to limit my cheese consumption (and the giant hole that it leaves in my wallet!), so all I have right now is fancy cheese. But it will do!

And maybe that should be more of a thing: gourmet nachos. Can we make gourmet nachos the new fad? Although if it was I probably wouldn't like it because fads make everything more expensive and commercialized. But it would be fun to see what more people do with nachos! They don't have to be made with canned beans, nacho "cheese" products, and store-bought salsa!

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Variations of Quinoa Nachos

Nachos are one of my favorite lazy day meals. There's nothing better after a long day at work or a mid-afternoon snack than homemade nachos! Which absolutely do not need to be boring. I take all of my leftovers and toss them into a heaving plate of nachos with some regularity!

Nachos w/ Quinoa, Yellow Squash & Green Onions

Quinoa nachos are fun and easy way to mix up your meals. With a hefty serving of yellow squash, green onions, and avocados. A couple of minutes in the microwave or oven and voila! This is fun take on a classic recipe and just goes to show how much you can step up your nacho game. They don't have to be boring and filled with canned beans and drizzled in processed cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Latin American

Servings 2 servings

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Oven

Ingredients

  

Yam Quinoa

• 3 cloves roasted garlic (or 2 cloves unroasted garlic)
• 2 c. spinach chopped
• 1/2 shallot minced
• 1 tbsp. ginger minced
• 1 yam cubed
• 1 c. white quinoa
• 3 c. water
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 1/4 c. tamari
• 1/4 c. white rice vinegar (or soy sauce of choice)

Nachos

• 1/2 c. yam quinoa
• ~2 handfull tortilla chips
• 1/2 serrano minced
• 1/2 yellow summer squash diced
• 2 tbsp. green onion chopped
• 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. farmer's cheese
• 1/4 avocado diced
• hefty dollop Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• Prepare Quinoa w/ Spinach & Yams. This takes less than an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.

Cook Nachos

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Meanwhile, lay out tortilla chips across a baking sheet.

  Cover until you can't see the baking sheet any longer. They should be touching, but not overlapping too much. You really just want to be able to add toppings to every chip without it getting too much on the baking sheet!

  Exactly how much chips you use is largely a matter of personal preference as well. I've never sat there carefully measuring chips! Roughly two handfuls usually equates to about a serving. I tend to cook far more than I actually need, though. So, as always, adjust to personal preference!
• Spread quinoa evenly across the tortilla chips.

  This acts largely like refried beans would in a typical nacho recipe. You can either spread across each of the chips or just drop little dollops across the chips.
• Sprinkle with cheese.

  I don't even really know what to call the cheese that I used here! It's not actually cheddar, but that's the closest approximation that I could come up with. What I really have is "Authentic Cellar-ripened Wisconsin Mild Brick Cheese," which does taste like a mild, soft cheddar. I also have a block of "Baltic Style Farmer's Cheese," which looks and tastes more like a cross between feta and mozzarella and does not hold its shape in any meaningful way! Both are absolutely delicious, but can be substituted for any soft-medium consistency cheese.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the chips begin to toast.
• Once the nachos are done cooking, remove from the oven and top with avocado, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and hot sauce.
• Serve immediately. Once the nachos begin to cool down, the tortilla chips will absorb too much moisture and soften. Once this happens, there isn't a lot that you can do to crisp them up again!

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For a more in-depth article on nachos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Nachos. I make suggestions on settling the microwave vs. oven debate and give suggestions on serving size, topping order, and potential reheating tips and tricks.