Black Bean Chipotle Nachos

Remember how I mentioned that those quesadillas turned into nachos due to the lack of tortialls? Well it turns out they were pretty awesome as nachos and I thought I would share the recipe here with you! Thanks to my friend Sara for inspiring the original zucchini/black bean combo which I just tweaked and modified based on what I had on hand!

Black Bean Chipotle Nachos
1 Zucchini, quartered and diced
1/2 White or yellow onion, diced
1/4 Red onion, diced (optional - I happened to have some around)
1 chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce, diced finely
1 14.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup salsa (I like the Emerald Valley brand)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
Tortilla chips
Cheddar cheese (sharp or medium)
Cilantro, Green onions, and Avocado for garnish

Start by sauteing the zucchini and onions in some olive oil over medium-high heat - cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add in the diced chipotle pepper, the black beans, the salsa, and the spices - stir together and then cover and lower the heat - cook for around 20 minutes before removing the lid and allowing the chili to reduce to the consistency you'd like. You don't want it to be runny but you want it loose enough you can easily drizzle/spread over the chips.

Preheat oven to 250 F. Cover a baking sheet with a layer of tortilla chips and then sprinkle a thin layer of cheese over them. Top with the black bean mixture covering as many chips as possible. Cover with another layer of cheese and place in the oven. Check on them after about 5 minutes - if the cheese looks fairly well melted you can turn on the broiler for just a minute to crisp up the top.

Remove from oven and top with lots of chopped cilantro, diced green onions, and diced avocado. Don't skimp on these toppings - they really make all the difference!

We ate this two nights in a row. That's how good it was, not how lazy I was feeling.

-C