Healthy and Delicious Vegetarian Nachos

There are some meals that are just fun. Meals you gather around as a family, everyone laughing and basking in the ambiance of the shared moment. For our family we love a shared dish. There is something so intimate about it, you cannot help but enjoy each others company and be really present, together. Enjoying life.

One of our family's favourites, one I grew up eating myself as a kid too is nachos.
These are our vegetarian, refined sugar free, additive free, high protein, healthy and yet, truly, delicious nachos.

Nachos

Ingredients

• 1 quantity of home-made baked beans (get the recipe here. These can be made well ahead of time)

• 1 & 1/2 packets of Byron Bay organic corn chips
  ( we buy these as they have no added sugar, are gluten free, have none of that artificial scary yellow flavouring and colouring's other brands have and can be found at any supermarket for a really reasonable price, you can use any healthy alternative you like or make your own)
• 1/2 cup (or to taste) cheddar cheese
• 1 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium avocados
• 125 g sour cream
• 1 teaspoon chili (optional or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of a good quality paprika

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 180ç
• In a bowl mash the avocados until nice and smooth (I use a fork).
• Add in the sour cream, chili and honey, mix together well, adjust chili to taste.
• Using a large baking tray that is at least 3 cm deep, spread the corn chips across the tray, reserving a small handful.
• Layer the beans on top, using as thick or thin a layer as desired for personal preference.
• Sprinkle the finely diced red capsicum on top.
• Top with grated cheese and then the paprika.
• Crush the remainder chips and sprinkle over.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until chips have turned a little golden around the edges and the cheese is fully melted with a nice colour to it.
• Remove from the oven and to serve top with generous amounts of the avocado and additional sour cream if desired.
• Enjoy!
  
  Notes

• While the most fun is to be had enjoying this buffet style with family or good friends, this can of course be served on individual plates.
• For a more adult version add finely chopped red onion with the capsicum and a lot more chili to the avocado.
• For dairy free make an avocado whip omitting the sour cream (you can add some cashew cream and use a vegan cheese that melts or just leave off)

Toddler Tips

• This is a meal that can get messy! So best eaten before bath time.
• If they are new to nacho's and you are serving individually place an amount of bean laden nachos in the middle of the plate, topped with avocado and sour cream and then assemble extra non baked corn chips, uncooked carrot, celery and capsicum sticks around the outside for them to dip into the meal, makes it a lot more inviting and fun for little fingers.
  
  Happy Cooking
  
  Bek XX