Hot Chicken Nachos - SCARY Good

These make anything in the fridge fair game

Forgive my lame reference to Halloween. Yes I'm a day late (blame the latest Transformers movie for being 2.5 hours long), but I didn't want to miss out :)

Here at Dezired Cuisine I really love the idea of making meals that cover as many bases as possible. That means protein, fruits/vegetables, grains, time efficiency and of course flavour! This makes it easier to come up with a single dish rather than many to equal a full meal. One of the easiest dishes to make that includes all of these would have to be nachos.

I've found several benefits with these:
- Literally anything in your fridge/cellar is fair game: onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, peppers, jalapeño, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, cilantro, spinach, kale... you get the idea
- Because the ingredients are diced and sautéed (hence, "Hot" Nachos) it becomes VERY easy to start adding veggies that you or your kids may otherwise dislike.. as long as you don't tell them ;)
- A few minutes of prepping extra ingredients means you get 2, 3, or even 4 meals!

Pre-Method
Again, these can be made with just about anything. The amounts of ingredients I will mostly leave ambiguous as this will depend on your goal... one personal meal vs. enough to last half the week vs. hiding kale in it for your kids. However this should help give you an idea to get started. This gave me two big meals.

Also some key flavourings I like to add and you should try first are:
- Garlic/Ginger
- Oregano
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- Cumin/Chili Powder
- Chili Flakes or Fresh Chili (if you're sensitive to spicy foods only add a little)
Add a teaspoon at a time and don't forget to TASTE after!! (This is called "season to taste", I will use that phrase frequently in this blog)

A Guideline, 
You'll need:
- EVOoil (extra virgin olive oil)
- Chicken (obviously Vegans can skip this). Using leftovers would be a super easy option, I used meat from a Sobey's roast chicken. Anything will work
- A selection of vegetables. In the order of cooking I used:
Red onion, mushrooms, (4 cloves garlic, use less if you wish), olives, tomato, spinach, green onion, and a mediocre non-deli marble cheese to finish (again, whatever's in the fridge, Vegans can skip ;)
- Salt
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Method
*to smooth out the process have you ingredients prepped/diced/minced ahead of time, this way it's easy to focus on cooking and your techniques

1. Set a large skillet on med+ heat. Once hot, add oil. Having diced the chicken, add it to the pan. Season to taste with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Sauté until slightly crisp. Remove to bowl

2. Using the same pan add another splash of oil. This time add your diced onion, a pinch of salt (to season and help release water) and sauté until translucent. Then add mushrooms, salt again, and sauté. Use your judgement. If more oil is needed, do so now. After 2 minutes add black pepper

3. Once mushrooms are cooked to your dezire, add fresh chili/chili flakes, minced garlic, and a piece of ginger the size of your thumb, cut in half. This will impart it's flavour but will be removed at the end. Sauté 30 more seconds

4. For the other vegetables, use and order of what needs longer vs. shorter cooking. This is determined by density. Things like peppers, beans, or olives should go in now. More delicate ingredients like spinach, green onion, cilantro will be last. Otherwise the order is up to you.

5. After sautéing denser ingredients but before moving to the next, add your other spices.. chili powder, cumin, oregano. Continue adding your veggies, and a pinch of salt or two.

6. Once you've reached your leafy items remove skillet from heat and add them. They will wilt quickly and shouldn't be overcooked (unless you're trying to hide kale). After wilting, remove ginger chunks and add dezired amount of cheese and mix slowly to melt. Non-deli cheese will give a nice texture but real cheese like Cheddar (my fav), Monterey Jack, or Parmesan for example will really boost flavour. Then season to taste with salt and pepper

7. Lay your favourite tortilla chips on a plate and microwave for 20-30 seconds. This ensures they will be crisp, plus warm chips never disappoint :) Then simply add Nacho mix over chips.

Done! Serve Hot**

*Bonus Marks

- Squeeze a little fresh lime juice over the end result to add even more depth
- Mince chives or green onions and garish

*Final Note
I do use more detail in my recipes in hopes that it gives you the space to use your own creativity and develop your instincts. A rigid, simplistic recipe rarely lets anyone do this and they fall into the "Gotta Follow The Recipe" trap. Happy Creating!