Vegan Nachos for the Whole Family

Did you know that Ignacio Anaya invented the first plate of nachos? Yep! He did it for a group of hungry military spouses in Mexico. Bam! Thank you 1943. I am an avid eater of nachos, although, these days my nachos look more like salads with lettuce as the chips, but you know what? Every now and then, we make the most delicious batch of baked nachos. 

My favorite way to make nachos is with vegan ground "meat", black beans, olives, and avocado. I've provided our recipe and a few ideas for variations. Bake them on a huge baking sheet and put it in the center of the table for everyone to enjoy.

Baked Vegan Nachos
Ingredients:

• 1 package of ground vegan meat alternative, such as Lightlife
• 1 can unsalted black beans, drained
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 chopped onion (put on the side if you have picky eaters)
• 1 envelope of taco seasoning
• A handful of black olives, sliced
• 1 avocado, chopped
• cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 F.
2. Cook the ground vegan meat until it's hot.
3. Mix in the taco seasoning according to the directions.
4. On a lined baking sheet, arrange the tortilla chips.
5. Spoon the ground meat and beans over the chips. Add avocado, and  all other desired toppings.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
7. Pull from oven and pull the nachos off with the lining onto a wood chopping block. Serve family style at the table with cilantro and other toppings you might want to sprinkle on top.

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​Other Nacho Ideas

• ​Add tomatoes, refried beans, corn, jalapenos, or pickled onions to your nachos.
• Swap the vegan meat for animal.
• For milk people, add cheese...