Freshman Recipe Book: Not Your Cheese

On to the next installment of Freshman Recipe Book!  In case you couldn't guess by my terrible title, this is a Nacho recipe.  The reason I'm not listing amounts for most of the ingredients is because you really just buy all of these ingredients in small cans, and layer as much or as little of each topping as you want.  Then save the leftovers for a future meal!  I probably put more jalapenos and cheese than your average person, while you may prefer a meat-lovers variety!  So have fun with it and add or subtract things to your tastes.

What you'll need:

Tortilla Chips

Refried beans

Canned jalapeno peppers or more mild green chilies

Sliced black olives

Shredded cheddar cheese

Diced tomatoes

Sour cream

1/4-1/2 pound lean ground beef--it usually comes in 1 lb. packages, but you could divide that up and freeze some for later use.

What you probably have already: a platter or large plate to spread the chips, a (microwave safe!) colander, microwaveable bowl that the colander fits into

The first step is "browning" the beef, so it cooks off all of the fat and it's safe to eat.  You can do this in the microwave by placing it in a colander (make sure it's ok to heat!) over a small bowl to catch the drippings--discard those after, they're yucky.  

Cook meat on high for 5 minutes.  Remove the meat from the microwave and break it apart a bit to make sure it cooks evenly, then return it for another 5 minutes.  You may need to repeat for another 2 minutes at a time until the meat is fully cooked, which you can tell when the juices emitting from the meat come out clear, rather than pink, and the meat's appearance is brownish grey.

Sprinkle beef over a plate of your favorite tortilla chips.  Using a spoon so you don't scatter or break the chips, spread dollops of beans on top of beef and chips.  The refried beans are pretty heavy and can often crumble the chips under them.  Layer olives and peppers over that, and top with the cheese.  Microwave on high 2 minutes or until cheese melts.  Add sour cream or diced tomatoes either on top or to the side, wherever you'd like!  

I also like to add a heavy dose of cilantro and maybe some chili powder and cumin, but that's not everyone's thing.  It's also not terribly practical to have a spice rack in a Freshman dorm when you're not cooking on the regular.

And that was another easy, delicious, and relatively healthy entree for your digestive pleasure!  Tell me what you think!  ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu

~~~Shireen