If you don’t have time…

I agree with you. (Glad I got that out of the way.)

We’ve both seen the social media memes: “If you can’t find stone-ground, blue corn tortilla chips, flown up this morning from Oaxaca, Mexico, store-bought is okay.” Now, I’m going to tell you that these nachos are not that meme, and then you’re going to look at the list of scratch components in the recipe below and give me an exasperated talking too about how long this will take - for nachos!

So, yes, I agree with you. This recipe took me about 1 hour to prepare - and I’ve made all of the components before. I had to shop for tomatillos, Poblano peppers and Queso Fresco cheese, and I conveniently already had whole cumin and coriander seed, and star anise, on hand in my spice collection.

I get it. Sometimes you don’t want to do that much work for a game day snack. You’ve got work, or household chores to get done. Or, you just want to spend your Sunday morning drinking coffee and watching Meet. the Press before tossing together some quick snacks for the game.

So, with no shaming, no handwringing about the loss of quality, I’m going to go ahead and say, yes, by all means, go ahead and pick up a jar of salsa verde, a store-made container of guacamole and even a roast chicken, when you shop for the chips, cheese, cilantro and sour cream or crema for this recipe.

We all find joy in different ways on different days. This Sunday it may be from sitting down to watch the game knowing the laundry is already done while next weekend it may be in creating the handcrafted flavors of scratch guacamole and salsa. The most important thing is that today - and everyday - you find joy. How you take your joy is totally up to you.

Nachos Verdes

Serves 6-8

There’s nothing like a hot tray of nachos covered in gooey cheese and loaded with toppings, but these green nachos are something special. Fresh, green salsa verde, coriander and cumin-rubbed chicken, homemade guacamole and pickled onions for the win!

NOTE: Here’s a quick summary of the recipe: Make pickled onions, salsa verde, guacamole, and spice-rubbed chicken. Make nachos topped with cheese, chicken, and salsa. Finish them with guacamole, crema, pickled onions and fresh cilantro.

NOTE: Does this look like a lot of work and ingredients? Pick up the salsa, guacamole and roast chicken from the store - along with chips, cheese and sour cream - to make a quick and delicious batch.

For pickled onions:

• ½ cup cider vinegar

• 1 tbs sugar

• 1 tbs coriander seed

• 1 star anise (optional)

• 1 red onion, peeled and halved lengthwise

For salsa verde:

• 4 medium tomatillos, peeled and rinsed

• 2 poblano or 1 green bell pepper

• 1 jalapeño pepper

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved

• 2 tbs olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 bunch cilantro

• 1 tsp cumin, ground

• 1 tsp coriander, ground

For chicken:

• 1 tbs cumin, ground

• 1 tbs coriander, ground

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 ½ lbs

• 2 tbs cup olive oil

For guacamole:

• 2 avocados

• ¼ cup minced red onion

• ½ tsp cumin

• 1 lime

For nachos:

• 1/2 lb tortilla chips

• 8 oz (1/2lb) Queso Fresco or sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 2 tbs milk


Directions:

• Pickle onions: In a medium saucepan combine cider vinegar, sugar, coriander, and star anise with 1 tbs salt and 1/2 cup water. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Thinly slice onions and place in a medium bowl. Pour over hot brine. Let sit for 20 minutes or until cool. Can be refrigerated for up to a week.

• Make salsa verde: Set top rack 8” below burner and pre-heat broiler. Place tomatillos, peppers and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbs olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and place under broiler. Cook until deep brown spots appear on both sides, about 7-10 minutes, turning once. Let cool slightly and cut peppers in half. Remove stems and scrape out seeds.

• Transfer vegetables to blender or food processor along with garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch of cilantro (reserve the rest to top the nachos), 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander. Process until smooth and season to taste with salt, pepper and additional oil as needed. Add water to dilute if too thick. Reserve.

• Cook chicken breast: Combine remaining 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp coriander in a small bowl. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Pat chicken breast dry with paper towels and season on both sides with seasoning mix.

• Warm remaining 2 tbs oil in a small skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and sear, about 4 min. Turn and sear other side, about 4 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium and cook through to 165° F. Cool to room temperature and chop into 1/4” pieces.

• Make guacamole: Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove pit. Scoop out flesh and place in a medium bowl. Mash with the tines of a fork until almost smooth. Add onion, cumin and salt to taste. Cut lime in half and squeeze over mashed avocado, about ½ tsp juice. Stir to combine. Reserve.

• Assemble and bake nachos: Preheat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil or parchment, arrange tortilla chips in a single layer. Place in oven and bake for 10 min to crisp chips. Remove chips from oven. Sprinkle with cheese and chicken and drizzle generously with salsa. Place nachos in oven and bake until cheese is melted and starting to brown in places, about 10 min.

• Finish nachos: Stir together sour cream and milk. Drizzle over nachos. Chop reserved cilantro and sprinkle over the top. Dollop with guacamole and sprinkle with pickled onions to finish.

TIP: Crisping the chips in the oven keeps them from getting soggy when you load them up with toppings.

TIP: If you are from out west you already know this, but salsa verde over scrambled eggs is a slice of heaven. Any leftovers can be used for taco night or to spice up pork chops or grilled chicken thighs.