Fresh Veggie Nachos!

We're well into tomato and bell pepper season here in Michigan which means salsa and mexican inspired dishes abound at my house. Maybe that seems crazy after all the salsa making, but I love that kind of food! Today we had a fun day out and about with friends so when I got home the zucchini pie with homemade crust I'd had in mind sounded like way to much work.

I was craving nachos after seeing someone else's at a restaurant today, but also feeling the weight of 4 unused zucchini/squash on my counter. So I naturally started to wonder why no one puts zucchini on nachos.

I love nachos, but am usually disappointed with the vegetarian versions that simply pile on more refried beans which I'm not a fan of. What I do love are black beans and cheese! I now had a mission: Fresh Veggie Nachos

I anticipated one potential problem with the addition of squash and other fresh veggies could be the water they exude with the cook, resulting in soggy nachos. So I began by chopping 1 sm. summer squash and some cherry tomatoes and tossing them in a colander with salt before prepping anything else. The salt helps pull moisture out of water-dense veggies. Then I rinsed and drained a can of black beans, chopped a couple slices of onion, half a bell pepper and part of an unknown type of hot pepper from the CSA.

I debated about whether to saute the ingredients ahead of time, but was afraid of adding oil and the possibility of more water exuding from the squash and tomatoes as the cooked, so I decided just to go for it. I tossed all the veggies and some beans in a bowl mixed in a little minced garlic and a shake or two each of cumin and chili powder. I made a plate for each of us covered with a single layer of chips topped with veggies and crumbled Monterey Jack cheese, and put them in the oven at 450 until the cheese melted and the chips on the edges were turning a little brown and crispy.

Brandon and I agreed they were awesome with a little salsa and plain yogurt/sour cream! Yum!

canada peaches

While we were vacationing up near Traverse City, MI this past weekend, Brandon and I stopped at a little roadside farm market to get firewood and hopefully some local cherries. There were no cherries to be found, but Brandon did find the largest peaches I've ever seen and excitedly chose a bag. He was already walking up to check out when I noticed the sign that said "Canada Peaches." We went ahead and got them anyway trying to calculate how far from the Canada boarder we were and hoping they were from somewhere as close as possible. Afterward I wished we'd at least have said something, asked why they had Canadian peaches instead of Michigan ones.
I'm trying to work up the nerve to be a pest when I go out to eat, especially at the local places here in Holland. There's no reason the "Leed Certified" "green" hotel in town shouldn't serve local sustainable food in its "bistro." I often think of my choices to purchase local food as my way of using my voice in the market economy, but now I think it's time to start using my actual voice.