Meatless Friday – Black Bean Nachos (Vegan)

Meatless Fridays – not a fan. I’ve never made that a secret. I don’t eat seafood, while most everyone else seems to enjoy a fish fry. So, the seven Fridays in Lent are a bit challenging for me when it comes to meals. Last Friday, Kevin stepped in with a suggestion of bean nachos. They turned out great.

Black Bean Nachos (Vegan)

This is what I did:

½ – ¾ can of vegetarian refried beans (Some refried beans contain pork lard. You can actually find cans that say “vegetarian” on them.)

½ can black beans (Drained & rinsed.)

Stir the two together. Then add to taste (I also smell it, but that’s me.) cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix it all up, then pour in some salsa to thin the mixture a bit, but be careful not to make it runny.

Not a lovely pic, but this is what it looks like.

Spread tortilla chips on baking sheet/pan.

Spread bean mixture over the top of the chips with a spoon. You’ll probably need to use a couple of fingers too – this stuff is thick.

Cover your nachos with vegan cheese. (This time I used Daiya Mexican 4 Cheese Shreds, which is really good; but I also like Violife and Simple Truth cheese alternatives.)

Bake at 350 degrees approximately 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Keep in mind, non-dairy cheeses take longer to melt, some never melt entirely.

A few chips browned. I left it in maybe a little too long, hoping cheese would melt and it did!

Serve right out of the oven with diced onions, peppers and tomatoes, shredded lettuce, black olives, guacamole, non-dairy plain yogurt alternative (I use So Delicious brand) and salsa.