Green sauce and black bean salsa for nachos

A very large bag of tortilla chips got opened last weekend, and not very many were eaten, so I’ve been wondering what I could do with them… other than just eating them as they are!

Nachos are always fun, but of course tend to be smothered in cheese sauce. I did think about making vegan cheese sauce with butternut, like this delicious one that Alex made, but then my thoughts turned to tomatillos and how much I wish I could buy them, or even grow them here! I do like the tinned ones, but they’re ruinously expensive.

Anyway, I’ve got a bag of black lime powder that I haven’t cooked with yet, I had a taste and the tangy rather earthy spicy flavour seemed like it might work well for a sort of faux tomatillo sauce… it didn’t turn out tasting at all like tomatillo, but it’s ever so tasty!

The spicy green sauce with the fresh salsa and savoury corn tortilla chips all baked together turned out to be a rather lovely combination!

Nachos with green sauce and black bean salsa

serves 2

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for the green sauce

1 courgette, cut into chunks

1 small green pepper, cut into chunks

2 sticks of celery, cut into chunks

1 green chilli

25 g frozen spinach

1.5 tbsp lime powder

a pinch cumin seeds

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

2 tsp oil

2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

4 tbsp water

for the salsa

240 g cooked black beans (1 400 g tin rinsed and drained)

90 g sweetcorn, tinned or frozen

1 tomato, chopped (I used a plum tomato from a tin)

1 small carrot, grated

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp cider vinegar

a large pinch of salt

1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

and…

70 g tortilla chips

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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c

In a large roasting tin mix together the courgette, celery, green pepper and chilli (kept whole) in the tin with 1 tbsp of the lime powder, the oil, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, adding the frozen spinach after 15 minutes. Leave the oven on. Snip the top off the chilli and then blend with the rest of the roasted vegetables, water and coriander. Stir through the remaining 0.5 tbsp of lime powder, and a little more salt if needed.

Green sauce

While the vegetables are roasting, make the salsa by simply mixing all the ingredients together. Save a little of the coriander for garnish if you like.

Pretty black bean salsa

Put a third of the tortilla chips in a small baking dish (mine is about 15 x 25 cm), then add half the salsa followed by half the green sauce. Repeat the layers and then tuck the last third of the tortilla chips around the top. Bake for 15 minutes.

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By E.