Grill me some nachos!

Getting together for a BBQ is one of the greatest events of the summer. You can gather friends around outside and drink cold beer and lemonade. You can grill the freshest ingredients and eat until the stars come out. I love it but ever since we stopped eating meat I’ve been trying to come up with creative ways to utilize the grill. Let’s face it, grilling a Boca burger really isn’t all that fun so instead we’ve branched out into the world of grilling pizza, fruit for salads, halloumi cheese and heads of romaine but I’m pretty sure we hit the jackpot with our grilled nachos.

Steve came up with the idea when we were planning our big fat man fest father’s day family BBQ. We needed something that would appeal to the men coming to our house but would stick with our no-meat policy. Enter nachos. Man friendly, veg friendly and grill friendly. A couple of days after we decided on grilling nachos, Williams Sonoma came out with a nacho grill tray and I swore it was fate so I bought that baby up faster than you can say nacho.

The ingredients are simple: chips, cheese, black beans, red onions soaked in balsamic vinegar, corn, green/orange peppers, olives and cilantro. You don’t have to buy the grill tray from W&S; you could get away with using a pizza stone or a cast iron skillet. The heat from the stone or cast iron will keep the nachos warm…if they last long enough. When Steve pulled those nachos off the grill I’ve never seen anything go so quickly.

I highly recommend this dish as an appetizer or a main dish for a 4th of July party or even for a week night dinner. It’s easy, hearty and will impress any crowd.

Grilled Nachos
Prep and Cook time: 20 minutes The serving size varies. Steve and I can eat a whole tray on our own or you can serve it as an appetizer for up to 10 people.

One bag of you favorite tortilla chips. We get ours from Harvest Ranch…to die for!
1 15oz can of Black Beans drained
2 cloves of garlic chopped
Juice of one lime
1 chopped jalapeño (optional)
2 ears of corn
1 red onion sliced into 1/4-inch rings
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 each green and orange bell pepper cut into rings
1 small can of chopped black olives
One big handful of chopped cilantro
Cheese: we did a combination of Monterey jack and pepper jack cheese but some queso fresco might be a good addition.

1. Marinate the red onion rings in the balsamic vinegar for at least 30 minutes. They are better if you can do it in the morning before you plan to grill them.
2. In a sauté pan, cook the beans with the chopped garlic, jalapeño, lime juice and a little olive oil for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Brush corn and peppers with olive and season with salt and pepper. Grill corn, peppers and onions over medium heat until everything is a little charred and the peppers are soft.
4. Arrange one layer of chips on your grill tray/pizza stone/ skillet, sprinkle with cheese, beans, grilled veggies and olives. Repeat these steps until you have the desired amount of food.
5. Place tray on the grill, close the lid and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

If you have leftover veggies, cook them with a couple of eggs and a little cheese for breakfast the next morning.

Happy grilling!

Side note: does anyone have a recommendation for solar landscape lights? We’re looking for a good quality light that doesn’t have that dull blue glow to it. 🙂