by Megan Marquart

Created on: July 08, 2009   Last Updated: July 10, 2009

My husband and I love to make home-made nachos. We consider ourselves true gourmets so this recipe may be a bit more labor intensive than one might expect for something as straight forward as nachos, but I promise the effort is worth while and the results are totally satisfying. Feel free to add or subtract ingredients according to your preferences. This is just how we like them.

Ingredients:

1 corn, 1 flour, and 1of any other kind of tortilla you prefer (the more kinds you use, the better! And if you make your own - whoa!)

Refried beans (an awesome homemade recipe can be found here: http://elise.com/recipes/archives/001606refried_bean s.php)

An ear of corn, cut from the husk

Several fresh mushrooms, chopped (again, the more variety you use the better - not only will it taste better, but mushrooms have greater nutritional value when eaten in combination)

1 to 3 fresh jalapenos (depending on your spice tolerance) sliced

1 avocado, cut into cubes (use guacamole - homemade of course - if you prefer but consider cutting back on peppers if you do)

3 - 4 oz. of meat - fried chicken breast or grilled sirloin, cut into chunks (optional ingredient)

2 cups of shredded cheese

Salsa (make your own! http://www.great-salsa.com)

Sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Fill a heavy bottomed, large skillet with vegetable oil and heat on high until it shimmers slightly. Cut your tortillas into eight wedges each. Drop a few wedges at a time into hot oil and fry until they slightly brown (just about a minute). Drain and cool on paper towels. Repeat until all your wedges have been fried into chips.

Place an initial layer of chips on the bottom of a shallow casserole dish. Spread refried beans across the surface (much better than just clumping it on top!), followed by vegetables, then meat, and a generous helping of cheese. Repeat process, filling your casserole layer by layer, until you have used all your ingredients. Leave the majority of the cheese for the top. Note: carefully layering and proportioning your nachos provides better results. No one ever wants the chips with no toppings on them.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure the cheese at the bottom layer melts.

Enjoy with salsa and sour cream.

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