This weeks theme for #steemitiron-chef challenge by @progressive-chef was to elevate a childhood favorite, spice was always one of my favorite tastes, even since I was a child along with the satisfying and salty crunch of crisps this combined together to make one of the most awesome delights! From fast food places, to bowling alleys to pubs and bars NACHOS are normally an unhealthy but tantalizing fast food treat.

And to be honest I haven't had this dish in a while but when I was back in England and saw some people eating a really disgusting looking version of it and remembered the theme of this challenge, I really had to try and elevate this dish to something I would eat today. Don't get me wrong when I saw the yucky fake gooeyness of the cheese and chili meat, I was having flash backs to a time when I would of enjoyed that fast food fakeness and even though I got hunger pangs when I saw it sitting there, I would have never eaten it. I wanted to make my version, the vegan version and give this dish some justice.

These speckled beans are absolutely gorgeous when they are dry, I can buy them from my favourite shop the sindicat in the village where I live. It's unfortunate you can't see the speckles in the beans when they are cooked but the flavour of them is incredible, you do not need a drop of meat in this chili when you have these protein packed plant based delights.

This is what gives the chili a kick picante peppers, these little guys seeds will blow your socks off, I tried a raw seed and I won't be doing it again! I only needed one chili, maybe in the past I would of used two but my tolerance is low and I don't like to over do it with the spice, like I once did. I don't know if you heard such a thing but spicy things can make a person with a very hot temperament blow up even quicker. Let's just say I can be quite a fiery personality at times, so I've learned to keep the spicy cravings to a minimum.

Sometime I think its worth to steam the tomatoes and peel the skin off, it just makes a nice tomato paste, because the skin doesn't break down as easily, the bit just under the skin is almost like a tomato puree. I love tomatoes and eat them everyday raw and cooked, they are packed with vitamin C which helps to absorbs the protein and other nutrients in the beans.

green pepper.jpg

These twisty green peppers give the dish a peppery flavor without using actual peppercorns, which again I re-frame from eating too much of because of the same reason to do with the chili which I mentioned early, I find its easier to digest these actual peppers than kernels which can be a bit harsher on the stomach. As well as these, I used quite a few other ingredients, here's a run down...

The Ingredients

Chili

Mixed Beans
Red onion sauteed
Chopped green pepper
cherry tomato

Chili Sauce
Chili
Garlic
Spring onion
Mushroom
Tomatoes
(all blended together)

Nachos and Garnish

Health food store brought nachos
Avocado pureed
Coconut cream, garlic and nutritional yeast (creamed)
Spring Onions
Jalapeno

After the chili was cooked and some of it eaten the rest was left to cool down to use for left overs like these nachos, I wanted to make them look like a posh starter you could order in a restaurant and not the slop that I had recently seen in London, fast food. I needed some piping to make little blobs of cream cheese and avo puree but I didn't have any so I got inventive and used some grease proof paper and wrapped it in ordinary paper to make it stiff, it was mildly successful, it did the job but let's say I won't be using that method again, and should probably go out and invest in some real ones soon.

Once I was finished I felt like they looked too nice just to start eating them but I couldn't help myself, it had been so long since I had this combination, I really felt like a kid that just couldn't wait. I won't be leaving it 10 years until I try this dish again that's for sure