pretty by the bay

Here’s a fun fact about me: I once appeared on a short-lived Food Network show called Calorie Commando. If you never saw it, the premise was simple: “real people” worked with the Calorie Commando, Juan Carlos Cruz, to come up with healthier versions of their favorite gluttonous foods. To be honest, I applied for the show because I really wanted to visit the Food Network studios. I had to pay my own travel expenses, but I spent a day in their studios and saw lots of cool behind-the-scenes stuff. (Example: you know how some of the chefs use canned/packaged goods with obviously fake labels so they don’t show any major brand names? There was a graphic designer on set whose sole job was to design those labels. I want that job!) Anyway, the point of this story is that I went on the show to have Juan Carlos Cruz revamp my favorite fatty food: nachos. This is the recipe he came up with, and to be honest, it was pretty sub-par. Juan Carlos did not successfully take command of my calories that day, but it was a fun experience – one I think about every time a nacho craving hits.

I had such a craving last weekend, but wanted something more substantial than chips smothered in cheese. I whipped up an easy, tasty casserole with the flavor of nachos and the hearty texture of enchiladas. (Nacholadas, if you will?)  It would be easy to adapt this to suit your tastes (baked chips instead of regular? all beans instead of beans and meat? red sauce instead of green?) and you can garnish it with an array of tasty toppings, though I strongly suggest sour cream, black olives and scallions.

“Nacholada” Casserole

serves 6

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 oz each

50 tortilla chips (roughly 1/3 of a bag – this is an estimate based on the size of my pan)

1 can refried beans (I use vegetarian)

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz can diced green chiles

14 oz can green enchilada sauce

1 jalapeno, sliced (optional – see below)

6 oz colby jack cheese, shredded

Black olives, sour cream and chopped scallions, for serving

Fill a saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and poach, keeping the water at a simmer, until cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken; check after 10 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool, then shred using two forks or your fingers.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray the pan with cooking spray or oil. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute more. Add the refried beans and green chiles to the pan, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up any large chunks. If necessary, add a couple of tablespoons of water or chicken stock to thin the beans out a bit – you want them to be smooth and creamy. Heat the beans for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. When hot, add 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce and stir to combine.

Spread half of the tortilla chips in the bottom of an 11×7″ casserole dish. You may wish to lightly press/crush some of the chips to produce an even layer, but leave as many whole chips as you can. Top the chips with the shredded chicken, followed by roughly half of the shredded cheese, the refried bean mixture, and half of the remaining enchilada sauce. Top with the remaining tortilla chips (press/crush to produce an even layer), followed by the remaining enchilada sauce and the remaining shredded cheese. Add a layer of sliced jalapenos to the top of the casserole, if desired. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted. Allow to sit for a few minutes before slicing. Top each slice with black olives, sour cream and scallions.