"Quick and Easy Cooking" with Bruce Tretter

Turkey Nachos

Talk about quick and easy – and lots of freedom of choice. All it takes to make turkey nachos is your favorite corn (or any) chips, leftover turkey, canned beans (that’s optional) and melted cheese topped with your choice or a combination of sliced avocado, chopped tomato, chopped onion, sour cream or plain yogurt and/or salsa.

Preparation Time: 2-10 minutes depending on number and type of ingredient

choices

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

(for 2-4)

Cooking Spray

Favorite Corn (or any) Chips

Cooked Turkey

12-Ounce Can of Beans

Favorite Sliced, Shredded or Grated Cheese (I’m using shredded cheddar cheese,

but any cheese will work)

Ripe Avocado (optional)

Medium Sized Tomato (optional)

1/4 Onion (optional - I like using either red or sweet onions for this, but any

onion will work)

Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Equipment

Baking Dish

Colander (if you’re using canned beans)

Can Opener (if you’re using canned beans without a pull tab)

Spatula or Big Spoon

Small Sharp (Paring) Knife

Cutting Board

Tablespoon

Timer

Pot Holder or Folded Dish Towel

1. Place an oven rack half way up from the oven bottom, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius).

2. Open, drain and rinse a can of beans (optional) with cold tap water in the sink.

3. Spray a baking dish with a light coat of cooking spray and top with a generous, even layer of your favorite corn (or any) chips.

4. Top the chips with a generous, even layer of shredded turkey meat, beans and shredded cheese.

5. When the oven has warmed to 350 degrees (180 C), put the baking dish in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes.

6. While the nachos cook, prepare your choice or a combination of ripe avocado, tomato and or onion as follows:

Avocado: Cut a ripe avocado in half lengthwise around the seed and twist the two avocado halves apart. Remove the seed by holding the avocado half with the seed still attached seed side up on the cutting board - making sure your fingers are not in the intended knife path - and driving the knife blade into the seed. Twist and lift the seed from the avocado half. Remove the seed from the knife edge by pinching the down on the seed from the back, dull side of the knife. Cut the avocado half again in half lengthwise into quarters, and peel off the skin. Cut each avocado quarter into slices 1/4 - 1/2 inch (6-12 mm) wide, and cut the slices in cross section into pieces also 1/4 - 1/2 inch (6-12 mm) wide.

Tomato: Rinse and shake a tomato dry in the sink. Then carefully make an upside cone shaped cut around the stem patch to remove the tomato core as shown in the third picture below. Cut the tomato in half lengthwise. Cut each tomato half into lengthwise slices about 1/2 inch (12 mm) wide. Then cut the slices in cross section into pieces also about 1/2 inch (12 mm) wide.

Onion: Cut a red (or any) onion in half, and cut one of the onion halves in half again. Cut off the tough onion stem and root ends and peel the onion skin. Cut slices about 1/4 - 1/2 inch (6-12 mm) wide, making sure not to cut through the back of the onion to keep the slices bound together, and chop those slices into pieces also 1/4 - 1/2 inch (6-12 mm) wide.

7. When the timer sounds, carefully remove the cooked nachos from the oven with a potholder or folded dish towel. The nachos are done when the cheese on top has melted.

8. Scoop the nachos from the baking dish onto a plate with a spatula or big spoon, and either have them as is or top them with your choice or a combination of plain yogurt or sour cream and/or salsa.

And that’s all there is to making turkey nachos quickly & very easily.

As always, if you’re more visually oriented, you can get complete step-by-step picture book directions by visiting the Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook site at www.gotta-eat.com.  Just click the downloads tab from the home page, scroll down to “Chicken & Turkey” and click “Turkey Nachos” for a free step-by-step picture book recipe.