Sunflower Seed Nachos

 I hate to break the Christmas candy streak, but the extent of my candy-making these days is opening the bag of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares.

But I did do something creative. 

And I have a cute cat and puppy photo to share. Peace reigns - temporarily.

Poor Fenway. My daughter sent a matching sweater for him, but she kind of misjudged the size.

Back to the creative cooking.

I can't remember exactly where I saw the idea for this, but someone had posted a link to one of those prepared meal services that had plant-based meals. They had a recipe that used some kind of sunflower seed puree to make tacos. How's that for vague?

Well, I didn't have the fancy sunflower puree, but I had tomato sauce and lots of sunflower seeds. 

Actually, what I had was some leftover sauce that had ricotta cheese swirled into it. I reheated it and added a pile of sunflower seeds. Then I ladled that over a pile of blue corn chips and melted some cheddar cheese on top.

It was the perfect Saturday lunch.

I enjoyed the combination of sunflower seeds and sauce so much, that I mixed some kale in and served it over pasta. This time I used mozzarella melted on top.

The sunflower seeds gave it kind of a meaty texture. They didn't have their crunch because of being mixed in the sauce, but they were a nice addition. And of course cheese makes everything good!  

I'll definitely do this again.

What do you think?

Nachos for a Crowd (or only a few)

I'm not sure I've seen a happier bride.

(all photos by Megan of MNM Photography)

The groom had a few nerves, but not too bad,

Especially when he and his best man got a chance to have some fun for the photographer before the wedding. :)

But Jacob and Katie are married now, and the wedding was perfect.

We even had the groom's favorite for the wedding cake - Cheesecake!

I didn't get a picture of the nachos, though. I remembered to take the emergency kit to the church: needles, thread, double sided tape, duct tape, stapler, bandaids, alcohol wipes.... But no camera.

So you'll have to use your imagination!

This is Katie's recipe, and it was super simple and delicious!

Nachos for a Crowd (or only a few)

ingredients:

ground beef
taco seasoning
nacho cheese

tortilla chips

Toppings:
sour cream
chopped onions
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheese
jalapeno slices
black olives
lettuce


The amounts you use depends on the number of people you are serving. We were planning for 80-100 people, so we used 12 pounds of ground beef. For a family, you'd use only one pound.

Brown the ground beef until it's thoroughly cooked. Add the taco seasoning (1 package per pound of ground beef) and cook according to the package directions.

Add the nacho cheese - the canned stuff. We used one #10 can per 6 pounds of ground beef.
So one pound of cheese, or a 12 ounce jar or can, per pound.

Heat the cheese and ground beef together and keep warm while serving. We used my big roaster.

Serve buffet style with the chips and toppings.

This was a hit. So informal, and everyone just helped themselves.

A great day, all around.

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com