Zucchini Nachos

It must still be summer here, because I'm still cranking out zucchini from the garden and trying to figure out how to incorporate it into meals without getting sick of it. From pasta with chicken, to pasta with shrimp, to muffins, and more, zucchini has definitely had a frequent spot on our menu this summer. And you know what? I'm not sick of it! I've made so many completely different tasting meals using my zucchini. I enjoy trying to find new ways to use the food I already have on hand and incorporating that food with different flavors and textures, so this has been a fun challenge for me.

When we came home from our trip a couple weeks ago there were two almost baseball bat sized zucchini (okay, kid sized baseball bats - but still!). My neighbor said he picked one the day before because it was just getting HUGE and that if we called and said we decided to stay longer he was going to have to pick those two as well.

It was great for me having all those zucchini and tomatoes after getting home from a trip. I made salsa twice and one of the nights last week we had these yummy zucchini nachos and topped them with homemade chunky salsa. So good!

This was definitely one of those throw-it-together meals, but sometimes those end up being my in my favorites. I loved how fresh this meal tasted, how fast it was, that it used my in-season produce, and that 3 out of the 4 of us enjoyed it. I pretty much never count on Logan eating what we eat for dinner, but it was great that Madeline liked it too.

I love that nachos have the taste and appearance of being one of those snacky kind of meals, but these are actually quite healthy since they are packed with vegetables.

My article and recipe for the homemade salsa I used with these nachos will be going up Wednesday, August 19th at Craftzine.com. I'm not sure on the exact time, but I'll edit this post with the link once it's live.

Zucchini Nachos
a goodLife {eats} creation

• Tortilla Chips - I love Costco's Organic Tortilla Chips
• Fresh Salsa
• Diced Avocado
• 1 Zucchini (or half if it's a huge garden zucchini like mine)
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 cup corn (frozen or fresh cooked and cut off the cob)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• pinch chili powder
  
• Grated cheese - jack, pepper jack, or cheddar

Preheat oven or toaster oven (I like the toaster oven in the summer) to 425 degrees F. Line a pan with foil and spray with spray oil. Layer chips on the pan. Grate zucchini. Toss zucchini through chili powder. Sprinkle over a layer of tortilla chips. Grate cheese on top of veggie mixture. Use however much you like, I probably used about 3/4 c. Place pan in oven and cook until cheese is melted and all bubbly. Top with fresh salsa and diced avocado.