classy but trashy

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

In celebration of Mexico’s 1868 victory over the French, this month’s Classh Courses will be an exploration of some of my favorite dishes I learned of while living in Monterrey, Mexico.

While attending high school at the American School Foundation of Monterrey, there was a popular lunch time pick at the school cafeteria: You open a bag of Fritos then dump in a hefty spoonful of simple ground beef chili and an equally generous pull off the nacho cheese dispenser. Throw in some hot sauce, grab a spoon and you’re good to go! The warm concoction would invariably start to get a bit mushy and by the end you were eating limp Frito stew—que delicioso!

My interpretation of this school yard treat is as a scaled down and classhified appetizer that is perfect for your Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!

ASFM Cafeteria Nachos

While the chili used at school was definitely of the canned variety, Making your own simple chili is a snap and gives you the option to pass on the beef. Here is my simple vegetarian chili recipe:

La Huasteca ASFM Campus

Chili for 14 ASFM Cafeteria Nacho appetizers:

2 sliced garlic cloves

3 tbsp SmartBalance

½ package Smart Ground, Mexican Style

11oz V8

½ can pinto beans, drained

2.5 tbsp BBQ sauce (I use honey chipotle)

2 tbsp ketchup

8 drops Worcestershire sauce

Pappy’s or taco seasoning

-Heat 1 tbsp SmartBalance in a non-stick pan

-Add garlic and cook about 1 minute

-Stir in Smart Ground and remaining 2 tbsp SmartBalance. Cook over med/high heat until just browned.

-In a medium pot add V8, browned Smart Ground, and remaining ingredients. Season with Pappy’s or taco seasoning to taste—I’m definitely generous with it.
**I also had about 1/16 of a piece of leftover Vegetarian Harvest Roast from Whole Foods. I cut this into small cubes and added it to the mix. The great thing about is chili is getting rid of leftovers!**
-Bring mix to a simmer, cover and cook over med heat for approx 7 minutes. Stir occasionally.

To assemble appetizers:

14 aluminum baking cups

1 bag original Fritos chips

1 can Juanita’s Mexican Gourmet nacho cheese sauce

Sour cream

Your favorite hot sauce

Cilantro, chopped or hand shredded

Green onions, sliced

-Arrange baking cups on serving platter

-Fill cups nearly to top with chips

-Add spoonful of chili on top of chips

-Heat cheese on stove or in microwave

-Drizzle spoonful of cheese on top of chili

-Add dollop of sour cream to each cup

-Top sour cream with a few drops of hot sauce

-Sprinkle nachos alternately with cilantro and onions

-Serve immediately with regular or cocktail forks available

I made these last night in order to post today- they were very tasty while still warm from cooking! They definitely brought back the ASFM memories while updating the flavors just a bit. I saved the remainder of them in a muffin tin, very carefully covered with foil in the fridge. I will be reheating them in the oven tonight for some friends and will comment as to how that turns out!

Viva Mexcio!

Update: The evening of Cinco de Mayo I threw the nachos into a 350 defree F oven for just about 6 minutes... just until i could smell hot Fritos! They tasted great! I'd even go so far as to throw a little extra dollop of fresh sour cream on there. They weren't too mushy and still held their spicy taste!